Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with sensitivity

Hell is thinking about other people.

taramosalata — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:01:08 -0800

Since childhood I've been a rather sensitive and justice-obsessed person, but also pretty interested in / attentive to the well-being and inner lives of other people. But I feel increasingly drained. In my field of work there is a lot of getting-ahead through nepotism/ingratiation rather than ability/ passion/effort, and it bothers me. In my life I have people whom I generally like and have opened up to, but who, at critical junctures, exhibit such self-absorption that I'm left feeling not only outraged but injured. I want to change the intensity and duration of my reaction to these things, as it's a huge waste of time, and sometimes upsets my own self-esteem. Please help me stop thinking about other people without becoming alienated and alienating.

How can I stop being so sensitive?

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:48:07 -0800

I'd like to be less sensitive to rejection, as well as situations that aren't actually rejection but that I take as such. I've had social anxiety for as long as I can remember (I'm nineteen), and I have only come out of my shell in the last few months. Because of this, I'm incredibly sensitive to what others may think of me, since I've never really had friends and don't want people to dislike me. An example of this happened yesterday. I was helping my boyfriend with laundry, and because I didn't know where to put his Aunt's clothing I put both of her loads in the drier at the same time. (Something I do all the time at home, and assumed was OK.) She gave me a mini-lecture in an irritated tone of voice, and that was it.

Yet, after that I felt so bad I started crying (not in front of her.) When I told her I didn't know where to put her stuff, she said "that's when you ask," which is when I started scolding myself for having such poor social skills that I didn't even think to ask where her clothes go, then I told myself I was a bad person because I could've cost the family money for a new drier, that she probably hates me now, etc.

Another example would be in lab; I asked for help with an equation, the professor scolded me for not looking it over beforehand, and it was very hard for me not to start crying right there. I ended up giving up and leaving lab early.

I could give plenty more examples, but I think you get the jist of it. I should note that this also happens online - I received a rude response from a customer service rep not too long ago and it ruined my night.

I noticed that most people, when faced with such situations, tend to think, "Wow, that person is a bitch," or "They must be having a bad day." I've tried telling myself this, and even though I can logically say, "Well, this and that happened and it isn't my fault," it never sticks. I always end up internalizing it and feeling terrible. I also blame myself for having poor social skills quite frequently.

How can I overcome this? At the moment I don't have time to see a therapist, although I do plan to do that in the future.

Help a fussy, picky dresser look better.

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:10:40 -0800

I'm embarrassed by the way my husband dresses. He says he wants to dress better, but that he "physically can't". My husband has told me repeatedly that he wants to look more stylish and more professional (he's 30). This is great, because I'm tired of feeling like he's my kid brother instead of my partner when we go out. However, he has a bizarrely long list of tactile sensitivities that make it "impossible" for him to wear certain things because they're so uncomfortable that he "can't concentrate on anything else".

I don't really know what to make of these objections. I remember when I was a child thinking wool sweaters must be punishment for bad behavior, but I definitely grew out of it. Is he just being ridiculous, or could these issues be physically and/or psychologically real? Any other picky dressers have insight?

Here is partial list of his self-imposed sartorial restrictions, along with his rationales. (He also has a rather spartan aesthetic sense, you'll notice). He won't wear any of the following things except under extreme duress:

Things that are "scratchy":
denim (i.e. all jeans) and corduroy
synthetic fabrics or blends
wool or wool blends

Things that "make me feel like I'm suffocating":
sweaters
ties
undershirts
slim-fitting shirts

Things that are nonspecifically "uncomfortable":
blazers and jackets
shirts tucked in
belts

Things that "look dumb":
stripes, checks, or patterns of any kind
v-necks
boots
pink, yellow, purple, and pastels
vests
watches
hats
(pretty much any accessory/nonessential)

Things that are "inefficient":
shoes with laces
owning more than one pair of shoes
owning more than one coat
buttons

The end result of these limitations is that he typically wears Gap chinos, a t-shirt, and slip-on shoes every single day. On dressier occasions he'll swap the t-shirt for a solid-colored oxford-type shirt, but only if it's half a size too big, loose at the collar, and untucked.

So...

1) In the short term, what can he do to dress better within the boundaries he's set for himself? I'm not very knowledgeable or creative in this department, unfortunately.

2) More importantly, in the long term, can he be desensitized to blazers, belts, shoelaces and sweaters? How should he go about it, and how can I help?

Anonymized for my Mefite husband's privacy, who would die of embarrassment.

Porcelain or MetalFilter

PhoBWanKenobi — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:43 -0800

How bad is tooth sensitivity from gold inlays? I just got the bad news from my dentist that, despite brushing and flossing daily (really, I'm a nerd about flossing!), I need a whole bunch of cavities filled. Several of these are on teeth with existing fillings, on which he wants to place inlays.

I have the option of either getting gold or porcelain inlays. I actually kind of like the idea of having gold in my teeth; I'm not terribly bothered by the aesthetic aspect, since they're back molars that already have silver amalgam fillings in them. And gold fillings would cost about fifty dollars less a tooth after insurance--which, considering the inlays are going to cost around five hundred dollars each, isn't a huge savings, but it's still a nice dinner out.

This previous ask.metafilter post suggests that gold fillings are superior in most aspects except for aesthetics (again, not a concern) and sensitivity. Back then, a mefite described a gold crown as "exquisitely cold-sensitive." I already have some sensitivity in these teeth because of the caries, but, well, I love a nice hot tea. And ice pops in the summer! Do you have any experiences with gold inlays and tooth sensitivity? Is it really so bad that I'd be better getting porcelain, despite issues with wear and fragility, and despite the fact that I find the idea of gold teeth to be sort of wickedly awesome?

Is the girlfriend too sensitive?

wv kay in ga — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:33:22 -0800

Why wasn't I invited on this fishing trip? So let's just say I have a boyfriend who planned a fishing trip with one of his good friends he used to work with and sold his boat to. (Yes, I ended a sentence with a preposition, so what?) And let's just say that I told him, sincerely, he should go fishing with his friend and have a good time. Imagine that I said I wish I could go because I love to fish as well, but I understand how guys just need to be with the guys sometimes. No problem, right? So let's imagine that the boyfriend calls his daughter and invites her and her fiance to go fishing with him and his good friend. Should the girlfriend have her feelings hurt or is she just being too sensitive? (I am 53 years old and I should know better, but this kinda chaps my ass.)

Phantom "green" smells.

1f2frfbf — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:14:05 -0800

Am I overly sensitive to a "green" chemical? Whenever I wear a green colored shirt (no matter the shirt material), I always have a strong sensation of smelling burning plastic. I have even had to give away shirts because I couldn't stand to wear them any more due to the smell. Everyone around me seems immune to the smell. I assume either there is a specific chemical I'm overly sensitive to or some strange form of synesthesia. How can I find out what causes this?

How do I re-desensitize myself to violence?

quarterframer — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:23:54 -0800

Last fall I served on a jury for a six week murder trial, now I can’t watch scary stuff on my TV. Jury duty was a positive experience overall. The trial was fascinating. The murder itself was brutal. The verdict was guilty. I had no bad dreams during or after. Talked a lot about it to curious friends after the trial, so I don’t think there was anything I suppressed or repressed. I don’t think about it anymore in day to day life.

But it did leave me altered in that I no longer have the stomach for violent movies or television. It seems to be only violence of the more realistic/brutal kind that I can’t watch. Last night I had to stop watching Scorsese’s “The Departed” after about half an hour. Meanwhile, comic or over-the-top violence is not a problem (for example, “Live Free of Die Hard” didn’t bug me) and neither is just reading about violent acts in novels or newspapers.

So I’m wondering:

1) Is this actually a good thing? Is it more natural to find violence unappealing and revolting? Maybe to find it entertaining in the first place is kind of twisted. But I used to love watching that stuff!

2) If it is a bad thing and I should get over it, how do I become desensitized to the culturally acceptable norm of violent entertainment?

(If this insight into my psyche helps, I grew up in a family that raised animals as food. I got a creepy feeling cutting up cows as a youth and became a lifelong vegetarian. My reaction now to seeing violence on TV reminds me very strongly of my feelings about violence toward animals. At the same time, I have absolutely no problem with hunters and farmers etc. who know/respect where their meat comes from. I am not a militant or against eating meat in general.)

I'm just too scentsitive.

susiepie — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:16:18 -0800

Who has a sense of smell as strong as mine? No one nose! Please help me. Simply put, my extreme sensitivity to odors of any kind is seriously affecting my quality of life. It's like having a superpower, but trust me, it isn't super at all.

Many scents that are just normal to other people (such as light perfume/cologne) are much stronger to me. Scents that are strong (such as cigarette smoke) are totally overpowering and almost unbearable to me. The smells don't make me nauseous or anything, they just really, really, really bother me. This has been going on for pretty much my whole life. I can remember complaining about the smell of my parents' coffee in the mornings because it just seemed so strong to me.

I want to know if there is anything I can do to lessen my sense of smell. Is there any medicine I can take, or natural remedies? I would even go so far as to consider surgery if I knew it would help. I do know that one underlying cause may be a disorder I have that whacks out my hormones (I've heard that some pregnant women have issues with scent sensitivity and I'm pretty sure my experience is similar). However, I don't have much hope of regulating them to a point where it would make any difference in my sensitivity to smells, if that is even the cause. So I'm basically trying to figure out something - anything - that will help make my life a little bit better by taking away (or diminishing, at least) the thing that aggravates me the most.

Anyway... Any advice, shared experiences, natural methods, surgical solutions, websites, anything you can suggest will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Sense of touch too sensitive?

MrBCID — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 11:49:30 -0800

Why does rubbing my hands on clothing cause tooth discomfort? Not always, but sometimes when I reach into my pants' pockets, that rubbing motion causes my whole mouth to feel weird, specifically my molars; it's not pain but it makes me want to bite down a couple of times to relieve it... The dryer my hands are the more discomfort I feel; and it's usually when I have dress pants on (cotton and/or polyester), it doesn't usually happen with denim...

I get a similar "vibrating" feeling when I (or someone I am looking at) rubs their hands on carpet, it's a weird feeling all over concentrating on my mouth and arms (makes me rub my arms)... Similar to the feeling when someone scratches a chalkboard with their fingernails...

Before posting this question, I did some research and found this article that links bright lights, loud noises, heavy perfumes, and itchy clothing to tooth sensitivity... but doesn't say much about why they are linked... coincidentally, I do wear sunglasses, do avoid perfumes (light or heavy), and can't stand itchy clothing...

Does anyone have any idea why this happens?

Help with an idiom

pasici — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:10:54 -0800

Is the expression "Too many chiefs, not enough indians" culturally insensitive? If so, help me think of a clever way of expressing the same idea using the same "too many x, not enough y" format.

how can i advise a youth-mentorship organization to be sensitive to the cultural and religious needs of its young participants and their parents?

twistofrhyme — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:09:16 -0800

how can i advise a youth-mentorship organization to be sensitive to the cultural and religious needs of its young participants and their parents? this Q applies to a very diverse group of kids. the issues i've noticed so far have specifically affected the muslim kids. i work with a wonderful program that involves kids of varying faiths- definitely muslim and hindi, and i don't know what else- it's hard to say by guessing, and i don't want to ask the kids. i know there are kids from various african countries, including somalia and ethiopia, the west indies, the middle east, asia, southeast asia.... etc. this is in toronto, if that gives any clue as to how mixed this bunch is. there are relatively few white kids, and lots of first-generation kids and immigrants. the kids range from 8-14 years old.

the program is non-denominational, and organized by pretty secular people. i've observed some practices i suspect are inconsiderate to the religious kids- scheduling events on, or the morning after Eid, for instance, or serving pepperoni pizza for lunch. many of the kids and their parents are clearly uncomfortable making demands, and instead try to be accomodating (for instance, i saw a kid ask if the cheese contained rennet, and, getting no good answer, she only ate broccoli and fruit instead).

i would like the organization to be more sensitive to any relevant concerns, and i have no qualms about tactfully pointing out some of these issues- but i'd like to provide constructive suggestions when i do so. i'm specifically thinking about food and scheduling, but am very curious about other concerns i may not have thought of.

here's a quick rundown of the program:

lasts the duration of the school year. involves some saturday full-day activities (which are scheduled months in advance) and some phone activities (once a week for about 25 mins., flixible scheduling).
the kids all attend co-ed toronto-area public schools.
they wear their own clothes, with large program t-shirts overtop.
they are served bottled water, juice and milk in cartons, pizza (veggie, pepperoni, chicken, hawaiian) from a sponsor (pizza pizza, i think), fruit salad, veggies and dip, packaged granola bars and fruit snacks, and grocery store cookies (caramel, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, M&M). the pizza is served by the latex-gloved hands of volunteer servers- so their gloves touch all varieties of pizza.
the authority figures are all adults, and all clearly jewish or christian-ish. although they are kind, i can see how a kid would be intimidated to make a religious request.

my question:
what can i suggest that will benefit these kids from now til may, and then to benefit all the kids forever after?
specifically, when are the religious holidays we'll need to schedule around?
how will we know when these fall in subsequent years?
any foods to try, or avoid?
things to find out about the foods we serve, so as to be able to answer questions?
is there anything i'm not thinking of?

my caveat:
please, no wrist-slapping here- i genuinely want to help, and am being reductive only so i can ask an answerable Q that doesn't drown in specifics (although, it's a pretty long Q, so i guess i failed there). also, please go easy on the program itself- they are *great*, and are doing incredible work with these kids. i'm 100% sure that the kids net way more benefit out of it than any non-denominational gaffe might cost them. besides, all mis-steps are due to ignorance, not insensitivity, and i know that if i suggest concrete changes, that they'll really try to implement them.

thanks in advance for your advice!

How can I switch mouse sensitivity with the touch of a button?

allthewhile — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 12:48:20 -0800

How can I switch my mouse sensitivity between two settings with the touch of one (or two) keyboard buttons? I just purchased a targus wireless presenter with a mouse function. It works great except for the mouse moves insanely slow across the screen. Is there some sort of program or way that I can switch between two different mouse sensitivity levels with the press of a button?

Weird Burning Sensation

finitejest — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 06:52:51 -0800

Help me figure out what this weird burning/raw sensation is... When I get a fever, I can usually tell because my skin becomes ultra sensitive. Anything that touches it causes it to feel raw and burning.

The closest I can compare it to is that maybe its like what would happen if you got a burn that affected your nerves only, not your actual skin. I figure when its associated with a fever that its just my internal body temperature doing weird things because its overheated.

BUT, sometimes I'll get it on parts of my body when I don't have a fever at all. It will last a few days (right now its on my right thigh, on the front) and then slowly dissipate. It's really bad because even clothing causes it to hurt.

Someone tell me... what is it?

Cooking Challenge: Elimination Diet Recipes

sdis — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 09:44:27 -0800

Cooking Challenge 2006: Someone once said that anyone can make great food if they can use any ingredients, but the real challenge is coming up with something with a very limited selection of ingredients. So, make/find/modify me recipes using *only* the ingredients on the (somewhat short) list inside, or conversely, that don't include any of the ingredients on the (very long) list provided inside. (Elimination diet) Due to unknown food allergies, I have begun an elimination diet, where I am forbidden from eating most foods for a month, after which I can add back ingredients at a rate of 1/week.

Basically, I can eat lamb, turkey, most game, deep-ocean fish, most fruits and veggies, some nuts, and some oils.
I can't have grains, legumes, eggs, milk, sugar, onions, chocolate, potatoes, corn, rice, citrus, pepper (black or any hot pepper), alcohol, apples, or tomatoes. If it's related to one of these, I probably can't have it.

If you can provide me with some tasty recipes, this month will be much much easier (and I'll get to do a lot of cooking, which is nice, too). Bonus points for recipes that last in the fridge or freezer for multiple days, as cooking a lot on one day is easier than cooking three times every day. I'm actually trying to gain weight, rather than lose any, so feel free to go wild with the calories.

Example OK ingredients:
-Meat: Lamb, wild game (except buffalo, I believe), deep-water ocean fish (orange roughy, halibut, tuna, salmon), turkey, crab, lobster, oysters, deer, rabbit, duck, goose, clams, pheasant, frog legs, quail, scallops, cornish game hen, sardines in olive oil
-Veggies: All OK [except corn, white potato (sweet potato = OK), tomato, onions, all legumes]
Sweet potato, yam, cabbage, carrot, okra, radish, greens(beet, mustard, spiish, collards, etc), cucumber, eggplant, brussel sprouts, kale, avocado, broccoli, parsnips, green pepper (no hot peppers), rutabaga, leek, turnip, garlic, ginger.
-Fruits: All OK except apple & citrus (lemon and lime can be used for flavor).
-Nuts: Hazelnut, almonds, pecans. No peanuts(= legumes)
-Oils: Safflower, Sunflower, flaxseed, sesame, extra virgin olive oil.
-Condiments: Honey in small amounts, Stevia extract, cilantro, almond butter, sesame butter(tahini).

While I've written out most of the parameters, the full rules of the diet are here: http://drcranton.com/Elimination_Diet.pdf

Thanks in advance!

PS: Stuff I have so far:
-A good lamb-burger (tastes like shawarma!)
-A pretty good parsley pesto
-Baked sweet potatoes, just to have around
-Dried fruit/almond butter/honey/coconut balls
-Raw fruits and nuts

Stuff I could really use:
-Something resembling potato chips, for salty crunchy cravings (sooo sick of almonds, and it's been 2 days)
-Anything with lots of calories, especially if it's a snack food. I'm having trouble eating enough, and I'm training for a marathon, so this is pretty important. Figure me out some starch sources outside of my baked sweet potatoes.
-Is there *really* some way to make turkey moist? really? some way that I can do with these restrictions?

Sensible Sensitivity

jasondigitized — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 10:06:43 -0800

I have always been an a emotionally sensitive guy, and I guess being this way has its pros and cons. In my current and past relationships, my emotions really seem to get the best of me. When I am single, I usually have a firm grasp over my emotions, but when I am in a relationship, my emotions become heightened. I am usually very sensitive to the moods of my significant others, to the point that if they are in a bad mood, I also get in a bad mood. And a lot of times, I think I wrongfully attribute the reason for their bad moods to myself, and therefore get somewhat insecure. I don't think this is very healthy. My current girlfriend thinks its great that I am sensitive some of the time, but not great at other times. It drives me crazy when she says "I am too sensitive" when she may tease me about a topic that I am sensitive about, but she feels is funny or harmless. I don't like feeling like a wimp, but I also don't like feeling like my sensitivities are unwarranted. I guess I want to figure out how to be more disciplined with my emotions while at the same time not becoming a heartless boyfriend. Help me become emotionally mature and intelligent.

bitchy, not itchy

yesster — Tue, 16 May 2006 08:47:07 -0800

Does it make sense that unknown exposure -- allergies or sensitivities -- is making me wildly moody? Just last night, I detected a correlation: new job, new mood swings, new sinus troubles.

I've been on the job 5 weeks. Started out great. But the last couple of weeks I've been exceptionally emotionally unstable, and I think it's related to the new job, and involves chemical exposure.

Normally, I'm a very easy-going person, hard to provoke to any strong emotion. I'm fine when I go in to work. Then, after about 2 hours, I have sniffles and dry eyes, then my mood gets wonky. Last thursday, I was in tears; friday and yesterday, I experienced intense anger. These emotional disturbances last for a couple of hours after work, then dissipate. And, last night, I noticed my sinus trouble going away right about the time the mood lifted

There are no unusual chemicals were I work. Nobody else there seems to have a problem. I do have a history of strange chemical sensitivity.

I have an appointment with an allergist next week.

I'm strongly inclined to discuss my "theory" with my boss, who is probably concerned about my temperament.

I'd appreciate any other personal stories related to this, and links to good resources.

Birth (out of) Control

glibhamdreck — Fri, 12 May 2006 09:56:42 -0800

Asking for the girlfriend (if that wasn't clear): My significant other is plagued by oral contraceptive -induced sunlight sensitivity. She's been on Cryselle (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets) for about five years. While the pill has otherwise been good been good for her complexion, menstruation, and pregnancy prevention, her sunlight sensitivity has increased to the point where she gets a bumpy rash after only ten minutes outside on a partially cloudy day. Even with the Scandinavian genes, she was always able get and keep a good tan pre-pill.

Does anyone have a positive experience switching brands or types of hormonal contraceptives (oral/depo/whatever) to decrease a sensitivity to sunlight?

She'll pursue professional advice, of course. Still, her annual gynee visit is not until December, and for however much she doesn't want spend the summer under an umbrella, she'd prefer to save the expense if there's no point.

I'd take a pill if I could. Thanks.

How to adjust keyboard sensitivity

NorthCoastCafe — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 13:05:10 -0800

How can I fix or adjust the keypad of my new Dell laptop to prevent the cursor from jumping to other spaces, other lines, highlighted blocks of text, even calling up random functions. In the user's guide installed on the HD there are instructions for adjusting the touch pad, but not the keyboard. Over at Dell Hell I find nothing. I'm on the road, limited Internet access, could use some personal experience.

Question 1: What is my stomach sensitive to? Question 2: What are the ingredients involved in good california rolls?

sirion — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 16:31:38 -0800

Question 1: What is my stomach sensitive to? Question 2: What are the ingredients involved in good california rolls? For about 2 years, my intestines haven't been having a great time. I finally decided to try figuring out what's going on a month ago, and after getting a huge number of tests done by my doctor, I've found out that I have no (blood/stool test) detectable medical problems. Then I noticed that my intestinal woes begin in 5-60 minutes after eating, and they are different depending on what foods I eat.

Over the last week, I've begun a food journal and I've found that there are a number of foods I can eat that *don't* produce 2-5 hours of suck. So far, they are:
Oatmeal, Yoghurt, 2 kinds of veggie burgers w/ cheese and mayo and avocado, Mini-Wheat cereal with soy milk, mozzarella cheese sticks with ranch dressing, fish (nondescript) enchiladas with rice, fish (Wahoo - I think related to Mahi Mahi) burrito - [sour cream, avocado, rice, cheese], fake turkey sandwich [soy turkey, mustard, cheese, oat-nut bread], carrot juice, Fettucini [shrimp, olive oil, parmesan]

The 2-5 hours of suck have been provoked by:
1:
6 pc california rolls
1 cup miso soup
a big ol pile of pickled ginger.

2: Some sort of scallop + corn polenta.

In a mini-experiment this morning, I bought sushi, ate 10 pc california rolls and waited a couple of hours, then had miso soup. I'm not perfectly sure, since it's not quite the best test, but it seems that it's the california rolls that do it. If that's true, what do I need to test next, and what sensitivities have I already eliminated through my "safe" list above?

General advice is appreciated as well as it relates to this topic.

Let's not be friends

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 21:12:46 -0800

My ex-boyfriend wants to be friends. I don't. After a long period of not speaking, my ex is being all normal and friendly towards me. I'm pretty sure that in his mind, our interaction == we're friends. I do not consider us so, and I admit this is partly out of my own bitterness at how things ended.

I still have feelings for him, so a real friendship would be difficult. Right now, I deal with him by being civil. But frankly? I don't want to know how he is. I don't want to know about his interactions with other girls, or if he point-blank has somebody new. I don't want to hear about his life or any part of it. I just want him to leave me alone. (Or beg me to take him back, hee!)

Either way, each interaction now makes me uncomfortable and at a loss as to how to respond without giving the wrong message. Online, I'm already invisible in all ways one can be invisible, but it's not like I can ban him from commenting in my journal or block his e-mail addresses without expecting some kind of a puzzled follow-up. I don't want to be cold, or a bitch. We are both docile introverts, too sensitive for our own good.

While I don't want to be pretend-friends, I don't want to burn bridges either. How do I handle this delicate balancing act?

Not a sensitive man.

staresbynight — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 11:19:43 -0800

Genital sensitivity filter. I'm male, circumcized at birth. The trouble is that my penis is not very sensitive, which can often make sex frustrating. I've tried exercise, avoiding masturbation for extended periods, diet changes, and so forth, so far without much success. Is there anything I can do to enhance sensitivity (which is a very important issue for me)?

Why don't I like cilantro?

Hypharse — Wed, 14 Apr 2004 15:01:22 -0800

I can't eat anything cilantro has touched, even if it's only a few flakes. In contrast, my friends' reactions to it are extremely positive, and they've described its taste as "bright" and "fresh," and it's commonly included in dishes in my area. I don't think it's just a food preference; I'm a big kid and will eat things I do not enjoy if they're given to me or if I'm hungry. The difference with cilantro is that it makes any food, no matter how much I like it, taste like it's been poisoned, and no amount of willpower can overcome that. Does anybody else find cilantro inedible, or know why it would cause such a strong reaction?