Cosmic, interesting line(s) of thought. Along with you, I think the child who stayed with your family was probably using food to demand some attention in his own household, either because he was spoiled or because he was ignored. You had a wise mom to reset the ground rules, and that probably amounted to the attention he needed. Individual tastes are aggravating. I knew a woman who did scientific research on differences in taste for food among people. This was not focused on fussiness, but simply the ability of people to taste this and that, but in carefully designed studies. Different people taste things differently, sometimes symptomatic with various illnesses, sometimes as a genetic trait. As your mom knew, healthy people downplay these differences and don't belabor them. But they do exist. As a burley lover, I admit some can't taste it, some really have an aversion, and others of us think it is the essential leaf. My late wife loved most foods but really couldn't eat hominy -- I don't love it, but it's okay to me. Some people really don't like lamb, which I like, but I only accept liver as pate or occasionally liver sausage, but not cooked beef or chicken livers, which many people savor. Most other "traditional" foods I like -- veggies, fruits, meats I "know." I've not accustomed to tongue or brain, but these are beloved in cultures that regularly cook them.
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