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[plidex]

I don't mean like jumping out of planes and trekking through the Amazon, but when people aren't adventurous in the slightest.

I have a friend who is not motivated at all to try new things. It drives me crazy, especially because he usually loves it on the rare occasion he does try something new. And when he loves something new, instead of learning "Hey, I should try new things more often!" he instead thinks "Hey, I like this very specific thing! I should try it more often!"

For example he really likes this one frozen yogurt place (which he openly admits he goes to because it's the froyo place closest to his house, not because it's even the best froyo in the small town he lives near). Once, I took him to an ice cream place I really like that's maybe ten miles from his house. He loved it. Flash-forward about a year and while we're hanging out he suggests that another of our friends check it out. I ask him "You still go there?" and he says "Yeah, their earl grey ice cream is my favorite!" Turns out he's been going about biweekly or so for the past year, and has only ordered that one flavor.

Similarly I took him a sandwich place once and it was the same story, he totally loves it, starts going somewhat regularly, I found out months later that he has only tried one sandwich on the menu and hasn't been to any other sandwich place besides that and Subway, his previous favorite. And he loves sandwiches!

It's not just food too, he thought he didn't like live music so I took him to a local open mic night at a coffee shop and he had a ton of fun and started going regularly. But only to the open mic night at that one coffee shop, no proper concerts, no other local amateur events. I've gone to museums with him and he'll buy a yearly pass on the way out and go a ton, but not seek out other museums.

I get the impression it's because of his upbringing, he at a pretty substantially better place financially than his family was when he was young, so I think it's at least partially some kind of residual inclination to not spend money on himself. That doesn't explain the always ordering the same thing part though.

I realize it's not of my business and he's a happy guy, so this doesn't matter at all. Still, he drives me crazy since he so clearly likes trying new things when he's pushed to with friends, but he won't get outside his comfort zone on his own. Seems like he'd be happier and just have a more interesting life if he'd try new things of his own accord.

Anyway, anyone else have similar friends who are frustratingly stuck in their ways? Any other personal pet peeves that your friends bug you with?

I can relate to him, for example, I like pizza with pepperoni or bacon, but I always order with olives, when I go to McDonald's I always order the same, it doesn't matter if there's something new that I would probably like.

It may have something to do with preferring to avoid changes in general.

 

[Cipher Peon]

I'm adventurous, but you'd have the same problem with me OP. I am not at ALL adventurous with my food in the slightest.

For me, my appetite is very sensitive and delicate. I get something I don't like and my appetite is ruined and I don't eat it and I'm down cash and a meal for the day. I am extremely content with eating from the same burger place or whatever and getting the same relative food daily because if I experiment and fail I'm going to be furious and ill for the day.

I love having an extraordinary and popping life. But for food? I can risk it if you're paying and you give me a small piece and if I have my own meal of American food garbage waiting for me and a drink in case I need to wash the food I potentially might dislike down.

I know people that are like this, but it's mostly when it comes to food also. My friend wants to travel the world but the dude is sooooo picky and whiny to try anything,

"Dude, what are you gonna eat in Japan?"

"Uh, McDonalds is a global corporation."

He's dead serious, if he can't eat plain noodles all day he's gonna subsist on chicken nuggets.

I find this relatable (outside of travelling, I hate travelling). When I went to Sweden, I ate from the pizza place next to my hotel daily and occasionally got McDonalds.

 

[thetrin]

I enjoy trying new things (food, entertainment, locations, etc.) but I'm also highly routine oriented.

I always take the same route to work. I always leave home at the same time. I always eat at the same place for lunch and grab essentially the same dinner everyday. I eventually get sick of what I'm eating, rotate to a new favorite, and stick with that for ages.

I love trying new food, and I love pretty much everything. I just get addicted to one kind of food and keep eating it everyday until I'm bored of it, then rotate it out.

I find comfort in routine, but I'm never against trying new things.

It does seem like your friend just likes his routine, but isn't fussy. He seems to like things every time you introduce it to him. I think that's pretty cool.

TL;DR some people just really like routine.

 

[plidex]

When choosing a restaurant I will always prefer to go to some place I already know, but I would never forcibly put my preferred choice upon others.

 

[kai3345]

My ex girlfriend was a super picky eater. Whenever we'd go out with friends, we'd all vote on a place to eat. Someone would mention ____ Restaurant, and everyone would be super stoked to go there. Then she would just be like "no, they don't have anything I like there - we have to go somewhere else." EVERY DAMN TIME

Now, I don't exactly have the most diverse tastes in food either, but generally I'll try to at least try something new if it's a place I don't typically eat, or at the very least I can find an item on the menu I like, or just go and hang out with everyone anyway and just say im not hungry. This girl would flat out refuse to go if it was a restaurant she didn't like.

We broke up after a month.

 

[Neo C.]

Yes, because I believe being curious is one of the most important traits in our modern society. The world is changing really fast, if you stick in the past, you are more likely to become a Trump voter.

As Bourdain said, he wouldn't eat with Trump who apparently eats his steak well done.

 

[StayDead]

I'm not as bad as your friend OP, but I'm not particularly adventurous. I branch out and try things at my own pace. Even though it can be frustrating for you, you should also appreciate that people who are very adventurous can be hell to hang out with, when every "hey try this" turns into a 10 minute nagging/bargaining session and their mental well-being apparently demands that you try something. Then they go off to bitch about you to their friends.

I can't really word this any better. I'm like this, but no where near as bad as the guy in the OP. I just get nervous when going to do new things for some reason.

 

[ClayKavalier]

Clay, what adventurous things do you partake in? as an observer, it seems like you are the one not being "adventurous".

Compared to who? It seems like I'm the more adventurous of the two of us? I'm really curious what your definition of adventure is now, but I love trying new things. Love to travel, move very often (I've never lived in the same place longer than two years since moving out of my parents' home), love trying new restaurants and have typically tried everything or at least most of the menu at my favorites...

The two "extreme" example at the beginning of the OP are things I'd be reluctant to do, but I definitely consider myself more adventurous than a dude who loves sandwiches and has only had one type in the last year, haha.

 

[gnomed]

As Bourdain said, he wouldn't eat with Trump who apparently eats his steak well done.

I knew I disliked the man, now I know the reason why.

I have a similar friend, once introduced said friend will have no problem "adventuring" to the same locations and add it in to their rotation. It's worst when that same friend tries to call you out and pretend you are the one in not wanting to leave your comfort zone, sure buddy.

 

[Azuran]

On a group trip to Thailand, we got to try balut (local delicacy) and there was THAT ONE GUY who didnt want to try it

This is one of those things in this world I didn't need to know it existed. Don't blame him for not wanting to puke.

 

[Holy Order Sol]

*googles balut*

yeah no fuck that

 

[ClashOfPenguin]

So strangely I totally understand your friend OP. When I'm at home I tend to frequent the same three bars, the same few restaurants, drive only roads I know, etc.

That said last week I flew to the other side of the world and did a ton of crazy shit I wouldn't do at home. I ate new foods, I jumped out of a plane, I Bungie jumped, met new people at new bars, and did a ton of stuff I would've never done in my comfort zone. And I've done a bunch of trips on my own at this point.

Maybe I'm the odd one, but when I'm at home I like to do things I'm comfortable with and have people I know introduce me to things they love. I like to share in those things that they like. That said I also love to travel solo cause it throws me out of my comfort zone and make me try new things. It's kinda weird cause my friends would not consider me unadventurous because I have done way more insane things on my trips then most would do in their lifetimes. At home though I almost feel like it's a bonding experience to share in what the people you know like. I hate it when people ask me where should we go tonight because I'm going to fall back on what I know instead of trying something new. Do your friend a favor and keep introducing him to new places! He obviously enjoys it and it help grows his world a little bigger. Plus, maybe, he's not as unadventurous as you think!

 

[Cerity]

I don't mind routine, its comforting to an extent to go back to those trusted places and have those foods you know well.

On the otherhand, I have a friend that is completely reluctant to try any new boardgames that have >50 pieces. He just whines and whines about it being too complex until we manage a playthrough and we get a 'oh, that was pretty easy. It was fun too'. Each and every time.

 

[Goldboy]

I don't really mind, I have different friends for different things. I'm a pretty adventurous guy but I'm totally cool with just hanging out playing video games or drinking.

One thing that definitely does annoy me though is when people aren't adventurous but will make ambitious plans, realize too late that they don't actually want to do whatever they made plans to do, and cancel last second. I've learned the hard way not to make plans with certain people because they pull that shit.

 

[VanquishUK]

On a group trip to Thailand, we got to try balut (local delicacy) and there was THAT ONE GUY who didnt want to try it

Reminds me of when I saw I think Gordon Ramsay eat a deep fried tarantula. Another one of those things I would never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever even consider trying. I think it's ass part exploded in his mouth when he bit into it.

 

[Pinko Marx]

I work in food service. I have a co-worker that annoys me to no end.
We have a large menu at our restaraunt, and it is encouraged that employees try every meal on the menu so that they can accurately discuss the dishes on our menu with customers. This particular employee will ask me almost everyday if I think a certain item on the menu is good or not. I give her the same response every time: "Try it", which angers her. Its like she'll die if she finds the dish distasteful or something.
I understand that I may be a little weird in that I'm the type of person that will do almost anything once just for the experience, so I don't expect everyone to be like me, but its like...What do you have to lose by even dipping your toe into the water?
So I'm with you OP. Unadventurous people bore and annoy me. To me life is about the experience; its what you make it and I try to make it by taking in all the experiences I can.

I knew I disliked the man, now I know the reason why.

It couldn't be the fascism, could it?

Spoiler

I know you're joking.

 

[Orpheum]

Don't get mad about this, that's just how he is and there's nothing wrong with that.

Be a good friend and motivate him to try new things together with you. This is the sort of imbalance that kind of defines some friendships, don't you kind of like the idea that he enjoys the new things you show him?