Portmouth Woman Has Morbid Fear Of Vegetables
VICKI Larrieux has been diagnosed with a morbid fear of vegetables. (Morbid is a popular word in the dieticians’ community, and if people can be morbidly obese they can surely be morbidly slim and so on.)
As the Telegraph says, Larrieux, a 22-year-old student from Portsmouth, eats only “meat, potatoes, cereals and an occasional apple but refuses even a single slice of carrot on her dinner plate”.
All this is positioned beneath the headline:
“Woman diagnosed with fear of vegetables”
Only she eats potatoes. Is a potato a vegetable? No, says the Daily Telegraph. Yes, says pretty much everyone else.
Says she:
“I have always had an irrational fear of vegetables even as a child I used to properly freak out if some carrots or a few peas were on my plate.”
Mums, listen up. Your child is not having a strop; she’s terrified. She is a victim.
“But as it continued into adult life I started to think it might not just be a dislike for vegetables but an actual phobia. Every time I would see vegetables not just on my plate, but anywhere I would get feelings of panic, start sweating and my heart rate would shoot up.”
McDonald’s dwellers nod. McDonald’s was a sanctuary for the vegetable scared but then they brought in salads. The only safe haven now is Mr Topp’s Burger Bar, in Lea Bridge Road, East London, where even canned beans are banned as “faddish”.
“People might think it is a bit of a laughable affliction but I have a genuine fear of greens it’s not just that I dislike the taste of sprouts or broccoli, but the actual sight of them fills me with dread and I could never touch them.”
So shut your eyes. And chin up:
“But I’m confident that I will eventually overcome the phobia I’d love to be able to sit down to a slap-up Sunday roast with a pile of greens and I’m sure one day that will happen.”
Ladies’ fingers crossed. Pass the chips…
Posted: 9th, November 2009 | In: Strange But True Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
