American’s dietary restrictions are keeping chefs from taking creative liberties they used to take. Many professional chefs have spent their lives creating trademark dishes. It’s one thing if a customer comes in and has a severe allergy or other medical problem that keeps them from eating a food. When that happens the chefs will do anything they can to keep the dish tasting great without some of the ingredients. Dealing with dietary restrictions can often mean just dealing with a customer’s preferences. The problem is picky eaters who say they would like a dish, without the tomato or mushroom, or some other vital ingredient. This can change the fundamental makeup of the dish, and even make it bland. America is full of picky eaters. No other country has so many people who refuse to eat food that they don’t like, so their dishes can be much more diverse. David Kinch, a chef from California, spoke about this picky eater epidemic with Eater and you can read more here.