Picklish: Predisposed to Drinking Pickle Juice?

Izzy's secret pickle cravings never cease to amaze me. He has been known to request pickles for breakfast and often eats them as snacks and side dishes too. If my sandwich arrives with pickle, it disappears before I have a chance to bite into it myself. Izzy is positively picklish and I have to wonder, are pickle eaters born or made?


His predilection for pickles certainly doesn't come from me (he would be better off chez the Head Hen) since the only pickle I would ever eat was a kosher dill. Granted I have since branched out to other varieties but pickles still don't top my list of favorites. His father is not an extreme pickle lover either. The only link may be his Great-Grandpa Louis who is known to always keep a jar on hand in his fridge. Perhaps he received the pickle gene from him. Though I prefer to think that the attraction began in the following manner.

I attribute his great pickle love to early exposure. We began pickle tasting at the Union Square Market when Izzy was almost two years old. This a great place to do this because Rick, of Rick's Picks, sets out an impressive display of his pickled vegetables for all to sample. There was an immediate attraction to nearly every item he tried though the Windy City Wasa Beans were the star. We returned to sample more on many occasions (and still do). Lately he has been drawn to the Slices of Life, a more ordinary pickle experience yet satisfying all the same. I even partake of them occasionally.
Aside from Rick's Picks and other random pickles, Izzy also enjoys Trader Joe's Cornichons which are great for children's sized pickle treats. In fact we brought them in with sliced cheese and bread for a preschool snack. I don't think his classmates were impressed but I will persevere and send them again next time I am "snack mom" of the week, which is actually this week.

This pickle predilection became especially acute today when Izzy, after finishing up the remaining pickles in the jar, asked to drink the pickle juice. Had he heard Rick say that this was something people did at some restaurant on the Lower East Side? Or did this just occur to him as a way to continue that pickle sensation? Whatever the case, he drank two glasses of the stuff, pickling ingredients and all. Admittedly I inwardly puckered at the sight of this but I was intrigued and had a sip too. I know it is healthy but not something I will be adding to my repertoire. Maybe I need to try some again. Pickles are an example of how I try not to allow my food prejudices to interfere with Izzy's budding palate. Even though I am not partial them, I try to taste and develop an interest in them alongside him. Who knows, maybe I will one day be picklish too.