People eat a lot.
Depending on your schedule, you could eat six or seven (or more) times a day.
Quantities aren’t generally small (or moderate) either.
All of those meals and snacks? They don’t have to be amazing.
Many people eat junk often enough that isn’t all that tasty because it’s handy or “should be” tasty or some emotional drive is instigating the eating but there’s very little tasting going on at all… but then won’t eat a salad because it’s not very tasty.
Same coin: finishing off a cake or a pizza because one doesn’t want to waste food while throwing out produce weekly.
The concern isn’t really about wasting food, and the concern isn’t really about food tasting good.
There’s just resistance.
I’m not entirely sure why. I have thoughts that would explain bits, but I don’t have a full hypothesis in place. (Emotional eating. Brain chemicals. “Good/bad” dichotomy. Lack of exposure in formative years. Less convenience/shelf life.)
But even as a relatively healthy eater all of the time, and a very healthy eater some of the time, if I’m looking in the fridge and the pantry for the fourth time in 20 minutes, I want chips or cookies or a whole brick of cheese, not an apple or a banana or some almonds. Or if I’m really hungry, I rarely am wanting a big salad. (Not never, but close.)
It’s OK to eat mediocre food just because it’s good for your body and you need it for good health.
(We make fun of picky toddlers, but are we really much better? Fewer Goldfish crackers, fewer tantrums … but that’s only because we’re in control of what we get.)
And if you insist that you require food to be amazing every time, then 1-stop eating crap that is less than amazing; and 2-find ways to dress up “obligatory” food. (I had no idea how many flavors could be in such simple dishes until I started eating a vegetarian, plant-based diet. I don’t believe that’s a requirement—it just helped because I had to step significantly outside of what I was used to.)