ARFID was on my twitter timeline and fun fact, Bobbert also has an eating disorder. As a disclaimer, while ARFID was researched while developing Bobbert, they aren’t meant to be representative of it so if you read this and think “that isn’t really ARFID”, it’s because it’s not meant to be. If a character is specifically supposed to have or be something l will mention it or confirm it.
Due to various health problems, Bobbert gets sick very easily and as a child always had something up with their stomach even if it wasn't painful. Foods had to be prepared very carefully or else there'd be a high chance they'd get sick, even if only "mildly". As a child, it was at its worst, to the point they were 100% getting sick/an upset stomach if they ate out. As a teen, they still won't eat anything with raw eggs or meat that isn't well done (among other things) but their health has improved enough that unless there's a "major" food safety violation or it's a "risky" food, they won't get sick. Although they still tend not to eat out or eat anything they don't make themselves. (For example, they opted to not eat their friendsgiving dinner aside from a few bites because they felt there were too many hands working on the food, even if they personally supervised the cooking and know no health violations occurred.)
They are fine with texture and taste but never eat out unless pressured by someone they like and if it's a food that is unlikely to get them sick (in their opinion) (like baked goods). The idea of eating anything that isn’t grains, pastas or plain fruits/vegetables is a turn off because they feel like they’ll get sick. Their thinking is something like... With meats, they worry about it not being cooked properly or something else being wrong with it. With milk and dairy products, they worry about being lactose intolerant (they aren’t) or it being spoiled/filled with bacteria that will hurt their stomach (bacteria one mostly applies to yogurt). Spicy foods are a no go because 1. They just can’t handle spicy and 2. Fear of stomach issues. They generally just think restaurants are icky with so many people handling their food and how everything isn't ultra cleaned and sanitized between uses like they do.
It's important to note they can "logic" themselves into eating dishes if they aren't legitimately risky to their health (because they still have a weakened immune system, so it is still not something they should be doing according to their doctor-such as runny eggs). As a teen, it's settled into something like... they don't dislike foods they just cannot be bothered to deal with food sickness and thus have a very bland and samey diet. Because they always avoided foods so much growing up they also just do not have much appetite in general anymore (medicine messes this up anyway) and they do not crave food outside of their safe foods.
I think they have mixed feelings about fried food. I think the oil is gross to them if it isn't fresh or if it's too greasy (too much grease gives them a stomachache especially if that's the only thing they ate). But on the other hand, the high temperature makes them more comfortable eating meats and fish (as long as they aren't too thick). However, they didn't eat much fried food. It was easier to eat other things.
They are very underweight but are not stunted-they were short as a child until puberty.
They definitely have digestion problems. In the sense they end up with messed up bowl movements and kinda impaired digestion. I don't have an official diagnosis for them.
Genk (and Fragaria) are definitely the main reasons they don't just eat oatmeal exclusively. I think as an adult they eat a greater amount of food due to Genk taking kitchen duty in the house. Although they basically eat nothing while at work.
