Reading through all the replies, I’m getting the sense that perhaps your coworker is a bit racist but you did a poor job explaining that in your post. Your post comes across as judgemental of all people who avoid certain foods because you did a bad job of explaining that you meant people who avoid foods because of cultural prejudice. I don’t think you’ll find many people on lemmy who are prejudice against other cultures. I’m not sure what answer you expected. There are some who are just racist, others who may not be racist but just don’t trust food they aren’t familiar with because they’re unsure what’s in it.
I think most people avoid certain foods because they either have a medical condition, ethical concerns, or sensory sensitivity. It sounds like you were looking for an answer from the few who are just racist and I’m not sure what explanation you were expecting for their prejudice.
I cook meals from other cultures a lot but I have to be sure I like all the ingredients first.
Most people I talk to in real life have similar political views to me. Except for a few kooky relatives