# Am I the only one who likes the taste of vegetables? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758 "2011-11-13T02:55:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/1 "2011-11-13T02:55:03Z")
Add bacon. Add garlic. Add lemon. Baby lima beans. Baby peas. Microwave packages of frozen vegetables with what Birds-Eye claims is butter and spices. Lima beans taste good. Green beans taste good. Spinach tastes good. And so on. All by themselves. What’s with the disguises? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/2 "2011-11-13T02:57:26Z")
I love veggies. I generally don’t need to do anything beyond a bit of butter and salt. I do like the jazzed up, for a chance of pace. But I’m a huge veggie lover- they are my go to food. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/3 "2011-11-13T02:59:29Z")
I won’t eat any raw vegetables, but if you cook/steam/saute/boil/roast/grill or otherwise make them not raw I’ll eat quite a few of them. The notable exceptions being green beans, peas, beans, mushrooms and probably a handful of others. But broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, bell peppers (preferably not green), carrots, potatoes, tomatoes etc, no disguises necessary. I can eat them without butter and salt if it’s not within an arms reach. Even the frozen stuff will work for me in a pinch, I really have no problem with it. I have such a crappy diet to begin with and I’m such a picky eater (I don’t eat any fruit at all) I’m really glad that I like vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/4 "2011-11-13T02:59:52Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Lima beans taste good. Green beans taste good. Spinach tastes good. No. Yes. Yes. I don’t really care to eat most things by themselves. And lemon and lime are wonderful at lifting flavors up a bit without getting in the way. The tang gives it a crisp, refreshing taste. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/5 "2011-11-13T03:00:47Z")
Fresh is the key. Fresh vegetables are good vegetables. Frozen and canned stuff needs to be covered up mixed up something that doesn’t taste nasty. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/6 "2011-11-13T03:06:32Z")
I love some of them all by themselves – I’m with you on the naked Brussels sprouts, and plain barely-steamed asparagus is heavenly. Ditto fresh green beans, peas, cauliflower… raw spinach, especially young leaves, is tasty in salads and sandwiches. But I like all those things with other good stuff too. So many people grew up on vegetables with the ever-lovin’ crap cooked out of them, served plain, gray, and ugly, that they don’t really know what they taste like. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/7 "2011-11-13T03:07:20Z")
Lima beans are gross. Green beans are delicious right off the vine. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/8 "2011-11-13T03:10:45Z")
I love the taste of almost any vegetable properly cooked or properly uncooked. Snow peas direct from the garden are wonderful. When I’m traveling and have to eat out, I get hungry for a decent amount of vegetables, and have extra when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/9 "2011-11-13T03:17:31Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Even the frozen stuff will work for me in a pinch, … Well, this is really what inspired me. I mostly buy frozen vegetables (except for salad stuff), except I can’t anymore. They’re all baby, which lessens the taste, or they’re all mixed in with sauces and spices, or they’re microwave packs which seem to work out to being _more_ expensive than fresh. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/10 "2011-11-13T03:23:15Z")
some veggies are good cooked and naked. some veggies are good and sweet or tasty raw. some veggies will taste good to nonveggie eaters with a sweet/sour sauce like that used on German potato salad. butter and yeast also is very good on many veggies. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/11 "2011-11-13T04:05:12Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > … **Lima beans** taste good. Green beans taste good. Spinach tastes good. And so on. All by themselves. > > What’s with the disguises? Oooh, I was with ya 'til right there. Actually, I’m not sure lima beans don’t taste good, I just can’t abide the texture. My favorite vegetable preparation is steamed, nothing on 'em. I don’t even really like mixed vegetables. Sometimes I’ll saute something in a little olive oil and some garlic, but not usually. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/12 "2011-11-13T04:22:58Z")
It’s funny, my two year old will eat her veggies first and ask for more. She is not fond of broccoli and celery, but will happily snack on carrots, cucumber, avocado, tomato, peppers, potato, peas, corn, green beans, and her all time favorite edemame. She also wont eat much in the way of meat, but loves beans and lentles. She’s a strange toddler, but a good strange. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/13 "2011-11-13T04:22:59Z")
Mmmmm…I love veggies! I love green peas, just steamed, with butter. I prefer spinach to lettuce in my salads, and I just ADORE tomatos. (Yes, I know they’re technically a fruit) Ever try raw mushrooms dipped in hummus? Yum! In fact, one of my favorite lunches is to take a pita wrap, spread it with hummas then add some raw spinach and chopped up mushrooms. It tastes sooo good. When I was little, my parents never had any problems getting me to eat my vegetables. (Not even cooked spinach, which I loved) Meatloaf, on the other hand… _blech_ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/14 "2011-11-13T04:27:10Z")
I like most vegetables. Lima beans are a special treat for me. For cooked, I love corn, peas, green beans, beets, carrots, and spinach (in moderation). Raw, I go for all greens, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, sugar snap peas, radishes, and others. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/15 "2011-11-13T04:38:15Z")
I like almost all vegatables in all palatable forms- raw, cooked, canned, pickled. My only strong aversions are canned asparagus and canned tomato. Okra and cauliflower I tolerate, but would never buy as a grocery or menu item. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/16 "2011-11-13T04:39:10Z")
In my opinion, nearly all vegetables taste better raw than cooked, and the textures are certainly better. There are many veggies that I enjoy raw and plain. I have a particular taste for peppers and certain greens that way; there are subtle flavors that could easily be covered up. That said, there’s something to be said for complementary flavors and seasonings. Tomatoes on their own are tasty, but combined with basil, they’re delicious. For still better results, a little salt to draw out the juice helps the flavors mingle. For vegetables that are flavorful, but lacking in scent, black pepper adds bouquet, making for a more robust combination. Cooked beans, on the other hand, generally need all the help they can get. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/17 "2011-11-13T05:01:24Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > So many people grew up on vegetables with the ever-lovin’ crap cooked out of them, served plain, gray, and ugly, that they don’t really know what they taste like. Like my mom. If she had to bite down on a cooked veggie, it wasn’t done enough. She had good teeth, so I don’t know what her problem was. Her vegetable soup would have fit through a strainer. (Hyperbole, but not much.) The only vegetable I don’t like is okra, but it’s likely that I’ve never had it when it was prepared correctly. Favorites are acorn squash, parsnips, and rutabaga – the ones from the store are fine. But asparagus, corn, and tomatoes have to come fresh from the garden. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/18 "2011-11-13T06:48:16Z")
I love all the unpopular vegetables: lima beans, brussels sprouts, beets, spinach, turnip are among my favorites. Never much cared for green beans or carrots (cooked - I like raw carrots). I don’t hate them but I wouldn’t pick them if I have a choice of something else. The only vegetable I actively dislike is raw tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/19 "2011-11-13T07:26:27Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > What’s with the disguises? Disguises? You mean the fundamental essence of “cuisine” itself? Plain veggies alone are great sometimes, sure, but wonderful recipes combined with good skilled cooking is one the greatest things mankind has done for itself. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758/20 "2011-11-13T08:05:39Z")
I love fresh vegetables with maybe a little salt and pepper. When I had a garden the peas never made it into my house as I ate them all standing in the yard. And my gosh, the lima beans were delicious! I had always liked the canned or frozen but fresh beans were heavenly. Made me realize why they’re sometimes called butter beans. About the only vegetable I simply don’t like is fennel because I can’t stand the licorice-like flavor. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-likes-the-taste-of-vegetables/602758.md?page=2)