# Childhood food misconceptions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823 "2015-12-31T15:46:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![lalaith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@lalaith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalaith)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/81 "2016-01-09T00:15:41Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [Jessica Simpson? Is that you?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2h72aXVP8o) Yup. Back when that happened I thought of my confusion. šŸ™‚ What I thought was I was seven and new to the states at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/82 "2016-01-09T01:04:46Z")
One thing that surprised me several years ago was the number of people who thought pineapples grew on trees. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/83 "2016-01-09T22:00:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > One thing that surprised me several years ago was the number of people who thought pineapples grew on trees. I guess their minds would really be blown if they ever glimpsed the ā€œextraterrestrialā€ look of Brussels sprouts plants. ---
**Author:** ![HowSoonIsThen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/84 "2016-01-09T23:44:57Z")
I donā€™t know if this really fits in with the thread, but my mum had me pretty convinced as a child that vending machines were just ads. My Dad ruined that for her by showing me you can actually buy the junk food from them. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/85 "2016-01-09T23:46:56Z")
Worst than liver? No thanks! I didnā€™t taste liverwurst until I was in college. When I found out what was in [morcilla](http://www.ricanrecipes.com/recipes/detail.php?id=28) I didnā€™t believe it because it didnā€™t bleed when you cut into it. I thought my uncle was trying to trick me, like when he told me spaghetti was worms when they clearly werenā€™t. I was very into empirical evidence as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/86 "2016-01-10T00:13:22Z")
[Behold the spaghetti harvest.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVo_wkxH9dU) ---
**Author:** ![TheSpeculationElucidation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@TheSpeculationElucidation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSpeculationElucidation)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/87 "2016-01-10T00:47:30Z")
When I was little my eldest sister told me that mayonnaise was pus. I still canā€™t eat it. She then told me that yogurt was mayonnaise (therefore it was pus) with food coloring. I can only eat greek yogurt. I know the ridiculousness of it now, but I still canā€™t stomach it for some reason! OP, I also thought cheesecake was made from cheese. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/88 "2016-01-10T01:01:32Z")
> [@TheSpeculationElucidation](#): > > OP, I also thought cheesecake was made from cheese. šŸ˜› It is, either from cream cheese or ricotta. Whatā€™s the opposite of a misconception? A conception? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/89 "2016-01-10T13:24:48Z")
Not a food misconception per se, but about the name of the food. We were having grilled chicken for dinner one night and for some reason I was turning up my nose at it. Finally, somewhat exasperated, my Dad asked, ā€œWould you like a drumstick?ā€ Now, Iā€™m thinking the implement for whacking drums with. Iā€™m not sure what I was going to do with only one and I didnā€™t have a drum handy in the first place, but thatā€™s what I thought. I was surprised and a little disappointed when he plunked this chicken leg on my plate. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/90 "2016-01-10T14:37:28Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > We were having grilled chicken for dinner one night and for some reason I was turning up my nose at it. Finally, somewhat exasperated, my Dad asked, ā€œWould you like a drumstick?ā€ > > Now, Iā€™m thinking the implement for whacking drums with. Iā€™m not sure what I was going to do with only one and I didnā€™t have a drum handy in the first place, but thatā€™s what I thought. > > I was surprised and a little disappointed when he plunked this chicken leg on my plate. I too was confused when offered a drumstick from my mother, I think at a Roy Rogers in PA. Iā€™d had plenty of chicken legs by age 4 or whenever that was, but I donā€™t think that term had been used. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/91 "2016-01-11T04:43:19Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Hmmmā€¦ The stuff in the US that I get in a jar or can is sour. Much so. > > I was VERY disappointed to find out that in Germany, itā€™s not. At least in all the places I tried it in Bavaria, it was mushy and bland. Alsatian sourkrout is a bit crunchy and sharp. Bavarian sourkrout is a bit bland and soft. They are, of course, proud of their regional variations, and everybody has a different idea about whatā€™s right. I canā€™t stand cabbage: it sets my teath on edge like chalk on a blackboard, and tastes of cabbage, so I like my sourkrout fermented farther. > [@sweetie pea](#): > > \*Note: I never actually saw any bee bodies in the honey; it just seemed to me that the company doing the the packaging was rather careless about such issues. We used to get ā€œdead bee honeyā€ from the shop. Which is to say, unfiltered, and not cooked either. I donā€™t care one way or the other, but the people I shared with preferred unprocessed food. > [@bobo\_blesinger](#): > > I thought chocolate mousse was chocolate-covered moose meat. I canā€™t find it, but one of my most favorite ever visual gags is that scene in Gremlins II with the dessert trolly in the Canadian Theme Resterauntā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/92 "2016-01-11T05:01:31Z")
The Simpsons always made beer look tasty and as a child I couldnā€™t wait to drink it. Then I finally did. what a complete and utter disappointment. I canā€™t believe willingly drink this. If you havenā€™t tried beer yet, do yourself a favor and donā€™t because itā€™s absolutely fucking terrible ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/93 "2016-01-11T05:56:06Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > Seeing my nieces and nephews at Christmas Eve dinner reminded me about how little I knew about food as a kid. I thought Philadelphia cheese steaks were made with Philadelphia brand cream cheese and I certainly never wanted to try one. Iā€™m nearly sixty, and I still think that. Unlike you, though, I DO want one made that way. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/94 "2016-01-11T06:26:23Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Iā€™m nearly sixty, and I still think that. Unlike you, though, I DO want one made that way. šŸ˜ƒ For a real treat, try Philly on a toasted buttered bagel with thin slices of pepperoni. Yum-O! :o ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/95 "2016-01-11T06:27:54Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > The Simpsons always made beer look tasty and as a child I couldnā€™t wait to drink it. > > Then I finally did. what a complete and utter disappointment. I canā€™t believe willingly drink this. If you havenā€™t tried beer yet, do yourself a favor and donā€™t because itā€™s absolutely fucking terrible My God, what brand did you try? :eek: A good, cold beer is one of lifeā€™s great treats, especially on a hot summer day! šŸ†’ ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/96 "2016-01-11T07:56:01Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Not a food misconception per se, but about the name of the food. > > We were having grilled chicken for dinner one night and for some reason I was turning up my nose at it. Finally, somewhat exasperated, my Dad asked, ā€œWould you like a drumstick?ā€ > > Now, Iā€™m thinking the implement for whacking drums with. Iā€™m not sure what I was going to do with only one and I didnā€™t have a drum handy in the first place, but thatā€™s what I thought. > > I was surprised and a little disappointed when he plunked this chicken leg on my plate. And just to thoroughly confuse things. thereā€™s the Indian (vegetable) ā€œdrumstickā€ ā€“ the celery-looking-like things pictured in the recipe: theyā€™re in fact too tough to eat, and act only to flavour the dish. [indianhealthyrecipes.com/drum-stick-and-potato-curry-mul](http://indianhealthyrecipes.com/drum-stick-and-potato-curry-mul)ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/97 "2016-01-11T14:01:35Z")
Since I knew nothing about the mature beverage known as Scotch when younger, I of course always assumed that it tasted like sweet butterscotch candy, and thatā€™s why people were always drinking it. I now know much better. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/98 "2016-01-11T14:05:45Z")
> [@Totenfeier](#): > > Since I knew nothing about the mature beverage known as Scotch when younger, I of course always assumed that it tasted like sweet butterscotch candy, and thatā€™s why people were always drinking it. I now know much better. Glenfiddich single malt comes pretty close if you sip it neat. šŸ†’ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/99 "2016-01-11T15:42:08Z")
> [@Totenfeier](#): > > Since I knew nothing about the mature beverage known as Scotch when younger, I of course always assumed that it tasted like sweet butterscotch candy, and thatā€™s why people were always drinking it. I now know much better. I thought Scotch and soda meant Scotch and cola. > [@terentii](#): > > For a real treat, try Philly on a toasted buttered bagel with thin slices of pepperoni. Yum-O! :o Or on toasted English muffins with green olives. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/100 "2016-01-11T15:58:42Z")
Iā€™m told that I liked mayonnaise as a child, and would happily eat ham sandwiches slathered with it without complaint. I think itā€™s a dirty lie, but if not, I once had the childish misconception that mayonnaise is edible, rather than repulsive glop to be eschewed and scraped off with great vengeance and furious anger every time the dumbass cook/waiter/order-taker ignores my explicit, carefully enunciated and impossible-to-misinterpret instructions and slaps that shit on my food. Which is about twice a month, minimum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823.md?page=6)