# Do any other foods have the "cilantro" effect? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635 "2016-06-06T02:47:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/21 "2016-06-06T19:05:08Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Most people say that celery doesn’t have much flavor, if any at all. > > Me, I say that celery is the taste equivalent of someone scratching their fingers down a chalkboard. With you there. Celery is just revolting. Especially celery _seed_. And it has ruined blue cheese salad dressing for me. I used to love BC dressing, until I cooked in a restaurant that used celery seed in its recipe. Since then (after 25 years), I cannot taste blue cheese without also [imagining I’m] tasting celery, _even when I know damned well that there is no celery or celery seed in it because I made it myself_. Also, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach (any dark green vegetable, really), beets … they all smell and taste to me like something that went bad and should have been thrown away three weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/22 "2016-06-06T19:27:00Z")
Epazote. Smells fresh and minty to some and like gasoline to others. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/23 "2016-06-06T19:35:35Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > once it’s cooked and on a plate I can kind of handle the taste for awhile, but I’m not particularly fond and I can’t eat a lot of it. That is why Hollandaise was made. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/24 "2016-06-06T19:40:34Z")
> [@storyguide3](#): > > I am guessing (and Wikipedia seems to agree, though not footnoted), that durian may be another of these foods. For some folks, such as my wife and step-daughter, it is sweet ambrosia. For others, such as my doomed self, it smells like an open sewer full of rotting fruit and tastes like I would assume that sewer would taste. I thought durian smelled bad, but tasted good. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/25 "2016-06-06T19:51:24Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Neither my daughter nor I like the taste of fresh tomatoes, even though we enjoy the tomato in nearly every other form. We figure it’s some element in its raw make-up that puts us off. (And no, don’t tell us to try ‘your’ tomatoes, been there and done that over and over with dozens of folks. It’s the raw tomato, not the variety). Hmm. Maybe I should cut my son some slack. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/26 "2016-06-06T20:37:41Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > Hmm. Maybe I should cut my son some slack. Everybody should generally cut other people slack when it comes to taste preferences. None of that “But you never had it cooked right.” and such nonsense. What you can taste and what I can taste may have quite big differences. ---
**Author:** ![Flocculencio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Flocculencio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flocculencio)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/27 "2016-06-06T21:33:18Z")
> [@Brodi](#): > > Due to some people’s genetic makeup [cilantro tastes like soap.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/24/why-does-cilantro-taste-bad-like-soap_n_7653808.html) Are there any other foods or drinks that, because of a person’s genes, tastes “off” to them? Pine nuts. To people who have a specific gene they taste horribly bitter. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/28 "2016-06-06T21:38:37Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m the same way. I don’t like the taste of raw tomatoes, even when they’re in something like a sandwich or a salad. But I love tomato sauce - the cooking eliminates whatever unpleasant taste there was in the raw ones. > > And even my family, all of whom are avid tomato eaters, have to admit I’ve given raw tomatoes a fair try on several occasions. They’re just not for me. Tomatoes don’t bother me raw, but most citrus fruit is too acidic for me. Once cooked that acidity is diminished and I love the flavors. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/29 "2016-06-06T21:48:55Z")
In my case, scallops and lobster. They have practically no flavor, to me, others love them. On the other hand, almost all dairy products make me gag. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/30 "2016-06-06T21:53:23Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Everybody should generally cut other people slack when it comes to taste preferences. None of that “But you never had it cooked right.” and such nonsense. What you can taste and what I can taste may have quite big differences. But it’s also true that some foods are great when cooked properly, but completely nasty if cooked wrong (e.g. overcooked liver or broccoli). ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/31 "2016-06-06T22:00:17Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought durian smelled bad, but tasted good. Nope; at least to me. Custardy rotten onions. That’s the best thing I can say about it. Anything armored that well is trying to tell you something. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/32 "2016-06-06T22:27:30Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > From what I read here, Brussel sprouts is an other example. Some people can taste their bitter taste, others can’t. These little demon heads make me retch if someone has cooked them in my kitchen within a few hours. Unbearably foul. Cilantro I really enjoy. I cannot taste avocados, my wife insists they have a flavor and devours them by the basket (Apparently I make a killer guacamole, just tastes like spices and paste to me). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/33 "2016-06-06T23:18:40Z")
All of these people saying that foods taste bad to them… I wonder, are there any such foods where only some people pick up on the flavor, but _like_ that flavor? ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/34 "2016-06-06T23:46:57Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Everybody should generally cut other people slack when it comes to taste preferences. None of that “But you never had it cooked right.” and such nonsense. What you can taste and what I can taste may have quite big differences. > [@scr4](#): > > But it’s also true that some foods are great when cooked properly, but completely nasty if cooked wrong (e.g. overcooked liver or broccoli). Yeah, it’s possible that “you never had it cooked right”, but I agree that people should be cut slack since the sense of taste can have huge differences. ---
**Author:** ![ChickenLegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@ChickenLegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickenLegs)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/35 "2016-06-07T00:22:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > All of these people saying that foods taste bad to them… I wonder, are there any such foods where only some people pick up on the flavor, but _like_ that flavor? Not quite on topic, but I don’t think dead roadkilled skunks smell bad. Good, even, if they’re not too close. Reminds me of licorice. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/36 "2016-06-07T12:02:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > All of these people saying that foods taste bad to them… I wonder, are there any such foods where only some people pick up on the flavor, but _like_ that flavor? Cilantro tastes soapy to me but I like it. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/37 "2016-06-07T12:30:01Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Cilantro tastes soapy to me but I like it. Does that count? Not only does this count, but it, like the asparagus-pee thing, is right on OP–on body chemistry inherently different than the norm; many of the other posts here are _chacun a son gout_ stuff or commonly agreed _chacun a_ everybody’s _gout_ due to cooking changing the food’s chemical structure so radically. Some people can fold their tongue (w/o using their own or someone else’s hands), some can’t. Of course the case can be made for “my taste depends on _my_ (unique) chemicals,” which is a different set of worms. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/38 "2016-06-07T16:12:54Z")
> [@Dingbang](#): > > I was relieved to read a few years back about how people can sense the taste of truffles very differently from most. I’m pretty adventurous with foods, like a lot of exotic tastes and so forth, but I’ve always found truffle to be revolting. Not just something I don’t care for, but revolting as if you put your dirty socks in my mouth. THANK GOD THERE’S SOMEONE ELSE! I’m also pretty darn open with food-- a handful of things I’m super not keen on (uni, mackerel, lampredotto… um…yeah, a short list-- I’m sure there are things I haven’t tried that are gnarly to me (have not tried fresh durian, natto, lutefisk, surstroming)), but also black truffle/tartuffo, which appears to be rated as amazingly delectable by so many people, and to me it tastes like ass. ASS, I SAY! Not a popular opinion, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/39 "2016-06-07T16:31:30Z")
Lavender. Tastes like perfume to me. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/40 "2016-06-07T19:18:03Z")
I don’t know if it’s a genetic thing or not, but I find raspberries teeth-meltingly acidic. Even the ripest juiciest ones that my wife swears are as sweet as anything make me feel as if my tooth enamel is being liquefied. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635.md?page=3)