# Do you find tomatoes gross and disgusting? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 21, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737 "2017-01-21T17:42:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [January 22, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/41 "2017-01-22T00:09:33Z")
And always plant enough, late enough that you have the makings for fried green tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/42 "2017-01-22T00:12:18Z")
[QUOTE=BrotherCadfael] While I love tomato sauce and other preparations, tomatoes themselves have always revolted me. I’m not fond of the taste of the raw flesh, and the insides are a gelatinous mass, a liquescent horror worthy of Lovecraft. [/QUOTE] For most of my life I shared these feelings. Then I had a fresh tomato from the garden. Fresh home grown tomatoes are yummy, those that you get in restaurants and grocery stores are all sorts of gross. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/43 "2017-01-22T00:12:45Z")
**aceplace57** , I don’t find tomatoes gross and disgusting but I can see how you and other people do. Tomatoes when they’re stewed or in chunks do look a bit too much like the innards of some formerly livng thing that’s fallen from a great height or had an unfortunate encounter with a wood-chipper, stump-grinder, hydraulic press, or giant food processor. Incidentally, I take it chunky salsa is out of the question for you? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/44 "2017-01-22T00:17:01Z")
I don’t eat salsa. I know most people like tomatoes. My family all love them. I can’t explain my dislike. Life would be simpler if I liked them. They are so commonly used. Thankfully, I do like sauces and pizza made with tomato puree. I’ve grown a few cherry tomatoes on my deck. Giving them away. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/45 "2017-01-22T00:18:34Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I don’t eat salsa. > > I know most people like tomatoes. My family all love them. I can’t explain my dislike. I’ve grown a few cherry tomatoes on my deck. Giving them away. Oh, I totally understand. It’s the texture. It’s that snottiness I assume you don’t like, right? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/46 "2017-01-22T00:24:30Z")
Texture is a problem. Slimy, squishy. I try not to think too much about it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/47 "2017-01-22T00:42:41Z")
I love tomatoes and all things tomato-y. But as others have said, most supermarket ones are tomatoes in name only. I’ve been growing cherry tomatoes on our enclosed balcony for use in salads. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/48 "2017-01-22T00:47:01Z")
Slimy and squishy and tasteless. That said, I did open my palate today and ate some tomato-heavy pico on a turkey sandwich. Was not bad. Season them somehow and maybe I’ll touch them. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/49 "2017-01-22T00:56:56Z")
> [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > > [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > > > a gelatinous mass, a liquescent horror worthy of Lovecraft. > > I’d like to hear your opinion of okra. 😃 Never had it - never really wanted to. > [@Big\_Norse](#): > > For most of my life I shared these feelings. Then I had a fresh tomato from the garden. Fresh home grown tomatoes are yummy, those that you get in restaurants and grocery stores are all sorts of gross. Grew up on a farm, tomatoes straight from the garden. Didn’t help. ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/50 "2017-01-22T01:25:29Z")
I hate mostly all varieties of raw tomatoes. The texture and taste really grosses me out. However, if you grill or cook them even a little then I am all in. I love tomato in sauces and I enjoy ketchup too. I even enjoy chunks of cooked tomatoes with no seasoning as a dish. Fried green tomatoes are also fantastic! My only “cooked” exceptions are cherry tomatoes, salsa and certain fresh tomato salads. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/51 "2017-01-22T01:47:35Z")
I like tomatoes but 144 of them are gross. I don’t mind discussing them though. I remember how my mom had to insist I eat one when I was a kid, and I actually liked it. Although. for years afterwards I continued to avoid them for the most part on principal. They were still vegetables, after all. (I wasn’t aware of the controversy at the time.) ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/52 "2017-01-22T01:48:05Z")
I have a blender. Entire bottle of salsa goes in, and then right back into the jar, all smooth and lovely and yummy! But, yeah, I don’t do chunky salsa. Ick! ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/53 "2017-01-22T02:39:33Z")
I wonder if some of you who dislike fresh tomatoes might benefit from trying them peeled. I love fresh homegrown tomatoes, but they are 100% better peeled. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/54 "2017-01-22T02:54:21Z")
I love tomatoes. I eat them all the time. I’ve grown tomato plants. I’ve fried up green ones. All hail the tomato! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/55 "2017-01-22T03:19:27Z")
Oh my god…you should see me in late July when the Jersey tomatoes start to arrive in New York stores. I don’t even mess with olive oil or mayo or bread. I just lean over the kitchen sink with my salt shaker in one hand and a red ripe tomato in the other and goosh all over with that red ripe deliciousness. I can do this several times a week until October, when the local product disappears until next summer. For all of you who mourn the shittiness of the American commercial tomato in the off-season, let me lay a bit of paradise on you. The KUMATO. The Kumato was developed several years ago in Northern Italy…it’s a brownish-red color, sort of like a bruise. The Italians copyrighted the breed and maintain strict control over it. Not licensed to any US farms, the only Kumatos in this country are grown in Canada. But get this: A Kumato purchased in January tastes nearly as good as a seasonal summer local Big Boy or Better Boy tomato. It’s a fucking miracle! I’m gonna go eat a Kumato over the sink RIGHT NOW. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/56 "2017-01-22T03:21:40Z")
Here’s a link to KUMATO. It was developed in Spain, not Italy, sorry for the error. > **[Kumato](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumato)** > > Kumato is a trade name given to a patented cultivar of tomato developed in Spain called Olmeca, which went by experimental number SX 387. Kumato is a standard-size tomato cultivar weighing between 80 and 120 grams (2.8 and 4.2 ounces). It is firm, with a color ranging from a green to reddish brown or purple, varying in flavor from almost no flavor to sweeter than typical tomatoes due to a higher fructose content. As the Kumato is a hybrid, planted seeds will not necessarily grow plants id Kumat... I guess I’m supporting Corporate Big Tomato by eating these compulsively, but HELL, they’re delicious. If I turn into a giant Kumato, like Violet Beauregard, it’ll be worth it. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/57 "2017-01-22T03:32:54Z")
I’m with ace , I can eat any sauce made with them even salsa but I cant eat a whole tomato cooked or un cooked … . ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/58 "2017-01-22T03:42:39Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > But get this: A Kumato purchased in January tastes nearly as good as a seasonal summer local Big Boy or Better Boy tomato. It’s a fucking miracle! Ok, you got my attention. I see Kumatos around here but have never tried them. I’ll get some maybe as soon as tomorrow. I like fresh tomato with a splash of balsamic, some adobo and a twist from the peppermill. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/59 "2017-01-22T03:48:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I hate to be a tomato snob (well, no, I don’t think I really do), but in times of desperation, I just skip them. I pretty much only cook with canned tomatoes, which actually taste like tomatoes and not a water ball of cellulose most of the time. **I’ll use supermarket tomatoes when I need color and something wet and firm in what I’m serving**. But they don’t taste like tomatoes. bolding is mine, I would add that no other tomatoes are available, and that would be a desperate time. I prefer my tomatoes uncooked and unsmashed into paste though. Even so, I don’t hold preferring tomatoes in sauce form against people, except for ketchup. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737/60 "2017-01-22T03:50:28Z")
Raw tomatoes are disgusting. Short of broken glass, I can’t think of a better way to ruin a nice sandwich than a tomato. Blech. That said, I love pico de gallo, which is basically just diced up raw tomatoes. I think it’s because the onions and cilantro, which I love, tend to overwhelm the tomato. Cooked tomatoes, on the other hand, are delicious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-tomatoes-gross-and-disgusting/777737.md?page=4)