# Do you like mushrooms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487 "2018-08-29T18:23:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/141 "2018-09-02T14:53:37Z")
I have a friend named “Guy” who sometimes wears a t-shirt with three mushrooms on it, that says “fun guy”. That works grammatically and as a pun. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/142 "2018-09-02T15:08:28Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Is it the type of mushroom or the preparation of the mushroom? Or just all mushrooms in all forms? It’s really hit-or-miss; I’ve tried to rhyme-or-reason it out, but it resists analysis. And it’s not like I need to go to the ER and have my stomach pumped, or get an epi stick; two tabs of Immodium generally do the trick. I’ve had more pedestrian offerings from chain pizza joints that may or may not trigger a reaction. I’ve had sautéed slices of gold from very fine establishments that may or may not trigger a reaction. I just eat 'em anyway, and if something happens, well that’s what the OTC meds in my bathroom cabinet are for. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/143 "2018-09-02T15:40:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I would describe mushrooms as tasting umami, not “earthy”. Well, yes, they’re umami-y, but that’s like describing the flavor of something simply as “salty” or “sweet.” There’s way more to flavor than that, and mushrooms hit flavor compounds that I would call “woodsy,” “earthy,” perhaps even “cheesy/funky” and “meaty” for some of them. I use pure umami (in the form of MSG) all the time in my cooking, and I can tell you, that doesn’t taste like mushroom. It may hit the same base taste receptors as mushrooms, but it’s like saying sugar tastes like apples, because apples are sweet. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/144 "2018-09-02T16:22:57Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I like them, but I’m sympathetic to the OP’s complaint. Restaurants shouldn’t assume everyone like mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, olives, mayo, or a ton of other things. Let people know what they’re ordering, and everything will be okay. I like mushrooms. I really need to include them in the keto diet we’re trying. We eat a lot of eggs, and I should start putting mushrooms in them. Mushroom caps stuffed with cream cheese is one recipe I remember from childhood; mom made them for parties. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > … > > You’d think a restaurant wouldn’t put cilantro in something one out of five customers will hate but nope…some places put in damn near everything. > [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Like red peppers. They put them in virtually everything and I hate them. > > Mushrooms? The more the merrier! > [@Broomstick](#): > > It’s not so bad with things you just don’t like, but when you have a medical reason for not eating certain things it’s a nightmare. > > I have simply acquired the habit of asking - do you use X in this dish? If so, can it be made without X? if not, what else is on the menu? > > (I hate cilantro as the OP hates mushrooms, and that crap is _everywhere_) As far as the ubiquitous ingredient that restaurants need to inform customers about, for me it’s onion. I don’t become anaphylactic from them, but they do severely upset my stomach unless they are cooked beyond all recognition. And since when are onions herbs? I have ordered foods “with herbs” often, only to find that the main flavoring is onion, and I can’t eat it. I expect that tomato sauces will have onions, but if onion is not included in most recipes, list them if you include them in yours. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/145 "2018-09-02T16:51:38Z")
> [@blob](#): > > I read/heard that there’s a biological reason why kids hate certain foods. Because they need to stay alive to get to adulthood, they naturally dislike tastes that could be poisonous. Something like that. Even if he’d tried them as a kid, he might not have liked them then, like me. I think kids are programmed to be shy of unfamiliar foods, because they haven’t yet learned what’s what’s safe to eat, and it would be dangerous if kids just old enough to wander away from mom still put everything in their mouths. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, yes, they’re umami-y, but that’s like describing the flavor of something simply as “salty” or “sweet.” There’s way more to flavor than that, and mushrooms hit flavor compounds that I would call “woodsy,” “earthy,” perhaps even “cheesy/funky” and “meaty” for some of them. I use pure umami (in the form of MSG) all the time in my cooking, and I can tell you, that doesn’t taste like mushroom. It may hit the same base taste receptors as mushrooms, but it’s like saying sugar tastes like apples, because apples are sweet. Okay, but I still wouldn’t go with “woodsy” or “earthy” for most mushrooms, I would call them rich and brown (like cooked meat tastes brown) Except truffles, which do taste like dirt to me, which I suppose is one of the reasons I don’t care for them. (Or maybe it’s the undertone of underarm odor in truffles that I find off-putting? I guess I’d call truffles “musky”, and “musk” isn’t food to me.) Potato skins taste earthy to me, even if they are clean and have no actual earth on them. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/146 "2018-09-02T17:52:41Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Being a terrible pedant, I’ve never felt happy with this joke, because of the grammar factor. It’s one fungus, more-than-one fungi – Latin plural: so the one mushroom calling himself a “fun guy” doesn’t sit well with me. I’d wish to adapt the joke so that the mushroom’s name is Augustus; whereby he can legitimately call himself a “fun Gus”. Admittedly, that spoils the whole thing through over-elaboration. Get the fuck out of my bar! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/147 "2018-09-02T18:06:11Z")
There’s nothing wrong with mushrooms that extra fresh cilantro can’t cure. 🙂 And I’ll have another helping of fried okra, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/148 "2018-09-02T18:08:02Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Get the fuck out of my bar! That, or close equivalent, is what people usually say to me when I try to amend their jokes for grammar or general sense-making. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/149 "2018-09-02T18:19:46Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > It’s interesting how the polling in this thread has been consistently 80% pro-mushroom and 20% anti-mushroom. I wonder how those figures compare to the general population’s preferences for them. Anecdotal as hell, but I was at a gathering a few days ago where large pizzas were ordered. The fastest moving in terms of being devoured was the sausage and pepperoni. The still-available-when-the-others-are-about-gone was the sausage, pepperoni and mushroom. There were some pieces gone from it, but it had to be kind of ashamed of itself. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/150 "2018-09-02T20:06:17Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think kids are programmed to be shy of unfamiliar foods, because they haven’t yet learned what’s what’s safe to eat, and it would be dangerous if kids just old enough to wander away from mom still put everything in their mouths. Yes, but what I read/heard went further than that. It said that kids who eat things that have similar compounds to “poisonous stuff” or potentially poisonous stuff physically dislike the taste. They’ve got a higher “yuck” factor for things that might be poisonous - a higher sensitivity. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/151 "2018-09-02T20:08:55Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Anecdotal as hell, but I was at a gathering a few days ago where large pizzas were ordered. The fastest moving in terms of being devoured was the sausage and pepperoni. The still-available-when-the-others-are-about-gone was the sausage, pepperoni and mushroom. There were some pieces gone from it, but it had to be kind of ashamed of itself. Anecdote follows: While I do love me my mushrooms, I do not care for them on pizza. I’d go for the pepperoni 'za first, soon move to the pineapple and canadian bacon slices, and only after that and the lox with arugula pie was gone would I move on to the mushroom-laden pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/152 "2018-09-02T21:20:23Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I have a friend named “Guy” who sometimes wears a t-shirt with three mushrooms on it, that says “fun guy”. That works grammatically and as a pun. Except that the mycologists I know pronounce it with a soft g, like a j. Which means it only works as a visual pun, not a spoken one. Just made a delicious mushroom, shallot, and red chard dish. Bliss. MY pet peeve with restaurant menus – when they claim that a dish is made with wild mushrooms, and they are just plain old ordinary cultivated ones. I get all excited about maybe getting boletes, or (be still, my heart) chanterelles, but they are just plain old cremona or oyster or something. In Finland, however, in the fall, huge tables in the market are piled high with glorious golden chanterelles. When a restaurant talks about mushroom soup or mushroom sauces, they usually contain chanterelles. I wish I were there right now. Though my distaste for herring violates my ancestry, my love of chanterelles confirms it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/153 "2018-09-02T21:48:43Z")
i actually pronounce it with a soft “g”, too. I still like the shirt. Hmm, maybe I should hop on a plane to Finland. I like both mushrooms and herring. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/154 "2018-09-02T23:30:05Z")
> [@Tapiotar](#): > > I get all excited about maybe getting boletes, or (be still, my heart) chanterelles, but they are just plain old cremona or oyster or something. > > In Finland, however, in the fall, huge tables in the market are piled high with glorious golden chanterelles. When a restaurant talks about mushroom soup or mushroom sauces, they usually contain chanterelles. I wish I were there right now. Though my distaste for herring violates my ancestry, my love of chanterelles confirms it. We go mushroom hunting in the woods around our home, often on horseback. I have a little saddlebag with net bags, a knife, and brushes. We keep a calendar/diary noting the date/location of flushes. Weather effects mushrooms, but we keep checking our spots and usually get to harvest. We have one hillside _covered_ in chanterelles each year. They do not freeze well.☹ ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/155 "2018-09-02T23:53:01Z")
Lov’em and love to experiment with them. Fried morels are my favorite. Some shrooms can be heavy on (my) guts, so i prefer them only as a side dish or modest topping. Around here two most popular pizzas are Margherita and Classic. Classic is Margherita with ham, (1) olive and mushrooms (portobellos). Fresh or brine canned. I prefer brine canned on my pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/156 "2018-09-03T00:17:24Z")
I voted “Yes,” because I don’t hate them, but it’s really more of a “Meh.” I’ll have them on a steak if it’s offered, but rarely otherwise. My sister, however, absolutely _loves_ mushrooms. I think she must be part Hobbit. ---
**Author:** ![sps49sd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@sps49sd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sps49sd)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/157 "2018-09-03T04:07:09Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I really think most people who hate mushrooms do it out of an “ick” factor. It is slimy fungus! > > Thing is there are a huge variety of mushrooms and they are incredibly versatile when cooking so saying you dislike the taste of them doesn’t make much sense to me. Some sure but all of them?.. YES, all of them. Is there nothing you don’t like? The texture and flavor are gross. Ick factor is a part, but if everyone thought they were delicious, everyone would eat them, okay? Only mayo is worse. I had a restaurant reserve a sandwich I had returned (my 'hold the mayo was ignored) with most of the mayo removed. I asked if I had shat on a sandwich, scraped it off, and served it to them, would they still be disgusted? Some people just don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/158 "2018-09-03T04:09:08Z")
Love them! My mom was a terrible cook, and when I had them as a kid, they were canned. But I still didn’t hate them. Years ago there was a Italian sandwich place near work I’d go to now and then. Their roast beef, provolone and peppers sandwich was awesome. The place was built by an Italian couple who retired and sold it to a Japanese couple who added tempura mushrooms to menu. I don’t think I ever ate the beef sandwich again after that. All I’d order was an order of tempura mushrooms. Those mushrooms were sooooooooo good. Oh and someone upthread mentioned putting “shaved pasta” on a dish (pulykamell, I think). What is shaved pasta? ---
**Author:** ![MarvinKitFox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MarvinKitFox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarvinKitFox)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/159 "2018-09-03T06:57:14Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > But that’s not what the rant is about. It’s about how ubiquitous mushrooms have become at just about every restaurant everywhere. So many dishes that would otherwise appeal to me are ruined by the presence of mushrooms or mushroom sauce. Yes, I know I can ask for no mushrooms, but sometimes they can’t do the dish without them; the ingredients are pre-mixed or whatever. **And sometimes they don’t even tell you about them.** Bullshit. I work in the restaurant/catering industry, and I can tell you that mushrooms are a relatively expensive ingredient, in both purchase price and preparation effort. So when _any_ dish contains mushrooms, the menu/picture of the meal will mention this prominently. Stuff like onions can slip by under the radar, or a slice of gerkin (i hate those gerkins!), but a Mushroom portion will be mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487/160 "2018-09-03T11:21:23Z")
My experience says otherwise. My husband hates mushrooms, and never ordered them on purpose. But sometimes he gets them. Then i get them, as he’s usually willing to fish them out and eat the rest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-mushrooms/820487.md?page=9)