# Food you bought for novelty... and liked. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354 "2014-10-24T14:30:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/21 "2014-10-25T13:18:55Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > What, nobody has tried **these?!?** > > [http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs6/i/2005/044/f/9/Cock\_Banana\_by\_roninsps.jpg](http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs6/i/2005/044/f/9/Cock_Banana_by_roninsps.jpg) > > I bought a can once. They were gross. No sweetness, no flavor whatsoever, just mealy, starchy vegetable matter. But you kept the can, because it’s made by “COCK on the mountain top,” right? 😃 ---
**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:** [October 25, 2014, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/22 "2014-10-25T13:18:59Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Maybe the first item were actually plantains? I wouldn’t know. They certainly weren’t labeled “Plantains.” ---
**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:** [October 25, 2014, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/23 "2014-10-25T13:20:00Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > But you kept the can, because it’s made by “COCK on the mountain top,” right? 😃 You got it! It’s now one of my prized possessions! :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:** [October 25, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/24 "2014-10-25T13:22:09Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I tried stinky tofu for the novelty, but it actually tasted okay and the squeaky texture is fun. You mean there’s actually tofu that _doesn’t_ stink?!? :eek: (I hate tofu! YIK!!! :mad: ) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/25 "2014-10-25T14:17:16Z")
I bought chocolate soda at Big Lots once and it was so freaking good, but then of course like most foods at Big Lots I never saw it again. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/26 "2014-10-25T14:18:17Z")
Peppadews: > **[Peppadew](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppadew)** > > Peppadew is a trademarked brand name of South African food company Peppadew International (Pty) Ltd. for a pickled version of the Juanita pepper. Peppadew International produces and markets a variety of food products under the Peppadew brand, including jalapeño peppers, Goldew peppers, pickled onions, hot sauces, pasta sauces and relishes, but is best known for its sweet piquanté pepper (a cultivar of Capsicum baccatum) grown in the Limpopo province of South Africa. > Peppadew International and ... ---
**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:** [October 25, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/27 "2014-10-25T15:03:36Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > (I hate tofu! YIK!!! :mad: ) Which is sort of like hating the little cubes of white bread you dip in different fondues. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/28 "2014-10-25T15:23:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I remember eating hamburgers from a street vendor in Cambridge (UK) late one night in the winter. They came packed in a tin with some sort of liquid and had to be warmed in a steam compartment. They were also dyed a shade of red not normally found in nature. Did the vendor say, 'I’ll sell ‘em for less, but I’d be cutting me own throat!’? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/29 "2014-10-25T16:55:04Z")
Fish floss. It’s actually yummy and delicious, mmmm. But you gotta get the good stuff! Taste before you buy! (The very best is served with nasi champur, as street food. Because the vendors make it themselves. Yummo!) ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/30 "2014-10-25T19:30:55Z")
The first time I bought TrueLemon I bought it as a joke, since individual packets of lemon flavoring seemed like an insanely niche product. Turns out I really like the stuff, since a little pinch in a water bottle adds a nice hint of flavor and it has some uses cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/31 "2014-10-25T19:35:44Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Which is sort of like hating the little cubes of white bread you dip in different fondues. Those too! Bleah! Satan cubes! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/32 "2014-10-25T21:21:40Z")
😕 > [@terentii](#): > > You mean there’s actually tofu that _doesn’t_ stink?!? :eek: > > (I hate tofu! YIK!!! :mad: ) 😕😕😕 Tofu doesn’t HAVE any smell. Or taste. What have YOU been eating that you think is tofu and it ‘stinks’??? I’m genuinely curious. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/33 "2014-10-25T23:00:12Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I bought chocolate soda at Big Lots once and it was so freaking good, but then of course like most foods at Big Lots I never saw it again. I had chocolate maple bacon soda the other day. I only tasted the chocolate. It wasn’t bad, but not something I would buy again. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/34 "2014-10-25T23:07:30Z")
I have a couple… Limburger cheese. All my life it’s been a punchline to a joke, something in a cartoon with triple rows of stink waves drawn above it. Bought some on a whim, and really, it’s no smellier than any number of other soft cheeses that I love. And it is delicious. The other is Cynar, the Italian Liqueur with a big artichoke on the label. Horrible, right? Turns out that it’s awesome! Neat, on the rocks, or in any number of cocktails that could use a rich, herbal bitter note with just enough sweetness to not be one-dimensional. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/35 "2014-10-25T23:29:16Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Have you tried the jalapeno Cheetos? They’re not as spicy, but damn are they like crack, with cheese on it. I’m ON IT! I’ll be picking up a bag this evening. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/36 "2014-10-25T23:29:20Z")
Way back in the '70s, maybe early 80s, at a county/country fair somewhere in East Texas, I bought a jar of jalapeño jelly. Just for kicks. It was GOOD Ever since, I’ve been eating that and habanero jelly, even some Hatch pepper jelly, and the candies made from these peppers, too. Hard candies and gummy bear style candies. Something about that spicy sweetness. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/37 "2014-10-25T23:43:04Z")
I tried some dried cranberries I saw at Big Lots. They were OK, but nothing spectacular. Then I tried the dried cherries- WOW! Now I buy as many bags as I can whenever I can. Big Lots near me haven’t had them for quite a while, but Aldi does. The trouble is that the nearest Aldi is hundreds of miles away from me. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/38 "2014-10-26T00:32:44Z")
Yerba mate (Tried it during a visit to Argentina in 1990, before it became easy to find in the US. Still drink it sometimes at home.) Chapulines (fried, salted grasshoppers in Oaxaca, Mexico – better than beer nuts. Hard to find beyond Oaxaca. Tried them for novelty the first time, but seriously the times after that). ---
**Author:** ![Clothilde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Clothilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothilde)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/39 "2014-10-26T01:02:02Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > ^^ I keep pausing when I see those at the grocery store, but I want to try one before I commit to buying a whole box. I do like chicken-flavored things in general, though. Try the knock-off version from the Dollar Tree. They’re pretty similar to the CIIB. A little more salty, to me, and a little less flavor, but the SAME flavor, if that makes sense. And only a dollar a box! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354/40 "2014-10-26T01:17:40Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Novelty veggies?.. I’m intrigued. Ok I figured out what one is by google img searching long green squash, it is an opo squash [Lentils with Opo Squash | Cook with Sharmila](http://cookwithsharmila.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/lentils-with-opo-squash/) I still can’t figure out what the heck the other one is, it was sold under the name “jingie” and looks like a long thin cucumber except with big ribs or ridges and really dark green. The problem with both of these is they were being sold under local names which don’t seem to have much internet refs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-you-bought-for-novelty-and-liked/702354.md?page=3)