# Foods I will not eat **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381 "2014-11-11T22:58:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/41 "2014-11-12T05:22:23Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Mango. I forgot about mangos. Add that to grapefruits and tomatoes as fruits and vegetables I don’t like the taste of. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/42 "2014-11-12T06:38:38Z")
There must be a genetic component to these sorts of aversions. A prof of mine once said that she loathes broccoli, finds it to have a strong bitter taste, and is even put off by the smell when her neighbors are cooking it. To me, it’s always had a pleasant mild taste. I’ll try anything that’s reasonably mainstream, and I like almost everything I’ve tried. I do have a few aversions, though. I strongly prefer egg white to be firm and not runny (runny yolk is okay, though). I don’t particularly like shrimp, but I’ll have it once in a blue moon. I’ve only tried blue cheese once, and I didn’t like it, but I’m willing to try it again someday. ---
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/43 "2014-11-12T06:44:00Z")
Because no one else has mentioned it - I don’t like miso soup. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/44 "2014-11-12T12:08:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I also avoid bitter greens; my taste buds just can’t handle bitter. Oh gods; I forgot kale and cooked spinach. I don’t mind raw spinach so much, but cooked…yuck. I can taste the iron and minerals. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/45 "2014-11-12T12:14:05Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > There must be a genetic component to these sorts of aversions. I agree with you. It can’t be familial, though…so many of us hate food that our parents love. So maybe it’s a combination of exposure and emotion, with an overlay of genetics? For example, my mom never served liver. Ever. She hated it and won’t eat it. Weirdly, the one time I had liver and onions, I thought it was fine. I mean, it was meat and onion. _shrug_ But I was spending the night with my best friend’s large Italian family and having a great time. My theory at 7 am on this foggy morning. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/46 "2014-11-12T12:16:22Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I have to be pedantic and say that muscles are organs, so any meat is an organ meat. > > Carry on. No debate here, but somehow for me, it has a function other than locomotion, so it’s out. I remember reading an old Italian cookbook recipe for lungs…and the instructions indicated to ‘hang the trachea outside the pot, and when it makes a queer whistling sound, turn down the heat’. The visual remains with me to this day. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/47 "2014-11-12T12:37:17Z")
Bugs/Snails - because this isn’t the apocalypse. Oysters - because they’re phlegmy. Herring - because it’s slimy and fishy. Soushi - see how lovely it looks sitting on a plate?; you just know someone’s hands have been all over it. Anything strongly flavoured of cloves, or anise/black liquorish. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/48 "2014-11-12T13:46:07Z")
I’ll eat/have eaten anything. Even the things I haven’t liked, I’d eat again. Bear meat is incrediably gamey tasting, but I’ve only had it once and maybe a different preparation would help. A buddy of mine grew up on a farm. Eggs with calf brains was a weekend breakfast delicacy that he loved. He made us a serving and it was tasty. Concern about prions aside, I can see having it regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/49 "2014-11-12T13:49:21Z")
I have eaten and will eat most of the things listed, with pleasure. And “worse”. Personally, I have refused to eat only two things: dog meat and snake meat. And although it has never been offered, I would refuse insects. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/50 "2014-11-12T13:53:47Z")
I’ll eat nearly anything. Not a big fan of olives, though. Nor anchovies. Don’t really like hot dishes that have raw vegetables, other than bibimbap. I love herring in wine sauce, but don’t really like it in the cream sauce. Love cantaloupe, not a big fan of honeydew. Not a big fan of chicken gizzards, but I love chicken hearts and like chicken livers. Don’t like beef liver, though. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/51 "2014-11-12T14:19:09Z")
for those who don’t like brussels sprouts, try roasting them instead of steaming/boiling. They taste much different. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/52 "2014-11-12T14:23:25Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I’m pretty sure I have a phobia of mushrooms. Not only can I not eat them, I can hardly look at them with out cringing. Especially those big ones. I will not eat mushrooms, but I find them fascinating on a purely objective design and aesthetic level. I’ll dissect the shit out of one but I won’t eat it. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/53 "2014-11-12T14:29:39Z")
I’ve got a few, and I don’t consider myself a finicky eater: - organs - olives or anchovies - insects that look like insects. Srsly, mash them up and make them into a burger and I’ll eat them - any “fishy-tasting” fish - cauliflower - broccoli cooked by anybody but my SO. Only he knows how to cook them - tons of kinds of cheese - I am super picky on my cheese Probably some others, too. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/54 "2014-11-12T14:39:30Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > There must be a genetic component to these sorts of aversions. A prof of mine once said that she loathes broccoli, finds it to have a strong bitter taste, and is even put off by the smell when her neighbors are cooking it. To me, it’s always had a pleasant mild taste. So-called “supertasters” have an aversion to bitter. From Wiki: > [@](#): > > Specific food sensitivities[edit] > Although individual food preference for supertasters cannot be typified, documented examples for either lessened preference or consumption include: > > Certain alcoholic beverages[16] > Brassica oleracea cultivars > Brussels sprouts[19][20][21] > Cabbage[19] > Kale[21] > Coffee[19] > Grapefruit juice[20] > Green tea[20] > Soy products[20] > Carbonation in drinks such as in soda, beer, etc.[22] > Other foods may also show altered patterns of preference and consumption, but only indirect evidence exists: > > Tonic water – Quinine is more bitter to supertasters[citation needed] > Olives – for a given concentration, salt is more intense in supertasters ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/55 "2014-11-12T14:52:14Z")
Organ ‘meat’ Any type of seafood. All of it has a very bad underlying flavor to me, making it all taste the same. I wish I liked it though. Not a fan of mushrooms. I’ll manage if they are on a pizza, but will pick off the ones I can find. Mushroom soup? Never ever. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/56 "2014-11-12T14:54:44Z")
You know that scenario where a monkey’s head is clamped into a hole in the table, the top of its head is sawed off, and its brains are eaten while its still alive? I’d rather eat that than an Arby’s sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/57 "2014-11-12T15:15:29Z")
I always like to point out in these discussions of ‘disgusting foods’ that currently mayonnaise is the biggest selling condiment, leaving salsa, ketchup, and mustard far behind. Probably because more is used in potato and macaroni salads, that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/58 "2014-11-12T15:16:34Z")
No tofu – even though people claim it has no flavor and tastes of the spices it is cooked with, I can detect a seriously unpleasant tofu taste. No tempeh – it made me violently ill the time I had it. No goat’s milk or goat cheese – causes immediate, involuntary, projectile vomiting. Just a whiff of goatiness makes me queasy. Nothing spiced with nutmeg – nutmeg makes my blood pressure shoot up, makes me dizzy and disoriented, and gives me a servere headache. I’m getting more sensitive to it as I age. No canned salmon, sardines, mackeral, herring, anchovies, or other stinky fish. No sauerkraut or kim chee or other fermented veggies. I’ve tried many times, many styles and versions, since they are supposed to have so many health benefits, but my body flat out rejects them decisively… ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/59 "2014-11-12T16:16:49Z")
I don’t consider myself picky, but I have a few. Things I will not willingly put in my mouth: Raw tomatoes on their own (in sandwiches, fine; in a salad, no) Lamb Cilantro Egg salad Pasta salad with mayonnaise Undercooked eggs Coleslaw Bleu cheese/gorgonzola/any cheese with mold on it, deliberate or not Things I don’t like but will eat if I must and cry on the inside: Venison Olives Cumin Turmeric Dill Re: mayonnaise – I like a little of it on a sandwich or when it’s mixed into other kinds of sauces. If it’s enough to gloop out of a sandwich or if it’s the single dressing in a dish (like pasta salad) and there’s a lot of it, that disgusts me. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381/60 "2014-11-12T17:53:08Z")
I loathe what – if I have things rightly – Americans call “beets”, what British I, call “beetroot”: the purple thing. I’ve tried; but I just find it horrible. Feel regret that that essentially makes a no-no for me, borshch – which I’d like to enjoy. (Though there is – I’ve made and liked it – a “green borshch”, which involves spinach, parsley, and sorrel, but no beetroot.) I mostly abominate Brussels sprouts; but my brother (a major “gastronaut”) has a recipe for the things which involves cutting them up small, and cooking them with chestnuts and cream, which basically makes them edible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-i-will-not-eat/704381.md?page=4)