# Foods that should taste good but don't. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158 "2017-02-18T17:12:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [February 19, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/61 "2017-02-19T16:06:01Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I get a “black and blue burger” at a local restaurant that is delicious. Home made blue cheese dressing on the bottom bun and crumbled Maytag on top of the meat. Mmmmmmmmm Yeah, we have a few places around here that offer a “black and blue.” My favorite one is from a pub where they make it with Stilton, roasted garlic, german mustard, a black pepper-crusted patty, and serve it on a pumpernickel bun (although now they’ve changed the name to “Stilton burger.”) Another place I like does cajun spices and blue cheese topping and dressing (similar to yours.) Not sure of the blue cheese they use there, but it’s just as fantastic. I think blue cheese & beef pair fantastically and blue cheese really brings out the beefiness of a burger and gives a nice funky umami edge to it, but it certainly can be overdone and overpower. Christ, it’s 10 a.m. and all I want is a blue cheeseburger. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/62 "2017-02-19T16:07:27Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Canada doesn’t have Hebrew National? Not that I’ve observed. I live in a heavily Muslim part of the GTA (Scarborough), so there are lots of Halal stores around. I would buy Hebrew National if I could find it. > [@](#): > > Like I said, I lived in the Soviet Union. It was a different place. > I remember the food generally being terrible in Russia (I once was served a bowl of chicken soup with a feather in it), but the bread was amazing. I was there as a tourist in 1975, and again for graduate school in 1989–90. There was absolutely nothing special about the food in low-budget hotels or my institute, but restaurants like the Uzbekistan in Moscow were always good. There was a little pizzaria not far from my dorm where I would still happily eat today. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/63 "2017-02-19T16:34:38Z")
-Chestnut puree in a can is good for making pastries, but little else. A rather toothsome French pastry, called a MONT BLANC, uses it to good advantage. -Fresh, whole chestnuts are imported, usually from Italy, but by the time they make the trip over, mold can set in. If you ever buy them, dump them in a bowl of water, whichever ones float, discard, they’re the bad ones. Due to the Chestnut Blight of last century, American chestnuts were wiped out, and unfortunately, they were quite sweet and tasty. The imports cannot compare. -Please, please, please, the upthreader who prepared HORSE chestnuts, do not do that ever again. They can be toxic. Yes, yes, they are used in some herbal preparations(for varicose veins), but as for food, ixnay. Keep one in your pocket to avoid arthritis or rheumatism(old wives’ tale) Major olive avoider here,man oh man, just looking at those things gives me the heebie-jeebies, they’re just little salt bombs. If ambrosia had not been the food of the Greek gods, I’m sure olive oil would’ve been on the list of runners-up. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/64 "2017-02-19T16:41:30Z")
> [@quiltguy](#): > > -Please, please, please, the upthreader who prepared HORSE chestnuts, do not do that ever again. They can be toxic. Yes, yes, they are used in some herbal preparations(for varicose veins), but as for food, ixnay. I know that now, yes. At the time, I had no idea some chestnuts are not edible. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/65 "2017-02-19T16:48:34Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > You’re not the first one I’ve heard who’s made this complaint about blueberries but I’ve noticed it seems only to apply to blueberries in the Northeast US. Not to brag but the blueberries grown in the Pacific Northwest taste pretty sweet even when eaten raw. Must be a different variety. I’d love to try some blueberries from the Pacific Northwest because I agree that I don’t see the appeal of them. I know people that love them. I can eat them, but I don’t see what’s special about them. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/66 "2017-02-19T16:49:52Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Pasta. The sauce cooking makes some pretty good smells, but put it on top of a plate full of bland noodly noodles… yuck. Noodles should always be used in moderation. They’re not a dish in and of themselves, no matter what sauce you pour on top to pretend they have actual flavor. The trick is to give the sauce a chance to coat the pasta and penetrate it prior to serving. It’s best to add some sauce to the pasta right in the pot (after draining it) and then serve it with more sauce on the side, added to taste. Always boil the pasta in salted water, and do not rinse the starch off it when it’s done cooking. Small portions of the cooking water can be added to the dish if it’s too thick for your taste. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/67 "2017-02-19T16:57:05Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > Must be opposite day. I love olives, black ones, green ones, stuffed ones - but I cannot abide the taste of olive oil. You’re aware that olive oil comes in a wide variety of flavors, depending on the soil and climate where the olives are grown? You should never, ever buy any grade other than extra virgin, first cold pressing. I love sopping up olive oil with bread or pizza crust, straight out of the bottle, or heating it in a little pot with some butter, garlic, and anchovies first. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/68 "2017-02-19T18:16:24Z")
Canada doesn’t have Hebrew National. Best tasting kosher dogs were made by J.W. Kwinter, but they’re out of business. I think President’s Choice Ball Park tried to copy them. Nathan’s are okay. Anyway, lots of foods don’t live up to their reputation. Just my opinion, of course, but: - Yorkshire puddings are delicious (Mom’s homemade)-- and so often are really terrible when eaten at restaurants or buffets. - Clam chowder? Yum. Oyster crackers – no taste, no thanks. - Mushrooms. Lots of types, some better than others, but not worth big bucks to me. Worst if described on the menu as “foraged”. - Truffle oil. Meh. - Fancy melons. - Fugu, abalone… More otoro, arigato. - Birds nest soup - XO sauce - flavoured foams or unsugared cotton candy - “deconstructed” foods – like my food constructed ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/69 "2017-02-19T18:36:35Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > And scotch. I see people enjoying it, so I need someone to give me a lesson there - it is one drink I cannot stand - tastes and smells like something used for cleaning machinery. It takes effort. You have to get to the third sipping glass, where it starts to taste much better. I recommend a straight scotch from the southwest, called Oban, which has a lovely buttery note to it. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/70 "2017-02-19T19:23:30Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > I came THIS CLOSE to pitting prosciutto. Good prosciutto has its place. On top of ripe melon. On top of a sauteed chicken cutlet and under a blanket of grated Parm and slipped into a hot oven long enough for the cheese to melt and the prosciutto to get slightly crispy. On an Italian hero, no. The prosciutto resists your incisors and comes stringing out of the sandwich, leaving the cappicola and Genoa salami and the provolone behind. And then it gets stuck between your molars. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/71 "2017-02-19T20:28:45Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > I’d love to try some blueberries from the Pacific Northwest because I agree that I don’t see the appeal of them. I know people that love them. I can eat them, but I don’t see what’s special about them. Huckleberries. From the Gifford-Pinchot, picked of the bush on a hot and dusty August afternoon. PNW blueberries a just a ball of wet sugar. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/72 "2017-02-19T20:30:51Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > There shouldn’t be any qualitative difference between kosher and non-kosher hot dogs. “Kosher” just means that the animals were slaughtered in a particular way. I know, but there IS a difference. I don’t know why, but non-kosher beef dogs just aren’t the same. > [@terentii](#): > > I have yet to see Kosher meat offered anywhere near where I live.) Here, I have to drive a few miles to find a place that sells NON-kosher meat. And then there’s supermarket gefilte fish in jars. It tastes NOTHING like authentic gefilte fish. It has no flavor or texture, and it’s ground, not chopped. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/73 "2017-02-19T21:20:54Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > I’d love to try some blueberries from the Pacific Northwest because I agree that I don’t see the appeal of them. I know people that love them. I can eat them, but I don’t see what’s special about them. I love blueberries because of how easily they freeze. I made blueberry waffles for breakfast yesterday from last year’s harvest and couldn’t tell them from freshly picked. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/74 "2017-02-20T01:01:03Z")
I can’t warm up to gin or scotch. Gin smells lovely, but tastes so medicinal. Scotch just tastes bad. Even the really good stuff which I have been fortunate enough to try. I was terribly disappointed with caviar. Salted snot. Ugh. However, all of you olive haters can send them all to me. I have never encountered a variety of olive that I didn’t love. Same with mushrooms. Peppery greens look pretty in a salad and should taste green and fresh, not bitter and peppery. I am always disappointed when these appear in my salad. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2017, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/75 "2017-02-20T01:13:46Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Good prosciutto has its place. On top of ripe melon. On top of a sauteed chicken cutlet and under a blanket of grated Parm and slipped into a hot oven long enough for the cheese to melt and the prosciutto to get slightly crispy. > > On an Italian hero, no. The prosciutto resists your incisors and comes stringing out of the sandwich, leaving the cappicola and Genoa salami and the provolone behind. And then it gets stuck between your molars. I agree on the sandwiches. It’s also too delicate a delight, I think, to waste on a sandwich buried beneath all that. (Although maybe it’ll work on a very simple sandwich, not buried under spicy meats like cappicola and salami). I have a friend from Naples who buys prosciutto by the whole legs and eats it throughout the year, after slicing it thinly on his deli slicer. Whenever I go to his house, it’s one of his standard finger foods: just a plate of prosciutto, and some fresh baked bread and olive oil, along with a glass of wine. The stuff is just so divine and buttery soft. Melts in your mouth with a beautiful, almost parmesan-like nutty flavor to it. One of life’s simple treats. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/76 "2017-02-20T01:26:12Z")
One time I had some granola and some chocolate milk, so I thought: how couldn’t that be great? Oats, raisins, almonds, chocolate, milk? Yum! Gag. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/77 "2017-02-20T01:57:17Z")
“…just a plate of prosciutto, and some fresh baked bread and olive oil, along with a glass of wine. The stuff is just so divine and buttery soft. Melts in your mouth with a beautiful, almost parmesan-like nutty flavor to it. One of life’s simple treats.” There you go – BEST way to enjoy prosciutto. Or Spanish Serrano ham. Or the version they make in Germany…Westphalian? Blueberry haters: try picking your own in a sunny field in rural Maine in late July. Just don’t let the bears get your baby. > **[Blueberries for Sal](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberries_for_Sal)** > > Blueberries for Sal is a classic children's picture book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey in 1948. The story is set in Maine, following the adventures of a young girl named Sal and a bear cub named Little Bear as they both go blueberry picking with their respective mothers before winter. > The book was awarded the Caldecott Honor in 1949. Blueberries for Sal was ranked number 13 among the "Top 100 Picture Books" in a 2009 survey published by School Library Journal. It was ranked number ... ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/78 "2017-02-20T02:35:18Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > There you go – BEST way to enjoy prosciutto. Or Spanish Serrano ham. Or the version they make in Germany…Westphalian? Yes, I certainly love the prosciutto which has a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in a defined geographic region. That is some politically stable lunchmeat all ready to encourage the growth of complex, technological societies based on the rule of law. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/79 "2017-02-20T02:45:21Z")
Consider me whooshed. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2017, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158/80 "2017-02-20T03:14:27Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Blueberry haters: try picking your own in a sunny field in rural Maine in late July. Sorry. We have family in Maine who have given us fresh picked bags… of slightly chalky, rather bland berries they thought were divine. Blueberries aren’t bad. Just not that good, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-should-taste-good-but-dont/780158.md?page=5)