# Foods that take SO MUCH effort to eat **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922 "2009-10-24T00:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/21 "2009-10-24T05:54:12Z")
If it works with turnips it’ll work with rutabagas, they’re very similar. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/22 "2009-10-24T06:01:59Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > If it works with turnips it’ll work with rutabagas, they’re very similar. This comment and this thread remind me of [John Pinette on turnips](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSlaPp-kB5Q). “If it’s that difficult to eat, it doesn’t wanna be food!” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/23 "2009-10-24T06:18:23Z")
I bought a whole papaya with plans to cut it up and serve in pieces. I had no idea the pit was going to be so big, and the flesh hangs onto it for all its worth. There’s probably a better way to get just the good parts, but I don’t know it. Opening up a coconut is also quite a chore. Fascinating things, though; the edible part changes during different phases of the life cycle. If you wait until it sprouts, the insides take on a consistency somewhere between cotton candy and marshmallow. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/24 "2009-10-24T06:23:01Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I bought a whole papaya with plans to cut it up and serve in pieces. I had no idea the pit was going to be so big, and the flesh hangs onto it for all its worth. There’s probably a better way to get just the good parts, but I don’t know it. 😕 Papaya doesn’t have a pit. It has many small seeds that are easy to scoop out: [http://www.david-chancy.com/wp-content/pictures/papaya.bmp](http://www.david-chancy.com/wp-content/pictures/papaya.bmp) ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/25 "2009-10-24T06:28:45Z")
It’s a southern butternut squash in anatomy, only it tastes like vomit. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/26 "2009-10-24T06:32:37Z")
Ever tried to peel a squash? Good luck, I’ve only done it once… don’t need to do that again. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/27 "2009-10-24T06:38:52Z")
Pistachios. You can spend forever cracking those damned, addictive nuts open…not including the ones that WILL NOT OPEN! As a German friend told me, “You can starve to death trying to eat those…” ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/28 "2009-10-24T06:40:49Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I don’t eat shellfish. I don’t have a religious or health reason, really, I just don’t like them. > > I DO eat artichokes, pomegranates, and pumpkin seeds, though. One of the reasons I eat pumpkin seeds, besides the fact that I like them, is that they DO take a while to crack and eat. So, I get the feeling that I’m snacking, but I’m not taking in a lot of calories. > > Pomegranates are just an occasional treat, as are artichokes, because they are so tedious to eat. Usually I’ll share one with my daughter, and we’ll sit and talk while we eat the goody. What do you mean “crack and eat” pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin seeds are eaten whole. I’ve never seen anyone crack them open. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/29 "2009-10-24T06:41:19Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I bought a whole papaya with plans to cut it up and serve in pieces. I had no idea the pit was going to be so big, and the flesh hangs onto it for all its worth. There’s probably a better way to get just the good parts, but I don’t know it. Perhaps you’re talking about a mango? If so, this is the [way](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDk7qLgMAvU) to eat them. My own contribution are black salsify roots. Great taste, but a bugger to peel. I have to wear throwaway gloves, or the superglue that oozes from the roots will stick to my hands for days afterwards. And I just loooove artichokes, for the reason **Lynn Bodoni** mentions. They are the vegetaria version of crawfish, i guess from **Shagnasty’s** description. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/30 "2009-10-24T06:50:50Z")
My mistake. Yes, it was a mango. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/31 "2009-10-24T07:07:27Z")
Stone crab are worse - need grenades for those little suckers. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/32 "2009-10-24T07:08:54Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Ever tried to peel a squash? Good luck, I’ve only done it once… don’t need to do that again. Amen. If I need the insides of a squash now I roast it and scoop 'em out. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/33 "2009-10-24T07:11:08Z")
What kind of squash? One of my favorites is cutting a butternut across it’s equator and baking at 350 with butter and either brown sugar or S&P. There’s not a lot of effort in that. If you’re using it to scoop out and make something else, nuke it on high for ~10-20 minutes to soften and go from there. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/34 "2009-10-24T07:13:16Z")
Bony fish aren’t worth the trouble. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/35 "2009-10-24T07:30:17Z")
Actually, I have peeled a butternut and an acorn squash. The acorn is crazy, although I’m sure there is a better protocol than I used- crannies and crevices. Totally wrong prep philosopy… Cook, then peel. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/36 "2009-10-24T08:01:42Z")
I love pomegranates on a long car trip. Takes frickin’ forever, which keeps me entertained. I love having something to do with my hands. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/37 "2009-10-24T08:53:12Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > What do you mean “crack and eat” pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin seeds are eaten whole. I’ve never seen anyone crack them open. I put half a dozen or so in my mouth, suck on them for a while, take out one at a time, crack the shell, extract the kernel, and eat it. I have inflammatory bowel disease, I’m not about to eat the shells and risk an attack. Around here, it’s possible to buy pumpkin seeds that have already had the shells removed, so I must not be alone in this. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/38 "2009-10-24T10:07:59Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > My mistake. Yes, it was a mango. Yeah, mango is easy. Cut off the two cheeks, crosshatch, and you’ve got two beautiful mango hedgehogs. Then take the remaining peel off the circumference of the seed, and cut off any usable bits still stuck to the seed. It’s dead easy if you know how. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/39 "2009-10-24T12:02:30Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Generally being a big fan of all things New Orleans, I will add boiled crawfish----I think that they taste pretty good, but are nowhere near worth the work it takes to get full. There are about a dozen other Crescent City specialties that I will go for ahead of the mudbugs… But the thing about lobsters, crab and crawdads is not in the eating of them, per se … it is in the company you keep while eating them. You hang out, have fun and slowly eat the munchies, drink the beer/wine/whatever and be with your family/buddies. When I think of blue crab, I think about getting a bunch of people together, starting the pot, and cooking the meal while everybody hangs out at the picnic table chatting, kids running around playing tag, guys talking about the shit happening on the boat, next cruise, baseball or whatever, maybe a pickup game of vollyball … you know, old fashioned nonelectronic fun:cool: ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922/40 "2009-10-24T12:04:19Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Didja ever try to peel a rutabaga? They are the toughest little bastards in the turnip family. Their fatass shape almost guarantees that at some point, your knife will slip and gouge into your thumb. Rutabagas are the most vicious bloodthirsty vegetables I’ve ever handled, and I believe we should blame their Viking heritage for that, racism be damned. Spiteful, nasty little buggers. > > It’s a shame they taste so good. roast them first … then put them into a paperbag and close it for about 15 mintues, peel softens up nicely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-take-so-much-effort-to-eat/514922.md?page=3)