The recent thread about “foods you dislike” got me thinking about olives and liver. I absolutely detest olives, whether they’re black or green…but put them in the relish that’s on a muffuletta sandwich, and suddenly I think they’re fantastic. Fantastic! And liver, that execrable “food” I was forced to eat once a year as a kid, and which took me hours to consume…put that in liverwurst, and suddenly I love it.
So, fellow Dopers…is there any redemption to be had for the foods you so dislike?
I don’t really hate mushrooms, but it seems I only like them on pizza.
I hate peanut butter, but I love Reese’s peanut butter cups.
I’m usually not fond of Swiss cheese, but certain sandwiches (a Reuben especially) just aren’t the same without it.
Raw onions are strong and must be either pickled or paired with something really flavorful to counterbalance them (like chopped onions on top of chili).
Tomatoes - really dislike the texture. But I love 'em sliced on bruschetta and drizzled in olive oil.
Onions must be fried until they are no longer onions.
Tomatoes must be reduced to a liquid with no pulp at all.
The only time that I ever, ever, ever eat ricotta cheese, is when I make lasagna, and then it’s a must. (Is that stuff good for anything else?)
The only raw olives I can stand are Kalamata olives, and I love them.
I won’t touch celery unless it is in Beef Stew. Then it is delicious.
Canned tuna and mayonnaise. I’m allergic to seafood and my childhood experience with this has led to an inability to eat even freshwater fish, but I can eat canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise. I also don’t particularly like mayonnaise with anything except canned tuna or chicken salad.
I also hate hate HATE liver but love liverwurst.
I really dislike sauerkraut, but my cabbage roll recipe (which I only prepare on New Year’s Day) calls for it. I make brown gravy from the pan juices, and it wouldn’t be the same without that sauerkraut tang.
Mayonnaise works in potato salad, but otherwise, keep it away from me. It’s evil.
I hate cauliflower, except when it’s in Indian curry dishes and has all its nasty flavor and texture wiped away.
Mayonnaise is good only in tuna, and only in certain proportions. And not that horrible tuna salad with onions or relish, either. That shit is inedible.
Milk is gross. Really gross. I would sit by a glass (and have) all night rather than drink it.
Love it on cereal.
I HATE HATE HATE sweet potatoes. But I love sweet potato soup.
Cannot STAND rye bread, especially with the caraway seeds. But make a reuben out of it and I’ll snarf it down. What is it about reubens?
I agree with both, although maybe different reasons and not 100% of the time.
For onions, I can eat white or yellow ones raw. Red onions (i.e. purple) should be fried, but it’s not a taste thing; raw red onions wreak havoc on on my insides. As in horrible IBS and several visits to the bathroom. When I get something at Subway et al. I always hesitate, do a mental check of my internal state and future events of the day before deciding if I want it.
But also, fried or grilled onions taste awesome anyway.
Tomatoes: in the last couple of years, I’ve gone to being too lazy to pick them off a sandwich and just ignoring them. But overall, hate them raw. I avoided my first taste of pizza for what seemed like a long time as a kid because I didn’t know the paste would be palatable.
For me, the opposite. Celery in stew gives the stew an odd taste and smell that I don’t like (this may be in combination with other ingredients). I am somewhat turned off of stews for the moment, for that reason.. Raw celery is a beautiful vibrant green. Stewed celery is the color of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River.
Mustard. Not to my taste. However, our yummy homemade balsamic vinaigrette is worthless without it.
Carrots, except roasted with a pot roast. Then it is a must.
Raw carrots kicked in the gag reflex with me.