# Foods you just don't understand. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635 "2011-04-08T06:23:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/61 "2011-04-08T18:36:49Z")
Grapefruit. It just tastes unbelievably acidic to me–almost like a vurp, though marginally less unpleasant. And yet I know that people honestly love it. I just don’t understand. Then again, I like white vinegar on my fries, and, since I’m in the US, that gets me a few off looks. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/62 "2011-04-08T19:15:23Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > Crab and lobster. I know that people rave about them and say that they’re delicious, but they are bottom dwelling scavenger spiders with claws and eyestalks. I just don’t get how people can go and pay upwards of $100 for someone to boil a giant sea insect so that they can then rip it apart with their bare hands and slurp down it’s solidified bug sinews. That’s fucking gross. This +1 billion. I have even tried crab and lobster just to see what the fuss was about and I found them very meh for how expenisve it was. Seriously I want to go up and punch the first guy who looked at this sea cockroach: > **[Lobster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobster)** > > Lobsters are malacostracan decapod crustaceans of the family Nephropidae or its synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important and are often one of the most profitable commodities in the coastal areas they populate. > Commercially important species inclu... and thought, “Mmmm that looks yummy. I think I’ll get me some of that.” ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/63 "2011-04-08T19:20:35Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Reference to a [Pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=602719&page=11)that drifted waaaay off topic. Owning colanders became a snarky/fun/silly way to claim that you were classy and upper crusty… Hilarious. I suppose I’m off to buy a few more so I can rub shoulders with this esteemed crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/64 "2011-04-08T19:47:03Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Chicken wings. I like chicken. There just isn’t any _meat_ there. Yet not only do people actually order whole baskets or platters of these things, there are restaurants and _chains_ of restaurants devoted to cooking and selling parts cut off the chicken that are 90% bone, 5% skin and 5% meat. They develop special sauces and special rubs and famous methods of cooking them so people can gnaw out the little edible shred hiding behind the gristle, when they could have just ordered some damn chicken. The wing is for making soup with. I didn’t think I had an answer to this question and then I saw this. Yes, okra is gross, but chicken wings plumb bewilder me. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/65 "2011-04-08T20:03:25Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > This thread is quickly becoming a “icky food I don’t like” thread. I don’t think there is any way to keep that from happening. > > You have to own a freezer to keep frozen veggies. Fair enough; just go with fresh, then. I was just answering the OP. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/66 "2011-04-08T20:07:08Z")
I like crab, but the one time I had lobster, I couldn’t understand it. I could maybe understand not hating it like I did, but thinking it’s so great that it’s worth all that money. Then again, the crab I’ve had is either the breaded in shells or the stuff on salad bars. It might be fake. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/67 "2011-04-08T20:13:53Z")
I third Lobster as being nasty (and to which I am allergic anyway). I remember a news story of someone breaking open a lobster and finding what looked like a very large, black hair ball (I forget what it turned out to be). Bleh! I also don’t get chicken wings. Bleh again. There is way too much chance of biting down onto something yucky. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/68 "2011-04-08T20:15:20Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I didn’t think I had an answer to this question and then I saw this. Yes, okra is gross, but chicken wings plumb bewilder me. You don’t really eat them for the meat so much. It’s all about the crispy skin/delicious sauce and all those wings will have a higher ratio of that by weight than if you just used a regular piece of chicken. If you’re not a fan of crispy skin/sauce then yeah, I can see why it wouldn’t be worth the effort. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/69 "2011-04-08T20:18:58Z")
Beef Jerky. The stuff is 16+ dollars per pound. I could get a rib eye for that instead of dried up horse colon. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/70 "2011-04-08T20:40:57Z")
I agree with okra, liver, and spicy foods - food shouldn’t hurt to eat. I kinda like creamed corn. I don’t go out of my way for it, but I’ll eat it. Texture can be a factor. I have a psychological hangup about mushrooms - they’re fungus. Eww. I like my veggies mushy. Carrots raw are great, carrots soft are great, carrots that are halfway in between are horrible. I don’t like licorice, but can understand that someone might enjoy that flavor. Black olives. I had a sandwich made, eating along, suddenly one bite had this horrible, tingly chemical taste. I spit it out and wonder what toxic spill occurred in the middle of my sandwich and whether I should call 911, so I poke in my sandwich and see a stray bit of black olive had snuck in there. Gah! How can you eat that? (The rest of my sandwich was fine, after I removed the offending junk and rinsed my mouth good.) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/71 "2011-04-08T20:42:18Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > Crab and lobster. I know that people rave about them and say that they’re delicious, but they are bottom dwelling scavenger spiders with claws and eyestalks. Yeah, and what about pork?! Pork comes from an animal that lives in a pigsty! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/72 "2011-04-08T20:44:43Z")
I love okra if it’s cooked right or pickled. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/73 "2011-04-08T21:01:54Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I love okra if it’s cooked right or pickled. There’s certainly nothing wrong with fried okra either. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/74 "2011-04-08T21:03:58Z")
That’s kinda the definition of “cooked right.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/75 "2011-04-08T21:07:52Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Any canned vegetable. Of course fresh is best, but for god’s sake, frozen is a million times better than canned. I don’t understand why canned veggies (sorry. VEGETABLES) even exist. Especially, like, canned potatoes. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/76 "2011-04-08T21:23:12Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I first tried the sprouts of Brussels many years ago and gagged, swearing they will never pass my lips again. > > But just recently I ran across a recipe that I tried and they were freaking awesome. The recipe involves tossing them in olive oil then roasting them in the oven with a drizzle of maple syrup & balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of bacon bits. > > They were very well received > mmm I don’t know why anyone would ruin a perfectly good sprout with the sap that springs from the devil’s ass, that resinous and musty tree blood, leaf sugar from a fairy tree… Bleeehh, it’s Canadian Gnome Cumm snorked from a Leprechaun’s ass. I don’t know, I recently did the roasted sprout thing following Ina Garten’s recipe and I really would have preferred them steamed and “green” tasting over the somewhat acrid and sweeter roasted version. But then I love raw cruciferous vegetables- one of my favorite treats is a Cabbage core and I love broccoli raw and cooked. I wonder if starving or going hungry for a while, would throw all of our luxurious prejudices and predelictions and learned responses to food out the window? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/77 "2011-04-08T21:50:23Z")
I thought that whole “tree blood” thing was a giant whoosh … until I got to the part where you put “favorite treat” and “cabbage core” in the same sentence and figured, okay, okay, dude’s serious with the maple syrup hate, but _damn_ I totally thought you were kidding! It’s amazing to me how many foods listed here are either also on my personal “Bleh!” list, or I read the post and went “Awww… I _like_ that stuff!” ☹ Mushrooms? Nasty! Crustaceans? Who eats cockroaches?! Okra? Deep-fried nuggets of deliciousness! ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/78 "2011-04-08T22:07:00Z")
> [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > The flavor of mint. Even the smell of it will make me gag. If I actually taste it, I WILL, hurl. Cant’ tell you why… just is. What the hell do you brush your teeth with?? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/79 "2011-04-08T22:19:24Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Raw oysters. I have this suspicion in the back of my head that NOBODY really likes these things. I suspect they only eat them to show off in front of others. Like “hey look what I can do. I can suck down this bile of phlegm and pretend to love it!” > [@phantom\_lamb](#): > > Licorice > > Also - very strong alcoholic drinks. I enjoy the occasional beer or wine, but can’t imagine how someone can drink pure whisky or vodka. How can they like it? It’s a mystery. It smells and burns like nail polish remover. > [@DCnDC](#): > > [Natto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D). > [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > Thought of another thing: spicy food in general. Food shouldn’t hurt, I feel. To my taste buds, that’s all spiciness adds – “wow, this sausage would be delicious if my tongue weren’t in pain right now.” All of the above, with the added comment: on what insane planet does anyone think that adding something completely vile like rum or whiskey to a perfectly sweet and delicious cake is a good thing? > [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Chicken wings. I like chicken. There just isn’t any _meat_ there. Yet not only do people actually order whole baskets or platters of these things, there are restaurants and _chains_ of restaurants devoted to cooking and selling parts cut off the chicken that are 90% bone, 5% skin and 5% meat. They develop special sauces and special rubs and famous methods of cooking them so people can gnaw out the little edible shred hiding behind the gristle, when they could have just ordered some damn chicken. The wing is for making soup with. i’m not down with the whole sauce action, but I love fried or roasted wings. They are like the mini-Reeses peanut butter cup of poultry enjoyment: exactly the right ratio of crispy delicious skin to succulant,tender white (non-gamy) meat. (Mini-reeses are exactly the right ratio of peanut butter to chocolate) ---
**Author:** ![67java89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/aeb1de/32.png) [@67java89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/67java89)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635/80 "2011-04-08T22:41:36Z")
For me, it’s garlic. I just don’t get it. My impression of garlic is that is was never meant to be eaten, but somewhere along the line people started eating it. Nothing about the smell or taste of it appeals to me. Definitely a good food to ward off vampires. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-just-dont-understand/577635.md?page=5)