Broccoli. I had always assumed that people only ate it because it was healthy. That’s the only reason I eat it (I think it tastes similar to what rust would probably taste like – very bitter).
Then, earlier this month my roommate told me he liked broccoli. Maybe if it were broccoli and cheese I could understand, because cheese is good, but straight up broccoli? I don’t taste anything in there that I can imagine would be pleasing to one’s senses.
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.
Two? One plastic and one stainless. Is the number of colanders owned an indication of foodie tendencies?
Maybe it is!
i wouldn’t have thought of this, but i agree. i liked twizzlers as a kid and would bite off both ends and use it as a straw for my drink at the movies, but i tried one recently and it was like chewing rubber. blech. there are a lot of foods and treats i enjoyed from my childhood that hold up for me, but that wasn’t one of them.
Yep. I think most Indian food is ruined by too much Chilli. I am fine with the other spices, in fact I really, really like them, but for some reason you’ve also got to have the burning sensation. Paraphrasing a pit thread regarding Sushi from a long time ago, Indian food is not an extreme sport.
Broccoli is amazing in stir-fries. It soaks up loads of sauce and is an absolute taste explosion.
Brains.
I eat/like just about anything. Love oysters, sushi, pretty much everything I can think of. But I was offered calf/lamb brains and just couldn’t imagine why.
The thing is you can’t glaze a whole chicken breast in buffalo sauce. Because if you do, that much vinegar that close to your nostrils will make you damn near pass out. With wings, the pieces are small enough that you wont recoiled from the smell and still be able to enjoy that firey tang.
Many of us are texture eaters. I often get cravings for something crunchy. Many things can satisfy the craving - broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage leaves, etc. I often don’t really care what it is. Maybe it’s my body telling me to get some fiber. I trust my body and usually do what it wants.
Potted Meats.
I don’t get it. Ok, yes, you need to preserve it, so lots of salt, and canning is a good way to keep food safe and nonrefrigerated.
However, I have seen canned salmon, canned tuna, canned chicken and turkey and I’m sure there are others I’m missing. Those at least somewhat resemble what the meat looks like when you take the time to get it cut off of a real actual animal.
Why are all the other meats subjected to being ground up into nasty slurry that then solidifies in fat and looks can-shaped when you slorp it onto a plate (Spam, I’m looking at you) or just smears lazily around in the can while you fish ineffectually at it (devilled ham, I see you!).
It doesn’t exactly taste BAD, just overly salty, but … why? Why that choice of texture? Why can’t you have brined canned pork cubes or filets in those little foil envelopes? Why is it all ground up and smorshy?
I don’t get it.
Also Gefilte fish. Just… no. Not as bad-sounding as rotten fish, but still.
I think there’s something genetic going on here. I’ve heard that some people have taste receptors that make broccoli taste bitter to them; others don’t (or not so much). Here are a couple of articles I found.
Quoted for truth.
Lutefisk. There is no reason for that stuff to exist.
I’ve never tried durian, but I thought it was just the smell that was offensive, not really the taste.
Menudo. I’ve heard it’s good for a hangover, but I can’t imagine ever being that drunk. Absolutely horrible, useless stuff.
Actually, most of the foods already mentioned are among my favorites (I love all veggies, including brussels sprouts and broccoli). So I’ll just add some new ones:
Haggis
Limburger cheese
Hot peppers
Anchovies
Capers
The last two are foods that I occasionally think I like. So I buy them and add them to things like salads or pizza. As soon as I taste them, I’m reminded that I don’t like them after all.
Mayo. Ricotta Cheese. Practically flavorless with disgusting appearance and texture. I’m not someone bothered by texture or appearance but Mayo looks like the sweat that appears between a horse’s butt cheeks and ricotta (and it’s friend, cottage cheese) looks like mayo that’s been curdled and regurgitated. HATE!!!
Anything where the primary flavour is smoke rather than the actual underlying foodstuff.
My wife once bought some smoked tofu from a Chinese supermarket. I had a bite and it tasted like an ashtray smells. It made our whole fridge smell like a fireplace. And yet every time I visit the same supermarket, they’re still selling the same smoked tofu. I don’t get it.
Reference to a Pit threadthat drifted waaaay off topic. Owning colanders became a snarky/fun/silly way to claim that you were classy and upper crusty…
Okay, you are definitely doing it wrong. I can go down the street and pay $8 for pork ribs and two sides. A big plate of ribs in delicious sauce, falling off the bone in great chunks - there is simply nothing better. The only work involved is the will power needed not to eat like that every day, for fear of growing into my couch.
The post-durian burps are foul.