I am reminded of the propensity for our tastebuds to change by the behaviour of my daughter who, once upon a time, would run screaming from the kitchen if I was even preparing mushrooms, but can now outdo me on delicious recipies incorporating their squishy, gooey goodness.
Oysters used to revolt me to the very bottom of my being. I now happily slurp them down. Only a dozen? Phfftttt.
Blue cheese, or any ‘whiffer’ was enough to churn my tummy into a bilious mess. I can now down a whole slab on crackers, and come back for more.
What are your “OMG, I can’t eat THAT” foods that you now adore?
Everything you list is still on my ‘Ew gross’ list, but I now quite enjoy olives, turnips and parsnips, as well as egg-plant and shrimp (provided they’re fried). I attribute some of this to my habit of trying a leetle teeny bit of stuff I hate if it’s served, just to see if I still hate it. (Except for stuff like Blue cheese, when it’s obvious far before that point. :Q )
Blue cheese. That’s my most recent one. It would make me gag before.
The first time I went to Vietnam, I couldn’t stomach the concept of eating entire prawns (shrimp). I’d break the heads off Western-style and discard them. On my second trip, I “got” it, and happily sucked out all that delicious brain goo. It’s heavenly.
But so long as my arse points to the ground, I will NEVER eat peanut butter, so help me.
I used to fear shrimp, but ate some one day out of combined curiosity and hunger and liked them very much. I also used to flinch at the sight of olives, but now I like them a lot. I’ve only eaten a few kinds, though, and am still slightly nervous about the other ones, so while I will pass by the olive bar in the supermarket and look at it longingly, I never buy any.
You’re not talking about the ‘pooper valve’ are you…the line of prawny shit that runs down the spiney bit?
No way KNOWN I am eating crap like that!
Another thing that still turns my stomach is marrow sucked from bones. My mum used to slurp and slobber over the lamb chops for freaking hours after the meal had finished just trying to extract that last bit of glutinous muck outta the bones. No way KNOWN I am going to do that either. Fucking gross.
Yeah. Not that it’s especially great, but that it’s not unpleasant enough to warrant the hassle of removal. The Vietnamese cook tiger prawns (one size up from a kingie - almost the size of a yabbie). They are just thrown whole onto the bbq, and the only preparation is peeling off the shell before you wolf it down. Well, you also dip it in cracked pepper and salt, and squirt some lemon on. I’m getting hungry thinking about it.
That’s a new one on me. I’d never considered that gross. Even as a picky-eater kid, I’d love doing that. Still do.
Probably the most significant is mushrooms. As a child, the slippery texture was gross. And the picture of the elephant dying from eating the poisonous green mushroom in Babar. We KNEW mom was trying to kill us with those mushrooms.
I hate to be the guy who says, “I’m surprised no one’s mentioned…”, but I really am surprised no one’s mentioned sushi. I was a dedicated, “isn’t that bait” guy. Perhaps, but it’s damn tasty.
The biggest one for me was tomatoes. As a kid and young adult tomatoes were considered by me to be utterly disgusting. I was once on vacation with my best friend and was horrified to discover that what her family was making us for dinner was: tomatoes, fried okra and other veggies. ICK and DISGUST!!!
Fast forward to about 15 years later…we have dinners like that all the time in the summer. I will eat tomatoes out of the garden daily, sometimes I just take a small salt shaker with me and pick out a couple to munch on.
I still don’t like them on sandwiches, but in mexican, italian or by themselves I can’t imagine life without them now!
Also feel very similarly towards mushrooms. Only recently in the last couple years have started to like them…a little.
Mayonaise. I hated it before I came to this place- called it “satan’s jizz” and never bought a bottle in my life.
Now I ask for it everytime I am at restaurants for everything from omelettes to beef and french fries. And I bought a refridgerator pretty much specifically so I could keep mayo around.
My sister, aged 43, still hates them because of the dying King elephant. She tells me if I like wrinkles and greenness and death I should be her guest and enjoy.
In my younger days, you would have to pay me a lot to even sample okra, or turnip greens.
Now, I loves me a good okra and tomatoes dish.
And turnip greens, if they are prepared well – cooked in a way that they don’t come out bland. (And mustard greens, but I’ll still pass on the collards…)
When I was 8 or 10 years old, MAD magazine had a cover illustration that included a pizza being devoured by a wild eyed, buck tooth oriental (typical mid 50’s cartoon image). The drawing showed the pizza as kind of a swamp with various dreadful creatures swimming around in the pools of cheese. Completely and throughly disgusting! That one image stayed with me and kept me away from pizza until I was 22 and dating SWMBO. After she convinced me I wouldn’t die, I tried one.
Twice a week now, favorite meal for the last 37 years.
I’m not sure if this counts, but yogurt.
Why doesn’t it count?
Becuase I haven’t changed my mind about it yet.
I’ve NEVER had yogurt in my life it just kinda grossed be out. Not the active culture thing, just something about it didn’t appeal to me. Well a few days ago, I tried the tiniest little bit of it and thought hmmm maybe I could like that if I could just find the right flavor. So I’m off to the store after work today to see what I can dig up. I figure it’ll satisfy my need for things with the consistancy of Jello or pudding (I looooove jello), but it’s gotta be healthier then water and sugar.
So in about 24 hours I should have one for the thread.
