There is definitely a special place for grilled cheese and tomato soup.
When I was a kid, that’s what mom would have waiting for me when I came inside from playing out in the snow. There would also be a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallow’s, tepid to the touch the way I liked it so as not to burn my tender mouth.
My SO’s mom used to do the same thing so it’s only natural that after hours of clearing snow off of our driveway and sidewalk, we head indoors to hot chocolate, grilled cheese and Campbell’s tomoto soup. It must be eaten while sitting on the couch with feet wrapped snuggly in a blanket for the full “tones of home” effect.
Here’s something I don’t get. Chicken on pizza. What kind of culinary bastardization of perfection is that? Even more repugnant is substituting barbecue sauce for pizza sauce. Ack Thppppt!
First off, a definition: Sushi, properly, is the seasoned rice that’s used with the ‘bait’ parts. Adding the ‘bait’ makes it taste better, IMNSHO, but it’s not what defines sushi. For that matter there are a number of very tasty rolls here in the US that involve no raw meat at all. Ranging from the cucumber stick rolls, to the California Roll. Both of which I’ve seen people who hate the idea of ‘bait’ scarf down.
On preview: John Mace, where do you eat sushi that they’re putting wasabi in, or on, all the items? I’ve seen wasabi rolls, but they’re a special item. My experience has always been that the wasabi was a side piece, for the diner, if they chose to use it. Like the pickled ginger. (Gag)
As for well-done steak, y’all can have mine.
But I’m with those people who don’t think that ranch is the food of the gods, and respond to chocolate with a ‘meh.’
Oh, and I hate, hate, hate corn. Especially corn on the cob. Yuck. It always smells, to me, like athlete’s foot that’s been steamed for a little too long. (But I love using ground corn meal for cooking - corn breads, and tortialla esp.)
Just makes things interesting.
Mayonnaise. What is it with that stuff? Why do sandwich makers insist on slathering it on my food? Begone, I say!
Salad dressing. I can occasionally handle a little mediterranean-style dressing, but generally I get the quirked eyebrow and “You want that dry? Would you like some lemon with it?” Yes please. I can’t handle the taste of lettuce, but since I just ordered a salad please smother it in citric acid.
Pop with sugar has a ghastly aftertaste, diet doesn’t.
The Chao Goes Mu: your location says you don’t know where you live, but I at least can tell you where you grew up – in a TV commercial. 
I cannot eat pizzas with that vile regular sauce. BBQ or pesto works fine, though. And chicken is by far the best topping.
Ketchup is out too. Tomatoes and HFCS, revolting.
I used to like peanut butter as a veggie dip. I have since seen the light and stick with ssamjang or nothing.
I did grow up in the heart of it all. Northwest Ohio, so that could explain my idyllic Leave It To Beaver childhood. 
Unfortunately, sushi has come to mean “Japanese food” in much of the US.
Pretty much everywhere I’ve had in the SF Bay Area. It’s not much, just a light brushing between the fish and the rice. If you like it, you might not even notice it being there.
My tastes vary. I like the down home American fare like Grilled Cheese, Cheeseburgers, Apple Pie with a Slice of Cheddar on it…etc…etc…
However, I do like sushi. I don’t think it’s the bane of civilization, I think it’s a return to where we began from. We certainly didn’t cook the fish when we were dragging our knuckles now did we?
So to answer your question, I think I tend towards going with the grain, and only generally venture outside the circle.
This is almost a thread about what we are not ashamed to admit we like. Yeah, that can run quite opposite to the grain.
I am Italian and can get home-cooked Italian food prepared by my wife every night. And I usually do. But ya know what? I enjoy a can of Chef-Boy-Ardee meat ravioli! Now that is what I would call going against the grain! Okay, it isn’t replacing any Italian food in my life, my fellow Italians/family members, but those little pockets of meat can be ready in 60 secs, and darn if they ain’t tasty!
Fancy steak at high-end steakhouse? Bah - I’ve had dozens. All very underwhelming.
Hey, pick on McDonalds all you want (come on, you know it’s popular), but a basic cheeseburger and fries with a drink is a delicious little lunch/snack.
Bottled water? NEVER!
Krispy Kreme? Um… like, they are just glazed donuts. Get over it. Ain’t getting the fascination, people.
Applebees/TGI Friday/Chilis/Ruby Tuesday/Outback/Olive Garden/Red Lobster/etc: Like, hellloooooo, the food is decent, but hardly warrants a 90 minute wait. Go try a local establishment that takes reservations and will prepare a meal for you instead of nuking some pre-measured pouches of sauce and meats.
Amen
Krispy Kreme’s are waay too sweet.
The best pizza in the world has pepperoni, chicken, pinapple, jalapeno and bbq sauce on it.
Lobster, crab and shrimp are disgusting. Yes, I have tried them. Whoever first looked at those bugs of the sea and said, “I wanna eat me some of that.” was insane and most likely having sex with trees.
So I’m not the only one after all! I don’t see what the big deal is, really. I like to taste the ingredients on my sandwich, not some nasty mayo. Besides, it’s so much better for you without it.
I agree with a lot of the other stuff that’s been mentioned here, too. Especially the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Yummy. I also quite enjoy frozen pizzas and put ketchup on my turkey cheese dogs. I know I’m going to hell for it, but whatever. Mustard is gross.
I lived in Seattle for five years and hate coffee.
I’ve lived in the Bay Area (San Francisco area) for the last decade and despise wine.
I agree with OtakuLoki about corn. Corn isn’t food, corn is what food eats.
I like gasp milk chocolate (except from the companies that make it stinky), I think that 80% cacao stuff that you put salt on to eat is gross, and I will not be ashamed.
I also think non-glutinous rice is totally weird, brown rice is gross, as is any meat organ, and I prefer white meat. I think stinky gourmet foods are generally too stinky to enjoy (I can appreciate a good vinegar or smoked aged cheese, but don’t enjoy the process of eating them). I don’t like mustard. That’s right, I eat hot dogs with just ketchup to disguise the hog anus, kill me now. I’d rather have a regular hot dog than a polish. I can’t stand undercooked eggs. I like shrimp, but think lobster’s pretty much the same thing.
I don’t “get” heirloom tomatoes or olives. And I HATE sprouts, even though I live in California.
I like how some of these posts are interpreting the ‘grain’ as average Joe Schlub’s routine, and others are setting it as the gourmand’s perceived delight.
I love my pasta mushy! None of those Food Network folks cook it nearly long enough (I’m looking at you, Rachael Ray!). Al dente? Please! If I wanted to chew my food I’d be eating salad or, um, steak or something. When I eat pasta, I want to chew minimally and slide it down my gullet.
I do love the dark chocolate and shun the milk variety. Lobster? No thanks. Sushi? Okay, if I were starving on a desert island. Campbell’s tomato soup and grilled cheese? Hell, yeah! Caviar? Not even if I were starving on a desert island.
I, too, like my steaks cooked well-done. Sue me. I like some pasta overcooked, too.
I also love Big Macs. And I like ketchup on my Oscar Mayer hot dogs.
I don’t care for chocolate, or any sweets, and I dislike coffee.
Other than that, I’m pretty much a food snob. Drives my family nuts.
I think of it more as a thread about what we’re downright proud to admit.
And by the way, since a popular backlash has begun against Krispy Kreme, I can hereby declare — proudly — that I LOVE Krispy Kreme glazed donuts hot off the line. (Must be straight off.) And I’ve liked them for many many years, long before the recent expansion unpleasantness.
As I’ve mentioned many times here, my absolutely favorite meal is beef liver, dredged in breadcrumbs and sauted with a little butter. With a side of lima beans.
I can’t stand coffee or beer. Putting American cheese on a hamburger is an abomination. Especially in fast food places, where the cheese has the texture and flavor of melted plastic.
Didn’t care for Krispy Kreme, and evidently no one around here did either: the franchise went belly-up.
I don’t like sushi either and no I’m not mixing sushi up with sashimi. I understand the difference and neither one appeals to me.
I prefer milk chocolate over dark as well.
I’m also not a big fan of pies in general. Pecan and cream pies are ok, but nothing to write home about. Fruit pies are completely inedible.