It depends on the context. Conversation might go like this:
“I’m thinking of making mushroom pasta for dinner, how’s that sound?”
“Nah, I hate mushrooms.”
“These are morels–have you had those? Their flavor and texture are pretty different from storebought mushrooms.”
At this point, if the person says they aren’t interested, I’m done, that’s cool.
Because some adults aren’t familiar with the same things I’m familiar with, and they might appreciate getting a chance to try something new.
I’d never met a rye bread I liked. But when someone told me that caraway seeds were in most rye breads, and that this particular one didn’t have caraway seeds, I tried it, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that rye bread could be tasty. I certainly didn’t get all made at the person who taught me something new. They were familiar with something I wasn’t familiar with, and I appreciated learning from them.
If I’d demurred, and they’d insisted after the first explanation, then I woulda been irked. If they’d said, “You’ll love this rye bread, trust me!” I woulda been suspicious. But a simple tentative explanation is 100% not a problem.
I used to get all huffy with people who didn’t like what I liked, but age has made me realize I’m not the center of the universe and that people are welcome to their opinions, no matter how stupid they may be.
Nothing surprises me, especially when it comes to bilking tourists out of their money. I never had paella when I was in Spain, but I did have other dishes made in someone’s home that were very good. Spanish tortilla was one such dish.
There’s no arm-twisting going on here. IRL, I can only recall one instance of a dinner guest refusing wine at one of my fine-dining events. I merely suggested that they might find that the wines enhanced the courses and I went no further. “Sorry, I don’t drink alcohol” would have been a perfectly acceptable answer. But they assented, under no particular pressure, and later complimented me on the general proceedings, but with regard to the wine for all I know that may just have been politeness. Regardless, they had the experience and can make an informed judgement moving forward.
As for my comments in this thread, it’s just an expression of gentle sorrow for those who don’t share the same joy. I’m sure they have other pleasures but enjoying life isn’t a zero-sum game.
Oh I’m so sad that you don’t have my refined palate and refuse to educate yourself, because if you made an effort, you might hope attain to my level of sophistication. Your pleasures must be so attenuated, poor dear.
Perhaps it would be best to keep your gentle sorrow to yourself.
That’s an extremely uncharitable and unnecessarily hostile interpretation of my actual sentiment, which I was pretty sure went no further than “I really like this, I’m sorry you don’t”.
My ex-wife loved wine. I took a high end wine tasting class that met weekly for several weeks that included food pairing. I live in an area with dozens of vineyards and wineries just a short drive away and have been the designated driver on countless wine tasting trips. I have multiple good friends in the wine industry. Even to this day I will take a little sip of something that I haven’t tried before just for the hell of it. I have tried super expensive barolos and ports and god knows what else. Don’t like it.
I love the smell of coffee. I tried espresso in Italy in a fancy place. I have tried highly curated, very well made coffees. Don’t like it.
I can easily tell good stuff from bad stuff in both cases (but not good from great very well) and the good stuff is clearly better. Don’t like it.
While we’re at it, “this mixed drink is so yummy. You can’t even taste the alcohol” is fucking bullshit.
As a side bonus, I have saved over ten thousand dollars over the course of my life by not having a taste for those things.
Maybe you misunderstood me. I’ve lived in Spain. My then GF’s mother would’ve looked at me as if I had suggested using sulphuric acid, had I proposed saffron for the paella. I’m talking way off the tourist track, inland in small mountain villages. I’ve never seen or had paella with saffron.
I’m sure it exists. And I’ve seen what they charge tourists for what is essentially some chicken and a few prawns with rice, and maybe, there’s some ground up ‘saffron’ in there, but mostly yellow food coloring.
As for hating a flavor. Most of the few flavors I dislike have already been taken or are off the table (cilantro, banana) so I’ll throw in fake vanilla. This seems to be in everything for the last 15-20 years to the point where it’s some sort of generic food enhancer. It’s in non food stuff too; soap, scented candles, shampoo, air fresheners. Maybe not as the main smell, but always there.
It’s got to the point that I have a hard time with real vanilla.
Yup. Alcohol has a strong and distinctive flavor. I like it in some drinks – it cuts the sweetness. But I’ve never had an alcoholic beverage that didn’t smell and taste like it contained alcohol.
Interesting. Do you think it’s a factor of social position, with saffron only being something that rich people might have access to? I think paella without saffron would be just fine, personally. Sort of like jambalaya without Cajun seasoning.
see when I first saw salted licorice in the late 90s the brand said " Australian salted licorice " and had like kangaroos and koalas on the pack and the back of the pack explained it was a long-time cherished tradition in aus…
