# How the heck do you not like tomatos? (and other unfathomable food dislikes) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 13, 2002, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760 "2002-05-13T06:09:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lauramarlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@lauramarlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lauramarlane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/21 "2002-05-13T14:02:46Z")
I think it was George Carlin who said, “if God wanted us to eat tomatoes, he would have finished them.” ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/22 "2002-05-13T14:17:30Z")
I would have never ever thought it was a texture thing! I guess I can kind of see that… Lets see…I hate squash (it’s like slime, but tastes worse!) and I don’t like meat. Even before I became a vegetarians I found 99% of meat disgusting and refused to eat it. Gristle. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/23 "2002-05-13T14:22:51Z")
You people must not be getting real tomatoes. Those fake “tomatoes” that you buy at the local grocery are crap. They are smooshy and tasteless. A tomato fresh-picked from the vine, sliced, sprinkled with a bit of salt (or sliced on bread with mayo, and a little bit of salt) is about closest to food heaven as you get. My mouth is watering just thinking about it…MMMmmmmm… A pox on you tomato-haters!!! BAH!! ---
**Author:** ![Trancey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Trancey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancey)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/24 "2002-05-13T14:27:41Z")
if there was a group for people addicted to ketchup, id be there every damn day, but, althought im addicted to ketchup, i hate tomatoes with the greatest passion, i think it does have to do with the texture, or they are just horrible disgusting 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/25 "2002-05-13T14:44:39Z")
Here’s a question for all the raw tomato-haters (and I’m one of them): do you like zucchini? For me, it has about the same yucky texture, even when cooked, and I detest it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/26 "2002-05-13T14:57:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SuperLorie \* > \*\*You people must not be getting real tomatoes. Those fake “tomatoes” that you buy at the local grocery are crap. They are smooshy and tasteless. A tomato fresh-picked from the vine, sliced, sprinkled with a bit of salt (or sliced on bread with mayo, and a little bit of salt) is about closest to food heaven as you get. My mouth is watering just thinking about it…MMMmmmmm… > > A pox on you tomato-haters!!! BAH!! \*\* Preach it, sister! There was a recent thread in which I maligned the fake tomatoes of which you speak. Bleh!!! And just try to make a good tomato sauce out of those pink, starchy (for lack of better word) tomatoes. Not a chance. My life would be incomplete without tomatoes. I cannot imagine cooking without: tomatoes, onions, lemons, fresh herbs of all kinds, garlic and olive oil. Oh, add chiles of all types to that list. Hell, I’d give up beef, pork and lamb before I gave up tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/27 "2002-05-13T15:00:40Z")
I’m wholeheartedly behind **Daniel** on the pea issue. I loves me some peas, and they’re at their best when they’re just picked, fresh from the pod and still have that living, sugary-sweetness. Mmmmm, fresh peas. Squash has been utterly ruined for my by my father, who used to fry it to a disgusting slime and then expected us to eat it. It was soooo revolting. He did the same thing with zucchini, but I’m slowly overcoming that. I avoid pumpkin because I think I’m allergic; every time I can remember eating it, I’ve been very sick shortly thereafter. So, on Thanksgiving, Mom always makes me a chocolate macaroon pie, mmmm. Kind of a shame, because I really did like pumpkin bread. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/28 "2002-05-13T17:52:16Z")
Another life-long tomato hater. Until I moved to Greece and then I couldn’t get enough of them. I have never gotten a American tomato as good as a Greek one, though I can tolerate good ones. Cooked tomatoes have always been OK. My theory is that people don’t like them because the taste doesn’t match the flavor. It tastes like a vegetable but has a slimy, fruit-like texture. I pay a lot of attention to the texture of foods, and I suspect most tomato-haters do too. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/29 "2002-05-13T19:18:28Z")
Tomatoes have two textures, neither one of which is pleasant. To make them even worse, they don’t have a good taste either so you can’t grind them or dice them into puree them into something tolerable. So no, something that does not taste good combined with an unpleasant mouth feel means that I don’t eat tomatoes. I understand fully why they were once thought of as poison. I’ve never liked tomatoes. Apparently, when still a baby, before I could talk, I’d pretend to choke on any food that I didn’t want, and my parents (being new to the whole parenting thing) would freak out and replace it with something that I’d eaten before. They say it worked until one day I began “choking” on tomato soup and it hit them “No one can choke on tomato soup.” The first lie I was ever caught in… I’m not a real fan of tomato-based sauces (I generally put exactly enough on my food to make it not totally dry and if it can be skipped I’ll skip it entirely) though I do own and use ketchup in moderation. ---
**Author:** ![Aleq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@Aleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aleq)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/30 "2002-05-13T19:21:23Z")
Tomatoes cooked in any fashion–no problem, bring 'em on! Sun dried tomatoes, ditto–totally yummy. Salsa, as long as it’s been marinating for a while. Raw tomatoes, no effin’ way, and I grew up in Sackatomatoes CA and grow the most amazing 'maties you ever saw. Just can’t handle the acidy taste, and the seeds are gross! And peas suck the big one, wouldn’t eat one with a gun pointed at my head. Snow peas in Asian food, okay, but not those grainy shrivelly nasty little round suckers… _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Aristides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Aristides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aristides)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/31 "2002-05-13T20:12:19Z")
Everyone knows raw tomatoes are poison! ---
**Author:** ![Godfrey\_Daniels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Godfrey\_Daniels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Godfrey_Daniels)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/32 "2002-05-13T22:10:27Z")
As a child, I wouldn’t touch raw tomatoes, and I do think it was the acidity that put me off. As an adult, I’ve learned to love them, but not the grocery store kind. The ones I grow in my back yard, ripened to perfection and picked at the peak of flavorfulness. Just sliced on a plate with a little salt…mmmmmmmm, yowza! I also love fresh peas, squash, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. I’ve even learned to choke down a little eggplant now & then. Veggies would rule if it weren’t for beef, pork, fish, legumes of all kinds, dairy products, fruit, nuts, and breads. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/33 "2002-05-13T22:27:25Z")
**Aleq** has crystallized my own thoughts with commendable eloquence. What I grow tired of is the constant refrain of “You’ve obviously never had _good_ tomatoes, then,” when the subject comes up. Yes, I have. I’ve tried tomatoes that those around pronounced to be splendid examples of natural goodness, and to me they were just a slightly fresher version of nasty. The archetypal Ideal Tomato holds no appeal for my palate. I’ve learned to live with this fact. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/34 "2002-05-13T23:49:59Z")
Texture. It’s just too icky. I also can’t eat pineapple for the same reason (literally makes me gag). Of course, I don’t MIND the taste of tomatoes, but I HATE the taste of pineapple, ---
**Author:** ![Molly\_Coddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bcef8e/32.png) [@Molly\_Coddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molly_Coddle)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/35 "2002-05-14T00:16:54Z")
Fish and mayo scare me… the smell, the sight… the very essence…yikes! Anything that swims underwater or drifts or whatever… if it comes from the ocean, I won’t touch it or look at it unless it’s in my fish tank and I get to feed it little flakey food stuff. ---
**Author:** ![shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/36 "2002-05-14T00:49:31Z")
I loathe tomatoes. I eat the ones out of my mother’s garden only to keep from hurting her feelings. The acidic taste…BLECH. ---
**Author:** ![shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/37 "2002-05-14T00:51:59Z")
Ooh, to add further. I don’t eat any animal that still resembles its live self. Crab, lobster, fish still on the bone, etc. I can tolerate shrimp, but I can’t think about it too long or I lose my appetite. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/38 "2002-05-14T02:42:15Z")
I love tomatoes. On the other hand, I have a niece who hates rice. Says she can’t stand the taste of it. Taste? Rice? ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/39 "2002-05-14T02:57:55Z")
Tomatoes!?! Yuck…I’ve never even put one near my mouth. Same goes for other squishy raw fruits 'n things: Grapes Olives Apricots Plums Freshen-Up Gum ---
**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:** [May 14, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760/40 "2002-05-14T03:13:03Z")
For me, it’s the taste. It’s similar to the taste I get in the back of my throat when I gag. Blech. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-heck-do-you-not-like-tomatos-and-other-unfathomable-food-dislikes/108760.md?page=3)