# It tastes like sin, why do people eat it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517 "2011-06-23T02:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/41 "2011-06-23T05:02:28Z")
The [distaste for cilantro (coriander) is a genetic thing](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html). Given that it’s intrinsic to Thai cuisine, one of my very favourites, I’m very glad I didn’t inherit same. My only remaining strong distastes amongst generally available western foods are lima beans, cauliflower, broccoli and brussels sprouts. There were a number of foods, mostly vegetables, that I hated intensely due to my experiences at boarding school, but having had them properly sourced, sauced, and cooked/served I’m all for them now: beetroot/beet, spinach, cucumber, sweet potato/yam. And herbal “tea” is not tea, dammit! There is no tea in it! None. Call it an infusion, a tisane, a potation, a steeping, but it ain’t tea. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/42 "2011-06-23T05:04:48Z")
Apparently I’m the first to say: Tomatoes. Fresh, ripe ones. It’s both taste and texture. They are fine if ground up in pizza sauce form, etc. Lately I can tolerate fresh tomatoes if they’re in a sandwich or something and it’s more effort to pick them out. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/43 "2011-06-23T05:06:21Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Apparently I’m the first to say: > > Tomatoes. Fresh, ripe ones. It’s both taste and texture. They are fine if ground up in pizza sauce form, etc. Lately I can tolerate fresh tomatoes if they’re in a sandwich or something and it’s more effort to pick them out. Ohhh, thanks for reminding me! Those are disgusting too. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/44 "2011-06-23T05:30:42Z")
Tofu. Horrible taste. Revolting texture and nothing remotely appealing about its appearance. Vile stuff. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/45 "2011-06-23T05:34:17Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > What food can you simply not stand yet seems to be very popular and raved about by the masses? For me it would be olives, the taste sickens me but lots of other people eat them like they are nectar from the Gods. 😕 Olives, beets, liver, alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/46 "2011-06-23T05:35:04Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > **It tastes like sin, why do people eat it?** Hmm . . . That could be the basis for a diet. Buy nothing at the supermarket but technically edible things that disgust you, and just wait and wait until you’re hungry enough to eat them. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/47 "2011-06-23T05:53:24Z")
I cannot stand sweet potatoes. To me, they are something found in Satan’s diaper. Also, beets. On the other hand, I don’t get the hate for peanut butter. As long as you’re not allergic to peanuts, that is. Or the hate for bananas. Delicious with corn flakes. In fact, I love peanut butter and nanner sandwiches. At least I don’t deep-fry them. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/48 "2011-06-23T05:59:04Z")
Celery – all those nasty little threads! If it’s cooked in a recipe (like stuffing), fine. But raw? It makes me choke. I’d rather eat mushrooms or tomatos. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/49 "2011-06-23T06:18:32Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > Tofu. Horrible taste. Revolting texture and nothing remotely appealing about its appearance. Vile stuff. Horrible taste? It tastes approximately like NOTHING. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/50 "2011-06-23T06:20:06Z")
I think it tastes like vomit. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/51 "2011-06-23T06:22:43Z")
Cilantro, anything licorice/[del]anus[/del] anise flavored, cantaloupe. Things that are so spicy that no human being can possibly enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/52 "2011-06-23T06:30:03Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Tea. Regular tea. So gross. Problematic when I lived in the South, where everyone automatically gets sweet iced tea, all the time. Amen. Tea just smells and tastes gnasty. And liver. Ewwwwwwww. ---
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/53 "2011-06-23T06:31:53Z")
Avocado. Not so much the taste - but how it feels in your mouth - ew. Mango. I would rather lick my own armpit than taste/smell/touch a frigging mango. Blah. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/54 "2011-06-23T07:10:26Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I can’t stand cantaloupe, cheeseburgers, or cucumbers. I seem to be in the vast minority with those. I HATE cucumbers. Love the other two, though. > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Also, green peas, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts. I agree with all of these. > [@zombywoof](#): > > Coffee…I’d be hard pressed to choose between its smell, taste, and physiologic effect for what I hate most about it. God, I hate coffee. I’d rather drink drain cleaner. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Apparently I’m the first to say: > > Tomatoes. Fresh, ripe ones. It’s both taste and texture. They are fine if ground up in pizza sauce form, etc. Lately I can tolerate fresh tomatoes if they’re in a sandwich or something and it’s more effort to pick them out. Seconded, though I will special order my sandwiches without. They’re fine if they’re in pizza sauce, ketchup, etc. > [@cochrane](#): > > I cannot stand sweet potatoes. To me, they are something found in Satan’s diaper. Also, beets. You and I are in agreement here. For my own contribution (as opposed to me just saying “me, too!” to everything already said), let me add: Vegetables. Just about all of them. Potatoes, carrots (raw), and I can tolerate lettuce and/or raw spinach on sandwiches or in salads. Speaking of salads, a salad consists of lettuce (or spinach, as noted above), cheese, Caesar dressing (if ANY dressing), and either chicken or steak. Bacon bits are okay. No tomatoes, no eggs, none of that shit. Shredded carrots are allowed, also. And eggs, as **Guin** said, are only permissible scrambled, or in an omelet. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/55 "2011-06-23T10:33:39Z")
Another vote for beetroot here, imagine my shock, horror and repulsion when I arrived in Australia and found they put them on burgers over here. In the UK I only ever saw them on salad which is bad enough but burgers… BURGERS!?! ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/56 "2011-06-23T10:50:02Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > Another vote for beetroot here, imagine my shock, horror and repulsion when I arrived in Australia and found they put them on burgers over here. In the UK I only ever saw them on salad which is bad enough but burgers… BURGERS!?! I’m an Aussie who dislikes beetroot but I think I’m in the minority in that regard. Most of the people I know think it’s some sort of food of the gods or something. One friend eats so much of the stuff that her urine turns purple. Not that I’ve seen it - I’m just reporting what she told me. I mention this only to demonstrate, if we ever needed it, that not everyone’s tastes are the same. Heck, she probably even likes tofu, for all I know. ---
**Author:** ![Fearless\_Leader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Fearless\_Leader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fearless_Leader)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/57 "2011-06-23T11:50:18Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > Pickles. All pickles. Dill, sweet, bread & butter, whatever… it matters not. They all taste awful to me. Are you my long-lost sister? I came in to mention pickles, everyone in my family loves 'em but I can barely bring myself to open the jar. Also, tuna fish. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/58 "2011-06-23T12:01:32Z")
Bananas, pineapples, and coconuts. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/59 "2011-06-23T12:04:04Z")
I’ll just list the more common foods as my list would be pages long: Cheese of any kind. Any cream based sauce Any mayonnaise based dishes - cole slaw, potato salad, etc. Most seafood - I love shrimp and lobster, though Pickles - once its evil juice has seeped all over the plate the meal is ruined Butter - oddly I love buttery popcorn but if you put it on my toast or pancakes I’m not going to eat them ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517/60 "2011-06-23T12:34:23Z")
I love liver. Pigs trotters are not great. Neither is a corned pigs head. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-sin-why-do-people-eat-it/586517.md?page=4)