I went with “mostly no,” thought I lean heavily toward “nope.” I’m a fussy eater and there are a lot of things I just plain don’t like. I’ll be as gracious as I can and eat whatever I can manage, but I have a really hard time choking down the stuff I just plain don’t like. My friends are used to me by now, the in-laws are pretty much meat-and-potatoes folks, and that about covers the non-spouse people I’m likely to eat with.
One social skill my mother drilled into me was to be able to eat what a host(ess) served me. Take the smallest portion, eat just a few bites, mess it around on the plate, and eat a lot of whatever else was being served, something you liked.
This stood me in good stead when I was served gefilte fish. But the challah was EXCELLENT, and I speak professionally, as a baker. I’d never been to an Orthodox Sabbath dinner. They were nice people, I had a good time and learned a lot.
But that fish, urk.
The last time I ate something I disliked out of politeness, a few years ago, I discovered that I no longer dislike squash after all. So that worked out well enough.
The only mainstream Western foods I will not consume are coffee, alcohol, anchovies, and really bad tea. For coffee, there are usually socially-acceptable alternatives like cocoa or tea, and if there aren’t, a simple “no thanks” usually doesn’t offend. Alcohol is a bit more awkward to avoid, but my reasons there are medical, not just aesthetic, so I refuse strongly if necessary, and just deal with the social consequences. Nobody ever seriously expects anyone else to ever eat anchovies, so that’s not a problem, and I’ve never seen tea so bad I’d refuse it anywhere except in a cafeteria.
Only once, ever, have I been served something I couldn’t force down. It was hummus in sesame oil, but the oil was sharp and rancid, like sewing machine oil. My host said it was the family recipe, from his mother’s native Lebanon. To my huge shame and embarrassment, I had to spit it out into the sink.
I’ve had stuff I didn’t care for a whole lot, but could eat.
I was astonished to learn that I really like okra! I’d heard horrible things about it for years, but, finally trying it, I thought it was yummy!
I said “mostly yes” because I do remember one time when I simply could not swallow what was in my mouth - parrot fish sushi. It was like having a large gob of fish-flavored rubber ball laced through with tough, unbreakable tendons in my mouth. No amount of chewing had any impact - it just bounced back when I tried to break it down with my teeth.
I was at a party so managed to wander off and discretely spit it out.
Those aren’t mutually exclusive. I can choke down food even while gagging.
The worst meal that I’ve ever eaten was when I was about 12. I was at a friend’s house and they served “broccoli surprise”. I absolutely loathe broccoli and hate it to this day. Broccoli surprise made it worse by embedding big broccoli chunks in undercooked Bisquick.
I choked it down with a smile, because I was a very polite child and I’d never think of offending a host. But it was so bad that I remember it a quarter century later.
Ugh, I like broccoli, and that still sounds terrible.
Yeah, it was somehow worse than the sum of its parts, even with the parts being awful.
Another time (different friend) I choked down part of a quesadilla made with cheese that had started to go bad. Fortunately, the rest of the family noticed right away and I didn’t have to take more than a few bites. Nevertheless, that meal was preferable to broccoli surprise (plus it was funny to see the family take the father to task for his inability to smell moldy cheese).
I did eat eggplant on two separate occasions while being as polite as possible, but if I am ever faced with eating eggplant again, I think I will feign death. So NO.
While I’m sure there is actually some food out there so gross that I would actually feel nauseated. I don’t have much of a gag reflex. When I get a stomach illness that makes other people throw up, I never really do, even if I think it would make me feel better if I could.
That said, there are few foods I don’t like, and even the ones I say I dislike the most (certain types of pickles) I eat.
And I have choked down when I screwed up and added too much salt to something. It just took time.
This: word for word
I’ve never had my gag reflex triggered by the taste of anything. It’s always triggered by textures, and sometimes that’s even things I like: mashed potatoes, for example, which I like, that have been whipped too much will make me gag.
I’ve stopped scraping tomatoes off of things if they’re hard to separate. I wouldn’t eat one whole.
I had durian awhile back. It was underwhelming; it smells but not overpowering like how people claim you can’t eat it inside. Stinky smell, but it only travels so far. Tastes like papaya maybe, no bad taste at all. It’s not like I imagine surstromming is like, not sure I could choke that down, but most other things I will.
If the food hasn’t been properly,prepared – undercooked pastry for example – is where I have a hard time.
I’ll eat something i don’t like, or eat around the ingredient I don’t like, most of the time. The exception is nuts. I’m not allergic, but I really just can’t eat them. Almonds are ok I guess.
The only things that I won’t eat are things that aren’t made out of food. Pearl factories, for instance; and metabolic filters. Also parsnips.