# Picky eaters:what is the mildest, most unassuming food ingredient you or the person you know has been too picky to tolerate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 3, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862 "2022-02-03T17:34:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/81 "2022-02-05T19:26:27Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You can make tuna salad without mayo. My favorite one uses olive oil and lemon instead of mayo Gonna try this, too! This is more fun than recipes on youtube. Dan ---
**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:** [February 5, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/82 "2022-02-05T19:39:52Z")
I improvise it, but this is essentially the recipe, though I don’t use fennel, and I use anchovies instead of the fish sauce. ETA: Oh, and I usually don’t use olives, but very occasionally I will. > **[Mayo-Free Mediterranean Tuna Salad Sandwiches Recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/mediterranean-tuna-salad-sandwich-recipe)** > > This mayo-free tuna salad is loaded with Mediterranean flavors, including plenty of fresh olive oil, capers, olives, fennel, celery, and a splash of lemon. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/83 "2022-02-07T15:51:51Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Pretty unassuming list for me > > mayo > Ketchup > Mustard > Relish > Olives, green or black. > > I won’t touch any thing containing those. (actually, I will eat things with mayo as an ingredient. But not as a condiment. Potato salad, for example) I have the same list with a few additions. Mayo includes Miracle Whip and I stay clear of everything and anything that contains it - potato salad, egg salad, etc. I will also add: Pickles of any variety Caraway and fennel seeds Cooked celery Sour cream Any dips or dressings ( but I will eat nacho cheese dip and Italian dressing) Raw onions Green pepper (unless it’s diced up very finely) Baked beans Mushrooms ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/84 "2022-02-07T15:58:26Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > Baked beans Oh yeah, forgot about that one. Never liked them. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/85 "2022-02-07T16:05:14Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > Generally, eggs (not as an ingredient in pastry, etc. Just in a form where they are recognizeable as eggs, i.e., hard-boiled, scrambled, whatever) My father had the same opinion of eggs. He’d eat chicken parmesan with egg used to adhere the coating, but no scrambled, boiled, omelet or fried eggs, ever. He said many times to us kids that the bravest man in human history is the one who ate an egg after seeing where it came from. This thread also reminds me of a taste test I was asked to participate in at my place of work. Three cups of mystery liquid, and a handy trashcan in case I needed to spit out what I was being asked to taste. 🤨 It was water. Bottled Water, Filtered Water and Tap Water. All perfectly normal tasting, but one of my coworkers thought the tap water was so vile it wasn’t fit to consume. I hated raw tomatoes as a kid, until my early 20’s when I had an unbearable desire to eat a tuna sandwich with lettuce and tomato. Turns out they weren’t as awful as I remembered. I also don’t do mushrooms, but laziness has overtaken my dislike of them, and I can’t be arsed to remove them from dishes anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/86 "2022-02-07T16:09:03Z")
Coconut - it’s texture thing mostly, I think Cooked peas (getting better on this one) Squash (the orange kind (e.g. butternut, zucchini is fine). This was the only food my mom prepared as a child that I didn’t have to eat (if she cooked it, you had to try “some”, defined as three peas in that case), as my dad couldn’t abide it either. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/87 "2022-02-07T16:19:06Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > It was water. Bottled Water, Filtered Water and Tap Water. All perfectly normal tasting, but one of my coworkers thought the tap water was so vile it wasn’t fit to consume. The quality of tap water varies enormously from place to place. I drink a lot of tap water, but there are places where it’s hard to get down. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/88 "2022-02-07T18:23:59Z")
> [@TimfromNapa](#): > > I have a life-long aversion to fresh tomatoes. My daughter and I have this also, and have posted in threads about it in the past. We think there’s some chemical in fresh tomatoes we find off-putting. Because if the tomato is marinated, or dried, or cooked in any way, we enjoy it. We like tomato juice, sauce, soup, etc. We’ve both tried dozens and dozens of heirloom varieties fresh from someone’s garden, and our answer is always “nope, don’t care for it. Marinate/dry/cook it and we’ll feast on it”. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/89 "2022-02-07T19:32:55Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > Mayo includes Miracle Whip and I stay clear of everything and anything that contains it - potato salad, egg salad, etc. Bingo. There have been situations where people underestimate my distaste for mayo and they try to “bargain” with me. “_Oh, it’s not mayo, it’s Miracle Whip. It’s better!_”, they chirp. Or if offering me some type of salad and I suspect there’s mayo in it and ask if there is, I get a sheepish “_Uhhh…a little_”. A little, a lot, brand X or brand Y, it’s still revolting to me. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/90 "2022-02-07T20:22:58Z")
> [@BrickBat](#): > > A little, a lot, brand X or brand Y, it’s still revolting Miracle Whip is not a brand of mayonnaise. It’s technically and legally a different product. That said, I would assume if you think mayo is a vile, evil substance, then you probably don’t like Miracle Whip. I’m surprised by the number in this thread that detest mayo but not Miracle. In my experience, it is most often the other way around (including for myself.) ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/91 "2022-02-07T20:39:17Z")
For a food that most people would consider mild: veal. The texture just doesn’t sit well with me. Slimy like lunchmeat that has gone bad. > [@susan](#): > > As a therapist working with people who have severe health issues and frequently have been prescribed a diet by their medical team, I am astonished by how many people “hate water.” Years ago I was in a factory, working with a machine that had a tank of molten lead. And it was the hottest summer in decades. By the end of the day my shop coat was wringing wet from top to bottom. When I tried to drink water my throat would just close up. Fortunately I could get milk down. Steelworker James J. Davis mentioned the same problem in his autobiography “The Iron Puddler.” But his solution was beer. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/92 "2022-02-07T20:53:28Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m surprised by the number in this thread that detest mayo but not Miracle. I think that people tend to prefer the one they grew up with; and that the other one tends to just taste Wrong – sort of uncanny-valley effect. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/93 "2022-02-08T04:58:01Z")
Lima beans. I just can’t. When I was a kid I was a picky eater. I got invited to a friend’s house and then invited to stay for dinner. I got home and my folks asked me what we’d had for dinner. I said chicken or whatever it was and for veggies this mix with these horrible flat beans. They told me those were lima beans. Instead of telling me to be more adventurous they both confessed they hated lima beans, which is why I first tried them then, when I was in middle school. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/94 "2022-02-10T04:32:55Z")
I read somewhere that Miracle Whip was originally intended to be a shortcut for mayonnaisey salads- chicken, egg, ham, etc. It was meant to taste like mayo after sweet pickle relish and other ingredients were added to mayonnaise in those kinds of salad. It does work well for that purpose. I used to eat it all the time as a kid. Now I use it on three things: bacon and tomato sandwiches, Hoosier style tenderloin sandwiches, and Thanksgiving afternoon chicken thigh meat sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/95 "2022-02-10T05:56:28Z")
That’s my answer. Plain water is awful ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/96 "2022-02-10T06:49:37Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > That’s my answer Plain water is awful I find water is a helpful diagnostic tool. Any time it starts tasting off I know I’m starting to get a cold or the flu. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/97 "2022-02-10T13:03:25Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > Plain water is awful If it’s a hot day and you’re thirsty because you’ve been doing something active or just sweating a lot in general, and the water is cold, I find it to be the most delicious beverage in the world. 😓 ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/98 "2022-02-10T15:18:18Z")
I agree! And I don’t even have to be sweating. I keep water in a carafe in my fridge all the time. I drink it with most meals. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/99 "2022-02-10T17:08:51Z")
> [@solost](#): > > If it’s a hot day and you’re thirsty because you’ve been doing something active or just sweating a lot in general, and the water is cold, I find it to be the most delicious beverage in the worl Water’s my go to beverage. At home I still drink water from the same well we used back in 1957 when I was born. Had it tested last year, the water’s hard as hell but otherwise in excellent condition. We even have a tap in the house that bypasses the water softener, and that’s what we use for drinking and for ice. Delicious on a hot day. Thirst slaking and tasty at other times. Though fresh maple sap quickly filtered right after it’s brought in from the tree is also delicious. And sap season’s coming up soon! Can’t wait! ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862/100 "2022-02-10T17:34:21Z")
I live in Memphis which has some of the best tasting water in the nation, I work in Mississippi just over the county line which has really vile water. It is often discolored. The company supplies bottled water. funny enough, our ice machine at work doesn’t have the vile taste to it, it must have a filter or something, it is a huge industrial machine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picky-eaters-what-is-the-mildest-most-unassuming-food-ingredient-you-or-the-person-you-know-has-been-too-picky-to-tolerate/958862.md?page=6)