# Something you always wanted to try, and were sorely disappointed with when you finally did **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 5, 2025, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419 "2025-12-05T04:25:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/462 "2026-06-09T10:30:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I wonder if the “beetroot” terminology is more common for disambiguation in cultures where beet greens are commonly eaten? I don’t think so. It’s more like different people, in different places, at different times, have chosen different words, and there’s never been any linguistic pressure for any group to conform to the choice of any other group. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2026, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/463 "2026-06-09T11:19:54Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > I feel the same way about McDonald’s “shakes” and a “real” shake made with hard ice cream (in that they are almost two entirely different products). Do they have Krusty partially gelatinated non-dairy gum-based beverages? Umm hmm…they call 'em “shakes”. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YfHID_ZFWV8/maxresdefault.jpg "The Simpsons - Springfield PD Talks About McDonald's") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfHID_ZFWV8) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/464 "2026-06-10T13:20:59Z")
I was about to reply “Found the Aussie!” I can see how pickled beet might work, but I’m not a fan of beets in nearly any circumstances (did have really well done beets at a now closed fine-dining place a few years ago), so unless I find myself in Sydney or Adelaide or wherever and order a burger, I’ll probably pass. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/465 "2026-06-10T13:44:19Z")
Given the potential for a mess on your shirt from a properly juicy and condimented burger, I can only shake my head at the impossibility of eating a beetroot-equipped burger without that red juice permanently staining my entire outfit. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/466 "2026-06-10T16:33:51Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I can only shake my head at the impossibility of eating a beetroot-equipped burger without that red juice permanently staining my entire outfit [Bah!](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1025/3059/files/Cabernet_Jacket_Front_1500x2000_crop_center.jpg?v=1765466964) I’m actually quite fond of beets, but really only the non-pickled variety. Fresh-roasted beets are awesome. I can see them working on a burger for some same as pickles, but since I usually ditch dill pickles on my burger as well I’d likely pass. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/467 "2026-06-10T17:57:04Z")
Looks like prevention beets cure every time! Great find! 😁 Beetroot on a burger sounds kinda tasty. It’ll be awhile before I can arrange that conjunction, but it’ll happen. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/468 "2026-06-11T10:00:30Z")
Don’t threaten me with a good time! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/469 "2026-06-11T10:30:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Beetroot on a burger sounds kinda tasty. It’ll be awhile before I can arrange that conjunction, but it’ll happen. Do it. I was surprised when my hotel room service “burger and fries” at my Sydney hotel arrived dressed with beetroot automatically, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was good! You can, of course, add whatever else you like: mustard, relish, pickles, tomatoes, onions, mayo—but a real Aussie burger should include beetroot. Give it a try. From me, two thumbs up. Or should that be “two yums up?” Either way, it deserves a try. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/470 "2026-06-11T11:40:37Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Far more likely to be a gas one or propane one that isn’t burning clean enough. Or, like I said, things have changed over the decades since I was last grossed out and swore off of them. I agree with you and, like cilantro, I can taste it where other people can’t but still, it doesn’t put me off enough not to indulge in it. It definitely tastes a tiny bit like propane to me. Doesn’t matter if that’s artificial or not, or even if it comes from fat drippings. For instance, hot/bell peppers have natural ingredients that can taste like hydrocarbons even if none were added. (On the other hand, BK sides are literally tasteless. If I were to pick a _fast food_ Dream Team and pick and choose one restaurant to showcase the best, I might take BK’s patties, but nothing else from them. _Maybe_ Checkers can beat them on the taste but they are so small the size makes up for it.) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/471 "2026-06-16T16:27:15Z")
> [@El\_DeLuxo](#): > > Am I the only person in the world who likes Circus Peanuts? Just for fun, I often take some to fancy dinner buffets, displayed in a nice silver bowl with the other side dishes. I’ve always liked them, and I once offered one to a college professor. He turned to the class and said "I will now demonstrate the correct method of eating a Circus Peanut. I will put it in my pocket _thusly,_ giving it two to three weeks to be properly aged, and to acquire the proper amount of pocket lint " ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/472 "2026-06-17T04:33:17Z")
At that point, was he suggesting that you were then ready to (a) accept the circus peanut was now only fit to go in the trash or (b) eat it. My grandmother used to say “I’ll just put these leftovers in the fridge till they are old enough to be thrown out”. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/473 "2026-06-17T13:37:31Z")
> [@El\_DeLuxo](#): > > Am I the only person in the world who likes Circus Peanuts? What always mystified me as a kid getting circus peanuts on Halloween was, they have an artificial _banana_ flavor, right? Why not give them an artificial _ **peanut** _ flavor? They’re circus _peanuts_, not circus _bananas_. Lots of other crappy Halloween candy was peanut flavored, so it’s not as if the technology didn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/474 "2026-06-17T14:05:52Z")
> [@El\_DeLuxo](#): > > Am I the only person in the world who likes Circus Peanuts? No. FTR I really like the banana flavored ones, too. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/475 "2026-06-18T04:26:49Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I watched a couple YouTube videos of people traveling cross-country by Amtrak and it looked surprisingly non-sucky. I’m so sorry you talked yourself out of trying it. I’ve had a great time taking trains to Seattle, LA, Chicago and Portland. And these were at the cheapest level. My wife flies while I ride coach fare (yes, sleeping two nights reclining in a seat). I was a little stiff the next day (I’m in my 70s), but watching dawn break over the desert mesas or the Rockies was worth it. And the food was excellent, especially if you’re a carnivore. I sprung for dinner in the dining car: $40 for an inch-thick steak, done perfectly with tasteful sides. The included merlot was tasty, as was the huge piece of triple chocolate cake. All on linen tablecloths and served by a waiter who’d worked high-end cruise lines for years. > back in 1980 I wanted to travel the US on an American Railpass like the Eurailpass they had in Europe, and I found they didn’t exist. They do now. A USA Rail Pass will take you anywhere for a month: 10 rides in 30 days. $500 except when they’re half-price. I grab one whenever they’re 250, and never get to use it for more than 6 or 7 destinations (NYC \> CHI \> LA is 2 rides). By then I’m ready to stay home for a while anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/476 "2026-06-18T04:54:04Z")
I’ve never even tried chicken and waffles. It does not sound appealing to me, at all. I’m not that fond of waffles anyway. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/477 "2026-06-18T05:00:40Z")
I’m growing beets right now for the greens, although I will eventually eat the roots when the time comes. They are wonderful in salads, and are also good lightly steamed. If you’ve had any kind of mixed-green salad, you have probably had beet greens. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/478 "2026-06-18T06:37:48Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > (On the other hand, BK sides are literally tasteless. If I were to pick a _fast food_ Dream Team and pick and choose one restaurant to showcase the best, I might take BK’s patties, but nothing else from them. _Maybe_ Checkers can beat them on the taste but they are so small the size makes up for it.) The “new, improved” Whopper with cheese is, as I said earlier, quite similar to the original one, but apparently it has a higher quality bun and improved mayo. It’s still my favourite mass-market burger but I’ll still ocassionally get a McD’s Quarter Pounder with cheese just for a change. I don’t indulge in either of them very often anyway. But I don’t have a particular problem with BK fries. To me, BK fries and McD’s fries and 5-minute frozen fries out of my air fryer are all much the same. Tolerable, but certainly not great. Really good fries are the ones I make from scratch, with hand-cut potato wedges soaked in water for at least an hour, then tossed in olive oil with garlic salt and Herbes de Provence and then air-fried to golden perfection. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/479 "2026-06-18T12:22:58Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I’m so sorry you talked yourself out of trying it. I’ve had a great time taking trains to Seattle, LA, Chicago and Portland. We didn’t do it last Summer, but it’s on the table for a late Summer vacation this year. My wife just started a new job and doesn’t have a lot of vacation days accrued yet, plus they can’t take any vacation in the month of August at her job for some reason, so we might take a few days in September. Not a lot of time, but we could probably take a 3 or 4 day train ride as far out west as that gets us, and fly back. Thanks for the rec! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/480 "2026-06-18T13:38:42Z")
I kind of get the impression that Amtrak is pretty pleasant, as long as you’ve got plenty of time. That’s always been the deal-breaker for me; everywhere I’ve ever considered taking Amtrak has taken like 3x longer and been just as expensive as flying. So I guess it’s really whether you’re in it for the journey or the destination. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419/481 "2026-06-20T23:23:41Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Caramel apples are always a disappointment… Red Delicious apples to boot. Washington state is known for apples, but back in the '50s and '60s Red Delicious dominated. So many apple dishes were disappointing. Nowadays, we have crispy, tart apples like Honey Crisp, and I wonder what one would taste like dipped in good quality caramel! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-you-always-wanted-to-try-and-were-sorely-disappointed-with-when-you-finally-did/1025419.md?page=25)