# Trying new food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 22, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030 "2021-10-22T21:29:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/21 "2021-10-25T07:42:47Z")
> [@solost](#): > > It’s similar to lobster, right? I’ve heard it referred to as “poor man’s lobster”. I guess the texture is similar to a lobster tail, but I’ve never heard it called that - monkfish is actually quite expensive (at least where I live). It’s a surprisingly meaty fish, not very strongly flavoured and boneless, so people who don’t really like fish like it. Good in stews. To the OP - peas. Common, garden peas. I was one of those children who spurned all vegetables, and peas were the one thing I couldn’t bear the thought of right up until I was about 45. Now I bloody love them! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/22 "2021-10-25T10:44:08Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’m also a bit suspicious of the meat that’s going in the ravioli and meatballs these days. It just doesn’t taste right anymore. I just bought a can of spaghettios with _chicken_ meatballs from Dollar General. I’m looking forward to lunch today. Monkfish texture is similar to lobster tail, and it tastes much better IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/23 "2021-10-25T11:50:42Z")
A few years ago, I bought some cans of stew made with “mystery-meat” meatballs. I got through part of one before I quit pretending to like it, and the rest went into the Christmas charity bin at my local supermarket. A _long_ time back, when I was co-hosting a radio show, I bought a can of meatballs-in-gravy at a kiosk on my way to work. It was imported from Denmark, so I assumed it would be good. I took one bite and gave the rest to the studio cat. He turned his nose up and refused to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/24 "2021-10-25T12:06:36Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > To this day I’ve never had Nutella. I was introduced to Nutella back in 1989, when I was a graduate student in Moscow. A couple of classmates had landed an off-hours job guarding the equipment of a foreign film company (I think tit was the one then filming _ **The Russia House** _). Anyway, they showed me how to eat it spread on bananas when I went to visit them in their hotel. I was hooked immediately. Ever had Marmite? I was introduced to it in the summer of 1976, when I went on a camping trip with some kids from a children’s home in Brighton, England. (A good friend of mine was one of the supervisors.) I learned right away that it has to be spread _very thin_ on whatever bread you’re eating. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/25 "2021-10-25T12:19:41Z")
I tried hummus for the first time a few months ago. I got the super spicy variety, (two actually, it was a BOGO) thinking that would increase my chance of liking it. I _wanted_ to like it. I thought it would be an easy, healthy thing to add to my less than ideal diet. Nope. Couldn’t get past the texture. I also had my first pork chop in 40+ years, Hated them as a young child and never bothered to reacquaint myself until my sister served them one night when I was visiting. Unfortunately they were way overcooked (though I appreciated the effort and ate most of mine anyway). Still, they were better than my mother’s and while they won’t be my first choice, I have taken them off my “hell no” list. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/26 "2021-10-25T13:59:15Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > My own comfort foods from childhood include things like canned fried dace with black beans, or fried eggs with oyster sauce over rice, neither of which I’ve ever successfully convinced a non-Asian person to try. Sounds good to me! To this day, I’ve never had a Big Mac, although I worked at McDonald’s for years. That piece of bread in the middle just doesn’t make sense to me, and the special sauce doesn’t look appealing either. (Back when I worked there, one guy liked to fill his mouth with the sauce and then pretend to vomit in the kitchen garbage can, letting it slide slowly out…) Anyway, I’m sure it’s a fine sandwich but I don’t expect to ever ingest one. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/27 "2021-10-25T14:12:05Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > the special sauce doesn’t look appealing either Basically it’s thousand island dressing, tweaked. > **[How and Why Your Taste Buds Change Over Time](https://www.ediblecommunities.com/stories/how-and-why-your-taste-buds-change-over-time/)** > > Think about your favorite food. No, really think about it. Close your eyes and think through the whole process of anticipating, picking up, biting down, chewing, tasting and swallowing it. Pretty great, right? Now think about your favorite food from... Tried some Chef Boyardee ravioli (a childhood fave) awhile back. Um, no. OTOH I tried Scotch when I was in my 20s, thought it was terrible. Now, I like it pretty well. I’ll have to see if martinis are as gross as I once thought. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/28 "2021-10-25T14:15:58Z")
It took me a while to adjust to appreciating truffles. On my initial exposure, they tasted of petroleum based products. Likely due to my first exposure being truffle “flavored”, not actual truffles. I still find truffles a bit too funky for my palate, but have grown to enjoy the perfume-y nature of them in small portions. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/29 "2021-10-25T14:18:22Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > **Nitpick:** Spaghettios came (come) from Franco-American, not Chef Boyardee. Further nitpick…I’ll be eating spaghettios for lunch, but they are now a Campbell’s product. Not looking forward to the chicken balls. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/LEp8g41.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/LEp8g41) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/30 "2021-10-25T14:23:26Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > That piece of bread in the middle just doesn’t make sense to me Years and years ago, when I would eat fast food, I’d discard the top bun and flip the top half of the sandwich so that middle bread layer would be the top. The way it was constructed at the time, the bottom of the middle bun layer was not covered in any kind of sauce so it wasn’t messy to hold or eat. Essentially I turned it into a double burger with Big Mac fillings. I thought it was particularly clever of me. I still miss a Big Mac, but I’m pretty sure I would not enjoy it now. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/31 "2021-10-25T14:34:31Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > To this day, I’ve never had a Big Mac, That’s amazing! We had burgers from a burger food truck last night. They had eight different burgers to choose from (plus waffle fries). I asked the food truck owner which burger sold the best that day (they rotate a menu of 20 burgers). He told me anytime the McBurger was on the menu, it wins easily. It tastes like a Bic Mac. (I got a Pennsyltucky) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/GhjLGAb.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/GhjLGAb) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/32 "2021-10-25T14:43:27Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > To this day, I’ve never had a Big Mac, Ooh, me too! I just don’t like lettuce in readymade sandwiches, particularly hot ones, as I can’t stand the inevitable soggyness, so I’ve always avoided them. Wet lettuce always has a vague whiff of rotting vegetation for me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/33 "2021-10-25T14:44:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > That’s amazing! We had burgers from a burger food truck last night. They had eight different burgers to choose from (plus waffle fries). I asked the food truck owner which burger sold the best that day (they rotate a menu of 20 burgers). He told me anytime the McBurger was on the menu, it wins easily. It tastes like a Bic Mac. (I got a Pennsyltucky) I might go for that just for the novelty and to see how much it tastes like a Big Mac. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/34 "2021-10-25T14:47:50Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > For example, I ate some Eggo brand toaster waffles for the first time ever the other day. They’ve been around “forever”. I’d just never had one. I grew up on Eggo frozen toaster waffles but in my twenties a friend invited me to the Sunday brunch at his country club (this was the IBM employee country club when IBM still had that as an employee perk) and there was a chef there making fresh Belgian waffles. And wow, that was a thousand times better. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/35 "2021-10-25T14:56:36Z")
I’m torn between the Jam On It and Pimento. Guess I’ll have to come back 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/36 "2021-10-25T16:39:03Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ll be eating spaghettios for lunch, but they are now a Campbell’s product. Not looking forward to the chicken balls. Let us know if they’re “Mmm-mmm, good!”, okay? 😉 (I wonder how they got their little legs apart? 🤔🤨 ) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/37 "2021-10-25T16:49:10Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Let us know if they’re “Mmm-mmm, good!” Heh, boy-o-boy were they awful. Luckily, Rocco (African Grey Parrot) loved both the meatballs and the noodles, so we shared. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/38 "2021-10-25T16:54:55Z")
Yeah, I imagine a creature descended from dinosaurs would eat just about anything! 🤗 ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/39 "2021-10-25T17:12:55Z")
I had a generic Pop-Tart type pastry in my 50s for the first time. It was even worse than I imagined. This was at a camp where I was chaperoning some kids. The kids didn’t think much of it either. Many of them had never had it before. It was a very affluent demographic, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. There were a couple of kids in my cabin who had professional chefs employed at home. Another’s father arrived on visiting day in a helicopter (from Nantucket). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030/40 "2021-10-25T17:21:06Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Another’s father arrived on visiting day in a helicopter (from Nantucket). I was going to ask if the stories about him are greatly exaggerated, but decided against it. 🤭 Seriously, generic pop-tarts? I never imagined such things even existed! I know of a rival product produced by a competitor, but even that is gross! I eat Pop-Tarts (the real thing) once in a blue moon, but my daughter (age 26) loves them. When I have them, I go for the so-called fruit-filled ones, and avoid those covered with sprinkles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-new-food/953030.md?page=3)