# What Cuisine Do You Just Not Care For? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326 "2016-09-08T12:55:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/61 "2016-09-08T21:56:04Z")
If you eat at Taco Bell, sure. If you eat real Tex-Mex, not even close. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/62 "2016-09-08T21:58:40Z")
Don’t hate anything but not enthused about: Vietnamese: Pho is bland, and people say you have to add things to it, which defeats the purpose. Sushi: I like, but I don’t get a lot of it. Either mild-tasting fish, or some American fried cream cheese monstrosity. I appreciate restaurants that have unique offerings. Filipino: I’ve liked some things, but pancit and lumpia are the main staples, and I don’t like egg rolls from any cuisine, or most noodle dishes. Mexican: fine, but putting sauce on a burrito or frying it doesn’t make a new dish with a unique name. Fine if I want to torture myself; usually leads to diarrhea. At least they have Negra Modelo. > [@Chronos](#): > > I’ll go with Japanese. There’s nothing wrong with sushi; it’s just kind of boring. And the Japanese seem to simply have no understanding of the concept of “dessert”. Japan Japanese or Japanese American? Both have desserts, some very different but with a Venn diagram of some overlap. > [@scabpicker](#): > > With the exception of beer, pretzels and brats: German food. Sooo… you like \*\*all \*\*German food? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/63 "2016-09-08T22:01:38Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I have never been able to enjoy Thai food. Same here. Oh, they have some dishes that are OK, but when friends wanna go out for dinner, Thai is my last choice. I only like a few Indian foods ( I am not a fan of hot curries), but good warm naan is so fantastic I will go to a Indian buffet happily, once I ask about the naan. Other than Pizza and garlic bread, the only Italian dish I really like is a good baked lasagna . But if it is a a good baked lasagna I am a very happy eater. Vietnamese is just Ok, but good pho is heavenly. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/64 "2016-09-08T22:08:43Z")
French. I just do not fucking care for French cooking and its fucking “subtle” flavor or whatever. I never–ever–want anything in a terrine, a gelee, or an aspic. I really hate hearty stews like daube–they make me want to toss my cookies. Offal as desirable cuisine is highly overrated, and not EVERYTHING has to be put in butter. Also: please give me a bottle of fucking hot sauce. I need some motherfucking flavor every now and then. I lump French and Japanese together as two cuisines that are too damn rarefied for their own good. I do NOT want to work to detect the subtle layers in a broth. I have real work to do. Do not make me “work” to fucking enjoy your unappetizing, bland-ass food. ETA: I forgot we weren’t in the pit. Sorry for the level of vitriol. I have other things chapping my ass. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/65 "2016-09-08T22:38:00Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I won’t go out of my way to eat West African food. I like a few dishes, and the snack food can be excellent. But the majority of meals? Enormous lumps of gooey fufu, topped by overlooked leaves and grisly bits of meat. I do get the impression that – with a few exceptions – sub-Saharan Africa as a whole tends to be drab, culinary-wise. I’ve heard elsewhere about the infamous fufu: totally devoid, it seems, of any taste. Similar completely tasteless, ubiquitous basic starches would seem to obtain in other parts of the continent: Zimbabwe’s “sadza” – maize porridge – is pure white and utterly without any taste. Africa – per my impression – leans heavily on over-the-top-ly fierily hot and / or pungent sauces / relishes, to do some much-needed jazzing-up. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/66 "2016-09-08T23:03:22Z")
I have only eaten Indian food once, at a very highly rated buffet. I sampled a bit of this and a bit of that, and while everyone I came with was oohing and ahhing over it, I couldn’t find anything worth more than a ‘meh’ from me. It ranged from bland to too spicy to eat, with not much in between. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/67 "2016-09-08T23:11:55Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > I do get the impression that – with a few exceptions – sub-Saharan Africa as a whole tends to be drab, culinary-wise. I’ve heard elsewhere about the infamous fufu: totally devoid, it seems, of any taste. Similar completely tasteless, ubiquitous basic starches would seem to obtain in other parts of the continent: Zimbabwe’s “sadza” – maize porridge – is pure white and utterly without any taste. Africa – per my impression – leans heavily on over-the-top-ly fierily hot and / or pungent sauces / relishes, to do some much-needed jazzing-up. What they call ‘sadza’ in Zim, they call ‘posho’ in east Africa. As for sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda has a large Indian population and the best Indian food I’ve ever had. But yeah, most African food is survival sustenance only and not meant for gourmets. I really love the peanut and yam stew from West Africa, however. We usually add chicken to it. It gets raves. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/68 "2016-09-09T00:08:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ll go with Japanese. There’s nothing wrong with sushi; it’s just kind of boring. And the Japanese seem to simply have no understanding of the concept of “dessert”. > [@jz78817](#): > > Japanese cuisine is far more than sushi. Aye; it’s also beef, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/69 "2016-09-09T00:14:43Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > What they call ‘sadza’ in Zim, they call ‘posho’ in east Africa. As for sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda has a large Indian population and the best Indian food I’ve ever had. But yeah, most African food is survival sustenance only and not meant for gourmets. I really love the peanut and yam stew from West Africa, however. We usually add chicken to it. It gets raves. Always pleased to learn more and better ! Talking of Uganda: I remember reading – decades ago – that at least then, the staple and almost-exclusive diet of the general populace there, was “matoke”: mashed green bananas. This was apparently very healthy, and supplied all the needed nutrients; but from the point of view of spoilt affluent Western hedonists like ourselves, how boring… ---
**Author:** ![RainPops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RainPops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RainPops)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/70 "2016-09-09T00:14:52Z")
hi Rubbery textures! and referring to the textures of fabric with any reference to food! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/71 "2016-09-09T02:30:44Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Always pleased to learn more and better ! Talking of Uganda: I remember reading – decades ago – that at least then, the staple and almost-exclusive diet of the general populace there, was “matoke”: mashed green bananas. This was apparently very healthy, and supplied all the needed nutrients; but from the point of view of spoilt affluent Western hedonists like ourselves, how boring… Still a big part of the diet. The bananas are actually quite good and the pineapples they grow there are wonderful. My favorite thing was passion fruit juice, though. PITA to make it, but really good. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/72 "2016-09-09T03:21:11Z")
“Mashed green bananas” Is that anything like the _mofungo_ that I get in all of the Dominican restaurants in Brooklyn? Mashed green plantains mixed with pork rinds, chicken, fried cheese, or any combination, served with a rich oniony garlicky chicken gravy on the side? Best hangover food ever invented. ---
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/73 "2016-09-09T03:26:58Z")
Filipino food. Overcooked and low quality ingredients. There is a good reason that you rarely see Filipino restaurants anywhere outside of Filipino neighborhoods. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/74 "2016-09-09T03:40:19Z")
Chinese food. Not the stripmall zodiac placemat buffet that the Western world knows. The daily culinary restaurant experience of the average Chinese person in China. Bizarre and nasty. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/75 "2016-09-09T03:44:56Z")
Filipino and British food are examples of cuisines that can taste really great in a homemade setting but (in my experience) aren’t that great in restaurants. They’re well-suited to be comfort foods. My experience in East Asia is that dessert is a specialized category that has its own shops, and that’s why Japanese/Chinese/Korean restaurants in the US may have such poor selections. I’ve had great desserts and baked goods in all three countries. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/76 "2016-09-09T03:48:46Z")
I enjoy everything. (Except head cheese) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/77 "2016-09-09T06:47:13Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’m going to have to assume that you are not intimately acquainted with German food, which is rich and varied. I lived there for three years and enjoyed it very much. I am very pleased for you, but how is this supposed to change my mind in matters of taste about German food? I’ve never lived there, but I’ve been to two supposedly good German restaurants in town, and people who like German food love it. [Here’s](http://www.littlegermanyfortworth.com/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urlfile&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=inline%3B+filename%3Dlittle-germany-083012.pdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=Document&blobwhere=1301089600075&ssbinary=true&moddate=2012-08-30%2011:51:40) a pdf of one of their menus. What they seem to export is generally pretty starchy and not very spicy, so if it keeps varying in the same vein those dishes do, it’s not really up my alley. If I do ever visit Germany, it won’t be to experience more of their cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/78 "2016-09-09T07:29:19Z")
Italian-American Aka Sicilian done badly ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/79 "2016-09-09T08:09:29Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > Italian-American > > Aka Sicilian done badly Isn’t most Italian-American food of mainland origin (Rome as the epicenter)? Sicilian foods common in the US are… cannoli, and… muffuletta… and ? Incidentally, I don’t think I’ve seen the former on many menus of either chain or more authentic restaurants, and I don’t think I’ve seen the latter either, I just know of their existence from mafia movies. I guess I’ve seen granita once or twice in restaurants. Granted, this may be different in NYC/New England, but I’ve never encountered it in restaurant or home cooking. ---
**Author:** ![appleaday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@appleaday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleaday)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326/80 "2016-09-09T09:16:36Z")
There’s no cuisine I categorically reject, but there’s a few I’m not crazy about: Greek (although I do eat gyros now and then), Vietnamese (just tastes strange to me–but I do like Pho), Korean (also tastes strange, but I’ll admit I haven’t eaten very much of it ), and Hawaiian (too much salt and too little of any other seasoning). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cuisine-do-you-just-not-care-for/765326.md?page=5)