# What food flavor or flavors do you dislike the most and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [August 28, 2021, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655 "2021-08-28T03:28:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2021, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/41 "2021-08-29T21:19:50Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Maple. It’s just nasty to me. _Good God_, man, what planet are you from? mmm ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/42 "2021-08-30T07:37:04Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Holy moly! This thread is a perfect illustration of “there’s no accounting for tastes”. Most of what people are trashing are things I love. Me too. Except for cilantro, which I can’t taste at all, and really hot peppers. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/43 "2021-08-30T08:03:25Z")
I’m with Zipper. The fact that Girl Scouts best selling cookie is Mint Chocolate Chip makes me feel like I was born in the Twilight Zone. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/44 "2021-08-30T11:57:17Z")
Licorice. Why do I dislike it? Simple, it’s vile. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/45 "2021-08-30T11:58:21Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Fish/seafood. It all tastes the way dead seaweed smells. I’ve gotten stuck eating a lot over the years and no, I haven’t found anything that doesn’t. Same here. It all tastes the same, and it’s vile too. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/46 "2021-08-30T12:17:10Z")
Vinegar. Reeking and sour. I’m told there are many varieties with different flavors, and of course there’s vinegar in many marinades and condiments but if I can detect it, it puts me right off. Nothing ruins a night at the pub like the stench of someone’s vinegar slathered fish and chips. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/47 "2021-08-30T12:39:51Z")
The majority of artificial flavoring tastes like chemicals to me. The main reason I can’t drink sodas, sports drinks, etc. Artificial sweeteners are much worse than that. Can’t bear them. Anything “hot” burns my mouth horribly. Like putting a live coal in my mouth. Even mint toothpaste does this. I have to seek out anise or fennel flavored toothpaste. I can’t tolerate bananas (partly the odor, partly the texture), liver (the smell of cooking liver makes me gag), and sadly, asparagus, one of the only vegetables I don’t like. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/48 "2021-08-30T13:19:11Z")
Do you mean Thin Mints? There aren’t chips in those. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/49 "2021-08-30T13:26:03Z")
Cantaloupe. I can’t even swallow a small piece without gagging. Something about the musky flavor and slimy texture, it’s as if a hobo stored fruit in his underpants to make prison wine. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/50 "2021-08-30T13:28:37Z")
I will say generally that I dislike most natural fruits, but I love artificial fruit flavors. Strawberry, orange, I love most of the lab-synthesized ester-based fruit flavors, even banana (which I normally hate). Ester and phosphate sodas are the pinnacle of flavor science IMO. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2021, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/51 "2021-08-30T14:23:29Z")
I’m also with those – for the most part – that dislike mint + chocolate. I don’t hate it, but if there’s a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer, I pass. That said – I do like an occasional Thin Mint. But I hate York Peppermint Patties. It’s like chocolate-covered dried-out toothpaste to me. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/52 "2021-08-30T14:52:50Z")
Apple cider vinegar. I like vinegar, I like apple cider, but the one made from the other = awful. Instantly ruins anything you put it in. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/53 "2021-08-30T15:08:53Z")
If this thread extends to food combinations, then my contribution is jam and chocolate, as in chocolate cake with jam between layers, or jelly filled chocolates. Ugh!! ---
**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:** [August 30, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/54 "2021-08-30T15:50:14Z")
Olives. Black or green. Cannot ingest in any form. I do like olive oil though ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/55 "2021-08-30T16:23:36Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Personally, I love the smell of hazelnut coffee. It tastes like dirt but it smells great. Same here. Like a good pipe tobacco or a dark cigar, the scent is divine but I have no desire whatsoever to taste it. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Fresh tomato flavor. I love tomatoes in all other forms, though. And if you marinate a fresh slice of tomato in vinegar for 20 minutes or so, then it’s delicious. And yes, I’ve tried them from the garden, tried the heirloom varieties, etc. There’s some component of the fresh tomato that tastes unpleasant to me. My eldest daughter notices this too. We’ll enjoy all things tomato, as long as they’re not fresh I honestly thought I was the only one. Tomatoes are almost ubiquitous in Mexican food and I hate them – but only raw tomatoes. Cooked tomatoes are great, even raw tomatoes with other ingredients as in a pico de gallo are great. But raw, straight off the vine? Yuck. > [@eenerms](#): > > Pumpkin spice is the devil’s evil snuff. Wholeheartedly agree. Like tomatoes, I just don’t understand its popularity. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > Believe it or not a habanero actually has a quite distinctive and pleasant flavor. I grow peppers every season, some very hot. I think Habs taste like diesel. Can’t stand them. One I haven’t seen mentioned yet is raw onions. Cooked onions are great – I love a pile of caramelized onions on a burger, and the French onion topping on a green bean casserole is the best part. Or diced onions added to 50% chorizo and 50% ground chuck to make a basis for taco filling? Yum! But raw onion, like on a hamburger? No thank you. I also despise mushrooms. Taste like dirt and have the texture of well-used kitchen sponge. I live in mushroom hunting country and the idea of spending valuable weekends traipsing through the forest looking for little bits of dirt-flavored fungus to actually _eat_ is completely bizarre to me. About the only thing I’ll eat mushrooms on is a pizza but that’s only if there are meats and veggies and olives on it as well to hide the mushroom flavor. Otherwise I pick them off. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2021, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/56 "2021-08-30T17:18:13Z")
Raw fish preparations like all sushi, marinated fish preparations like all ceviche and poke, intense oily fishes like anchovies or bonita cooked or not. Basically I despise anything overtly fishy tasting + the texture of raw/rawish fish. It’s not even the result of a bland upbringing - everyone else in my family loves all that stuff. Meanwhile I’m perfectly happy with a thoroughly cooked firm fresh white fish like halibut, swordfish or lingcod and I’m happy as a clam with tuna sandwiches or casserole (though I do prefer albacore these days). Also I don’t like clams 🙂. And mussels and (_gag_) oysters. Again texture issues + hint of briny fishiness I think. I DO like scallops (cooked only). I also think I’m unusual in being supremely indifferent to salmon - don’t hate it, will never order or cook it by choice. The real reason I thought of this thread though was that I was somewhat randomly reminded the other day that I really can’t stand the north Indian version of [achar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asian_pickle) made with mustard oil. Before I knew exactly what it was I described it as tasting of the pure essence of evil. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/57 "2021-09-02T01:33:22Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > If this thread extends to food combinations, then my contribution is jam and chocolate, as in chocolate cake with jam between layers, or jelly filled chocolates. Ugh!! It’s a flavor, even if it’s a combo flavor, and I’m more or less right there with you on cake of any sort with jam between layers, it’s not a damn sandwich! and most jelly filled chocolates (or chocolate covered cherries) ---
**Author:** ![PozhanPop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pozhanpop/32/8022_2.png) [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/58 "2021-09-02T03:42:53Z")
Cinnamon , when it is too obvious in the mix. Mint in chocolate . Some artificial flavours that remind me of cough medicine. Some burger patties that remind me of actual cow pats. Liver cooking, reminds me of a forensic lab that an aunt worked at. Nuts roasted in cottonseed oil. Dark chocolate is the stuff of nightmares. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/59 "2021-09-02T03:57:06Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Cantaloupe. I can’t even swallow a small piece without gagging. Something about the musky flavor and slimy texture, it’s as if a hobo stored fruit in his underpants to make prison wine. Ugh, finally. Absolutely revolting. There are quite a lot of foods that I dislike enough that I’d rather go hungry than eat them, but cantaloupe goes far beyond that. It doesn’t even qualify as food as far as I’m concerned. Even thinking about it makes me angry about all the fruit salads it’s ruined. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655/60 "2021-09-02T10:06:16Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Raw fish preparations like all sushi, marinated fish preparations like all ceviche and poke, intense oily fishes like anchovies or bonita cooked or not. Basically I despise anything overtly fishy tasting + the texture of raw/rawish fish. It’s not even the result of a bland upbringing - everyone else in my family loves all that stuff. Meanwhile I’m perfectly happy with a thoroughly cooked firm fresh white fish like halibut, swordfish or lingcod and I’m happy as a clam with tuna sandwiches or casserole (though I do prefer albacore these days). I’m with you on intense oily fish, for the super-fishy taste reason. Specifically oily guys like mackerel. But I don’t get that with sushi or other stuff though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-flavor-or-flavors-do-you-dislike-the-most-and-why/949655.md?page=4)