# When Food Is Described as "Bland," What Does It Mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850 "2013-05-08T23:21:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/1 "2013-05-08T23:21:52Z")
Poll to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/2 "2013-05-08T23:32:06Z")
Also, no salt or pepper, little if any cooked fat. So, no butter on those potatoes. No acids. Apple juice is bland, orange juice is not. In a word, bland is boring. ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/3 "2013-05-08T23:45:43Z")
Plain boiled chicken is pretty bland. Plain pasta as well. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/4 "2013-05-08T23:53:42Z")
Bland equals tasteless, or nearly so. Anything that is significantly lacking in flavor is bland. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with a lack of \*added \*flavors though, because some food is flavorful without adding anything at all. In fact, adding flavors would just mess it up–like, say, an orange. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/5 "2013-05-08T23:58:21Z")
It could be any of the above, depending on context. Really, just about any food that’s lacking a particular flavor you’d like it to have. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/6 "2013-05-09T00:21:25Z")
I think I would choose the first option, with the meaning that the bowl of rice or potatoes were completely unseasoned. I don’t consider potatoes with salt and butter to be bland. It’s not spiced or spicy, but it’s not bland either. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/7 "2013-05-09T00:24:26Z")
bland /bland/ Adjective 1.Lacking strong features or characteristics and therefore uninteresting. 2.(of food or drink) Mild or insipid. ---
**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:** [May 9, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/8 "2013-05-09T00:26:05Z")
1. It was cooked by my mother. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/9 "2013-05-09T01:01:32Z")
I think of unflavored white carbs, or other foods with very little taste. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/10 "2013-05-11T06:46:37Z")
Beige food. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/11 "2013-05-11T07:56:21Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 1. It was cooked by my mother. Oh yeah! People often ask me how it came about that I have rather decent culinary skills. I tell them the truth: I _had_ to learn to cook at an early age otherwise I would have starved to death. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/12 "2013-05-11T10:51:54Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Oh yeah! > > People often ask me how it came about that I have rather decent culinary skills. I tell them the truth: I _had_ to learn to cook at an early age otherwise I would have starved to death. > > 😃 That’s what got me started. But we were lucky if mom’s food was bland. ---
**Author:** ![NorthernBiker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@NorthernBiker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NorthernBiker)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/13 "2013-05-11T11:12:39Z")
My mom’s cooking. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/14 "2013-05-11T12:32:09Z")
All three are possible. The first is merely the most common, but the other two make sense in context, which is comparison to more spicy or spiced foods. Plus there are many people, like my dearly departed grandpa, who gradually lose their ability to detect flavors as they age. To my grandpa, anything without at least jalapeno-level heat was bland because he literally couldn’t taste the other flavors very well without it. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/15 "2013-05-11T12:41:36Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I don’t consider potatoes with salt and butter to be bland. It’s not spiced or spicy, but it’s not bland either. It might be bland or it might not, depending on the variety and quality of potato, butter, and preparation. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/16 "2013-05-11T15:57:13Z")
All of the above. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/17 "2013-05-11T16:13:51Z")
I’d say it would have to be all of the first three choices. If it has strong flavor _or_ has flavorful spice _or_ has heat, I wouldn’t call it bland. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-food-is-described-as-bland-what-does-it-mean/657850/18 "2013-05-11T19:47:24Z")
It means I won’t eat there again.