# Why are mushrooms so polarizing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166 "2013-05-12T18:51:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/61 "2013-05-13T21:08:46Z")
I hated all shrooms until I was about 20 or so. Then they became tolerable. Now, the really good ones are to die for!! ---
**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 13, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/62 "2013-05-13T21:27:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, I could see the reflexive suspicion of the word “mouthfeel,” but it’s not the same as texture. It’s a perfectly good word that describes more than just texture. That won’t stop me from hating it, dangit. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/63 "2013-05-13T21:37:52Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Anyone else morel hunting? The “free bounty” is another shroom plus. Still too cold around here. Probably next weekend we’ll start seeing them. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/64 "2013-05-14T00:24:05Z")
Several family members have dangerous allergies to mushrooms. Given my physical reaction to puffball spores, I’d be afraid to try em. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/65 "2013-05-14T03:36:23Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Where are all these people getting slimy mushrooms? - On pizza - In mushroom soup - Fresh, sauteed in butter - In restaurant omelets - Fresh, in a salad I’m one of those people who does my best to be polite and eat whatever someone serves me at their home, so I’ve had mushrooms quite a few times despite finding them mildly revolting. They’ve all had a texture that I have a hard time describing, but “slimy” is pretty close. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/66 "2013-05-14T04:32:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Laggard** : > > My parents ruined mushrooms and asparagus for us by serving us the crap that comes out of a can. Only many years later when I tried those vegetables fresh did I realize just how good they are. > > I suspect the same thing happened to mushroom haters. Not here. My mom knows vegetables, and they’re usually fresh out of her own garden. I’ve had asparagus that was in the field an hour previous, and morels similarly fresh from the forest, and couldn’t stand either. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/67 "2013-05-14T04:48:36Z")
I can never recall actually EATING a mushroom, but it is one of those foods that I just know that I hate. They just look gross. Spongy little spore makers that grow in rotting vegetation. No thanks. I will never try them cause I know I won’t like them. They belong in the ‘never touching my lips’ category along with all shellfish, most seafood and sour cream. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2013, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/68 "2013-05-14T06:34:32Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > I can never recall actually EATING a mushroom, but it is one of those foods that I just know that I hate. They just look gross. Spongy little spore makers that grow in rotting vegetation. No thanks. I will never try them cause I know I won’t like them. They belong in the ‘never touching my lips’ category along with all shellfish, most seafood and sour cream. This. The very sight of a mushroom creeps me the hell out. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/69 "2013-05-14T07:57:21Z")
Every now and then, I will buy some mushrooms at the grocery store, intending to learn to like eating them. Some days later, after they’ve turned into a horrible science experiment, I toss them in the trash. One of these days, God willing! ---
**Author:** ![\_Olive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/4af34b/32.png) [@\_Olive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Olive)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/70 "2013-05-14T12:47:37Z")
Stuffed mushroom caps (shrimp or crab) are one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/71 "2013-05-14T13:52:23Z")
Had a bit of a mushroom scare the other year: my dad has picked and eaten the so-called “false morel” with great enjoyment for many years, until I looked them up in a modern mushroom hunting book - turns out they can be poisionous. > **[Gyromitra esculenta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyromitra_esculenta)** > > Gyromitra esculenta /ˌdʒaɪroʊˈmaɪtrə ˌɛskjəˈlɛntə, ˌdʒɪrə-/ is an ascomycete fungus from the genus Gyromitra, widely distributed across Europe and North America. It normally fruits in sandy soils under coniferous trees in spring and early summer. The fruiting body, or mushroom, is an irregular brain-shaped cap dark brown in colour that can reach 10 centimetres (4 inches) high and 15 cm (6 in) wide, perched on a stout white stipe up to .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-outpu... I question the wisdom of eating something that, every once in a while, fataly poisions someone - however tasty - particularly where the toxicity level is so little known. Though admitedly, deaths from eating it are pretty rare. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/72 "2013-05-14T14:33:13Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Had a bit of a mushroom scare the other year: my dad has picked and eaten the so-called “false morel” with great enjoyment for many years, until I looked them up in a modern mushroom hunting book - turns out they can be poisionous. > > [Gyromitra esculenta - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyromitra_esculenta) > > I question the wisdom of eating something that, every once in a while, fataly poisions someone - however tasty - particularly where the toxicity level is so little known. Though admitedly, deaths from eating it are pretty rare. I had an extremely close call last year. My gf found and harvested some mushrooms and brought them to me for ID. I was 90% certain, but consulted with a mycologist from our local mushroom club who confirmed that they were _Macrolepiota procera_, but urged confirmation by spore print. Spore print confirmed the ID. Even with positive ID, it is suggested that a small test dose be tried, then a 24 hour wait before eating more. We skipped the test dose. My gf made a huge meal of them and they were delicious. Turns out I cannot eat this mushroom. My gf was fine. I nearly died; the most severe vomiting and diarrhea I ever experienced. At one point overnight I began to dress, figuring it was time to head for the ER. Muscle cramps made it impossible for me to dress, so I just got through it at home. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/73 "2013-05-14T15:21:39Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Where are all these people getting slimy mushrooms? Hear, hear! I can appreciate that not everyone likes mushrooms (I didn’t like them when I was young), but when someone uses the word ‘slimy’ to describe them it makes me suspect they’ve never actually tried them. They just don’t like the _idea_ of eating them. Statements like this reinforce this suspicion: > [@AngelSoft](#): > > I can never recall actually EATING a mushroom, but it is one of those foods that I just know that I hate. They just look gross. Spongy little spore makers that grow in rotting vegetation. No thanks. I will never try them cause I know I won’t like them. They belong in the ‘never touching my lips’ category along with all shellfish, most seafood and sour cream. ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/74 "2013-05-14T15:26:28Z")
Nope, I’ve tried plenty of slimy mushrooms. In my mom’s spaghetti sauce–slimy mushrooms. In salads at restaurant–slimy mushrooms. In my mother-in-law’s mushroom pho–slimy mushrooms. They have a weird texture to me. They creep me out with the weird undersides. I have a hard time cooking them for my husband, they gross me out so much. And I KEEP trying them, over and over, at least once a year to see if I still hate them. And I still do. The only exception I will make is for my mom’s veal scallopini, and even then I will eat the veal and sauce and leave the mushrooms alone. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/75 "2013-05-14T15:30:06Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I had an extremely close call last year. My gf found and harvested some mushrooms and brought them to me for ID. I was 90% certain, but consulted with a mycologist from our local mushroom club who confirmed that they were _Macrolepiota procera_, but urged confirmation by spore print. Spore print confirmed the ID. > > Even with positive ID, it is suggested that a small test dose be tried, then a 24 hour wait before eating more. We skipped the test dose. My gf made a huge meal of them and they were delicious. > > Turns out I cannot eat this mushroom. My gf was fine. I nearly died; the most severe vomiting and diarrhea I ever experienced. At one point overnight I began to dress, figuring it was time to head for the ER. Muscle cramps made it impossible for me to dress, so I just got through it at home. Stories like this convince me to only eat those species of wild mushrooms that are both very distinctive _and_ that I’ve had before. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/76 "2013-05-14T15:32:41Z")
> [@apollonia](#): > > Nope, I’ve tried plenty of slimy mushrooms. In my mom’s spaghetti sauce–slimy mushrooms. In salads at restaurant–slimy mushrooms. In my mother-in-law’s mushroom pho–slimy mushrooms. They have a weird texture to me. They creep me out with the weird undersides. I have a hard time cooking them for my husband, they gross me out so much. And I KEEP trying them, over and over, at least once a year to see if I still hate them. And I still do. > > The only exception I will make is for my mom’s veal scallopini, and even then I will eat the veal and sauce and leave the mushrooms alone. I wouldn’t sweat it - I love mushrooms myself but there are some foods and drinks I don’t like, and repeated trying of different varieties doesn’t make me like them any better. Beer for example tastes terrible to me, and people keep saying “but just try this amazing craft micro-brew - it’s sure to change your mind”. Nope, still tastes terrible. I am just destined not to like beer. ---
**Author:** ![fstbk1968](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@fstbk1968](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fstbk1968)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/77 "2013-05-14T17:11:03Z")
Mushrooms taste like dirt. I refuse to eat them base on principle; they are fungus. I’ll eat plants and I’ll eat animals, but I draw the line at fungus. Yuck! ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/78 "2013-05-14T17:11:04Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Beer for example tastes terrible to me, and people keep saying “but just try this amazing craft micro-brew - it’s sure to change your mind”. Nope, still tastes terrible. I am just destined not to like beer. Don’t want to hijack this mushroom thread too much, but I agree with this rather salient point. I too have drank many, many beers in my life at this point, and I have just accepted that I lack the psychological mechanism that allows some people to cope with it or (_shudder_) to feel like it even tastes good. I will still drink it if it’s the only thing around and I want to get a buzz going, or if there is a lot of social pressure on me to drink and it’s what everyone is having… but blech. So yeah, don’t keep forcing yourself to eat mushrooms. Maybe try them every once in a long while if you are dying of curiosity, but don’t keep trying to force yourself to eat them believing that one day they are going to taste good to you. Sometimes, some foods for some people just always, always taste terrible. I am never going to enjoy the flavor of beer or peanut butter. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/79 "2013-05-14T17:40:52Z")
Mushrooms are the devil’s hemorrhoids. They look like invaders from an alien planet, taste like a mouldy wall in a damp house, and have the texture of a pencil eraser. I literally can’t understand people who say they LOOOOVE mushrooms. It’s fine if you don’t mind eating them, but love them?! It’s not right, I tells you! ---
**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 14, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166/80 "2013-05-14T17:51:11Z")
If loving them is wrong, I don’t want to be right! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mushrooms-so-polarizing/658166.md?page=5)