473698 Fri Dec 28 07:28:45 -0800 2007 185 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 3242252 The post on goat cheese got me thinking. Several years ago, I got tired of picking cilantro, which I loathed, out of Mexican food, which I love. So I decided that I wouldn't keep asking if the dish had cilantro in it and just go with it. Over the course of a year or so, I discovered that I really liked cilantro. I decided to try the same experiment with olives this year. I have always hated olives. I would pick them out of any dish containing any kind of olive. Didn't matter... green, black, kalamata, etc. Hated them all. Early this year, I decided to apply my cilantro experiment with olives. After several months, I discovered that I really liked kalamata olives, oil cured olives, etc. Now, I have a blast at the Whole Foods olive bar! For 2008, I'm attempting to do the same with blue cheese. Now, I really, really hate blue cheese. Love goat, love feta, but blue cheese? Even the smell of it makes me queasy. Wish me luck! How about you? Ever teach yourself to like a food you previously hated? Fri Dec 28 07:28:45 -0800 2007 11126 Trixie Too 1 3242279 Oysters! I was more shamed than trained. I was at a wine dinner with a French wine importer and his stunningly beautiful, elegant French wife and they ordered oysters on the half shell for the table. The wife let everyone know that there were just enough oysters for each person to have two...I tried to fade into the background because the first time I tried raw oysters I ended up gagging and having to run to the bathroom...she noticed that I had not touched mine and sat there waiting for me to eat them. I felt like an idiot and did not want to appear ungratefull or uncivilized so I scooped one up and had a death grip on my glass of Champagne, (my first love), "focus on the bubbles" I told myself and I shot that briny little sucker down my gullet and washed it down with the Champagne Oh My God!! It was wonderful and now I'm an oyster junkie. Fri Dec 28 07:39:55 -0800 2007 3242252 96905 bubbles4me 2 3610193 Was it the Champagne or the oyster that "tasted" great. To me, it's not only a texture thing, but that briny taste doesn't do it for me. I could eat a dozen with a cold beer next to it, or add some hot sauce, but to enjoy them by themselves, I doubt it. Sat Apr 19 11:04:10 -0700 2008 3242279 165800 jhopp217 1 3242367 Lobster. i hated lobster all through my youth- would watch in disgust as my family pulled them apart. then i married a "mainer" and was forced to learn to like the lobster. so i just decided a few summers ago that i needed to like lobster, so i just dived right into lobster rolls from red's eats (easy with all that drawn butter) and whole lobsters from maine lobster pounds. lo and behold, now I LOVE lobster. i can eat 3 red's eats lobster rolls in a sitting (if you let me). and few things taste more like summer to me than a delicious lobster and some drawn butter! enjoy fb Fri Dec 28 08:12:06 -0800 2007 3242252 40207 frankbooth 2 3610198 Frankbooth, I have a challenge for all your Imamainuh family members. I've put about a half dozen people to this challenge and I've won every time. Take a lobster lover out for dinner and give them this challenge. If you can eat a two lb lobster without anything added to it (no butter, no lemon, no nuttin') and they can eat the whole thing and honestly tell you they enjoyed it, you'll pay for it. I've done this quite a few times, and after two or three bites they are dunking it in butter and offering to pay for your dinner. Sat Apr 19 11:06:48 -0700 2008 3242367 165800 jhopp217 3 3610283 What's the point? Same is true for artichokes, popcorn, hot wings, toast, and many other things. Are all those things inherently distasteful because we traditionally serve them slathered in butter? Sat Apr 19 11:48:21 -0700 2008 3610198 35409 uptown jimmy 4 3613707 Missing your point. I don't love artichokes, I usually don't add butter to my popcorn, maybe alittle salt, and sometimes cayenne pepper. Hot Wings I order well done sauce on the side usually, no butter. Toast is bread which I put many things on. I'm missing YOUR point. My point was lobster is usually served with drawn butter. Take it away and you have a flavorless meat. Sun Apr 20 22:40:36 -0700 2008 3610283 165800 jhopp217 3 3610303 I love eating sea food without butter. I like the lemon but it is not necessary. I am assuming you would allow a bit of salt in the water the lobster is boiled in (or sea water). So I'll go out and eat lobster with you! Bring your wallet! Sat Apr 19 12:00:42 -0700 2008 3610198 89969 moh 4 3610325 The other thing I would point out has to do with the science of flavor, which is pretty well-understood. Many of the flavor compounds we recognize on the tongue are only fat soluble, hence the universal use of fats in cooking and eating food. If I understand correctly, the butter is actually helping release a lot of the flavor otherwise locked up in the lobster flesh. Sat Apr 19 12:14:16 -0700 2008 3610303 35409 uptown jimmy 4 3612306 same goes here, except i don't want the lemon either. i love lobster (particularly the claws) unadulterated. i'm not as big a fan of the tail, but i'll eat it if i don't have an appropriate dining companion (mom and i will order a 4 lber and i take claws and she tail). king crab legs are also great IMO steamed and cracked. and i'm probably the only person i know that doesn't like shrimp scampi because of the scampi. Now if only I had a friend to challenge me... Sun Apr 20 11:43:25 -0700 2008 3610303 15572 Emme 5 3613709 I agree with the shrimp and the crab. If the meat is really fresh it has a unique flavor all to itself. I diagree with the losbter. All the parts taste pretty much like nothing to me. Sun Apr 20 22:42:03 -0700 2008 3612306 165800 jhopp217 3 4335878 Lobster is enhanced by those things! You have, perhaps, not had a properly cooked lobster before. They should not be golf balls! They should be juicy, succulent and have sort of giant flakes if cooked properly. Do you hold the same feelings for shrimp? Sun Jan 18 00:03:41 -0800 2009 3610198 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 3242378 2008 will be a banner year for you if you emerge as a lover of blue cheese which is my absolute desert island if-I-could-only-eat-one-thing-for-the-rest-of-my-life-food. Fri Dec 28 08:14:56 -0800 2007 3242252 116638 southernitalian 1 3242525 For me, it was uni. At my favorite sushi place, my sushi guy started me w/baby steps, uni sushi w/other stuff to just introduce me to the flavor. Now I love the stuff. Maybe I should try it w/bitter melon. It's the one food that I bleh! at. Fri Dec 28 09:01:57 -0800 2007 3242252 77080 justagthing 2 4346186 That was mine too. I started eating it to impress my then boyfriend (now husband) and ended up loving it! Wed Jan 21 18:56:00 -0800 2009 3242525 59001 PurpleTeeth 1 3242565 Interesting that most of the responses so far are from folks who used to hate something, trained themself to eat it, and now love said item. For me, I still loathe cilantro but have trained myself to just suffer through it. I'll never love it and it will always taste like soap, but I understand how it is integral to Mexican and Middle Eastern cooking. Fri Dec 28 09:15:12 -0800 2007 3242252 16933 Carrie 218 2 3242603 It is also a part of some Chinese cooking. But also, there have been past posts on the cilantro taste. Quite interesting. I love the stuff and always ask for extra. http://www.chow.com/search?search%5Bquery%5D=cilantro+taste&x=0&y=0 Fri Dec 28 09:25:46 -0800 2007 3242565 77080 justagthing 3 3242622 Horse meat, by accident. Years ago, I was having dinner at a low-priced restaurant in Paris (yes, there were such things then) with a Parisian friend. I was remarking about the special horse-meat butchers to be found there, and said I could never bring myself to eat horse. He just smiled, and pointed to my entrecote. Fri Dec 28 09:34:20 -0800 2007 3242603 54222 ekammin 2 3244475 As I understand it, the cilantro thing is caused by an enzyme that changes the way they taste coriander leaves, a genetic trait, but has yet to be fully researched. Those of us who have it find that cilantro tastes soapy; some people say it tastes like metal. Everyone else thinks it tastes bright and citrusy. I can tolerate it in small doses and I think it might be possible to "overcome" my dislike for it, but I have no interest in trying. Should be interesting when I go to Thailand next month. hmmm. Sat Dec 29 05:38:16 -0800 2007 3242565 24468 chicgail 3 3245192 thanks! it does taste metalic too me, but i could never explain it to anyone. I like the flavor it can impart to a dish, but eating it in like a salad, or where its not chopped up... not so much. Sat Dec 29 11:59:23 -0800 2007 3244475 57890 KaimukiMan 3 3246565 Don't give up on cilantro. It used to taste soapy to me but doesn't anymore. Sun Dec 30 05:06:46 -0800 2007 3244475 10156 Steve 4 4914014 Julia Child hated cilantro, too. Mon Aug 03 13:32:02 -0700 2009 3246565 1098706 Emilyishere 1 3242616 I had to train myself to eat olives as well. Now I love them. (well except for the canned black ones. blech) Fresh tomatos. I still won't ask for them in a sandwich or on a salad but if they are there I won't pick them off now. Fri Dec 28 09:32:32 -0800 2007 3242252 20795 joth68 2 3265090 I overcame my dislike of fresh tomatoes as well. As a child, my parents would always try to tempt me with tomatoes fresh from the garden, but I thought they were blech. As a grown-up I started with caprese salads and other fresh preparations. I still don't love them by themselves, but in a fresh salsa or other preparation I appreciate fresh tomatoes. Sat Jan 05 17:02:52 -0800 2008 3242616 21873 dubedo 3 3274146 I use to be such a brat about it. I could even tell if tomatoes had been on the salad and removed. My poor parents. Tue Jan 08 11:40:21 -0800 2008 3265090 20795 joth68 4 3279529 Salsa and bruschetta -- that's about it for my tomato consumption. The texture just throws me. I've never really liked them and I have really tried -- and tried. Roma's are really the only tomatoes I can stomach (if at all). Wed Jan 09 19:19:46 -0800 2008 3274146 116960 SmrtBloned 2 3312691 I have found people that don't like tomatos usually don't like olives either, observation through the years of ordering and sharing pizza. Sat Jan 19 16:38:12 -0800 2008 3242616 52212 Lori SF 1 3242651 There was a fairly heated thread on this earlier in the year... When I was a kid, I decided I would like tomatoes. I told my parents I would eat and like tomatoes when I turned four; on my birthday, I made the switch. Now I've been known to eat pints of cherry tomatoes, and have tomato sauce straight from the jar. Same for blue cheese. The minute I realized it was supposed to taste that way, I liked it. Fri Dec 28 09:43:03 -0800 2007 3242252 10681 piccola 2 3244129 I forgot the obvious: beer. Hated it at first, but try, try again... I'll take a beer over those sweet pink drinks any day. Fri Dec 28 20:13:31 -0800 2007 3242651 10681 piccola 3 3245918 I've been working on beer for about a year now..even going to tastings to find one I liked...and it worked!!! I'm still very picky, but I found a beer I will drink! Sat Dec 29 18:17:40 -0800 2007 3244129 152043 TampaAurora 4 3246357 Oh, do tell! I have the same problem. Sat Dec 29 22:01:04 -0800 2007 3245918 89401 chownewbie 5 3247580 I found a few He'brew beers that are ok. The best thing is to not try and sip it for flavor like wine but take a full mouth full. Sun Dec 30 14:26:28 -0800 2007 3246357 152043 TampaAurora 5 3248205 Stick to the light ones first. Maybe try some of the flavoured ones, like apricot beer. Expect the first few sips to be bitter; you'll get used to the taste after a bit. You might want to look into your local breweries. Some even have tastings, or at least samples. Plus, they're often cheaper. Sun Dec 30 18:44:10 -0800 2007 3246357 10681 piccola 6 3248475 HA :) There's a local apricot Hefe that I can muster but I was "sipping" like you said not to do. I'll start with bigger swigs from now on and work my way up the ladder! Thank you for the tips! Sun Dec 30 20:33:53 -0800 2007 3248205 89401 chownewbie 7 3273617 You poor people, I have yet to find a beer I didn't like! Tue Jan 08 09:55:21 -0800 2008 3248475 117685 Hensley 8 3279533 Aggh! That's horrible!! How can you not like beer?! I mean, good beer, that is, but that is something to work on people! Wed Jan 09 19:21:11 -0800 2008 3273617 116960 SmrtBloned 8 3312325 High-Five to you, Hensley. I too have been enjoying the taste of beer for a long time now. Although my very first taste of Guinness was like BLAHHH!! HOW COULD YOU DRINK THAT STUFF?? But by the time I finished my first pint I was hooked and loved it. Rich. GO CHARGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sat Jan 19 14:01:53 -0800 2008 3273617 100523 sd4life 9 3610133 I hated Guinness until I tried it half and half with Harp. Now that is good drinking! I still don't care for it alone - it's just too rich tasting for me. Sat Apr 19 10:36:11 -0700 2008 3312325 143696 Catskillgirl 4 3610200 As an avid beer drinker with quite the paunch, I ask this. Why? Sat Apr 19 11:07:53 -0700 2008 3245918 165800 jhopp217 3 3248754 Ah, me too! I was sick of sitting at the table in bars (back in my youth) and nothing but a pitcher of beer to drink, so I forced myself to drink it. I wouldn't say I love beer, but I'm very happy with most dark beers (not Guinness-dark) and hefeweizens. I even liked the not very cold beer I had in Britain a year ago! Mon Dec 31 03:45:58 -0800 2007 3244129 109573 coney with everything 4 3249531 Interesting about the Guinness... I find that it's smoother, less bitter, and easier to drink than lighter beers (surprisingly). Am I nuts, or is it that you prefer the more bitter ones? Mon Dec 31 10:40:34 -0800 2007 3248754 48155 juster 5 3250347 I do like a touch of bitterness, but I definitely think you're right about the darker beers being easier drinking in general. Mon Dec 31 16:25:56 -0800 2007 3249531 109573 coney with everything 4 3250453 I wasn't a beer drinker until I spent a few months working the bar in some London pubs. Unless you wanted to be laughed out of the pub, you didn't drink anything but beer (or maybe a rum and coke). After a week or so, I was converted. Mon Dec 31 17:34:17 -0800 2007 3248754 10681 piccola 5 3613753 Hear! Hear! As an Aussie backpacking around Europe in the early 80's, I had to learn to like beer. An Aussie who DOESN"T drink beer was something the British locals found HIGHLY amusing! My gate-way to beers was ordering a lager and lime... still my drug-of-choice on a hoy Aussie summer day!! Sun Apr 20 23:44:54 -0700 2008 3250453 86137 purple goddess 3 3249583 i hated beer too until i had it late one night with greasy pepperoni pizza. my boyfriend insisted it was the only way to eat greasy food, and he was right! :o) now i drink beer with fried chicken, korean hot pot, barbecue, etc...he's turned me into quite the lush.. :o) Mon Dec 31 10:55:56 -0800 2007 3244129 56183 soypower 3 3606044 Definitely beer. In college, I realized that I was missing out on all of the drinking games like beer pong and flipcup by not drinking beer. I remember forcing myself to drink half a beer at a party, then a whole one the next time...now I love beer and it's my preferred drink! And to think that those beers I initially forced myself to drink were probably warm and were Keystone Light or something horrible like that! I actually did get used to those sorts of beers and, I guess you could say, liked them. My beer taste is much more refined now. Thu Apr 17 21:03:32 -0700 2008 3244129 66556 Solstice444 3 3606682 Yep! Hated beer but had to train myself to like it b/c that's all there was at parties in college. Now I love it and have to drink it out of a champagne glass to disguise it at some events! Ha! Fri Apr 18 07:01:08 -0700 2008 3244129 184058 Tbird1980 1 3242666 Gosh where to start? There were so many "odd" foods in Asian cuisine that my parents had to train me to eat. As a child I hated dishes such as bitter melon and cha shao (the Chinese roasted pork with the red glaze that I thought signified that the meat was undercooked), but oddly enough had no problems with thousand year old eggs. These days I've conquered fish eyes and olives.....however, queso still manages to scare me! Fri Dec 28 09:47:42 -0800 2007 3242252 107874 lounytoon 1 3242674 Sure- spinach, escarole, rucola... basically, anything green and leafy. As a kid, these foods were a nightmare for me. I can't remember why I detested them so, but I sure did. I am still not a big fan of spinach- I tolerate a few forkfuls now and then. But today rucola, and especially baby rucola, is my absolute favorite salad! And I love my mom's homemade escarole pizza! I'm not sure how or why it happened, whether it was physical (tastebuds "matured") or psychological (I "decided" to like them). Fri Dec 28 09:53:09 -0800 2007 3242252 102095 vvvindaloo 2 3242692 I have to say I cannot understand this premise. 'A year ago I hated this, I told myself to not hate it and now I love it' There's a very wide gulf between hating something and loving something. I can't see how this can happen in adults. Training one's self to tolerate something is quite different than training one's self to love something that one is not neutral about, but actively hates. loathes and despises. Nope, has never happened with me and I can't see it ever happening. What I thought tasted awful last year likely will taste awful to me on my deathbed. Fri Dec 28 09:59:45 -0800 2007 3242674 26666 FrankJBN 3 3245553 Well, you rarely go from one extreme to the other. Though, it does happen. This is usually a result of only having been exposed to bad examples. This is what happened to me with brussel sprouts. I sought out different preparations until I found one that make that veggie dazzle me. Mostly, it's like getting a kid to try something new. You have to push yourself past the instinctive "Not edible" response. It may not be about taste at all. I had to work at liking mushrooms, because th texture was very off-putting to me. Sat Dec 29 14:55:40 -0800 2007 3242692 49823 Terrieltr 4 3302227 I used to have the same reaction to mushrooms -- it was the texture, how it felt to bite into one, I couldn't tolerate. But, my husband loved them, so I'd cook them, and, we live a stone's throw from the "Mushroom Capital of the World," so little by little I acquired a taste for them. Now I love them. So with that behind me, now I'm working on developing a liking for stinky bleu cheeses. Wed Jan 16 14:11:03 -0800 2008 3245553 49600 CindyJ 5 3311860 I can handle most "exotic" mushrooms. Which is to say, anything that isn't a button mushroom. I still can't stand the texture of button mushrooms. Sat Jan 19 11:08:40 -0800 2008 3302227 49823 Terrieltr 3 3246572 This has definitely happened to me with many foods. Let's face it, most Americans have no exposure to certain types of foods that are staples elsewhere in the world: Unsweetened yogurt or yogurt flavored with cucumber or garlic, dried fish, many types of hot peppers, many tropical fruits, many different kinds of seafood, our scope is narrow. But all of these things are and can be loved by anyone. With a little bit of open-mindedness, I am positive that almost anyone can fall in love with food they previously found a disgust for. I remember the first time receiving panchan at a Korean restaurant, I was horrified. I didn't order this! What am I going to do with all this wierd food, I thought? Four years later, it's a total delight to me. Sun Dec 30 05:19:14 -0800 2007 3242692 10156 Steve 3 3265114 I think a large part of this phenomenon is that we decide we don't like certain foods as children. Studies have shown that our taste buds really do change as we age, but the old dislikes are still cemented in our minds, at least for a while. If you look through this thread you'll see that many people hated the same foods initially - olives, strong cheeses, raw tomatoes, mushrooms. Strong flavors, or strange textures, that are known to be difficult for a child's palate. Sat Jan 05 17:13:27 -0800 2008 3242692 21873 dubedo 3 3610211 Frank I agree with you in some regards in that you can't go from hating something to loving it overnight. But I do think you can get past something and then realize what you've been missing. For example, as a child, a teenager, and young adult, I haed mushrooms. As my palate became more sophisticated, I realized that I didn't hate the taste, but I hated the texture. I love hot and sour soup, and would always pick out the mushrooms, but started to eat them and realized they take on such flavor, and add their own greatness to the dish. Then I started leaving the mushrooms on other things (lile marsala) and realize that their spngy qualities actually made them like a side order of sauce. Now I like (not sure love) the taste of them, but still have a little issue with the chewiness of them. Not surprisngly, the ones I like the least are the huge portabellas. Sat Apr 19 11:13:35 -0700 2008 3242692 165800 jhopp217 1 3242697 Raw tomatoes and goat cheese. There are a few veggies I don't like that I've learned to choke down if cooked properly. You'll never get me to like peas, blue cheese, seafood or olives though. Fri Dec 28 10:00:38 -0800 2007 3242252 116495 Avalondaughter 2 3242826 I conquered my raw tomato aversion and am now working on olives. Don't think I will ever get to my final hated food - goat cheese. Fri Dec 28 10:44:41 -0800 2007 3242697 13105 john 3 3243098 Every time I hear about someone not liking raw tomatoes, it reminds me of my best friend in college who used to say, "God didn't finish them - they aren't done yet." He didn't like the slimy insides! Fri Dec 28 12:22:58 -0800 2007 3242826 88792 jazzy77 1 3242766 Durian. If you've ever encountered durian, you know what I mean. If you haven't, and you have a chance, well - - - bring a clothespin for your nose! Fri Dec 28 10:20:01 -0800 2007 3242252 136188 Outerspace 1 3242902 i am working on yogurt, sour cream & cottage cheese. I used to hate mushrooms, olives & blue cheese too. For some reason I have a hard time getting past the fungus thing. Until I had them in some great dishes. Like the perfect mushroom pizza converted me and then blue cheese crumbles in a salad. smoked salmon is another one. Everyone loves it so I wanted to as well. Fri Dec 28 11:07:48 -0800 2007 3242252 60805 cmarie 2 3243036 cmarie this is a great example of what I don't understand. You hated blue cheese but someone crumbled some on a salad and now you love it. Isn't it the same blue cheese that you hated? What changed your mind? Fri Dec 28 11:55:33 -0800 2007 3242902 26666 FrankJBN 3 3243465 I guess so. I remember it very clearly when i learned to like certain foods. I think with the blue cheese I never really tried it because the blue "bacteria" veins grossed me out, kind of the same with mushrooms and olives I didn't like the heavy salty taste. I was eating a salad with co workers and it had lots of walnuts & gorgonzola cheese in it, and a great dressing. I guess crumbled up it was mostly white and everyone was saying how delicious the salad was and I agreed.(plus i love all other cheeses) The same place I had an amazing pizza with properly cooked mushrooms on it.(previously they usually looked like the canned versionthese were beautifully caramelized)ever since then I've loved mushrooms this all happened when i was about 25. I guess tastes change or you have something cooked in an entirely different way than before and you fall in love with them. Although I am still working on the sour milk stuff i.e sour cream, cottage cheese & yogurt. for some reason I still can't get past them. Fri Dec 28 14:48:45 -0800 2007 3243036 60805 cmarie 2 3261659 I could never bring myself to even try cottage cheese. I can't get past the look of the stuff. It looks like fat liposuctioned out of someone's a**. Fri Jan 04 13:33:22 -0800 2008 3242902 58128 ajs228 1 3242997 I trained myself to like coffee black -- my mom always drank her coffee with lots of milk, so that's how I started too. But I rarely drink milk for other reasons, so I got tired of not being able to drink coffee when I had no milk (or when I was in a place without milk, and I'm not a fan of creamer). And now I much prefer my coffee black. I also changed within about a year or so (in my mid 20s) from a hater of tomatoes to a lover of tomatoes. Taste buds change. I tasted them periodically and always hated them (from childhood), and then suddenly I didn't hate them anymore, and then I started experiencing great summer tomatoes, and now I love them. Fri Dec 28 11:31:25 -0800 2007 3242252 13525 JasmineG 2 3243338 As much as I wish he was wrong, I must agree with FrankJBN. I cannot train myself to like something I don't like. JasmineG's post is a perfect example for me. I have always had my coffee with cream. I have tried many times over the years to get used to drinking it black, but I cannot. Although I hate the thought of those extra calories from half-and-half, and I sometimes go without coffee because I run out of cream, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never enjoy black coffee. Fri Dec 28 13:54:39 -0800 2007 3242997 86402 brandygirl 2 3243590 About a hundred years ago, I did not like coffee. Loved the smell, hated the taste. I think the first real cup I drank was right before a test early in the morning when I was in college. I drank it and did not like it, but needed to be fully awake. Later, when I worked at my first post-college job, I took breakfast downtown, and bought coffee with it. That's when I Iearned to like it. I just drank it enough times until the taste was acquired. I read something fascinating recently about this sort of thing. Apparently, babies learn to best like the foods which mom consumed when she is pregnant with him/her. Fri Dec 28 15:35:40 -0800 2007 3242997 134265 sueatmo 1 3243042 Anything dairy, especially milk, butter, and cheese; olives of any kind; tomatoes; pastries (b/c of the butter); chocolate; and mushrooms. I didn't grow up with these foods (except mushrooms, but what kid likes 'em?), and they are markedly different in taste, smell, and texture than the korean foods I was used to. My downfall is that I now love them; it just spontaneously happened one day, though years after I had first had these foods. Makes it hard to keep the weight where it should be ;D Fri Dec 28 11:58:18 -0800 2007 3242252 137960 link_930 1 3243295 Is it really training yourself to like it or just changing tastebuds Used to not like oysters but now I do - over the course of a few years I tried them a few times until one day they weren't too bad. Now I'll go out of my way to eat them. Now that hasn't worked with goat cheese yet and I can't imagine a point where I will ever eat or even try animal insides - its tough being a hunter in a state of hunters and saying you don't eat liver and onions or heart and onions or whatever else and onions but I just quietly eat whatever is around and hope no one notices. And yes, it is all in my head right from that early childhood dinner where mom place a whole stuffed baked moose heart in the middle of the table! Fri Dec 28 13:40:59 -0800 2007 3242252 59853 AlaskaChick 1 3243816 I've "trained" myself to eat olives, sushi, foie gras, cranberries, hummus, vindaloo, and salmon. I've trained myself to drink wine and champagne. Now I'm addicted. I still can't bring myself near fennel and mushrooms. I've tried. I just can't do it. Fri Dec 28 17:32:30 -0800 2007 3242252 11701 MrsT 2 3244373 I also find it hard to believe the anyone could eat a Mushroom and like it. Sat Dec 29 00:37:22 -0800 2007 3243816 153163 Ranger05 3 3244406 like it? more like LOVE it!! Sat Dec 29 03:05:08 -0800 2007 3244373 77080 justagthing 1 3244413 I really don't see the point of teaching myself to eat a food that I hate. I don't usually put a food into the "don't eat" column until I have tried it a number of times and still can't stand it. I can't tell you the number of ways I have tried eggplant or beets and I still hate the taste. I don't care what you sneak blue cheese into, I will taste it. There are plenty of other cheeses to eat besides blue cheese and there are plenty of other vegetables to eat besides eggplant, beets and lima beans. Sat Dec 29 03:31:43 -0800 2007 3242252 110306 NE_Elaine 2 3244822 I agree with you, to a certain extent. If I've tried a food repeatedly and still hate it, it's out - there are too many things I love to waste calories on stuff I don't. Sat Dec 29 09:04:06 -0800 2007 3244413 10681 piccola 2 3246578 Here's the reason: MOST of the time, when folks have an aversion, it's to a strong flavor or unusual texture or to the idea of eating an animal or animal part they are not used to. However, this is ofter where the real GOLD is. It's worth panning for. Incredibly hot peppers, strong, smelly flavors, rich fatty cuts of meat, pungent cheeses, seafood that really tastes of the sea. Sun Dec 30 05:31:58 -0800 2007 3244413 10156 Steve 1 3244414 When i was young I hated anything in a cream sauce or with melted cheese. Mac and cheese was death in a pan as far as i was concerned. Pizza was a desecratopm of good bread. Made me sick just to think of it. I would gag on the taste, smell and especially the feeling of that stuff in my throat. Most of that I have outgrown. I have also become aware that it was more a texture thing than taste... although i still want to gag on hot cereal. Oatmeal belongs in cookies not in a bowl. Sat Dec 29 03:35:49 -0800 2007 3242252 57890 KaimukiMan 2 3244440 Yes, you and my daughter have the same aversions. What kid does not like melted cheese and pizza? Drives me insane. Anything with a sauce-she won't have it. Glad to know you grew out of it. I have learned to like oysters since moving to South Carolina 15 yrs ago-if I think about what I am eating I get a llittle naueous so I just plop it on a saltine with cocktail sauce and it is pure heaven. I have also learned to like coffee since marrying my husband 10 years ago. Now I can't believe how I made it through college without it !? (I never drank soda either-still don't). I will never like lima beans or any kind of unusual animal insides. Sat Dec 29 04:49:35 -0800 2007 3244414 123913 chocchipcookie 1 3244893 How interesting. I'm always revisiting the few foods I dislike to see if there was something wrong about the preparation or presentation that turned me off in the first place. But then there are so few foods I vehemently dislike that it's not so hard. I just like to have an open mind. I think the "if I hated it before, I'll always hate it" shows a spirtual intransigence that is hugely limiting. And I despise being limited in any way because it robs me of experiences, so I'll always try to overcome my self-limitations. I've overcome my initial hatred of cilantro by trying it over and over. I've read and experienced that for some people the initial "soapy" taste of cilantro changes and mutes with exposure. Having moved to Southern California and being a big fan of Mexican cooking, I kept at it and soon cilantro added a wonderful complexity of flavor to the highly spiced burritos al pastor that I love. I can't have a burrito without the cilantro/onion mixture that is ubiquitous around here. I'm still not a huge fan of frozen lima beans, but I've found that fresh beans when properly prepared can be quite tasty. The one food I can't seem to warm to, however, is beets. As child, I had pica -- a disorder where you eat anything, like cigarette butts, rocks, safety pins, etc. But when my dad went to feed me beets as a baby I spit every last one back at him -- two baby jars worth, and I was a kid who ate raw onion without batting an eye. I've been told that it's probably just the canned beets I despise, so I've tried roasted beets and so far no go. But you know what? If someone puts another plate of nicely roasted fresh beets in front of me, I'll still give them a try. Maybe I'll discover something new. Maybe this chef has a special preparation that opens up a whole new food vista to me. I'd hate to have my self-limitations define my experiences. Sat Dec 29 09:33:09 -0800 2007 3242252 44876 Fuser 2 3245313 "I think the "if I hated it before, I'll always hate it" shows a spirtual intransigence that is hugely limiting. And I despise being limited in any way because it robs me of experiences, so I'll always try to overcome my self-limitations." Perfectly said, Fuser! Sat Dec 29 12:53:01 -0800 2007 3244893 13525 JasmineG 3 3245680 Its difficult to expain how some things can be repulsive at some point in life, only to become appetizing as we grow older. But that's essentially the point, isn't it? All these posters who disliked something but then somehow learned to like it (whether by acclimation or epiphany) were more mature at the time. I know I hated peas as a baby -- similar scenario to Fuser -- and have never liked them as a adult. But a lot of other things (oysters, bleu cheese, etc) were acquired tasted that came with adulthood. Ive always loved some things that people cant tolerate -- olives, goat cheese, etc. I still can't understand anyone not liking tomatos, but hey .... I dont like beans and never will, so I guess that's just how it goes. I think that variety is the spice of life, and that's what makes this forum always colorful and interesting. The saddest element for me is reading diatribes from people who are still unwilling to try something that they didnt like 20 years ago. Preparations change, and our palates do too. Unclench and taste something new! You might be surprised. Maybe THIS is the year of trying peas again for me! Sat Dec 29 16:08:16 -0800 2007 3245313 102895 Cheflambo 4 3249672 "Its difficult to expain how some things can be repulsive at some point in life, only to become appetizing as we grow older. But that's essentially the point, isn't it?" Nope. it's not the point at all. (Nor is it difficult to explain how tastes change as a human grows older.) This is not the subject under discussion. No one is talking about tastes changing over the years. "The saddest element for me is reading diatribes from people who are still unwilling to try something that they didnt like 20 years ago" Did anyone actually posit this? Still, it is not the disputed contention. the topic is about consciously changing one's taste to love in the future a food that one hates currently. Very different. This strong flavor idea makes no sense either, except for people who like nothing with strong flavor. Essentially the theory propounded is that if one actually finds eating excrement nauseating, one can train onself to actually love it, not tolerate it, but to love and look forward to the next forkful. I dispute this.. Mon Dec 31 11:24:19 -0800 2007 3245680 26666 FrankJBN 5 3250022 If you really think that that's the theory, you haven't been reading this thread at all. Mon Dec 31 13:34:08 -0800 2007 3249672 13525 JasmineG 5 3250033 Now you're the one missing the point. A lot of people have given numerous explanations of "training" yourself to get over a food aversion. You've ignored them. And now you're just being ridiculous with your analogy. Mon Dec 31 13:41:00 -0800 2007 3249672 49823 Terrieltr 1 3245429 I don't like coriander/cilantro - it really does taste like soap to me, but given that it's so common in Mexican and southeast asian foods, I'm trying to get over it. I hated broccoli for the longest time, not so much the flavour as the smell when it's cooking, but I convinced myself to work through it, stirfrying it and avoiding boiling/steaming because of the smell, until I was over it. Had to train myself with sushi and rare meat, the texture was a bit weird at first but now I love both! Sat Dec 29 13:49:45 -0800 2007 3242252 131605 babybat 2 4346203 Blanched broccoli doesn't smell at all. I love that about blanching Wed Jan 21 19:04:06 -0800 2009 3245429 59001 PurpleTeeth 1 3245765 I was going to say that I trained myself to eat olives also, but I do not really like them still. I used to loathe them and now I can stand them on pizza and sometimes give them a try with other things. Its a big step up from a few years ago where anything that even had olives on it I didn't want to eat. I am also the one that did the post on goat cheese. The only 3 foods on my "don't like" list happen to be Goat Cheese, Olives and Horseradish. I would like to train myself to like horseradish. I am giving up on goat cheese though :D Sat Dec 29 16:51:45 -0800 2007 3242252 152569 HelloTiffy 2 3246017 I can't say that I trained myself, but when I was a kid I loathed cheese, coffee, legumes. Now I love all those foods. As for all of you olive haters: that just means more for me! I can eat them a handful at a time. I don't get mushroom haters either. To me, sauteed mushrooms have got to be one of the most delicious foods in the entire world. Sat Dec 29 19:09:40 -0800 2007 3245765 119816 MysticYoYo 1 3246084 interesting...a lot of the foods people have trained themselves to like are the same things. For me it's been olives, cilantro, coffee, beer, shrimp and chocolate. I love them all now! The only thing I've not been able to make myself like is almond extract. I can't stand the taste of it in anything. eechh! Sat Dec 29 19:43:59 -0800 2007 3242252 95942 havi 1 3246133 mushrooms for sure. but that was from childhood until now. same for dark chocolate, meat fat, pie crust, scallops. i wish i didn't like meat fat and pie crust, really. as an adult i've trained myself to like black coffee. that is training, b/c hot milk is not always available, and bad coffee just tastes worse with sugar. i still don't like green bell peppers, plain oatmeal, peanut butter cookies, jarlsberg cheese, fake meats, cinnamon, sweet and sour sauces or salsas (especially on fish or meat bleh), waffles. but i will eat any of these without trouble to be polite, i just would not order or make dishes with these ingredients. Sat Dec 29 20:03:59 -0800 2007 3242252 11190 fara 1 3246430 Wow -- what an interesting and inspiring thread to read through...! I drank coffee with four sugars and cream until 9th grade, and then I went black to appear sophisticated. Har har. I never went back but I can't say I enjoyed it until I was about 18. I love black coffee now and actually prefer a good espresso...but the espresso switch didn't happen until I spent a semester abroad in Spain, where the espresso is delicious and cheap. Spain is also where I overcame my hatred for olives. Hate is a strong word, I guess, but I vehemently refused to eat them -- picked them off pizzas, made a wide circle around the olive bar at Whole Foods (hated the smell, too), debated how to handle my (now ex-)boyfriend's obsession with olives. I stayed with a host family and our first meal included a salad full of olives. Didn't want to seem impolite and had no idea how to politely refuse in proper Spanish, so I ate them. Slowly. And they weren't bad! Then, since they were served in every bar as a free tapa, I got to practice getting a taste for them. I love olives now, especially with an ice-cold beer...But recently, at a party I loaded up my hors d'ouerves plate with several different olives, all excited to finally partake in previously uncharted antipasti territory, and...didn't like ANY of them! Maybe I can only do a certain type of olive. Maybe I need to go back to Spain. I'm leaning toward the second conclusion. Another big obstacle was oatmeal; couldn't even look at it as a kid. My mom ate it all the time for breakfast and I always thought it was gross. Then I started working as a waiter and was handed a bowl of oatmeal one morning, so I figured, why not? I am actually notorious among my girlfriends now as the one who is most likely to have a bowl of oatmeal for any given meal. It is a very strange, hard-to-explain craving. I pride myself on being open to food and trying everything at least once. It seems like it paid off! I don't even remember there being an option to choose whether I wanted to eat certain foods when I was little, but I was lucky that my mom is an excellent cook. There is just one thing I can't handle: licorice. I can't do anise but will eat a salad with fennel in it (if there are a ton of other ingredients). I've tried licorice several times a year since I was 5, but I just can't do it...one bite and I've got this horrible taste in my mouth! Sat Dec 29 23:15:09 -0800 2007 3242252 14388 theannerska 2 3246878 I used to hate anise and black licorice, and i still can't eat black licorice candy. However, i started to like the flavour of anise because of a wonderful Italian cookie. An employee at the hospital i work at makes italian anise cookies as a fundraiser for special needs children. They are plain biscuits with a light dusting of sugar on the surface, and they are addictive. I bought the first dozen out of duty (charity and all) but now I'll buy her out everytime she comes by the office. They are great with coffee. And now I love fennel, pernod, pastis, anything with a faint hint of black licorice. perhaps I'll even try some black licorice the next time I am offered a piece. I think my other comment got pulled in a duplicate copy of this post. Like the original poster, I also had to train myself to like olives, cilantro and blue cheese. I was very successful with olives, midly successful with the other two. Blue cheese was made easier to enjoy by adding either a good port or some nice accompaniment like a fig condimento. I love Stilton and port as a combination. I am still not a huge fan of blue cheese alone and in sauces, although I tolerate them much more now. Still working on the cilantro, boy it's tough to get past that taste. But I'm trying... I used to hate all peppers, onions and green onions. I love peppers and onions now, but I still hate green onions with a passion (the only thing I really never have been able to tolerate). This is very odd for a person of Korean descent. My mother (who puts green onions in everything) cannot understand it and has threatened to formally take away my Korean Heritage. But I am making new strides thanks to a really great Pa jon at a local resto here (Seafood and green onion pancake). An old dog can learn new tricks. (speaking of dog, I'm not entirely sure i could easily bring myself to try dog soup, another notorious Korean dish...) Hmm, another thread? Sun Dec 30 09:17:27 -0800 2007 3246430 89969 moh 3 3247072 A-ha! I thought I was alone in this licorice thing! Though I pointedly try it whenever I see it at parties and gatherings, the last time I did so was a mistake -- they were black licorice candies in the shape of little Santa hats and I thought they were dark chocolate. What an unpleasant surprise that was... Then, at another holiday gathering where dessert was set up buffet-style on a long table, there were these curious slices of what looked like cucumber but with a harder texture. Undeterred, I bit in -- anise! Gah! I love green onions and grew up eating them (thanks to my Chinese background). I never even thought of scallion pancakes as an alternative, but that's great progress! The removal of my heritage has also been threatened, due to my absolute refusal to eat durian. I REALLY tried, but as soon as that forkful came near my mouth I gagged and ran out of the room. My mom thinks it's the most delectable substance on earth, but I'll make sure everything is sealed off in airtight containers whenever it's in the house. BUT, I can stomach those little durian pastries at dim sum (they're on the dessert carts, usually next to the mini egg custard tarts). No smell, no problem! I'm holding out on the durian ice cream for now though. Sun Dec 30 10:48:16 -0800 2007 3246878 14388 theannerska 4 3247173 Haha! Durian! I just bought some Durian flavoured mochi for new year's eve in an attempt to see if i can get used to the taste! Yes I think pastries might be the most approachable way to attack Durian. On a side note, I have now seen several brands of durian cookies, and for some reason, every cookie I've ever seen has the shape and colour of a large maggot. Is this traditional? Because if it was a marketing ploy, then that is one whacked-out PR department.... Sun Dec 30 11:35:44 -0800 2007 3247072 89969 moh 5 3247911 No idea -- haven't seen the cookies -- but the pastries are small and have this pineapple-like spike pattern on top, very pretty. Not sure if that's actually how a durian looks, since I've never actually been shown one whole (I've just smelled them coming, haha). All the marketing in the world couldn't save durians for me, and I am one of those people who are very susceptible to good advertising! Good luck with the mochi! Sun Dec 30 16:54:41 -0800 2007 3247173 14388 theannerska 6 3249584 Yeah, if I'm picturing the pastry right, that's how durians look. Those, somehow, I don't mind, but gaaah I can't stand the smell of papaya (the taste is marginally better) -- dirty feet! Yech Mon Dec 31 10:56:15 -0800 2007 3247911 48155 juster 6 3260346 So an update on the durian mochi. Fascinating. For the most part, an innocuous dessert, sticky and sweet like most mochi. You might not even know it was durian. But every once in a while, you get this subtle whiff of garlic and sewer... very weird!!! Fri Jan 04 08:05:10 -0800 2008 3247911 89969 moh 7 3262935 ...I don't know about the whiff of garlic and sewer. Eugh. But congratulations! Fri Jan 04 21:05:35 -0800 2008 3260346 14388 theannerska 3 3247185 same here in regards to anise and black licorice. I tried some white licorice or anise candy, chewy like black and red, but none of that aftertaste that I don't like from the black licorice. My only problem is that it is a very hard candy to find. I use to buy it in N. CA, but the 2 stores up there no longer carry it and I can't find it anywhere down here in S. CA. Sun Dec 30 11:40:00 -0800 2007 3246878 77080 justagthing 1 3247251 I have tried and tried and tried olives, mushrooms, seafood, truffles and game meats numerous times. Im 32. No more trying. However, since my younger teen years, I have grown to love hot peppers, chilis, broccoli, hummus, feta, all the bleus, edamame, rice (yes, I said rice) and cilantro. I don't know if it was just never really being offered such things but as I grew into a foodie, I discovered my love of all of the above. In fact, I am making a yum-tastic salad of tomato, feta, cucumber, chickpeas and lemon/olive oil to have with grilled chicken tonight! (south beach, phase 1...trying to flip my insulin resistance without medication!) Happy New Year, Chows...may it be safe, healthy, prosperous and filled with culinary delights! Sun Dec 30 12:08:57 -0800 2007 3242252 70200 chelleyd01 1 3247306 Only two foods I have never been able to convince myself I should put in my moouth and swallow. One is brains. Any kind of brains. They are slimy and will not go down. One of the most uncomfortable nights of my life, if not THE most uncomfortable, was when friends threw a huge going-away party for my husband and me, and their very elderly Russian refugee housekeeper made brain croquettes in my honor. Shirley said Tensela only did that for people she really loved, and I was only the third person in forty years she'd done it for. And Tensela kept bringing platters of the damned things and pushing them at me. I did manage to hold one in my hand as if I was about to take a bite when I was through saying something, Tensela would walk away, I would pass it off quickly to someone else. Have never been able to get them down. The other thing is tripe. I have been served gorgeous menudos, incredible looking cream of tripe served from a silver tureen, but... Can't get it past my nose. I suspect it's because as a child, my best friends family owned a huge dairy, and Marcella and I loved playing with the calfs. One day a cow licked me in the face and got saliva up my nose. And that's what tripe tastes and smells like. Cow saliva! I have watched others eat tripe with great joy and satisfaction, but I'm just an outsider. Can't help it. Oh. There is one other thing I haven't been able to teach myself to handle and that's beer. It's not that I can't find a beer I like. I just can't find a beer that likes me. It always always always gives me a headache from hell. I can forestall the headache by sipping the beer, but eventually that has to end, and heeeeeeeere's Mr. Headache! Better not to start. But.... I have some great recipes that use beer. I love them! Sun Dec 30 12:31:27 -0800 2007 3242252 112096 Caroline1 2 3248024 I too use to pride myself on eating everything. I even ate my dad's fried tripe and it wasn't bad, to my taste. But the brains and eggs were a deal breaker. Brains trigger a nasty gag reflex for me. I'm also not a big fan of okra, even fried okra, although I did find out I like it in gumbo. Sun Dec 30 17:42:18 -0800 2007 3247306 44876 Fuser 3 3248724 With you on the brains. Can't do any cortical material. oddly enough, I can tolerate sucking the spinal cord material out of pork neck bones, and I quite relish it. But the whole brain thing is a litlle too much. Also understand about okra, but I am slowly coming around. I like the flavour but have a hard time with the slimy texture. However, if you are ever in NYC, go the the Pickle Guys in LES and try their pickled okra. It was awesome, and has made me willing to give another go with okra. Mon Dec 31 02:19:18 -0800 2007 3248024 89969 moh 4 3250457 Another tip for okra, and pretty much anything else: try it fried. Frying makes most things tasty. Mon Dec 31 17:37:33 -0800 2007 3248724 10681 piccola 3 3610217 Okra prepared wrong is one of the hardest things to eat imaginable. Prepared correctly, and I could eat it for dessert. Sat Apr 19 11:17:05 -0700 2008 3248024 165800 jhopp217 1 3248155 Okra. As with many foods, how it's prepared mattered. Okra took me a while to "get" but prepared at a soul food restaurant in NYC, I had a whole knew respect for okra. Sun Dec 30 18:27:49 -0800 2007 3242252 36312 HillJ 1 3248190 Growing up, the only thing I just couldn't eat because I would gag was eggs with runny yolks. I was in my 30's when I decided this was foolish and I was going to learn to like them. Power of positive thinking worked, and I overcame my aversion in a day. Sun Dec 30 18:40:40 -0800 2007 3242252 120195 jjw 2 3249553 Still can't do the runny yolks and I'm 34. And I think this aversion is getting worse, not better. Ate them as a kid, but once I learned what they REALLY were, I couldn't handle it anymore. Mon Dec 31 10:48:28 -0800 2007 3248190 11053 thenurse 1 3248758 Onions. When I was younger, any sort of onion in a dish would prompt at least 30 minutes of picking and digging in my food to make sure that every last onion was out. I think it was the crunch that bothered me, not the flavor. I'm better now. Mon Dec 31 03:55:02 -0800 2007 3242252 106169 linz_e_moore 1 3249576 No. Given the choice available in the US, training to like a food is ridiculous. Edit: Actually, given the number of PITO picky eaters, this is probably a worthwhile thing to do. I'm lucky that I'm not all that picky although I'm not all that fond of certain foods (mutton, boar, other gamy meats). Mon Dec 31 10:54:07 -0800 2007 3242252 148300 filth 1 3249579 Great post. There are so many things I wasn't exposed to as a child that I have "trained" myself to try and try again until I now like them. I do the same w/ my kids... make them eat it again and again. While some would say it's cruel and unusual punishment, I say it works. My kids have grown to love so many out of the ordinary things that most kids would stick their nose up to. That said, the things I had to train myself to like are: yogurt fish (salmon in particular) mustard olives cheese (I cannot even imagine life w/o cheese!) sushi (this is a work in progress - I'm not a big nori fan) liver (again, I'm still working on this... I love foie gras, but chix liver... metal...blech) mussels (love 'em now... still working on clams and oysters) For those that don't understand how you can go from hate to love... it's more about a fear or psychological issue than it is the actual taste... at least that's the case for me. I wasn't brought up eating a lot of fish/seafood. We ate beef, lamb, veal, pork. Not even much chicken. I used to be creeped out by the veins and bones of chicken. But I overcame fears after I repeatedly subjected myself to it. I knew it was a fear of the unknown rather than a taste issue. As is the case w/ kids. Mon Dec 31 10:54:45 -0800 2007 3242252 71241 lynnlato 2 3249600 My father grew up in a Roman Jewish household and while they did not keep Kosher, they never had any pork products, more out of habit than anything else. He married my mother and converted but asked that she not serve pork because he was afraid the smell would make him sick. I was about twenty when I tried my first piece of bacon. I still don't eat pork chops or any kind of ham, but can't imagine life without bacon and all Italian cold cuts, including the nasty ones. Mon Dec 31 11:01:29 -0800 2007 3249579 116638 southernitalian 3 3250246 Wow, SI, that's very interesting. Particularly coming from you (feel like I know ya to some degree, from your posts). You crack me up w/ the Italian cold cuts... "even the nasty ones"... I think you may be more adventurous than I. I had beef tongue carpaccio once and it was the first and last time. :-) Bacon... what would life be like without it? Not as juicy, that's for sure! I gotta throw sausage into the mix too tho. Surely you, as an Italian, eat sausage??? Mon Dec 31 15:21:52 -0800 2007 3249600 71241 lynnlato 1 3249590 rare steak. my parents always ate their meat well-done, and any trace of pink signalled to me that it was raw, and therefore dangerous. now, i can't imagine eating steak any other way but seasoned and bloody. :o) Mon Dec 31 10:59:04 -0800 2007 3242252 56183 soypower 1 3249613 I'm very recently, within the last several months, becoming interested in cauliflower. It's the only veggie I don't like (even liked spinach, mushrooms (cooked), lima beans, and brussels sprouts as a kid). I think it started when I tried a little frozen pack of it in cheese sauce (not sure why I even bought it, except just to give it a go). It was okay, so I started eating the couple bites restaurants put into their mixed vegetables. Still okay. Now I find myself wanting to make cauliflower soup and to roast it in the oven! I'm pleased about this. One reason being, I must admit, that it's something to point out to get the boy to try more things :) He's acquired several tastes since I've known him, but oh, to be able to put olives and mushrooms in anything I want! (I think I'll start doing this a bit anyway, and let him pick them out.) I still have aversions to pancakes (taste good, but the texture makes me gaggy). Tho, when I was 5, and already didn't like them, I entered a pancake-eating contest (how fast, not how many.. we were kids) and won! Too, potato salad (the cold kind). I really don't like things chopped up and mixed with mayo except for coleslaw and tuna. I'll eat them to be polite, but ickity. And the usual, liver. That, I don't mind, but there are quite a few occasions in which it would be helpful to enjoy pancakes and potato salad, so I'm trying to stay open to them. The boy and I have both learned to like a little blue cheese, I think from the same recipe . Mon Dec 31 11:05:53 -0800 2007 3242252 48155 juster 1 3249824 Has anyone else noticed that it seems to be exclusively women who have had to "train" themselves to like beer? I've been trying to remember whether I've ever met a man who didn't like beer. I don't think I have. Could there be some sort of "beer gene" that is only found in male DNA? Hey fellas, are there any of you lurking out there who don't like beer? Just wondering... Mon Dec 31 12:25:17 -0800 2007 3242252 112096 Caroline1 2 3249918 After too many hours at the cigar bars to count, this conversation came up...most of the guys said that they never drank the beer for the taste in the beginning but for social reasons and to just get buzzed. Drinking beer for the tasting pleasure came later. They will drink the cheap stuff to get cooled off but go for a higher-end for flavor. Mon Dec 31 12:59:44 -0800 2007 3249824 152043 TampaAurora 2 3250464 Well, it wasn't exactly training, more like getting used to the taste. Same thing with tonic water, another bitter drink I had to try a few times before I really dug it. Mon Dec 31 17:42:16 -0800 2007 3249824 10681 piccola 3 3250566 Tonic w/ lime is delish, just tried it this weekend. What else is training besides getting used to something new? Training wheels are for learning to ride a bike, are they not? Going to a 'training" is to get used to implementing a new idea. Mon Dec 31 19:05:58 -0800 2007 3250464 152043 TampaAurora 4 3250771 Well, what I meant was, it's not that I actively disliked it, it was just new. As opposed to others who mentioned hating ingredients and having to really work to appreciate them. Mon Dec 31 23:45:34 -0800 2007 3250566 10681 piccola 2 4346223 When I was an early teen, I couldn't stand the taste or smell of beer. At one of my bros bachelor parties a few years later, I got quite drunk on beer and presto Zamo! Beer tasted good! Wed Jan 21 19:14:07 -0800 2009 3249824 93538 Passadumkeg 1 3258646 Cook it. I started with garlic bread with gorgonzola... then someone fed me pasta with blue cheese in the tomato sauce. It was a slow adjustment for me, but important too. Thu Jan 03 16:37:50 -0800 2008 3242252 59951 thinks too much 1 3258667 Does breakfast cereal count? I couldn't get past the idea that North American kids ate candy for breakfast. Thu Jan 03 16:45:01 -0800 2008 3242252 145820 fmed 2 3258689 I grew up in America and we hardly ever ate cereal for breakfast. Still don't care for the really sweet stuff myself. And yes, it does count. Thu Jan 03 16:51:45 -0800 2008 3258667 77080 justagthing 1 3260963 I grew up on a dairy farm, and once I moved away to college I had to train myself to drink store-bought milk because I no longer had access to farm-fresh milk. To me, store-bought milk tastes like the packaging and has a bitterness to it. I still don't really like it, but I've trained myself to use it on cereal. Fri Jan 04 10:44:32 -0800 2008 3242252 62741 StPauliGirl 1 3261293 I loathed olives... then we started cooking with olive oil and I gradually got used to the taste. First we used the 'extra-light' stuff that's been processed, then I found out how many chemicals they use in it so we moved up to plain... and then extra-virgin. And after using that for awhile I tried some actual olive and I liked it. Now I love olives, except the extra-salty ones. Fri Jan 04 12:07:07 -0800 2008 3242252 67657 Kajikit 1 3261531 Coffee. Beer. Cigarettes (not a food, but the same idea). Learned to love them -- unfortunately with the cigarettes, I only let myself have a couple once in a great while. If I truly detest a food I can't see the point of trying it again and again. That being said, there aren't many foods I don't like! Fri Jan 04 13:05:08 -0800 2008 3242252 154635 sweetlikesugar 2 3261587 Love cofffee. Beer gives me a headache. And I quit smoking more than a decade ago. But...! Every once in a while when I'm deeply engrossed in creative work, I find myself reaching for a cigarette on the ashtray that is no longer there. I have promised myself a pack of Turkish ovals for my 90th birthday! And as far as tobacco and food, in the Turkish language one does not "smoke" a cigarette. You "drink" it! So at least there are some people on the face of the planet who associate tobacco with food and drink. Fri Jan 04 13:17:57 -0800 2008 3261531 112096 Caroline1 1 3261576 Anchovies. First time I tried one, the only thing I could think of was the smell of opening a can of 9-lives for my cat when I was a kid. Come to think of it, it matched perfectly the idea of what cat food would taste like also. Then, curiously, I tried a pizza with basil, pecorino ramano and anchovies and my aversion evaporated. Still can't eat the fishies alone, though. They are definitely an accompanying food Fri Jan 04 13:15:05 -0800 2008 3242252 61592 cafesimile 1 3262911 I also plan to try to eat blue cheese this year. I love cheese so much it is silly that I have never had real blue cheese. All because when I was younger my brother told me that the blue part was still alive. After that I swore I could see it moving and have refused to eat it ever since. I have dipped hot wings in "blue cheese dressing" and enjoyed the flavor so I think I am off to a good start. Fri Jan 04 20:55:54 -0800 2008 3242252 14495 viperlush 1 3271979 Oysters. My grandfather would take me to the basement and together we would "slurp down some ursters". This was from an early age. Over the years I went through phases where I loved them and then the times that I gagged them down. The look on Grandad's face each time was totally worth the "gagging" moments and his proud smile. Now I like them, especially the saltier ones. Could eat roasted oysters all day! Mon Jan 07 19:23:12 -0800 2008 3242252 11387 nosey 1 3272595 Blue Cheese I detested the smell and was never fond of the taste. While dining at Morton's one evening with my family I noticed my mothers salad. It had a blue cheese dressing and small chunks of cheese. Nothing too fancy, but it captured my attention and made my plain old caesar seem bland. One bite and I was hooked. I asked for another and from that point on my opinion changed. Within a years time I became a real aficionado and it is one of my favorite cheeses to this day. I go to great lengths to get my Forme Sauternes (Forme d'Ambert soaked in Sauternes) any time I can! Tue Jan 08 00:19:13 -0800 2008 3242252 138259 gabby29 1 3273987 Interesting thread. I don''t feel an urge to "train" myself to eat something unless it has a high nutritional value. To me, the training concept is different than revisiting foods later down the road to see if my taste has changed. The first time I had roquefort cheese (I was 11), I had to spit it out. I tried it again at 22 and loved it. I'd rather train myself not to eat things that are nutritionally void. Tue Jan 08 11:07:33 -0800 2008 3242252 10763 Miss Needle 2 3275118 Isn't it true that taste buds die as we get older? Therefore some flavors that were too strong when we were children are now appreciated? Personally as a chowhound, I just can't abide having a whole category of foods off limits to me. So I try to get over my hangups. I can now eat and even love: mayo (in salads and such) anchovies ( when melted into things) raw onions steaks cooked medium nuts (I used to prefer fudge and cookies without) coconut wine (work in progress) cooked fruit (especially apple and peach pie. I still usually only like my own.) fruit and meat together I still have not (and can't imagine it changing): blue cheese, offal, oysters/squid, bananas, raw sushi/sashimi. However, I refuse to say that I will never like them. Tue Jan 08 15:11:25 -0800 2008 3273987 11259 Becca Porter 3 3275164 Yeah, but I don't think that's the case until after you're 40 or 50. I know adults are more sensitive to sweet things than children. I'm still in my thirties and I can eat pretty much everything (except for cucumber pickles -- I find the thread with the pickle juice nauseating). I was the pickiest young child. I couldn't/wouldn't eat: lettuce, onions, anything pickled, cucumbers, peppers, spicy food, mayo, fat on meat (even if it was marbled in), strong cheese, kimchee, vinegar, anything spicy, egg yolks, watermelon, apple, cottage cheese, cabbage, salad dressing -- the list goes on and on. I was quite the challenge for my parents. Interestingly, I loved anchovies, smellier fish, fermented black bean paste, fermented little shrimp, tripe and tongue. At the age of about six, my palate gradually expanded and I started eating a larger variety of food. Tue Jan 08 15:30:27 -0800 2008 3275118 10763 Miss Needle 1 3278673 This is going to sound weird but I think I trained myself to eat eggs. Growing up, I HATED eggs...omelettes, hard boiled, all kinds. But now I love them. I pretty much forced myself to eat them whenever my mom kept making them for my brothers so that may have done the trick. Wed Jan 09 14:57:37 -0800 2008 3242252 112406 Chew on That 2 3689523 Not that weird. As a child my BF randomly decided that eggs were nasty and that he wouldn't eat them anymore. He even told his sister that she wasn't allowed to eat eggs anymore. It wasn't until college that he began forcing himself to eat them again. Now it's only hard boiled that he won't eat. I don't know if his sister ever started eating them again... Thu May 15 08:02:28 -0700 2008 3278673 14495 viperlush 1 3278942 Broccoli, just started eating it a couple years ago. Glad I like it now as so many veggie dishes include it. But I still can't eat it raw. Wed Jan 09 16:02:49 -0800 2008 3242252 85738 libgirl2 2 4335886 The texture is ALL WRONG when broccoli is raw! It is like eating a hair brush! GAG! Sun Jan 18 00:07:14 -0800 2009 3278942 137755 Sal Vanilla 3 4343801 libgirl and sal, is the "hate-raw-broccoli" club accepting new members? my cred: even though i know i should eat some from the salad bar, i only put on two pieces, and they are ALWAYS the last thing to be eaten. come to think of it, that is sort of masochistic -- leaving the WORST for last! but, can i still get in the club? huh? can i? uh-oh....wait, it *is* good in that broccoli salad that my sister makes, like this: http://goatinacoat.blogspot.com/2008/11/recipe-box-swap-broccoli-and-peanut.html (using spanish peanuts). i had to learn to like beets for some weird 3-day diet my mom and i would do. now i love beets. Wed Jan 21 05:53:14 -0800 2009 4335886 105717 alkapal 1 3298430 Well, I must be a freak of nature! I just spent 20 minutes reading through this entire post because I could not think of anything off the top of my head, and after 111 replies, I have not had one of these foods that I did not like! Hum...no wonder about the constant weight struggle!!!!! Tue Jan 15 13:52:01 -0800 2008 3242252 61392 sparkalina 2 3298527 Not a freak of nature, sparkalina. Just someone who gets a lot of pleasure out of life. It is a good way to be.... Here's to many more good meals to come in 2008. Tue Jan 15 14:15:11 -0800 2008 3298430 89969 moh 1 3301999 I can't believe all the people who don't like olives!!! I can eat hand-fulls of the things - of any variety. Anyway to answer the question at hand: Mustard. I hated mustard as a kid. HATED it. I really can't decide how it happened, but now I love a good hearty mustard. I think at some point I realized how close it is to horseradish. I'm still not too fond of the impossibly yellow stuff from the squeeze bottle though... Wed Jan 16 13:15:34 -0800 2008 3242252 155407 Chris Newkirk 2 3302037 You know, the funny thing about the impossibly yellow stuff is that it is really good on those giant pretzels... and on corndogs. Although I love a good artisanal mustard, somehow, it just doesn't cut it on pretzels and corndogs... Wed Jan 16 13:24:04 -0800 2008 3301999 89969 moh 3 3312651 I have loved olives ever since i was little and would sneak ones out of the jar we seemed to always have in the fridge, probably saved for cocktail parties.. i like bitter anything really....sweet pickles and relishes really don't do it for me. And i love mustard. I could eat a good dijon straight from the jar. I think i have about five (at least) varieties of mustards in my fridge right now....a smoky maple one....two different dijon's....the whole seed stuff....and the regular yellow variety (used mostly when i make my mac and cheese) Sat Jan 19 16:22:44 -0800 2008 3302037 153184 im_nomad 3 4343813 i had to buy that impossibly yellow stuff for my sister's visit. it actually has it's own place in my pantheon of mustards. i use it on pretzels, yes. and with bologna on white (childhood memories), deviled eggs, tuna salad.....hot dogs. sometimes i just like its particular sharp bite. Wed Jan 21 05:57:36 -0800 2009 3302037 105717 alkapal 2 3323358 I'll never forget the day my dad came home from work and I was (10 years old) having an after school snack at the kitchen table. He looked in the bowl and began pacing and waving his hands in the air saying "50 olives??? Who gave this kid 50 olives for a snack??? Who eats 50 olives???" I think I made it my self and just dumped the whole jar in a bowl! Wed Jan 23 05:47:55 -0800 2008 3301999 61392 sparkalina 1 3312641 White milk. Chocolate milk i can handle...soy milk i like.....protein shakes etc made with milk i like.....plain old white milk in any fat percentage....really dislike it . I will however at times, force myself to drink it, because i know it's good for me in some capacity...when i'm on my health kicks. it actually grosses me out to watch people drinking glasses of white milk. Fresh milk was not introduced in our family until later in my childhood. Until then, i remember carnation evaporated milk, on cereals and such. My father loves the stuff.....but my mother hates it. She could not stomach it at all during all her pregnancies....couldn't keep it down. She jokes that she would drink one glass, and puke two (sorry !!!) So i'm sure i got it from her!! Thankfully i like lots of other dairy products and don't lack for calcium. Sat Jan 19 16:19:00 -0800 2008 3242252 153184 im_nomad 2 3609459 oh god while reading your post I gagged a little. I HATE the taste of milk and I am one of those people who loves/eats everything. I don't like chocolate milk either and soy milk is good (tastes nothing like animal milk). But yeah milk is so thick and gross and ugh I was forced to drink it as a kid and I remember gagging on it and almost throwing up everytime I had to drink it. Holding your nose while drinking it doesn't help out either Fri Apr 18 23:41:33 -0700 2008 3312641 24546 bitsubeats 1 3312694 Soy milk and not all are created equal but have learned to like it. Sat Jan 19 16:39:35 -0800 2008 3242252 52212 Lori SF 2 3606084 Black pepper. Blue cheese. Olives. Beer. Wine. Raw tomatoes. Thu Apr 17 21:34:08 -0700 2008 3312694 64882 Vetter 1 3606407 I can't recall hating anything and trying to convince myself to eat it. There are things I hate, but I have no desire to "train" myself to eat them. In fact, I'm surprised at some of the things people have pushed themselves to enjoy because a lot of those foods are expensive (e.g., lobster) or not particularly healthy or desirable for various reasons (e.g., beer). I can see getting yourself to eat vegetables and fruit or soy protein foods, but not expensive seafood or alcoholic beverages. Fri Apr 18 04:48:33 -0700 2008 3242252 98208 Orchid64 2 3606668 Olives, once i tried "real" olices as apposed to canned and tatsed quality olive oil I was hooked... Fri Apr 18 06:55:10 -0700 2008 3606407 24648 Sean 1 3607691 Bourbon. A friend of an old college boyfriend once told me bourbon wasn't a "girl thing" so I, of course, insisted on having bourbon. And of course I hated it, but I'd never let him know it, and drank it whenever he was around. I eventually developed a taste for it, and it's still my favorite spirit. I have yet to get over my dislike of olives, but perhaps if I someone told me they weren't a girl thing either I'd force my way into them. Cutting off my nose to spite my face is clearly an act with which I am familiar :) Fri Apr 18 11:37:04 -0700 2008 3242252 137495 dagwood 2 3607788 Mmmmmm.....Mint Juleps. Fri Apr 18 12:00:38 -0700 2008 3607691 184058 Tbird1980 2 3610226 Funny you said, that because as I was reading this thread I realized that something I truly hated 5 years ago, is something I've grown to love and appreciate (also because I've spent the money to try better varieties), but Scotch. Dining out at some nice steakhouses has made me appreciate Scotch. Sat Apr 19 11:22:51 -0700 2008 3607691 165800 jhopp217 1 3610076 yes, I have. I used to HATE meat. the thought of it on a plate. chewy and fatty. ick. it's not even from an animal rights standpoint, but the fact that I hated (and still hate) the taste. then I tried gyro meat. I'm a convert. I still order lobster at mortons. haha. Sat Apr 19 10:07:22 -0700 2008 3242252 175330 Halie 1 3610189 Ilove cilantro, and don't think I can go a week or two without a bleu cheese fix. I kind of agree with the olives thing. I got so tired of picking around them in certain dishes that I started to eat them. I can't say I love them to the point I'd sit down and eat 20 of them, but I do enjoy them, especially in a nice greek salad. If you can get past your bleu cheese hatred it will make meals so much more exciting, bleu cheese on salad, on burgers, on steak, on almost anything! And there are so many varieties. A nice English Stilton - there might not be a more heavenly taste. Sat Apr 19 11:02:48 -0700 2008 3242252 165800 jhopp217 1 3610868 Add me to the raw tomato club. The smell practically makes me queasy. Finally I got fed up with everyone talking about heirloom tomatoes all the time and decided to train myself to eat them. The first time was on a camping trip, where my friend toasted some sourdough bread over the campfire and then chopped up tomatoes from her garden with some garlic, fresh basil and olive oil and topped the toasted bread with it. I found it was delicious as long as I sprinkled some salt on it. Now I can eat raw tomatoes on grilled cheese sandwiches too, as long as I sprinkle a bit of salt on them. I seem to need the bread, though. Still can't do a green salad with tomatoes or caprese salad. I've never encountered brains or tripe but have no particular desire to try them. Maybe someday. I'm not wild about uni, but I'm sure if I got to have sushi more often I'd get used to it. I'll pretty much eat anything otherwise, so I'm glad I conquered the tomatoes. Sat Apr 19 17:08:38 -0700 2008 3242252 12460 Chowpatty 2 3610885 A lot of foods are better with the addition of a sprinkle of salt. I'm not talking heart failure amounts, but salt is underestimated. In combo with tomatoes = divine. Just last night at a resto I had the blandest cream of tomato soup EVER, and a sprinkle did wonders to it. It helps awaken the flavor. No need to go overboard, but undersalted food is a crime imo. Sat Apr 19 17:16:48 -0700 2008 3610868 116513 linguafood 1 3610983 No. Rather than waste time, money and meals on something I don't like until I get used to it, I prefer to eat only things that I like, or things that I have never had to findout if I like them. If I do, I continue to eat them. If not, they get added to the list of time, money and meal wasters. Sat Apr 19 18:12:15 -0700 2008 3242252 12398 SuzyInChains 2 3613715 What if you try something the first time and hate it, but it's because it was prepared poorly? If you didn't like it thr first time, you'd never try it again. I had Blue Fish once and it was terrible. Smelled terrible, looked oily, and tasted almost sour. Then I went fishing once, caught some blue, went home and soaked them in milk, and my father prepared them two different ways. Absolutely amazing. If I used your approach I would never have given it a second try. The same goes (for me) for Swordfish, pork chops, and okra. The first time I had them they were terrible. When I tried them again they were great. Sun Apr 20 22:47:35 -0700 2008 3610983 165800 jhopp217 3 3614675 Not to mention, tastes change. I hated asparagus when I was younger. Now I'm looking forward to the summer crop so I can grill them and sprinkle with a little salt and balsamic. Mon Apr 21 09:17:44 -0700 2008 3613715 58128 ajs228 1 3613259 Twice in my life that I can recall I have "trained" myself in such a way. One was with "hot" foods in general. Early on I realized that a lot of the world's food came spicy hot, and if I couldn't handle the heat I was going to miss out on things I might like. So I started using Tabasco in soups and such to build up a tolerance. Good thing I did--it opened many dishes and even whole cuisines to me that I would otherwise have missed. The second was baked potatoes loaded with sour cream and/or butter. At some point I decided that all those calories were a bad idea and I should learn to get along without them. So I started reducing the fats until now I generally prefer baked potatoes with only a bit of salt--the flavor really comes through that way. Sun Apr 20 18:53:49 -0700 2008 3242252 10668 johnb 1 3615044 For the most part, foods I hate I allow myself to roll with it. I don't particularly feel left out because I won't eat bananas or olives - however, my loathing of black pepper I decided this year was getting in the way of eating well. Not that I needed to start adding it when I cook at home, but to reject an item on a menu or at someone's home because of black pepper was becoming petty. So I'm working no over coming that aversion. I'm no where near ordering pepper steak or something, but I can order a dish that has pepper - ask for it to do done lightly and enjoy the dish. Slowly, but still working on it. In relation to blue cheese - be careful! For those of us who like it, or learn to, fantastic. But for a small group of people, blue cheese has a natural reaction that will cause you to vomit. I have a friend like this, and it's just unfortunate. It's not an exact allergy, but it's also not something I'd want to train my body to change. Mon Apr 21 10:37:52 -0700 2008 3242252 180127 cresyd 2 3616735 One of the more interesting and less known "natural" pairing of foods is strawberries with black pepper. If I were trying to train myself to like black pepper I might try it. Mon Apr 21 17:40:50 -0700 2008 3615044 10668 johnb 3 3620273 Black pepper and strawberries sounds like something I should try. I have no issue with spicy food in general, and crushed red pepper and white pepper I have no issue with. Something specific to black pepper really icks me out, but in light quantities I've been getting used to it in cream or cheese sauces. In general I feel just fine with my food dislikes, but I feel that being fussy about black pepper is getting in the way of food in general. Tue Apr 22 16:11:05 -0700 2008 3616735 180127 cresyd 4 3621452 I find strawberries with (fresh) green peppercorns to be a better combo, as the peppercorns have a soft-ish consistency... Wed Apr 23 04:49:54 -0700 2008 3620273 116513 linguafood 2 3616917 Yay, I never find people that hate bananas and olives... I don't mind being left out on these either... black pepper I have learned to like over the years; I hated how "hot and spicy" it was before, but I've gradually gotten my tongue accustomed to a little on salads, and actually find that my tongue looks for the bite and craves pepper on some things. Blue cheese... yep that's me that has the gag reflex response :-/ Mon Apr 21 18:38:52 -0700 2008 3615044 15572 Emme 3 3617625 I'm so happy that other people don't like (or used to not like) black pepper! I never use it, but I love crushed red pepper, so it's not like I don't like the spiciness. I just don't like the flavor. I also don't like bananas...well, I don't like eating them straight. Banana bread is fine. I don't HATE them, but I will not go out of my way to eat them. I do like blue cheese and olives, though. I used to love green olives so much when I was younger that I would sort of suck on them for a couple of minutes until they got soft, letting my whole mouth experience the flavor and then finally chew and eat them. Weird, I know! Tue Apr 22 03:02:11 -0700 2008 3616917 66556 Solstice444 1 3621644 Thought about this even more, and realized that the one thing I taught myself to like, was the smell of curry. I always liked the taste, but couldn't get past the smell. It was bad, to the point where I would smell it and become violently ill. I slowly got past the smell, and now I love it (the taste, still have times where the smell gets me). Wed Apr 23 06:47:09 -0700 2008 3242252 165800 jhopp217 2 3635405 Just out of curiosity, how were you able to get past the smell to even discover that you liked the taste in the first place? Sun Apr 27 23:20:22 -0700 2008 3621644 58128 ajs228 3 3682869 I somewhat had to. My brother loved it, and my mother cooked with it for him. I was forced! Tue May 13 10:34:41 -0700 2008 3635405 165800 jhopp217 1 3621974 Leeks, licorice, and sprouts. For each, one day I decided my dislike was arbitrary and flipped my vote on them. Wed Apr 23 08:16:32 -0700 2008 3242252 72351 Minger 1 3676961 foie gras - still don't love it, but can enjoy it I trained myself to eat it when I was much younger. I think I did it as a response to an internalized sort of peer pressure: it's on the menus of so many "good" restaurants, people rave about how wonderful it is, there must be something wrong with me not to like it. Nowadays I would never consider training myself to ingest something I don't like. There are so many other choices, why bother? I've never liked alcohol. When I was younger, I tried to train myself to at least tolerate beer and wine for social reasons, now I just avoid them. Sun May 11 13:11:09 -0700 2008 3242252 48389 racer x 2 3678007 I'm sure many hairs will curl but I am with you about the foie. Since it is a part of almost every fine dining tasting menu I keep trying and trying to like it. Unfortunately I haven't even been able to get to the point where I enjoys it. I have been successful on many other fronts. I hated seafood until about 4 years ago and now I love it, sushi, oysters, snails, anything really. Another was wine. Now I have really developed a taste for many varieties and love the wonderful flavors when paired with the right food. But no matter how many times I try foie gras I don not like it. I hope one day their will be a turn around. Sun May 11 21:57:43 -0700 2008 3676961 183241 misnatalie 2 3680976 Man. I wouldn't need to enjoy the taste of wine to enjoy wine. I am absolutely not able to eat foie in certain perparations, but crave it in others. I find it inedible when cold and plain, but if you sear it, or if it is in a terrine mixed with other ingredients, I love it. It's an ingredient that can be sublime or awful, IMO. And I'm quite sure many restaurants get it horribly wrong. Mon May 12 18:15:40 -0700 2008 3676961 35409 uptown jimmy 1 3681037 Gosh, I think I am late to the party but had to chime in on a few things: - Jeffrey Steingarten wrote a book, "The Man Who Ate Everything". The intro. covers his 6 step program to, as he states, "liberate my palate and my soul". It had me in stitches... completely hilarious. It is a definite must read for CHs. - A few people mentioned this but your taste buds do change as you grow. It is related to your hormone levels as well. My daughter is well trained in that just because she didn't like something last year doesn't mean she won't like it this year. If your hormone levels are high so are your taste buds. Try giving broccoli rabe or anything that has strong bitter flavors to a teenager or a pregnant woman. - My personal things I can't get past... they are all texture issues: fresh coconut in desserts, tripe and weird meat parts. - My daughter, age 11, eats everything except cooked Spinach, arugula, broccoli rabe and coconut. She will only eat brussel sprouts if they are bathed in pork fat. Thank God!! Mon May 12 18:40:21 -0700 2008 3242252 180467 WineUnleashed 2 3697743 Highly interesting thread. I had difficulty learning to like avocados when I was young, can you imagine? That was definitely textural...fatty, greasy, etc. All my adult life fatty and greasy have been my nemesis, I can eat a pig snout to tail, foie gras by the pound, butter with a spoon, etc,etc..I must have really learned something from avocados. As a child, yellow squash reminded me of something found in a diaper and I had to wait a long time before I learned to like that one. Offal was never a problem for me, don't know why. I guess meat was meat. I did get sick on tacos in Mexico once and all I tasted for 3 days was cilantro. I never thought about it before then and it did take me some time to be able to eat it again but I gradually accepted it. I have noticed many people have an aversion to olives and I've never understood that except maybe the oil..similar to avocados? Now, wait, if ever anyone gets sick from a food while pregnant, it's a pretty good bet they won't forget that one. Barley soup, yuk, akin to maggots. Texture wise, I can do without lima beans, peanuts, coconut and soy products...all starchy and I'm not a big carb fan. So are the aversions mostly distasteful associations or textural issues? or both? Something that smells bad is not easy to get down and stay down. I'm pretty lucky that I'm not a picky eater and am happy to have eaten a great variety of foods. Sat May 17 23:05:10 -0700 2008 3681037 23178 P Macias 1 3698233 When I was trying to lose weight a few years ago, I started leaving the cheese off of my burgers and sandwiches and leaving parmesan off of my pasta or soup. I've tried going back to eating those things with cheese now that I'm no longer on such a strict diet, but I've found that I basically trained myself not to like it anymore. Sun May 18 09:15:46 -0700 2008 3242252 179924 Al_Pal 2 3699208 Oh, I find that so sad. I always tell people... you need to nurture your taste buds. When I go on diets I find that my taste buds begin to atrophy. Then everything begins to taste lively and bright! Sun May 18 16:40:02 -0700 2008 3698233 180467 WineUnleashed 3 3699314 I feel the pain, buy I do agree. You grow away from certain tastes, but with a little practice you embrace those old tastes. For me unfortunatelly, I got heavy again Sun May 18 17:21:03 -0700 2008 3699208 165800 jhopp217 1 4334813 I read in a bathroom reader one time that you can learn to like anything after you eat it 14 times. It worked for me for dill pickles. My buddy hates dill pickles, so i told him about my experience, and he replied that there's no way he wants to put himself through 14 times of hating them just to like them. He had a good point! Olives and "fishy" fish are next for me! Sat Jan 17 12:46:54 -0800 2009 3242252 258077 Chaz272 1 4335881 Sea urchin eggs. I am still working on it. My husband loves them and gets downright testy when I refuse one even if it is still chilling out in the urchin. I try. I gag. Sun Jan 18 00:05:04 -0800 2009 3242252 137755 Sal Vanilla 2 4336655 Sea urchin roe! They are unfreakingbelievably scrumpdillyicious! I say it every time I read such things. ;-) Just kidding, but in fact, I admire your tenacity - keep trying. Does it help to know that it's not really roe but the gonads or sex organs of the critter you're eating? And don't expect an answer from OP, she hasn't posted in a year, not long after moving to DC from Boston. Sun Jan 18 11:13:39 -0800 2009 4335881 10312 applehome 1 4335895 Am I the only one saying to her/himself: "What? No to cilantro (olives, cheese...)? How can this be possible? They are unfreakingbeliebably scrumpdillyicious! I say it every time I read such things. Oysters I get (they look weird and thnking about chewing then and what the guts look like... yeh, I get that. I love them, but I understand. But it is as foreign to me to hate cilantro (etc) as say... to hate champagne! OK - I must go lie down with a cold compress now. Sun Jan 18 00:13:53 -0800 2009 3242252 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4914004 Broccoli, because it prevents cancer. Mon Aug 03 13:30:59 -0700 2009 3242252 1098706 Emilyishere