Food that Most People Love and You Don't...

[kobetobiko]

Hi my chowhound friends,

What are some food that most people love but you feel you really enjoy as much as they do? For me, chickpeas, lentils, and tamales are some that I can think of. The first two were food that I never even encountered until I came to the States. While most of my friends love them, and they will go out their ways to find really good falafels or lentil soups, put chickpeas and lentils in their salad, I just never really like them that much. I mean, I have had what they called the best falafel in Manhattan and I am sure there are even better ones out there, but I don't think I will ever go crazy about them (and I love fried food)

Same for tamales. I have friends that crave for them, but I never feel that I love them. I don't dislike them, but they will not be my choice if other alternatives are availalble.

I just think in these cases my personal taste doesn't agree with others, because most people love them like I love sushi or very good pasta.

So what about you? What are some of the food that are very commmonly loved by your friends but you don't?

[plasticanimal]

Anything with liquid smoke in it would taste better without liquid smoke in it.

[calmossimo]

tiramisu
cheesecake
red velvet cake, especially in cupcake form
most alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, and hard liquor
pancakes - i prefer waffles, will make do with french toast... pancakes are meh
raw tomatoes
avocados
cooked fish (salmon in particular -- i'm from seattle and people are appalled that i won't eat salmon) but weirdly enough, i do enjoy small amounts of salmon sashimi... and i will eat canned sardines and tuna
spaghetti (i think it's mostly the sauce)
most chain pizzas -- i like breadsticks from almost any chain though; again, i think it's the sauce

[msgenie516]

I tried to keep my list to include things that I feel most other people would like but I don’t. This doesn’t necessarily mean things I hate or would never eat, but things I wouldn’t go out of my way to look for.

So here goes…

Hot dogs (I don’t hate them but they’re just not a favorite)

Veal (Just does nothing for me.)

Potatoes (Except the French Fries from Nathans)

Pasta

Mint (That is something I really don’t like)

Mustard (Only use it for two things, hot dogs but I must also have sauerkraut--if no sauerkraut, I’ll eat the hot dog plain--and I put it in with a baked beans recipe that I make.)

Strawberries

Blueberries (I think this comes from having to go blueberry picking when I was young, and I HATED that.)

Bananas

Bread (The only way I like it is fresh from the oven with butter when I make it myself. I even eat my smoked salmon with cream cheese on crackers.)

Pizza (I can enjoy it if the crust is super thin and crisp--goes back to not liking bread, I guess--I also like it when I make it myself.)

Root beer

Colas

Water (Just tastes like nothing, rather have some fruit juice.)

Beer (Well, sometimes. I have to have the right food to go with it such as something nutty or clams on the half shell.)

Sandwiches (Usually, I just rather eat the cold cuts out of the package without bread. But I do have a couple of favorites, ham and Swiss on a hero with lettuce, tomato, onions, oil and vinegar, and an Italian style hero with lettuce, tomato, onions, oil and vinegar. Also the same with rare thin-sliced roast beef. And I like a good shrimp or egg salad on white bread. But usually I leave some of the bread behind, the less consumed, the better.)

White meat poultry (Usually, too dry. Maybe I would give it a try on a Capon.)

Calamari

Bologna

Meatloaf (Unless it’s made with LOTS of onions.)

Goat Cheese (Had it once and it was dreadful but I would give it another try.)

A1 Steak Sauce (Nasty! I have no idea how that stuff stayed on the market so long.)

Starbucks Coffee (Just vile.)

McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, White Castle, Checkers, and similar places. (I’m assuming many people like those places as there are so many of them, but I REALLY don‘t like any of them.)

[MoxieLouise]

Unfortunately my list is pretty short. I also dislike sushi. And...coleslaw, coffee, beer, sweet&sour sauce, beets, liver, pate, caviar, and raw cabbage. I like cooked cabbage and raw carrots but hate raw cabbage and cooked carrots. Oh, and don't EVER mix my peanut butter and my chocolate in any form!

[Acantha]

lavender, violets or any other flower people say are edible. No.

chocolate with peanuts, peanut butter, or citrus flavors. Blech.

[shell22]

I pride myself on being someone who loves all kinds of food and willing to try most, but I cannot tolerate mushrooms and most everyone I know loves them! I have tried them many, many times over the years and cannot develop a taste for them. I grew up in a household where they were put into everything and I spent years picking them out of stuff! The odor, the texture...yuck!

I would not go out of my way for:

Sushi (or any Japanese food - love Thai and Chinese)
Lobster (texture again...love crab and shrimp)

[jsandler]

Bacon and peanut butter. I find simply the smell of either very offensive.

[Wawsanham]

Most people love french fries and I can take or leave them--I certainly don't dream about them, and go months without eating one. I'm not overly fond of mashed potatoes either. The third one people seem to love and are "in" are bagels. I find them to squishy and soft for my taste. Though, in Poland, they have something called a "bajgiel" sold on the street that is basically a ring (more "hole" than dough) and is hard and crunchy--that's good.

[twinkey]

cheese,,hate it will not eat it.. no way.. no kind. cooked or not.. pizza no cheese is the only way i will eat it. --- no cheese,.. nope none at all

[oldunc]

Mayonaise. I've struggled with this one for years; it's hard to avoid the stuff. In a last gasp effort years ago, I tried with free range eggs, first rate olive oil, hand stirred with a wooden spoon in a stone crock- still tasted like mayo.

[DishinWIthDaisy]

Ketchup, A1, Steak sauce, and those sweet bread and butter pickles. Where did they even get their name?!

[Cliocooks]

Perhaps I've missed it, but I don't think anyone has mentioned arugula. So I guess I am the only person who hates it. So many restaurant salads sound wonderful until they get to the arugula.

[Emme]

nope. don't like it either. too peppery. my stepdad loves it. i've watched him eat it out of the bag, ripped open in the car.

[buttertart]

Mesquite-grilled fish as was v popular in the 80's in the Bay Area. Nasty sort of calamine lotion taste and smell.

[inaplasticcup]

Bacon. I'll eat it, but if they stopped making bacon, I wouldn't be looking for a recipe to make my own.

[kpaxonite]

you use a recipe to make bacon? lol

[inaplasticcup]

See what I mean? I cook all kinds of crap and bacon is so low on the list I'd need a recipe.

What would it be, anyway?

1) Bury pork belly in salt.
2) Come back in a year.

[Ned_Detroit]

Raw tomatoes, with the exception of tart cherry or grape tomatoes and plum tomatoes, most of the heirloom varieties disgust me and beefsteaks are the worst of all. I'm also not too fond of fungi, loathe most of them really, especially those awful portabellos. Runny eggs. mayonnaise and most cream based sauces aren't much to my liking either, though I am fond of small amounts of mayo as an ingredient in other sauces and dressings, usually compounded with mustard, horseradish, miso or chilis or some combination thereof.

[SeaotterJr]

Pork tenderloin, boneless chicken breasts and lean ground beef. No fat - no taste!

[lizabu]

Most people like coffee but I can't stand it. Truffles disgust me as does truffle oil. I don't like black licorice but I think a lot of people don't like black licorice.

[DeaH]

For me, it's mashed potatoes. I like potatoes. But, when they're mashed, I find the mouth-feel disgusting. Add enough water, cream, or broth to make it a soup, and I'm fine. Thicken it and bake or fry it into potato cakes, and this is fine with me, too. I just have a problem with the texture. Mashed makes me feel like I am going to choke.

By the way, my problem with mashed or purred extends to other vegetables, too. My mom purred rutabagas, parsnips, and turnips. I hated 'em. As an adult, I roast these veggies, and I love them. Parsnips are actually my favorite root vegetable.

[Neta]

The first thing that comes to mind is goat cheese. It is the most putred taste of all. And anything else made with goat's milk is equally disgusting (cajeta). It seems to be so popular and I just can't imagine why.

[Maggie Larkin]

beets, mushrooms, brussle sprouts, veal, tongue

i also have some weird quirks i have accepted. i love cheese but HATE cheesecake, also i like all tomato products (salsa, tom sauce) but won't eat slices of tomatoes on a sandwich or in a salad. i chalk it up to a texture issue :)

[BobB]

Sun-dried tomatoes.

[buttertart]

Man oh man, me too. I have never liked those, and I love tomatoes every other way. Nasty waste of tomatoes.

[mollydingle]

I know I'm in the minority with this. I really don't care for garlic. I feel a little ( a very little) goes a LONG way and sadly, many folks overuse and overcook it....
one of the very few foods that make me actively gag.

[Ottojr]

Lima Beans - Loath these

Kidney Beans

Anchovy, Sardines and any fishy fish

Sunny Side Eggs. The taste of Yolk brings a funny taste to my mouth.

Gamey Meat

White Wine

Processed Meat

Dijon Mustards

[cookiequeen2]

- whipped cream (no taste, weird sensation as it sits in your mouth..)
- milk other than out of the fridge cold and that means no hot chocolate either
- meat combined with fruit (keep mine separate from each other!)
- rosemary (those nasty bits that always get stuck in my throat)
-

[loveballet101]

cold cuts on sandwiches (ham, sliced turkey, salami EW)
avocados
american cheese
tuna (and most fish, but tuna actually repulses me)
milk chocolate (though i'll eat it if in combination with some good caramel or another flavor...far too sweet on its own)

[Motosport]

Meatloaf!!
Everyone seems to like meatloaf but I can not stand the taste of baked chopped meat.
I don't like liver either but I am guessing that is not something most people love.

[buttertart]

Big nothenkyeu to meatloaf here too, and not cold in sandwiches either, nuh-uh.

[dinnerwithfox]

-Green tea/herbal teas

-Soups..just dont do it for me, never have. Canned soups are just disgusting

-Chocolate and cheese, I'm pretty indifferent to both

-Indian cusine, dont like it and I probably never will

-Red wine, mainly because it gives me massive headaches straight away

-Any dressing/sauce that comes from a can/jar. I'd rather just make it myself or have nothing

-Cakes/cupcakes/frosting - I dont enjoy eating them at all and wont (but I love sweet things
and have the biggest sweet tooth out of anyone I know haha)

- Ohhh! A big one NO ONE understands is cheesecake, I hate cheesecake/cream cheese
it's far to claustrophic when eating. But ricotta cheesecake, I do like sometimes

[linguafood]

claustrophobic cheesecake? explain.

[dinnerwithfox]

Hard to explain, similar to the feeling of eating peanut butter is the best example I can give. Gives a claustrophobic mouth feeling, some cheesecakes anyway!

[bunnyone]

I think I know what you mean... heavy, dense, sticks your mouth together.

[Erin.H]

Tomatoes, I just cannot bring myself to eat a tomato they look good on salads and sandwiches but I just can't seem to do it!

[Johnny West]

I had a Labrador Retriever that loved watermelon
and apples. He'd only eat apples if I gave them to
him, though.

I'm not real fond of peanut butter cookies.

[Antilope]

We had a Dalmatian that loved raw potatoes. In the kitchen, we had a 3-legged vegetable/fruit stand/basket. In the lowest level we kept the potatoes. I walked into the kitchen one day and Spooky was chowing down on a raw potato, peel and all. He passed away last year at 14. He would have a potato about once a month when the mood hit him. Now we have two Chihuahua's. The little female, Mocha, loves salad without dressing (lettuce, carrots, broccoli slaw, tomatoes, canned pineapple). Careful with onions and garlic. They are both bad for dogs (along with chocolate, grapes and raisins).

[buttertart]

Mental image of Dalmatian with look on face meaning "hmm...come to think of it, a potato would go good right about now". Cute!

[chefathome]

There is very little I do not like:
- cottage cheese
- tapioca
- coffee
- beer
- marshmallows

[ZenSojourner]

Parmesan cheese in cans, that used to be sprinkled over everything even remotely Italian when I was a kid. Smelled like puke to me. I'm pretty sure the fresh stuff is totally different, but I've never worked up the nerve to give it a shot.

Anything carbonated. I don't get the attraction to sucking down colored sugar water that burns your tongue and makes you belch.

Beer. Can't abide it. Bleah!

Mushrooms. Remind me of liver. See the thread about the worst food you HAD to eat as a kid if you care about why.

Steak. I won't eat anything that isn't cooked ALL THE WAY THROUGH. If I hear one more person tell me that cooking a steak ruins it, I swear I'll scream. Filet Mignon is the only cut I could ever tolerate (virtually no fat or gristle or other steakly unpleasantness, and yes, I experience these things even in the Very Best Cuts of Meat so don't tell me they're not there) and I don't get that anymore because when I order it well done the cooks go ballistic and burn it on purpose to get revenge. You CAN cook a filet mignon well done without drying it out or burning it, if it gets ruined you're either incompetent or you did it on purpose. And if you did it on purpose, as far as I'm concerned, you're STILL incompetent, because what kind of a cook burns something on purpose in a fit of pique? Especially at THAT price. Especially when it's been filleted so it'll cook through.

This of course means that I don't bother to attend any dinner where the main course is prime rib, because it always comes bloody and I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole.

[noodlepoodle]

ZenSojourner, just so you know, there are some restaurants out there that, when a mistake is made and a steak is overdone, they put the steak aside and when someone orders a steak well-done it is regrilled and plated for your eating enjoyment. I think if I liked my meat well done I would only eat it at home.

[snippet]

Seems everyone likes avocados but me. I even order sushi without and won't go near guac.

[Antilope]

When I was a child, my whole family would chow down on cantaloupe but I couldn't stand the taste of the stuff. I really like watermelon, so it's not a texture thing. I still won't eat cantaloupe, even though my wife loves it.

I also think that lobster is a waste of good butter, but I like shrimp, crab and most fish. Scallops don't do anything for me. I don't like their texture and to me, they are tasteless.

I don't like thyme. Fresh or dried, it tastes and smells like pencil shavings to me. Even the sample at a Penzeys store smells bad to me.

I like green beans but I hate green bean casserole. I like green beans with butter or garlic or in a three bean salad. I like fried onions and I like canned cream of mushroom soup. I just don't like them combined into "that" dish.

I hate papaya, it's smell and flavor remind me of a cat box.

Brussel-Sprouts just taste bad. They are a waste of the dirt they grow in. But I like cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.

Beer eh. I'd rather have a cold Coke, iced tea or iced coffee.

I don't like duck. To me it's just a mouthfull of tasteless grease. However, I like bacon, things fried in lard, etc, so it's not just the fat.

Snails bleah. They taste like garlic flavored pieces of chewy rubber.

I do like beets, liver, mushrooms, broccoli, cilantro, Sushi, hard boiled eggs, blue cheese, asparagus, Spam, yogurt, cranberry sauce, So go figure.

[buttertart]

I'm with you on the thyme. It can spoil a whole dish quite easily.

[thew]

watermelon and cantaloupe don't have the same texture at all. watermelon is a lot less dense.

[golightly01]

Agreed on this one...

Hate cantaloupe. Love watermelon.

Cantaloupe is slimy and has an uncomfortable... how do I describe it..."metallic" taste to me. I want so badly to like it -- it looks so beautiful for breakfast! I keep trying, but BLECH!

Watermelon, on the other hand, is sweet and straightforward. Its texture is slightly grainy... when cold, it's like a softened granita. YUM!

[Antilope]

I've noticed a strange thing about cantaloupe, most cats that we have owned love it. Give it a try, offer a piece of cantaloupe to a cat, chances are the cat will eat it.

[buttertart]

We had a dear one who didn't eat the melon itself but loved canteloupe gelato.
I love all melons (especially really musky ones), but he will only eat honeydew and watermelon. Doesn't like bananas or mangoes either, it's the muskiness he doesn't like.

[golightly01]

My cats LOVE cantaloupe. They also love kiwi and watermelon. Strange...

And, thanks, Buttertart -- you may have put something together here for me. I, too, only like honeydew and watermelon. I don't like cantaloupe, bananas or mangos -- all have an odd flavor to me -- almost "metallic" like I stated above. Particularly mangos!

I'm guessing it is a flavor trait that they might share... I'm not a picky eater at all, but these few items are really hard for me to eat.

[buttertart]

Who knows, maybe it's a genetic thing like cilantro. But he likes cilantro.

[alkapal]

my cats adored cantaloupe and honeydew. we even caught one gnawing on the rinds!

[EWSflash]

I had a cat that loved cantaloupe, too. He also ate the pansies right off the plants. Silly cat.

[alkapal]

a flower child.....

[globocity]

Bacon
Lasagna
Meat loaf (not sure MOST people love this, but many of my friends and family members do)

[janbo19]

mushrooms.

[RealMenJulienne]

I almost never eat anything sweet by choice. Desserts, candy, soda, and fresh fruit are not things I ever order or buy. But every couple weeks or so I get a huge craving for a soda or fruit juice, and I think it's my body's way of forcing me to consume some necessary sugar.

Pretty much all non-fish seafood I can take or leave. Lobster, crab, shrimp, octopus, squid, clams, oysters, etc, I'll eat them but I don't understand why people pay top dollar for them.

Pasta, well I respect the knowledge of people who are passionate about pasta, talking about the semolina flavor of the noodle, cooking to al dente, and letting the pasta be the star of the dish, but I honestly have no idea what they're talking about. To me pasta is a reason to eat some tasty sauce.

[Cheez62]

Licorice, meaning black, anice flavored licorice. I often tell people that licorice is the only food I really dislike. Beyond that, I read down through this entire thread with wide eyes, amazed at all of the "regular" food that people don't like! I'm not criticizing those who dislike the things mentioned, just amazed! I'm going to have to start asking others about many of these items mentioned...I can't believe I've found this on the most "foodie" site I know of.......

[jenniferlove]

Celery -- definitely a texture thing. You know how sometimes when it rains, snails come out onto the sidewalks (well, I'm in Southern CA and they do here). When you step on one by accident, that *crunch* underfoot is what celery reminds me of. I have to pick it out of everything I eat.

Mushrooms
Licorice
Sushi
Green peppers (which is odd, because I love jalapeno and pepperoncini)
Beer
Most processed snacks and foods, I find them way too sweet (must be the corn syrup, as I prefer kosher Coke or Mexican Coke to Coke made here in the US, with HFCS). Sugar has a "cleaner" sweetness to me. Pop tarts and Hostess snack cakes are probably the most vile things on the shelves to me. But give me a home baked brownie every single time. I'm not adverse to sweets, I just think processed foodstuffs have too much of it.

[dothepuyallup]

Bread Pudding - it's a texture thing
Anything with Chervil

[Passadumkeg]

OK, my turn to whine. American commercial chicken. It tastes off to me, like it is old or filled w/ a chemical flavor. I used to eat a lot of chicken when I lived in Europe and South America, but when I returned chicken tasted "off". Has any one else found this?
Two years ago , when visiting our son in Costa Rica, we ate chicken and I found it delicious and fresh tasting. We just returned from a week in Orange County, Cal w/ my bro & SIL. My SIL is a rather picky eater (only fish that doesn't taste like fish), she ordered chicken frequently, and I took a tast and we surpirzed about the terrible old and off flavor.
Carpe chow, try new and different foods. Chicken hearts and legs rule! Gizzards too. Go figure
edit: As many know I'm omniverous except for Spam, Pop Tarts, processed foods and chains.

[lcool]

some would say nearly the same about US factory pork and eggs

[Passadumkeg]

Beef too. I sent my son some beef jerky, as per his request, to Seoul for Xmas. The Korean customs authorities incinerated it. US beef and poultry is illegal in the EU and Japan. How's that make one feel?

[thew]

many foods are banned for import in many nations for reasons having far more to do with protecting the local economy than issues of health, much less taste

[c oliver]

Good point. And I'm betting that's the reason more often than any other, whether stated or not.

[Passadumkeg]

I was referring to the EU and Japan, not the rest of the world:
"Since 1989, the EU has prohibited meat imports from cattle treated with growth hormones. U.S. producers of beef from animals not treated with hormones may export to the European Union. The cattle must come from an EU-approved source and must be slaughtered in a slaughterhouse that has been approved by the Union for handling untreated beef." Most US beef, except for organic, contain hormonal residues. These are pretty strict requirements and expensive for the US exporter.
ps the Korean Gov't nearly fell last year after being pressured by the US to allow the importation of US beef.

[BamiaWruz]

Chocolate covered strawberries - I don't get it, at all.

[buttertart]

Me neither. I hate chocolate and strawberry together. Almost any other fruit, OK, but strawberry and chocolate taste vomitous to me.

[Emme]

i don't like strawberries to begin with, but can't stand fruit and chocolate together in general. IMO, combining them does a good job of ruining both. i don't like oranges or orange flavors (generally, there are a few exceptions where it's a hint in a reduction), so the idea of those big chocolate oranges that you smash into wedges simply baffles me.

[buttertart]

I actually like orange with chocolate a lot, sour cherry, pear, and raspberry too. It's really just strawberry (and lemon, which you don't often see anyway) that I can't stand. Too acid perhaps? Also a cherry cordial candy is about the last chocolate I would reach for.

[BobB]

I have nothing against strawberries or oranges but I agree with you, chocolate and fruit combined diminishes them both. Call me a purist - you won't be the first! ;-)

[bulavinaka]

Chocolate-covered orange peels are one my favorite chocolate items. Made properly, I find them hard to beat. My local go-to place in LA is Chocolat in West LA. They fly them in from Belgium and are amazing.

I think the trick is water. Remove water from the equation and chocolate and fruit can easily coalesce with each other. A fresh strawberry seems to repel the chocolate when bitten into. I can imagine a freeze-dried strawberry working far better.

[BamiaWruz]

Yes, I agree with you !!! The water or moist wet part is yucky, makes the chocolate taste weird and dew develops on it, doesn't seem right to me.

I love a good fruit and nut chocolate and often make my own, dried fruit is wonderful with chocolate imho.

Those orange peels sound amazing!!! I want some!

[Jet]

Boy, Buttertart, sounds, again, like me talking about my Foodie proclivities & idiosyncrasies!
How do you keep getting inside my head!? -Jeannette

[buttertart]

Separated at birth? ;-)

[GTAMOM2]

Coffee
Beer
Olives
Lamb

[Island]

Milk
Coffee including the smell of it
Salmon
I like cheese in things, melted, thin slice on a sandwich or grated over my pasta, but I couldn't eat a cube of the stuff alone or a blob on a cracker.

[exotec]

I wholeheartedly agree with many of the items already posted ...

chickpeas
tamales
sushi (it's the cold rice that gags me)
beer (although I love the smell - go figure)
wines, except rare ones for cooking
liquor in general, I guess
offal! blech!
tomatoes
broccoli & family
tofu
coffee - real or just the flavoring (although I love the smell of this, too)
poultry breast - too dry
chocolate (I just don't get the attraction)
heavy sweets
fishy fish, strongly flavored (tuna is CAT FOOD!!!)
hot-spicy foods Bobby Flay drives me crazy :-(
milk (it's the "perfect food" ... for CALVES)
anything which:
> looks back at you (whole fish);
>you have to eat its last meal, too (oysters, clams);
>has sucker feet
and while this isn't a taste issue, those "artsy" little food arrangements of half an ounce of edibles on a serving-platter sized plate annoy me endlessly

And NO - I'm not skinny! Just picky.

[Emme]

ha, i feel the same way about coffee - i don't like the taste at all, but the smell of it, especially in coffee shops as they're grinding the beans.... mmmmm.

you don't like cold rice, so sushi is out, but do you like sashimi at all? (i'm guessing it may conflict with your dislike of fishy fish... tho i dislike fishy fish, and LOVE sashimi - albacore and ahi tuna especially (raw tuna is very different than canned), and halibut is good as well, but i dislike yellowtail and salmon (hate salmon in every form actually))

agree with a dislike for tofu, but i think a lot of people feel this way... i just don't care for the texture or the flavor (they say it takes on whatever flavors you cook it with, but i think no matter *what* you cook it with, it still tastes like TOFU WITH whatever).

[JamieK]

I do believe a lot of people like things like chocolate, coffee, wine, beer and poultry but offal? Most people like offal? Don't think so.

[Sam Fujisaka]

What do you like and normally eat?

[alkapal]

seriously!

[linguafood]

my guess is chicken fingers and fries '-)

[exotec]

I like certain beef types - marinated flank steak (my own marinade) never lasts more than one meal here; I like dark meat chicken (again, done to my own recipe), I'm a carb junkie so far as *hot* rice is concerned ... although I'm on a screwball diet which cuts out any such joys. I love most fresh veggies (broccoli family excluded) and fruits (again, not on the diet :-( ), I'm something of a cheeseaholic. I'll "cheat" for that! I like pork if it's not overcooked. I like mutton, which you can't get here; I'm okay with the taste of lamb, but the gelatinous stuff in it sort of repulses me. I'll eat the chops. I like salads. So you see, I'm getting plenty to eat! I just have a lot of "lines" drawn for what it is! ... and no, chicken fingers aren't real food, are they? what IS that stuff? other than chemical aftertaste, I mean.

[linguafood]

what's gelatinous stuff in lamb?

[BobB]

(S)he could be referring to the cartilage in a slow-braised leg or shank of lamb - YUM!

[exotec]

Yeah - that's what I mean. I guess I expect it in the shanks ... I just don't care for it much in the roasted leg. Besides, that's too much meat for 2 people anyway! It circumvents the whole matter to just buy chops. :)

[flavrmeistr]

I dunno-lanolin?

[debbha]

cilantro
beer
MINT - hate it!!!
bananas

[link_930]

Butter. Smells like feet. Ergo, avoid move theaters because popcorn = butter. *Shudder. I don't care if food has butter in it as long as I can't smell or taste it, i.e. hollandaise sauce.

[thew]

that stuff the put on popcorn in theaters is NOT butter. Butter does not smell like that.

[bklynbiker]

Lobster. Marshmallow. Anything maple flavored (no wonder I left New England!)

[maven13]

Cheese - though I buy a ton of it since my SO adores all chese. I like mild cheeses so long as they're in something. Can't eat cheese by itself. I wish I did. I adore wine and I know cheese is supposed to go so well with wine. Oh well.

Eggs - can only stomach them if they're scrambled and I have bacon, hash browns and toast nearby. Can't even stand the smell of hard-boiled eggs.

Lobster - had my first lobster in Maine where it's supposed to be the best. Couldn't understand what all the fuss is about. Tasted rubbery and fishy to me. Looked like a gigantic bug sitting on my plate that I was expected to tear to pieces in order to eat. Ick.

[joelmc]

Don't need an argument from anyone about how great these things are (this is simply my personal taste). A few of my "unfavorite things" are garlic, raw tomatoes, cucumber, melons, shellfish.

[nomadchowwoman]

Milk. Green olives. Raw green bell pepper. Raw mushrooms. Dill.

[EWSflash]

I can eat a green bell pepper by itself, but green pepper in a dish just makes everything taste like green pepper, not one of my favorite nuances at all. Red ones are fine.

[flavrmeistr]

Cooked onions. Dill in any form. Can't handle either of these things.

[marneybrown]

Meatloaf...of any kind, any place, any way....YUCK!

Black Licorice. I can't smell it or I gag.

Beer...it's just nasty.

[magie]

Coffee
Pineapple
Celery
Lettuce
I can't even stand the smell of them. I want to like them though... They look tasty. But I gag big time if any of them are in the foods I eat.

[linguafood]

Lettuce surprises me. Doesn't have a particularly strong smell....

[relizabeth]

Crustaceans: in 7th grade we collected,killed and labeled arthropods. Their proximity to spiders really freaks me out. I'm ok with other seafood, though.
Rosemary: I just don't like it. I'd rather it wasn't used, or was used VERY sparingly.
Chicken: I used to like it, but now would rather not eat it at all.
Soft white sandwich bread: I think I read too many crafts for your dollhouse that started with "take a piece of fresh white bread and squish it until it is pasty"
Poultry: it jsut doesn't appeal to me at all.

[woodleyparkhound]

For me, my number one most-hated food is watermelon. I can't be in the same room with someone who is eating it because of the smell. I can't eat a fruit salad if there are chunks of it in there - it makes all the other fruits taste like watermelon.

A notch below watermelon are any other types of melon; I hate them all. If "served with seasonal fruits" appears on a restaurant menu, I always have to ask if that means melon, because it usually does.

I love fresh corn on the cob in summer, served PIPING hot with butter and salt. I hate corn served any other way.

I can't stand rose water, which makes ordering dessert in an Indian restaurant tricky.

Plain chick peas - yuck. But when blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic in hummus, they are fine.

Cucumber - I can pick chunks out of salads, but if it's cut so fine that I can't pick it out, I can't eat the salad.

There are lots of other foods I'd rather not eat, but will eat, especially if I am hungry and they are put in front of me!

[BobB]

Interesting - cucumbers and melons are close cousins, I wonder if there's some kind of chemical allergy going on there.

[woodleyparkhound]

I've never experienced any kind of allergic reaction - it's just a flavor thing (not a texture thing).

[racer x]

Right with you on rosewater. Blech!

[Jet]

I have always hated the smell & artificial taste of Root-Beer. I also hate processed American Cheese, doughy Kilpatricks/Wonder/Weber-Type Bread, Brussel-Sprouts, Grape Juice (the purple kind that most kids liked), Kiwi, meat-loaf,& Bologne. Oh, also those disgusting Rice-Krispy Treats. I grew up with European parents who didn't really open cans or buy much Americana-Style Food, which is probably partially why I'm a terrible food-snob. I love fresh strawberries, fresh cherries & chocolate, but can't stomach these things when they are combined. -JET

[Dio Seijuro]

Huh? Some replies are simply listing things they don't like to eat without bothering to filter it down to stuff most people like. I'll try to only list what I think most people like.

-fowl breasts...no preparation can make it as tender, juicy, and flavorful as the dark meats.
-queso cheese dip (and various dishes that utilize them)
-raw tomatoes. I love them cooked though.
-typical brunch dishes...I don't hate them, but people seem to think there's something magical to brunch.
-salads in general. I'll eat them if tasty and offered automatically. I'll never specifically *want* to eat or order salad.
-second sukekiyo on typical "American comfort food". never crave them.
-soft drinks. Never liked soft drinks even as a kid.
-"Buffalo-style" anything. To me this is just spicy and no taste.

I generally love all those "foodie" stuff some people listed, and never had to acquire the taste.

[linguafood]

Not sure how queso cheese dip is any different from stuff other people listed as 'things most people like'. Of course, given the OP title, one really can only _presume_ what 'most' people like.

And I am at a total loss what 'second sukekiyo on typical American comfort food' even means.

[Dio Seijuro]

A chowhound named "sukekiyo" replied somewhere on this thread listed "typical American comfort food" as an item. So I meant to say "me too".

I think most people like queso cheese dip. Is it just my opinion? Queso cheese sells better than any other cheese product, at least here in US, I thought.

When I said some people were not listing things "most people like", I refer to stuff like caviar, oysters, offal, celery, coconut. I mean you just know a lot of people actually don't like those.

[linguafood]

Ah, now I get it (sorry, not that awake yet I guess '-)).

I understand your problem with this thread, and I agree. It's a highly subjective list. I've never even had queso cheese dip -- and I don't think I need to try it --, but for everyone who loves oysters or offal, there are plenty who don't.

I guess chocolate or ice cream are things that would stump me. I have a friend who doesn't like either. Frankly, I think she's a freak.

[aynrandgirl]

People who don't like chocolate need to be institutionalized for their own protection.

I'm stumped why vanilla ice cream is more popular than chocolate or strawberry. Is it because cheap strawberry ice cream has a bubble-gum flavor?

[racer x]

It's because vanilla ice cream tastes better than chocolate ice cream and strawberry ice cream. Vanilla ice cream is also more versatile; it can be enjoyed in combination with a larger number of other dessert foods than can chocolate or strawberry ice cream.

[phoenikia]

That's a matter of taste ;-)

I don't like vanilla ice cream. It's a food I leave on the plate if it shows up unannounced. On the other hand, I love good quality chocolate and strawberry ice cream.

Whenever we'd get Neapolitan ice cream when I was growing up, I'd leave the white stripe alone!

[racer x]

People who don't like vanilla ice cream need to be institutionalized for their own protection. ; )

[aynrandgirl]

Fruit is popular in combination with desserts, you'd think strawberry ice cream would be ideal for them.

[racer x]

Assuming they like strawberry flavor.
My mother is one of those weirdos who doesn't care much for it.

[cuccubear]

As one of those weirdos I applaud her good taste! ;-)

[msgenie516]

I only make an exception with GOOD strawberry shortcake! But then it needs a good homemade soft, spongy cake, REAL whipped cream, and superfresh strawberries. Otherwise, I can live without strawberries, in flavoring, ice cream, or whatever else.

[elvirabarker]

Bananas, or anything with bananas in it. Green bell peppers but the red, yellow and orange ones are great. Deli or packaged lunch meats that have nothing in common with the original meats. I feel that for sammies I am reduced to salami or tuna. Processed chicken patties that are shaped to look like something else.

[Babyducks]

Cheesecake.

[aces551]

I could live without ever having cheesecake again for the rest of my life too, no biggie.
Maybe it's a texture or consistency thing... I don't care for pudding, mousee, custard, etc. either.
I mean, I won't cry if someone serves them, but I don't seek them out, that's for sure. I prefer crisp foods and/or foods with lots of texture.

[tcamp]

Crab cakes
Caramel
Marshmallows
Ice cream
Ketchup

[aces551]

I am in LOVE with crab cakes!
But the strange thing is, I prefer the crab cakes that are not the lump crab - I like the crab completely broken up and mixed in with the other ingredients, like salmon cakes.

And they absolutely have to be served with remoulade.

[scubadoo97]

American Italian restaurants classics. Not that I really don't like the food but I'm bored with it and just don't see why everyone loves it so much.

[Sandwich_Sister]

1. Rye Bread - the rye is just too much taste for me to handle, it over powers everything to me.
2. Pop tarts - I've never liked these, they are gummy and after you chew a few times the stuff sticks in your mouth like glue.

[aces551]

I agree with the pop tarts.
Even when I was a wee little tyke, I knew they were just not right.

But I have never had a sweet tooth, so maybe that contributed to my aversion.

[Sam Fujisaka]

I'm not sure that most people love Pop Tarts.

[EWSflash]

Agreed. Tastes like bad jam on cardboard, I didn't even like it as a kid.

[Firegoat]

I am 100% with you on rye bread. i want to like it. .... but I just can't.

[aces551]

1. Chili Relleno - kept hearing about it, finally tried it, and YUK. With the cream cheese stuffed into a huge bitter pepper? I mean.
2. Prime Rib - I like my steak overcooked by most people's standards - if it bleeds all over my plate, it's outta here.
3. Chicken Breast filet sandwiches - so popular, everbody eats freakin' chicken sandwiches. Enough now. There is zero flavor in a chicken breast. It only tastes like what you put ON it.
4. Beets - good God I hate beets. Except for ONE kind: If you have ever had a slice of crisp beet that is on the side of your plate in some Arabic restaurants, lucky you. Those beets are fabulous. Did I mention they were crisp? Not soft or soggy or mealy.
5. Sweet potatoes - I actually got sick on them once when I was young, and haven't looked back since. And by the way, why do people put marshmellows and brown sugar on them? Why? It's a bloomin' potato, not a pastry.
6. I used to hate beer too - my high school days were very frustrating - everywhere I went, there was beer - and I hated it. Now I love a few kinds, like Sam Adam's Boston Lager and Hacker-Pschorr. Yum! Must be icy cold, though.

[Sam Fujisaka]

You need to try a traditional chile relleno - not one filled with cream cheese and not one with the bitter skin of the chile included..

[tcamp]

OMG, that wasn't an actual chile relleno you had. Sounds more like a popper.

[thew]

a chile relleno should NOT have cream cheese inside it. queso oaxacana (is that the name?) maybe queso fresco of some sort, or perhaps a spiced ground meat mixture.

[RetiredChef]

Acces

Many of the items you mentioned seemed to be dilikes in the way they were prepared.

>>>1. Chili Relleno - kept hearing about it, finally tried it, and YUK. With the cream cheese stuffed into a huge bitter pepper?

Enough has been said about that.

>>>2. Prime Rib - I like my steak overcooked by most people's standards - if it bleeds all over my plate, it's outta here.

Order it or cook it MW or W done.

>>>3. Chicken Breast filet sandwiches - so popular, everbody eats freakin' chicken sandwiches. Enough now. There is zero flavor in a chicken breast. It only tastes like what you put ON it.

That’s mostly true and that is why it is a blank canvas that allows you to create whatever taste sensation you want.

4. Beets - good God I hate beets. Except for ONE kind: If you have ever had a slice of crisp beet that is on the side of your plate in some Arabic restaurants, lucky you. Those beets are fabulous. Did I mention they were crisp? Not soft or soggy or mealy.

I have never had mealy beets- EVER

Soft and soggy is over-cooked, try cooking them al dante, or baking them if you want them slighty crisp

>>>5. Sweet potatoes - I actually got sick on them once when I was young, and haven't looked back since. And by the way, why do people put marshmellows and brown sugar on them? Why? It's a bloomin' potato, not a pastry.

I’m hearing you on this one, but I have NEVER had sweet potatoes with marshmallows and brown sugar on them, probably wouldn’t like that either. They are a wonderful vegetable that you can do so much with.

>>>6. I used to hate beer too - my high school days were very frustrating - everywhere I went, there was beer - and I hated it. Now I love a few kinds, like Sam Adam's Boston Lager and Hacker-Pschorr. Yum! Must be icy cold, though.

I’m not a big beer fan myself, especially lager’s they are disgusting give me a bitter out the barrel and I am happy.

[aces551]

I agree, probably most of things I don't like were not made properly.

I always thought that about folks that said they didn't like tomatoes, in particular. I think some people who think they don't like them have never had a fresh, juicy, flavorful tomato straight from the garden before. They have only had the terrible, pale pink, mealy ones from the grocery store.

I have an open food mind, so all of these things I will no doubt eat again, giving them another shot!

[buttertart]

My husband (who has almost no food prejudices and an excellent palate) just doesn't "get" fresh tomatoes. He doesn't particularly like them and says he sees very little difference between the kind I make groaning noises and fall about with delight about and the plain old supermarket type. Poor him!

[TexSquared]

My brother is the same way, absolutely hates fresh tomatoes. And my parents grew them in the back yard every year when we were growing up so we definitely had them ripe straight from the garden.

He's perfectly fine with tomatoes cooked in other dishes, loves red sauce on pasta, uses ketchup when needed, etc. Just don't serve him fresh tomatoes.

[aynrandgirl]

I'm with your brother. Tomatoes must be processed.

[linguafood]

Any beer that is icy-cold won't taste much like beer. Might as well stick to Bud Ice, then.

[aces551]

I see where you're going with the icy beer - and I'll pass on the Bud Ice.

BUT, I do know that the German beer Hacker-Pschorr has got to be served really cold, spun a certain way, poured a certain way, and is served with a lemon on a hot summer day (I dated a beer guy for over a decade). It's like a ritual. And it is very, very good!

[alkapal]

i love very cold grolsch on tap. i think it tastes great as i glug it down. ;-).

[linguafood]

Just as long as I don't have to drink beer from a frosted glass.

[alkapal]

i used to date a guy whose brother was a distributor for j&b scotch. i got from him several scotch drinking "rules" (including drinking it neat *only*); maybe this is a similar situation as the one with you and your beer aficionado boyfriend. ;-).

we also have a friend who is a real beer connoisseur. he takes meticulous notes whenever he drinks any beer. he has tasted probably a couple thousand, i'd venture.....

i was thinking whether he ever served us beer in a frosted mug. i think that happened on occasion, depending on the style of the brew.

[kemi5]

Many people rave about lamb chops...I've tried to like them several times but just can't appreciate them.

[alkapal]

i never cared for roast lamb or lamb chops, but i do like some lamb curries and especially tandoori lamb chops. the marinade transforms them into something sublime, in my opinion.

[buttertart]

I like them best if well trimmed of all visible fat and cooked just beyond rare. It's the fat that gives them the stronger taste. You have to like rare meat however.

[TexSquared]

A lengthy but incomplete list, I'm sure I could think of more! Here goes:

Green tea (I prefer black tea)

Beer, especially lagers (Guinness I enjoy)

Tim Horton's coffee (the unofficial crack cocaine of Canadians, but not this one!)

Starbucks coffee and its variants
(I do like coffee, I just can't stand "Timmies" and the overrated Starbucks type coffees)

Phony sushi (California roll and its variants made by non-Japanese line cooks)

Falafel... tried it, didn't "get it". Go figure I actually love hummus....

pho (the foodies go ga-ga over this "soap soup"... if I wanted to drink warm soapy water I could get it in the shower for free!)

Thin crust so-called "gourmet"pizza especially when made with stupid toppings (give me a soft thick crust, a New York pizza, or a Chicago deep dish over these "pizza crackers")

unflavored sparkling water of any kind (regardless of price point or where it came from)

fried calamari appetizer (my family must love to eat deep fried rubber bands)

plain milk (except with cereal, otherwise I need chocolate syrup!)

tomato juice/V-8/bloody mary mix/Clamato (gross! and I'm from Canada, home of the "Caesar" cocktail)

[alkapal]

*fresh-fresh* calamari is tender -- even when deep-fried.

[linguafood]

Yah. If you overcook calamari, they taste like rubber. If you cook them right, they are delicious.

But when I look at Tex's list, there are too many things on it that I love, I wouldn't know where to start.

[TexSquared]

That's what you'd expect. The thread is "Food that MOST People Love and You Don't"... I also see a lot of items elsewhere that I love (chocolate, cheese and lobster being three of them, and I don't mean have them TOGETHER!!!).

[linguafood]

What -- not even chocolate-covered lobster in cheese sauce? '-D

[TexSquared]

Yeah, puree that and serve it on top of steak (which I also like but some have posted here)!

Since you said "I wouldn't know where to start", what did you mean by that? Did you mean I'm wrong to dislike those things, or that it's a challenge to you to convince me to like them?

[linguafood]

Neither. As you will find out (if you haven't already on this site or in life, for that matter), taste and taste preferences are HIGHly personal. If you hate calf's liver or tongue, like most people I know, there is nothing I can say to convince you to like it. I'm not invested enough to even try.

Having said that, I like most of what's on your list: lager (much preferred over ale, but perhaps that's my inner German '-)), falafel, pho, thin-crust pizza -- sans the crazy toppings, sparkling water (LOVE S. Pellegrino and Gerolsteiner), and Bloody Mary or Caesar.

We're just different in what we like. And that's cool by me.

[lagatta]

linguafood, I share in your love of Gerolsteiner. It is very rich in calcium and magnesium, and has a lovely taste, and just enough effervescence. I do like San Pelligrino better than Perrier, but not nearly as much as Gerlosteiner.

[linguafood]

I don't know if it's a sign of age (haha, hope not!), but I've moved on from the original Gerolsteiner to the medium one. It's got a bit less gas, and since it tends to be my bed stand drink, too much carbonation isn't all that great. But it is probably the best mineral water in Germany.

[buttertart]

I love it too - haven't seen the less-carbonated one, must have a look. Very fond of Badoit original too, the fizzier one you might just as well drink seltzer.

[racer x]

Thanks, linguafood, for reminding me to add carbonated beverages in general. I'll drink a cola soda once in a blue moon, but generally avoid all heavily-carbonated beverages.

[linguafood]

You're welcome '-). One reason I dislike Apollinaris ("the queen of table waters") is b/c it's waaaaay overcarbonated.

Tho I cannot abide flat soda. Gross.

[RetiredChef]

I got attacked on another post about Pho - in Vietnam it is many times served with a small additional bowl of MSG so the diner can increase the already high MSG content to what they like.

Sure there are some places that serve non-msg pho but they do not taste like the true stuff because pho is mostly msg in a bowl. Ironically many of those who claim to not add msg actually do through the use of products already have it in it. Msg is most likely that soapy taste you a getting –for me MSG tastes like aluminum and to those of us who have a msg taste bud most pho tastes bad.

[Emme]

green tea makes me nauseous... most people find it soothing.. go figure.

pho - haha, soap soup... must be the lemongrass... i have similar feeling.

[TexSquared]

Some say it's the lemongrass, some say it's the cilantro, and RetiredChef above says it's the excess MSG. Regardless of where it comes from, it smells and tastes like soap. Maybe it was invented when someone made a beef noodle soup but poured it into bowls that weren't rinsed enough when last washed, so the residual dishwashing soap mixed in.... someone liked it so much, so the chefs had to figure out how to make it without soap.... :-) after much experimentation (Todd Wilbur style) they figured out MSG + cilantro + lemongrass = soap. Yum....

Green tea I don't get. Just doesn't taste right to me. I have the same opinion on camomile (yuck!)!

[AmyH]

Or it could be the star anise, which is used in the pho broth but not in meat or chicken broths in other ethnic cuisines.

[Jelly71]

i have found my people and feel i won't be judged here.

i hate:
steak
lobster
mushrooms
sushi
coconut
seafood, except for shrimp

[RetiredChef]

#1 Coffee – Cannot understand how anyone can drink this stuff, I don’t even like the smell, makes me nauseous to smell it and I have vomited after tasting it.
#2 Olives – Terrible, hideously horrendous and disgusting, almost as bad as coffee.
#3 Black Licorice – My dad loved the stuff, ewww.
#4 Mustard as a condiment – yuck, it ruins everything.
#5 Pickles – gross

[Emme]

#1 - i agree i can't stand the taste of coffee, but i do love the smell of the beans being ground!
#2 - yup. taste metallic to me.
#3 - yuck. along the same palate lines to me of ginger and cilantro.

[racer x]

I can agree with #1-3 (although do like the smell of some coffee).

I used to also feel similarly about mustard until I discovered that there is so much more to mustard than that sour French's brand-style mustard and Dijon mustard. Certain sweet mustards can be the perfect accompaniment to hot dogs or hot sausages, or make for a delicious barbecue sauce.

And same with pickles. There are so many different kinds. Some are truly vile (certain pickled beets, for example). But others delicious.

[CookieWeasel]

Steak and Scallops! Everybody else LOOOOVES these! I find steak too hard to chew and swallow (and no, I'm not 90 years old with dentures!). And to me, scallops taste like rotting flotsam and smell like a floater-bloater crime scene.

[buttertart]

That is one of the most vivid food descriptions I've ever seen (yours on scallops). I like them and will try not to let this color my appreciation! (Sort of like having heard that you can sing all of Emily Dickinson's poems to the tune of the Yellow Rose of Texas, rather takes away from them.)

[Jacey]

Pasta--never really been a fan of it. I don't like the consistency of it, and yes, I've had well-prepared pasta. I lived in Tuscany for a year and ate my way through all of Italy, and still have the same feelings about pasta.

[PickleQueeen]

Sandwiches... Deli Meats, blech
Cheesecake
Mock Meat
Ranch Dressing
Cantaloupe
Vodka (not a food, but as pointless as chewing gum)
Tarragon
Banana
Mexican Pastries

[terkalin]

Salmon
Dried Fruit
Oatmeal
Edammame
Trendy food cooked in duck fat

[Bunnyfood]

YOGURT(sp?). Yuck, hate it. Bad smell, bad texture, just plain bad! Of course, my favorite scones from ym favorite bakery use yogurt in thier rec- but I WILL NOT be seen tucking into a large(or small) serving of this yucky dairy product...

Also- sour cream, bleu cheese dressing, ranch dressing(ok, yes, dressings and dips in general).

[NicoleFriedman]

Cheese. I cannot stand cheese (and no I am not lactose intolerant). I do not have a phobia of it like my dad (I kid you not- he's freaked out in restaurants before!) and I keep on tasting it on occasion... my friend insisted I try some in Paris because "the cheese in Paris is superior to what we have".... blech. I cannot even eat mozzy on pizza.

[cimui]

How fascinating! Are you relatively young, if you don't me asking? I actually hated (or at least disliked) cheese for many years, too, up until past college graduation. A few years ago, around the same time I started liking cooked fish, I also suddenly started liking cheese. I think in part, it was because I'd grown up with lower grade mass produced cheeses and associated it with that sweaty, giant chunk of softening cheddar we used to take with us on camping trips. For the first time, I had raw milk cheese and wonderful cheese / wine / other pairings that helped me understand the nuance of really good cheese. Partly, too, my tastebuds just changed. Give it time, keep trying occasionally, and someday you might discover that it tastes delicious to you.

(Sorry... hope that didn't sound (p/m)atronizing, since I don't mean it that way at all!)

[iluvtennis]

I was exactly the same way. I looooove cheese now...all kinds, but as a kid, i couldn't stand it. When my family would order pizza, i would pick off all the cheese. One time, my older brother tried to force me to eat a slice with cheese b/c he was convinced i would like it, and i could not stop gagging. I have no idea what changed, but some time around college, i started loving the stuff. I still don't like a ton of it on one dish, though. If a dish has too much cheese on it, i still take some of it off.

[MysticYoYo]

Ketchup/Catsup call it what you may, but I loathe the stuff. Funnily enough, I like barbecue sauce.

I hate Miracle Whip but looove mayo but it MUST be Kraft or Hellmans.

I really don't care for savory and sweet foods mixed together. For instance I like shrimp and I like coconut, but coconut shrimp? Bleh!

Peanut butter and/or jelly. No matter what my mother did she could never get me to eat one of those sandwiches. The only way I can tolerate peanut butter is in a Reese's Cup.
Grape jelly is vile. I might have a berry preserve once in a very great while (as in I can't even recall the last time I did).

Really not a fan of pasta or red sauce, probably because I ate it each Sunday without fail for the first 16 years of my life. I don't care if I ever see it or eat it again. Meanwhile my older brother loves and and can eat it every day.

[madkittybadkitty]

lobster - i don't get it. nice enough, i guess. but not a flavor i would bother with.
and
POP-TARTS. blech.

[Passadumkeg]

Spam and frozen pizza, 2 threads going on right now. Stuff in a can.
My last Pop Tart was eaten in 1972.
Breakfast cereals.
'Nuff whining, back to work!

[KristieB]

I hate canned peas and creamed corn. The peas smell like feet or body odor and cream corn looks as if someone ate it once already. Blech and double blech.

[bklynbiker]

Most people love canned peas and creamed corn??? WTF???

[aklein]

Crab -- meh on all counts, but especially when cooked whole and I have to hammer through the autopsy to get a bit of meat and a whole lot of unmentionables. it's okay cold in a light salad, but don't really miss it
Lobster -- I like it okay, but the boring boiled lobster, especially when served with boring boiled potatoes and corn... what the heck?
A glass of milk --- I can deal with chocolate milk, but I can't remember the last time I grabbed a glass of plain white milk. I know, I know, you can't have layer cake or pancakes without it... yes I can!
Anything with the word "casserole" attached to it; worse if it says surprise
Dill --- actually, this should be in the HATE category
Mayo --- a category unto itself... hate, fear, dread, evil, sinister and nauseating

[gourmandadventurer]

I don't love: caviar, raw oysters, truffles, pate, or any of those extra gourmet things. Never have and I don't get it! That's my true confession. Although I do love escargot.

[lawyerlady]

cheesecake
french fries
pizza

[elenoise]

pasta, potatoes and white bread! i do not like those things. they are bland and unsatisfying to me. weird, eh?
(on the other hand, i cant seem to find a vegetable that i dislike...)

[Jacey]

I'm with you on both ends. I'm not the hugest fan of corn, but then again, that's more of a starchy "white" food.

[alkapal]

oysters
tamales

[im_nomad]

Keeping in mind that I no longer eat any meat at all.......I used to, until ten years ago, so I know what it tastes like. I eat just about everything else under the sun.

The most common response to people finding out that I don't eat meat is "OMG don't you ever just crave a good STEAK!?!?!?!", usually followed by them telling me how much they love steak and would never be able to give it up.

My answer: No, I don't, never really did... and it's most definitely not something I crave, or miss one bit.

To this list, I also add milk. I know plenty of people who just love a tall glass of white milk, the thought of which makes my stomach flutter a bit, in a not so nice way. I love all other dairy products, I just really really don't like milk.

I'm also one of those women who doesn't go all out nuts at the thoughts of chocolate, even though it's not something I dislike, and i'll partake from time to time..... but most of my friend's eye's glaze over when they see the stuff...lol. Not something I crave.

Unlike the OP however, I love chick peas, and could eat them straight out of the can.

[EWSflash]

My condolences- if I didn't eat meat, the last thing i'd crave is a big juicy steak, and can't imagine myself asking that of a noncarnivore. On the other hand, if I order a big juicy steak, I don't expect to get any grief about it, either.

I'm with you on the chocolate, especially milk chocolate. a nice rich bittersweet occasionally, maybe, but I almost resent the inference that because I'm female and weigh too much it's because I can't keep away from chocolate.

[im_nomad]

nah, I don't dole out grief about meat.....indulge away. Heck, i've even cooked it for others. I've just got zero desire to eat it. The only thing that even remotely bothers me in the area of meat is watching someone gnaw relentlessly on a bone, but that could be for many reasons !

I don't like getting grief about what I eat either....be it the "WTH kind of freak food is THAT!?" kind of people....the "ewwww" types...right.down to the flipside when other vegetarian / vegan types feel the need to tell me that I'm not a "real" vegetarian, or that egg i'm eating is etc etc etc.

LOL to the Narnivore ! If that means i'd gladly share a meal with James McAvoy or Liam Neeson....i'm in !!!!

[alkapal]

"right on" to the narnivore dining mates!

[Fromageball]

I eat meat and never crave or order steak in restaurants. I'll eat it if someone prepares it, but I never seek it out.

[Jacey]

I'm in the same boat for steak. I just don't get the appeal. If someone is serving it at a party I'll eat it, but I would much rather have chicken or fish. I usually order fish or tuna tatar at steakhouses...

[bulavinaka]

I used to be the same about steak until I started to grill them myself. Now I don't eat them so often not because I don't like them - I still do as much as ever - I'm cutting back to maybe four times a year because I'm trying to reduce red meat consumption as a whole.

[jcattles]

I can tolerate these foods, but don't neccessarily like them:
Coconut- like the flavor but hate the texture
Ketchup
Lobster
Ice Cream
Frosting
Balsamic Vinegar
Pumpkin Pie
Ham
Apples-I like apples but hate the peels
Miracle whip-only in mac salad
Tarragon-fresh only
Pate
Love Creme' Brulee' but hate the crunchy sugary topping

Foods I've tried but do not like at all:
Black Licorice
Coffee
Salmon
Sweet Pickles
Oysters
Caviar
Meatloaf
Green Bean Casserole
Shrimp
Fois Gras

There are many foods that I haven't tried but would be willing to.

[EWSflash]

Miracle Whip
Dill
Risotto or any rice dessert (love it steamed or in pilaf, though)
beer
Tabasco, or any hot pepper sauce that has vinegar as an ingredient
Store-bought cookies (Pepperidge Farms excepted)
Milk chocolate
Store-bought tortilla chips
Any apples besides Granny Smiths
Rum
Cola
Cinnamon ( It's fine in its place, it just ends up in far too many places it shouldn't, like in coffee, tea, and potpourris that people put in bathrooms)
Banana flavored desserts
Mint
Chamomile
Bottled Ranch Dressing! HATE IT
Most organ meats

I didn't know there was so much stuff I hated....

[invinotheresverde]

Chamomile makes me gag (and I;m a pretty good eater)!

[smittys]

Asparagus. I feel deeply ashamed about it because I pride myself on eating everything. There are a few other foods I dislike, but to despise something so widely adored just makes me feel like I'm missing something. And I try to like it, I honestly do, and I just HATE it.

[JamieK]

now that is truly sad.

[phoenikia]

I don't care for green asparagus, but I don't mind white asparagus.
Also don't care for green peppers, but I like red, yellow and orange bell peppers.

[racer x]

I hated the mushy (overcooked?) asparagus I would always be served as a child, but I've come to appreciate crisp asparagus as an adult (although I never have a taste for asparagus and never seek it out on menus).

Okra, on the other hand, I have always loved in stews (gumbo is one of my favorite dishes) or if cooked just enough to still be crispy, but have always detested when served mushy and slimy by itself.

[racer x]

Since writing that about the asparagus 2 1/2 yrs ago, I've come to really like asparagus.
I cook with it now whenever I can find it at a reasonable price.

[Kate is always hungry]

Smitty--

There is no shame in not eating asparagus. There are biological reasons for some of us not to eat it. More for everyone else! Right?

[JamieK]

So interesting, I started a thread with the same question with virtually the same title when I joined Chowhound about two years ago. It got immediate responses (which thrilled me as a newbie). It also got immediately deleted. Which has always puzzled me.

Anyway, I have an issue with sushi, which is greatly popular in Toronto. It's funny because I really liked it when I was introduced to it in Japan many years ago.

I'm also getting sick of gourmet poutines -- you know, the ones with great fries but covered in duck confit and jus or foie gras, etc and mozarella and whatnot. I like poutine, mind you, but some of these are getting too precious.

I'm also with others on the thread who don't like coconut or cilantro.

Also, can't stand marzipan. Although that may not be in the category of "food that most people love".

Hate licorice.

[amazing grace]

i am with you here. Yikes, on Marzipan and cilantro. I know, not a good thing in the same sentence. Sorry

[lcool]

There must be some chemistry involved.Fresh !! right now from the coconut ,the meat is lovely.Muck with it in ANY way ,as far I am concerned it becomes ?,just awful as a cooked or raw component.NO MATTER WHAT .
Almonds are fine ,as is almond paste ,marzipan is gaggy ,gluey.
Cilantro is mostly a personal chemistry thing.I try to be very careful how I use/serve it.A large no-no with those affected and wine.As a chef and wine educator I never let it slip below the radar when teaching or serving socially.

[Hallie_ray]

Everyone seems to love (or at least tolerate) parsley!
i cannot stand it!

[firni]

Milk - I love cheese, ice cream, and most dairy products, but raw milk makes me nauseous, I've never been able to drink it.
Beef/steak - it always tastes really boring after the first few bites
Roasted Red Peppers (ditto to whoever mentioned this above)
Beer - just don't get it - I normally enjoy bitter flavors, but hops don't appeal to me
White bread/most pastries like muffins - I really like nutty flavors and enjoy whole grain bread, so perhaps I don't enjoy
Sausage/hot dogs
PB&J - Kids used to always bring squished PB&J sandwiches to school and it grossed. me out. To this day, I've never had one. Actually, sandwiches in general don't appeal - like the person's daughter above, I take them apart!!!
Mayonnaise - can't stand
No idea why people go nuts for BBQ. I will eat it, it's not bad, but...don't crave it.
Milk Chocolate - blech
Chinese food - I'll eat it, but I really don't enjoy it the way that some of my friends do . I've really tried, and have the good fortune of friends who have taken me to great places (i.e. not suburban "Chinese food") and invited me to dine at their houses...but I've just never gotten to the point where I'd chose it over Vietnamese or Thai or anything else.

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Never really thought about what I didn't eat that other people loved ...Here is goes

Milk - Never ever liked it!
White Bread
Lamb - I will still try it, but will never order it out or say Oh man I just got to have some lamb...that will never happen
Chocolate or anything sweet - would rahter have cheese ;) Love cheese
Indian Food (curry's) they all taste the same
Carrots - I hate them...Save a carrot, let them grow!
With everyone on the Jello
Ranch Dressing (any creamy dressing for that matter)
Gum - I am from the South also and this was a BIG NO NO
Ah yes and Beer, never understood the big attraction to cold barley soup

[Whosyerkitty]

Olives. I hate them. And I have had 'gourmet, imported' and those crappy pimento stuffed ones. I do like and use olive oil though. People think I'm a weirdo.

[mordacity]

Olives make me gag, as do all kinds of pickles. There's something about the brining I guess.
Ketchup
Mustard, but only as a condiment. I'll cook with it, no problem

As you can probably guess, I usually eat my hog dogs plain, or with chili and cheese.

[phoenikia]

Creme Brulee.
Vanilla ice cream.
Whipped cream
Roast beef/ Prime Rib
Grilled Chicken Breast

Cheap sushi. I suspect many chowhounds wouldn't love cheap sushi, but most of my non-chowhound friends seem to love cheap sushi, food court sushi, airport sushi, grocery store sushi, etc. I used to grin and bear it, but I'm so turned off when I detect ammonia in a bite of fish, or when when I start to think of the living conditions of imported softshell crab that was inside the spider roll that I ate. So, for peace of mind and tastebuds, no cheap sushi under any conditions is one of my resolutions for 2009.

Crab cakes made from canned/pasteurized/frozen crab

Surimi/krab in hot dishes like enchiladas, especially when I don't expect it.

[chilihead]

and add to the cheap sushi list..."All you can eat" sushi (shudder.)

[Cachetes]

I am not a lover of sushi, nor do I have a lot of experience with it, but I do enjoy a few bites of it when I go out with friends who love it. (I tend to order the soups at Japanese restaurants - I adore the mix of flavors and textures.) I agree that the foodcourt sushi (and its ilk) are pretty bad for the most part. For me, it is generally that the flavors all seem kind of mushed together, and they are either very bland or overly sharp, with one agressive flavor overriding everything else.

[AngelSanctuary]

ditto on cheap sushi, a lot of my friends seem to think quantity = quality, I try to resist the urge to roll my eyes at one of them when she said how much she loved white tuna. And then she asked me what good places have good california rolls, I just told her how oxymoronic it was.

[thew]

i know good sushi - and i like white tuna, whatever fish it happens to be. ANd if someone likes california rolls, well, good for them - i hope they find the best ones they can, and friends who appreciate friendship enough to share them

[RealMenJulienne]

I enjoyed reading your opinion about cheap sushi, because I am the opposite. I'll happily eat cheap California rolls from a supermarket or mall. I think it's because of the homemade "sushi" my Taiwanese parents would make for us when we were kids, which had all kinds of inauthentic stuff like carrot, cucumber, fried egg and sesame paste thrown in there, which we enjoyed the hell out of.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Steamed carrot, fresh cucumber, and Japanese omelette are very traditional ingredients in traditional nori maki.

[EWSflash]

If I haven't had too much to eat already at a sushi bar I'll order a nice tamago for "dessert" as long as the egg is made in-house. The premade stuff is pretty horrible compared to when everybod used to make their own.

[tracylee]

Mmmm, love tamago as dessert. My sushi chef used to tease me and offer it to me first to "try to get me to leave".

[etoiles]

- Meat - any type
- Olives
- Sun dried tomatoes

[cycloneillini]

For me it's anything in the jelly/jam/preserve family. Especially on toast. YUK! And I'll take my PB without the J.

[alohapam]

Polish (or any other smoked variety) sausage.
Raw tuna, raw salmon.
Cooked spinach.
Hard boiled eggs.
Beef.

[cuccubear]

Just thought of another one...Green Bean Casserole. Yuck.!

It was a staple at holiday time for years when I was growing up, but I could never stand the taste. I don't know why - I love green beans and I love fried onions, but for some reason I hate this food/dish!

[occula]

This may be weird, but I finally figured out that what I hate is cream of mushroom soup! I make green bean casserole with cream of onion and I love it now. Some of the other 'cream of' soups have a similar whang that tastes off to me.

[puppymomma]

Ever since I was little, I would do anything to avoid a steak dinner. I just never liked steak. I'm okay with hamburgers, though. Oh, and I'm fine with a roast beef sandwich - especially when the roast beef is barely cooked. Go figure!

I despise feta cheese and olives. Greek salad is out of the question here.

I never much liked beer.

[nolanani]

can't stand rosemary, nutmeg, basil, five spice powder, and shredded lettuce on sandwiches---what's up with that? always a stain waiting to happen! I do like cilantro, though.

[StuartRebDonald]

Ranch dressing. I just don't get it. I think it is the scurge of the American dining scene. I especially dislike people who sub it on a Caesar or Greek salad - what gives with that?

[Morganna]

A real, homemade ranch dressing is wonderful to my palate. I have only had that a few times in my life, when my Gramma was feeling especially generous in the kitchen (as opposed to her normal way of just stuffing us silly, she would spoil us with her homemade ranch dressing). It's like green goddess dressing. Any version in a bottle sucks, but once you've had it freshly made with real tarragon and shallots... mmmm :) But yes, ranch on a caesar or greek salad is sacrilege. :)

[phoenikia]

I can't stand Ranch, either. I'm so disappointed when a salad shows up with Ranch unannounced.

[Lampredotto]

Coriander is the devil's herb.
Straight milk is yucky.
Pre-packaged and frozen meals will kill you.
Anything with msg, high fructose corn syrup, soy bean and/or hydrogenated oils will kill you and your family.

[hotteacher1976]

White Bread
Tomatoes
Mayo (except in tuna salad or cole slaw)
Ranch or Thousand Island dressing
Apple pie

[Caralien]

Ketchup (defined during Reagan's era as a vegetable????)

[kolachman]

Flan!

[Just One Bite]

Gin - blech! Everyone around me wants a "refreshing" gin & tonic, and the smell just makes me gag.
Miracle Whip - gross
Green Bell Peppers - especially cooked
Roasted Red Bell Peppers - why are these so popular?
Earl Grey Tea - maybe a similar flavor to the gin?
Anything with a Smoked flavor - it makes me feel like I've been standing in a smoke pit.

[c oliver]

That's interesting re roasted red peppers. I was just thinking about that the other day. We'd had a nice arugula salad in SF last week to which they'd added mushrooms (fine) and roasted red peppers. I think they were novel a number of years ago but I find the flavor pretty overwhelming most of the time.

[Emme]

oh gosh pepper (i did list them above) repeat on me for days...

and i forgot to mention smoked flavor! i don't like that either or BBQ! yuck.

[BamiaWruz]

Cookies. They totally turn me off..

[sukekiyo]

Pasta in general
Casseroles
Pizza
Hot dogs
Mac & cheese
Chicken soup/chicken noodle soup
Most sandwich incarnations (grilled cheese, ham and cheese, chicken parm, etc)
Meatloaf
Potatoes
Bacon
Mealy apples (cough, Red *not*Delicious, cough)
Frozen/"add water and heat" entrees
Most kinds of salad dressing
Chocolate chip, shortbread, store-bought packaged cookies
Frosting on cake
Whipped cream

To summarize: the majority of "American comfort foods," I suppose. I don't actively dislike them but I don't get intense cravings, either. I figure it's a function of my cultural background more than anything, though it does make for an annoyingly abbreviated list of options for lunch when I'm at work.

[Caralien]

I thought I was the only one to avoid red and golden apples of the non-delicious varieties. They taste bad, mealy potatoes which have been sitting around too long.

[AngelSanctuary]

Ketchup - if a tomato were stabbed and left to rot...

[FriedClamFanatic]

I've decided after reading all these, I'm a fussier eater than I thought! Folks keep mentioning things and I say, "Yeah, you know, I don't really like that either!"

[Passadumkeg]

Golly gee FCF, I feel just the opposite, I'm very surprised at how fussy so many "chowhounds" are. These negative food threads always get a lot of responses. There must be something about modern American urban/suburban culture that elicits this.

[Caralien]

I would like to believe that most people here have at least tried a lot of things and decided for themselves that something wasn't to their taste, rather than discounting something outright. It's been interesting to see what people adore which others don't, what they find over-rated, what they can't live without, and what is considered disgusting. My guess is that if someone compared the lists, they would mirror one another.

[Sam Fujisaka]

keg, I'm with you. So many hounds don't like houndish foods. Has always been a surprise. I've always been hard pressed to find something I didn't like: finally settled on brown rice sushi!

[FriedClamFanatic]

Chacun se gout, as they say<G>

[Fromageball]

I'm the same way, I don't really consider myself picky(because I will try anything once...and don't generally hate very much), the stuff I love changes all the time though. But there are plenty of things I am "meh" on.

[chicgail]

I didn't see one mention of this in this long thread: pumpkin pie or any dessert that has all those cinnamon/nutmegy spices in it.

Similarly I hate cloves in anything, including ham and can just barely tolerate allspice.

[1sweetpea]

Chicgail, I am only faced with the pumpkin pie peer pressure once or twice a year, so it is never on my mind, but now that you mention it, I must agree. I didn't grow up eating it. When I finally had an opportunity to taste it I was horrified. I do not like pumpkin or the spicing with the sweetness. I like each spice in savoury cooking, but there's something about the chemistry with the pumpkin, the spices, the sugar and the dairy that turns my stomach. My SOs family doesn't believe me. They think I just don't want to eat it because of the calories and fat. They're wrong. I'm not a dessert eater, but I'd reach for many other dessert items before submitting to pumpkin pie.

[chicgail]

I think I'd starve to death before I ate pumpkin pie. Maybe I'd eat the crust. I'm always thrilled when someone says they're bringing apple pie or something chocolate for T-G.

[occula]

Ew, I hate pumpkin pie. It's a taste/texture one-two of yuck.

[roxlet]

I don't like caviar, which is probably a good thing. I mean, if you're going to hate something, make it something really expensive! My DH detests bananas, and will not eat raw tomatoes, though he will eat things made from tomatoes like spaghetti sauce and occasionally bruscetta if there are other ingredients and the tomatoes are fairly finely cut up. He will not eat ketchup, though he uses it for the base for his BBQ sauce.

[BamiaWruz]

I am picky with tomato, I can't eat just any sauce out there but just to make it clear I adore the flavour of tomato and I can't live without it though I'm kind of allergict to it.

Call it a phobia but my throat is extremely sensitive to the peels, those tiny tiny little rolled up peels that are ground up in the sauce, I know a strained sauce from a regular one and that's just looking at it through the jar or if it's something like ketchup or tomato pasta testing it on a white plate. If you try it yourself you'll find little tiny dark coloured "rolls" which are the peels.

Pepper peels on the other hand I can tolerate, just not tomato and this is why I can't eat tomato dishes when I'm out, at restaurants, invited somewhere, or just pick up a pizza because if the sauce isn't "strained" (tomatoes peeled before hand) I won't eat it.

The frustrating part is that when I explain my situation to people they often say "oh no there is none in the sauce" but when I test it the sauce is not tomato peel free.. or they just don't believe/"get" it.

[mamaciita]

Bacon and--regional BIG favorite--country ham.

I don't detest bacon, but I don't like it. I like a tissue-thin piece of country ham occasionally, but only on if it's accompanied by a sweet potato biscuit.

[FriedClamFanatic]

OMG........while i repspect your choices, based on the number of "Bacon with Anything" type posts on here and elsewhere, you might be the only person in America (or wherever) that doesn't like bacon. Good on you for sticking up for it!

(Sorry, personally I adore Bacon)

[BobB]

No, there are at least two - my wife doesn't care for bacon either. Leaves more for me!

[Jacey]

Um, I know a ton of people who don't like it and those who choose not to eat it for religious and health reasons. It is one of the most naturally salty/fatty foods around.

[thew]

not eating for religious reasons has zero relationship to liking it or not.

[BobB]

Agreed - the number of people who don't like the idea of it greatly exceeds the number who don't like the taste.

[TampaAurora]

Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to give it up, I like the smoky taste, but could never figure out what the fuss was about. Watching someone eat a fatty piece of bacon made me gag as a kid. I would peel the fat off and just eat the pork pieces that were left. Before I gave up pork products completely, I was always much happier with turkey bacon. Now I'm on a search for turkey bacon like I had from an Amish restaurant that was actually turkey!

[BobB]

Huh? What is turkey bacon that's NOT actually turkey?

[TampaAurora]

Overprocessed turkey parts in "light" and "dark" with more ingredients than I can identify.

[Emme]

yes i know i'm odd...

bananas (can't stand the taste)
orange (don't like taste or the idea of peeling and the stench on your fingers)
avocadoes
olives
feta and blue cheese (allergic to dairy anyway, but i didn't eat these even when not allerg)
bell peppers
salmon
strawberries
potatoes
sandwiches - as a kid mom had to pack me a thermos
beans esp black and garbanzo - if necessary will eat navy and maybe pinto but i just don't like the texture and like mealy-ness?
sesame (rules out hummus, baba ghanoush, tahini)
ginger
cilantro

...it looks like not much is left, but there's tons... i swear.

[BobB]

Wow - sandwiches - no matter what's in them, or what kind of bread they're made with? That sounds like more of a phobia than a taste issue. Perhaps you were bitten by a baguette as a baby? ;-)

[danhole]

My youngest daughter didn't eat sandwiches either, even though her sister, father and I did. It was a real pain to pack a lunch for her. It didn't matter what kind of bread you used, either. She would eat ham on crackers but not on bread. Now since she has a child packing a lunch she realizes how much trouble it is, so to set an example she has started eating plain old ham on wheat bread sandwiches so her son will eat them. She still isn't crazy about them but at least she will eat them. And an occasional grilled cheese. Go figure.

[sasha1]

I sympathize so much. My 6 y o is like that. No sandwiches. And I have to pack lunch. It used to be that homemade "lunchables," fried rice, pasta salad, couscous, meatballs were ok. But he is getting pickier. The child is like Kevorkian. He will go on a food strike before letting an offending morsel pass his lips. He recently sent home - untouched - a perfectly good pepperoni pizza that he had eaten the day before. His response - mommy, I wasn't sure it would taste good cold. Well, he didn't even try it! I can only hope that he will grow out of it. And have picky children of his own someday :)

[AmyH]

One of my daughters likes bread and rolls, likes meat, will tolerate cheese, but hates sandwiches. She'll take a sandwich apart and eat the components separately.

[danhole]

At least she will eat the bread. Mine wouldn't even eat the bread. The only way I could get fiber in her was through whole grain crackers, because she wouldn't eat beans either. Needless to say she had some real issues with constipation.

[BobB]

Thinking further about this - I used to be the kind of kid who wouldn't eat any of the corn that had touched the mashed potatoes, so maybe it's not a phobia (as I only half-jokingly suggested earlier) so much as a dislike of foods mixed together,

[Emme]

no i never liked things together. i classify the world into "separate eaters" and "mix-em eaters" - those who eat everything separately and those who like to mingle bites. i don't like the taste of all the sandwich components together. now being allergic to gluten, i don't miss sandwiches :) as a kid, my nanny used to slice up the different componenets of sandwiches, like cheese, tomatoes, sometimes some sliced turkey and drizzle with Italian with Cheese dressing... that still sounds so good to this day... alas, i can no longer eat dairy or gluten.

but no never bitten by a baguette or any sort of sandwich type vehicle. i was never much of a bread eater anyway, which i think baffled and made jealous my mother who constantly tried to avoid the forboden starch.

[thew]

love peanut butter
love jelly
hate peanut butter and jelly

[Avalondaughter]

Peas
Seafood of any kind
Olives
Beer
Scotch
Blue cheeses of all sorts.

I'm not fond of potatoes that aren't fried or mashed with lots of other ingredients. I can handle Yukon Golds and some other waxy potatoes, but I really hate russets in any form that isn't mashed or fried.

I have decided recently that I don't like coffee. To me it's just vile, bitter mud. I never wanted to be one of those people who depend on it anyway (and it's sad to see how many people are dependent on it. Don't drink coffee and you'll sleep better and you won't "need" it anymore). I like coffee flavored things like ice cream, but as a beverage it's just nasty.

[Sal Vanilla]

Egg white omelets
those hideous white asparagus!
I am also no fan of truffle oil. It tastes like dirt.
Kahlua.
Soy nuts. Absolute vomitus.

[EllyK]

That reminds me that I also hate truffles. They smell like pickled dead people. Don't ask...

[Jacey]

I dislike a lot of things most people really like/love:

Cheese: never been a fan, the only kind i like is parm (love cottage cheese and ricotta)
Pancakes: too heavy but like waffles
Burgers: don't get the big deal
Potatoes: in any way, shape or form (same with rice--boring)
Tiramisu
Cheesecake
Fruity Desserts
Pies
Most pastas

[Sal Vanilla]

Lord! You must be very thin. And to think I get pissy with my mother in law for disliking onions.

I just keep reading your list over and over in utter disbelief. I so wish I hated potatoes and cheese.

[Jacey]

Yes, I am thin and very happily so. I love eating and dining out, but choose (and like) foods that have more nutritional wholesomeness than the "crap" a lot of people enjoy.

[im_nomad]

what's "crap" about potatoes or cheese?

[livetocook]

LMAO. pretty much everything on your list would be on my "LOVE" list. Pancakes at the top!

[Blush]

Pie. I like a good chocolate mousse pie with graham cracker crust but that's about it. It's the pastry I don't care for. I don't like meat pies either.

Goat Cheese
Fish/Seafood/Sushi
Mayonnaise
Jello
Watermelon; actually any kind of melon
Fruity alcohol drinks
Coconut

[alanstotle]

I'll second the watermelon. Every 4th of July picnic I feel like a communist because I pick the watermelon out of the fruit salad.

[danhole]

Here are the food that I see everywhere and I just don't like them at all, and I know at lot of them have been mentioned already:

Mac & cheese
mushrooms when cooked, especially if mushy
salmon
oysters, although the only ones I have ever had were in my mom's thanksgiving dressing and seem like little balls of snot, to me anyway. Never chewed one, just swallowed quickly.
horseradish, and I have tried it many times - bleech
Dijon mustard

[lawgirl3278]

Bananas: tried them every which way - as is, in bread, in smoothies - and I hate them all

Eggplant: has an odd aftertaste to me

Cheesecake: I understand the fascination, but I'm just not into it

Cantelope and Honeydew: yuck!

Veal: memories of my mother's bone-dry, gray shoe leather veal cutlets

[livetocook]

Finally someone said cantaloupe. Everyone tells me, "but, they're so sweet and juicy." And I always say, "you know that taste, that cantaloupe taste that you love. That's the taste I hate."

Never liked it, not even as a kid. Used to like Honeydew but, now it just taste like a milder version of cantaloupe. Bleech.

And will eat, pretty much, anything...(well, cooked right! ;-) )

[occula]

Oh my god, that's exactly it. Even just the smell of cantaloupe makes me shudder. Actually, any melon except watermelon. The rest of them all have that ... whatever that factor is. ick.

[BamiaWruz]

Marshmallows, hate the stuff, don't understand why everyone drools over those gummy white things. On the other hand I like burnt marshmallow! (I mean very toasted that it's almost burnt, then I squeeze out the squishy part and just eat the toasted jacket)

Chocolate and sweets, I'm not crazy about it.

Cheese cake, can't tolerate it, most people I know love it.

Chicken breasts (so dry..) I prefer the legs and more fatty/juicy parts between the bones.

White bread, ewe! (except for french toast I can tolerate it)

Lobster and crab (love seafood but not crazy about lobster, esp when the shell gets in between the meat, gag)

Risotto, I don't want soggy rice, I like long grain varieties most.

Apples-Oranges-Bananas: Very common and loved fruits, but I don't like them.

Ice cream-Caramel-Toffee-fudge: While people drool over it I run away.

Celery (the strings, I peel mine)

[small h]

Many of the foods on my list have been covered here, so I guess they aren't really commonly loved. Flavored coffee, salmon (because I am just so bored by it, Copper River excepted), zucchini, risotto, balsamic vinegar. I will branch out a little to include cocktails and say Cosmopolitans, which yes, some of my friends still drink. I think it's the triple sec. Vile stuff, that. I'm not too thrilled by pizza. Or relish. Three bean salad is kind of gross. Halvah is too intensely greasy, although I like sesame seeds, otherwise. Oh, and kasha, which tastes like sand.

[steakman55]

--Flavored coffee...can't even stand to have it made in our coffee maker, as I can still taste the "amaretto" or whatever in the next pot. Gag.
---Lobster. It's okay, but not the end all and be all of seafood. Give me fresh Florida Gulf shrimp anyday.
---Crab. Except in a crab cake.
---Chocolate. Okay, but that''s it
---I second the sweet tartar sauce. Use Duke's Mayo, available in the SE United States or online. Has no sugare whatsoever. Just add some capers, onion, dill pickle etc
---Honey mustard
---Sweet cornbread. Real southern cornbread does not contain sugar.

[soypower]

Cumin...Esp on beef. It reminds me of the fried burrito grossness of elementary school lunches...blech.

[tracylee]

beer
steak (or any slab-o-meat)
salmon (or any cooked fish, for that matter)
most vegetables
watermelon
plain milk chocolate (without nuts, or crunchies, or something)
sweet lime anything (save the lime for vodka/tonics)
curry

[laliz]

Cornbread
Mint
Marshmallows
Cilantro
Pepsi
Curry
Goat Cheese
Feta Cheese
Chipotle
Catfish
Orange/chocolate combination
Milk (whole or low fat)
Ranch Dressing
Pepperjack Cheese
Anything cooked with or containing wine and/or alcohol
Buffalo wings

[Morganna]

I wonder if you'd like my "buffalo" wings. They're not the typical sort of wings prepared the typical way. Though I've had too many people say "Oh you'd LOVE the way *I* make XYZ" to be so arrogant as to be certain you'd love it the way I do it. ;D

I don't even really call them buffalo wings, I call them cracklin' wings. :) Still, I'm not especially fond of wings overall myself. They're awfully fatty. :)

[TripChick]

Offal = awful in my book.
Bell peppers (green, red, yellow, orange, purple...can't stand any of them).
Onions - unless they're cooked to oblivion or encased in batter and deep fried. Even then, I tend to pull out the offending onion and just eat the fried batter.
Celery - stringy...yuck.
Liver.
Licorice/anise/fennel...tastes like cough syrup to me.

[Firegoat]

ditto to all of the above

[AmyH]

I kinda figured offal went without saying.

[pâté chinois]

For me, it's boozy desserts, esp. tiramisu and trifle, and anything with Grand Marnier in it. And, you guessed it, sweet liquors like Grand Marnier (which is only logical, isn't it?)

[goodhealthgourmet]

gack. ditto on the boozy desserts [i'm not big on dessert anyway], or sweet liquor of any kind - either as a beverage or in noticeable quantities in food.

[Fromageball]

I'm the same, I nearly vomited eating liquor-filled chocolates. I can't do chocolate martinis either.

[lcool]

peanuts/peanut butter just aren't tasty,I have tried countless brands.Ketchup,I have yet to
find it "good" with anything.Plain baked ham (not country cured or smoked) I even get requests for it from friends who like mine a lot.There is not a thing wrong with it.However
there is nothing about it to miss.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i'm another one who doesn't understand why people love ketchup i don't even want it on my burger. the only food on the planet i think it even remotely enhances is a hot plate of extra-crisp, peppery, Jersey diner home fries...and even then a little goes a very long way.

[cuccubear]

The foods that are at the bottom of my go-to list are:

Kim Chee – no. No. NO!
Arroz con Gandules – can and will eat it, but far from my favorite
Red Velvet Cake
Tofu
and, believe it or not...
Ice Cream – I like it, but meh...I usually leave it.

[Firegoat]

I almost never eat ice cream.... but once or twice a year I get a craving for hot fudge sauce on soft serve ice cream.... and nothing else will do. At least I stop short of getting the Peanut Buster Parfait at Dairy Queen......

[cuccubear]

I get those cravings too, but when I want ice cream I usually want plain vanilla, smooth and creamy. The more "things" in the ice cream, or the more "fancy", the less I want it.

I will however, augment my ice cream with a few pretzel sticks.

[Kinnexa]

I thought I was the only one...ice cream leaves me cold (pun intended). Once in a great while I like a bite or two of something loaded with crunchies, like Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk, but generally I just don't like the stuff. Same goes for most candy, except small chocolate bars once in a while. Also whipped topping, marshmallows (oh, dear: fluff! Blecch!), soft-serve, yogurt, all that sweet creamy stuff. No thanks!!

[cuccubear]

Just an update: I'm coming around to the Arroz con Gandules. The SO makes it every once in a while and I'm enjoying it more and more.

[BobB]

Eggplant. I think they're truly lovely to look at, but don't care for the taste and especially don't like the texture.

[Morganna]

OH! Here's one! Eggplant for me, too. HATE the stuff. Also I hate zucchiiininisndfidni (or however you spell it)

[BobB]

That's funny - I used to hate zucchini too, but somewhere along the way I've learned to tolerate it, though I don't actually seek it out. Eggplant I actively avoid. They both share an unpleasant kind of mushiness somehow.

[goodhealthgourmet]

BobB, question about the eggplant texture - do you just dislike it as a cooked veg, or in all incarnations? it can be transformed into a completely different experience in something like baba ghannouj...

[BobB]

Don't like baba gannoush either. I suppose if I were literally starving I could eat it, but I don't enjoy it so why bother?

[TampaAurora]

Weird, I like eggplant except as baba gannoush.

[Jacey]

Me too. I love eggplant in almost all forms but, I'm not really a fan of baba gannoush. I think it might be the tahini. Hummus that has a lot of tahini in it I'm not a fan of, too.

[linguafood]

Well, what's really interesting is that eggplant itself doesn't have much of a flavor. It takes up the flavors you cook it with. And you have to cook the shit out of it so it gets that velvety, creamy texture. Nothing worse than underdone eggplant, and I suspect that is what a alot of eggplant haters here had.

Deep-fried eggplant & zucchini slices with tzatziki or skordalia.... delish.

[lcool]

or a very bitter taste it can have sometimes (preventable)

[kubasd]

thats why i buy fairy tale eggplant . they are amazing. Think, the size of your thumb (i have small thumbs) and i just slice and saute in olive oil with salt and pepper. They get ridiculously creamy and delicious, and are too small to have annoying and bitter seeds. one of my favorite things to cook with

[RosemaryHoney]

Chocolate. Maybe on top of some candy, but alone or in cake...nope.

And COOKED (or smoked or seared or steamed) salmon. I LOVE raw salmon - could eat plates of it - but bring it near heat or smoke and I just can't do it!

[krisrishere]

I second salmon. I love every fish but that one..and I've tried it on several different occasions because it looked good, but I hate it.

[krisrishere]

Milk - Makes me vomit, never drank it as a baby and I refuse to drink it now.

Syrup - Too sweet and sticky. Actually, I have to be completely honest, I have a syrup-phobia. I can't have it anywhere near me for fear of spilling it and getting the stickiness all over me.

Ketchup - It's not that I outright hate it, I just don't see the need for it.

[AngelSanctuary]

Yes, ketchup. Why would anyone put ketchup on anything? First of all it reminds me of a rotten tomato, and second, it covers up the taste of things.

[FriedClamFanatic]

I'm not a big fan of ketchup either, or for that matter, mustard. I like my hamburgers and hotdogs plain (the latter MAYBE with some chopped onion & Sririacha). No lettuce, tomato, etc. No Cheese! And i drink my coffee black, no sugar.

I figure over the years, I have foregone over $15,000 worth of "extras" that the rest of you folks got for free. So if you'd like to send a check, Email me and I"ll give you a snail-mail address! Better still, let me make this my holiday present to you all! Happy Holidays!

[c oliver]

Salmon - with a qualifier. I LOVE lox. But I (and husband too, thank goodness) may be the only people on the West Coast who don't swoon over it. It's alright, I don't spit it out or refuse to go to someone's house if they're serving it, but it does less than nothing for me. If done on the grille, I like it better cause you get the little crunchies and blackened bits. Just thinking about it - prebreakfast - makes me icky :)

[chilihead]

I used to be quite the same about salmon, but then I spent awhile living in the Pacific N.E. and was introduced to Copper River Salmon...which has of course then ruined me for life when it comes to Atlantic Salmon.

[c oliver]

To me, Copper River is no different than others. Live in Oregon and NoCal and it just doesn't sing to me.

[sebetti]

If I have to eat salmon (and have a choice), Copper River always wins. But if I really, really have a choice? I don't choose salmon, I just don't think it's great and some of types (King) are just too overpowering for me - it's too rich and I always feel a little queasy after eating it. I'll stick with Halibut, thank you very much.

[lyndak]

me too!

I love smoked salmon and lox, raw salmon is fine with sushi, but a piece of cooked salmon makes me gag. I may be able to swallow a mouthful if it's covered in bernaise or hollandaise.

I really thought I was the only one.

[Emme]

You're not the only one... I can't stand salmon... or lox...I find it very fishy, and that's not a result of having had poor quality or poor preparations. The only salmon preparation I can choke down is my mom's Salmon Croquettes, and that's really because you don't taste the salmon as much.

[buttertart]

Even weirder in a way, I love canned sockeye salmon (makes very good sandwiches, especially on firm buttered white bread with some cucumber soaked in vinegar), lox, smoked salmon, salmon tartare, but cannot abide fresh salmon filets or steaks.

[AmyH]

Coffee or anything coffee flavored. This includes tiramisu. I've been to so many banquets where tiramisu is the dessert, I've lost count. If it's a banquet near home I can take it home to my husband, but out of town it goes in the trash.

Raw onion. Why do people chop them up tiny and put them in innocent salads (tuna, chicken, potato, cole slaw, etc.)? They are nasty! They overwhelm the taste of whatever they're added to, and give me indigestion for about 2 days afterward.

Tarragon. There's something about that herb that I just can't stand. Tastes like soap to me. But I love cilantro. Go figure. I won't make any recipe where tarragon is the major flavor. For small amounts I'll leave it out or substitute something inoffensive like parsley.

[racer x]

I'll second your vote for coffee.
I like the smell of some kinds of coffee. But the taste of coffee ruins an otherwise good dessert.

[AmyH]

Regular coffee smells like raw sewage to me. Those fancy hazelnut and vanilla flavors do smell good to me, but I can't abide the taste of them. Unfortunately, my husband loves, loves, loves coffee. He grinds his beans fresh each morning and brews it up in some special contraption. The smell of it makes me gag and I have to stay out of the kitchen. He can't understand what the problem is.

[Morganna]

I don't often like coffee flavoured things (or things made with coffee, like tiramisu), but I do like coffee as a beverage (or at least did when I used to be able to drink it but I'm not allowed to have any coffee at all any more, not even decaf, because of possible ulcer worries with my new stomach pouch).

I also don't like peanut butter in things but I like peanut butter. For instance, I like PB&J but I don't like peanut butter cookies (but I do like Reeses peanut butter cups...). :)

I don't like tarragon but it has a vaguely licorice flavour I don't care for. I don't like licorice anything in general. I do like Green Goddess dressing though, in spite of the tarragon in it.

[BobB]

I feel the same way about dried tarragon, but it's a whole different animal - er, herb - when it's fresh, it's much more subtle and I actually like it. Or do you dislike both fresh and dried.

[AmyH]

I don't care for either, but maybe I should try it again. Maybe my tastes have changed. But it's one of the few herbs that I don't grow, and paying several $ for a bunch of it would be painful. I'll have to think about this...

[Caralien]

I'm not a fan of tarragon either, but had one roommate who loved using it. I know it's traditional in sauces for fish, but it's tastes like soapy licorice to me.

If you're at a farmer's market or nursery, break off a leaf and try it.

Star anise I will only use when making asian soups--they don't taste correct otherwise--but in nothing else. The jar I have is primarily used to supply part of a wedding gift--I found one with mostly whole pieces (the fragility and rarity of finding an unbroken star is used to represent the fragility of relationships, as a reminder to take care and keep what's precious intact).

[Morganna]

I didn' t know fresh and dried would be so different. :) I'll have to give fresh a go. I've only ever had dried. :)

[BobB]

They really are - dried tastes soapy and weird, but fresh has more like a very mild anise flavor (to my taste buds, at least).

[JungMann]

I haven't tried dried tarragon, but the fresh version has a very off taste that I don't like at all. Marjoram is even worse. It tastes like Palmolive to me.

[BobB]

I wonder of this is related to the well-known phenomenon that makes cilantro taste like soap to many people?

[JungMann]

That would be an interesting; I'd be interested to hear some confirmatory evidence as I've never heard of this before. Perhaps the marjoram phenomenon is less widely discussed because it occurs in fewer cuisines than cilantro.

[BobB]

Could be. I'm in the "cilantro tastes fine" camp, and marjoram tastes quite mild to me - I'm not sure I could even pinpoint its flavor in a dish. It's only dried tarragon that sets me off.

[Vetter]

AmyH, I echo you exactly on the tarragon! I've always wondered why I liked cilantro and hated tarragon. I still remember a tarragon roast chicken my mother made when I was maybe 12 years old, and it still makes my stomach a little queasy.

[AmyH]

I think for me it's the memory of a chicken dish I had in a fancy restaurant somewhere. So it must have been fresh tarragon. Then again, I seem to recall not liking something my mother made with tarragon, and she never used fresh herbs, so it's possible I don't like fresh or dried. But I'll be a good chowhound and give it another try one of these days, just to make sure.

[jeni1002]

I might have mentioned these before:
* Peanut butter and any variation of peanut butter sweets - did not grow up with it, do not associate it with any comforting childhood memories..The combination of peanut butter and chocolate gives me nightmares.I do love almond butter, though.
* Chocolate - I am slowly learning to like dark chocolate. On the same vein, any desserts that are too sweet. Will take a croissant over chocolate cake any time.
* Key lime pie or any lemony desserts - I love sour (sour cream, yogurt, kefir....), but lemon coulis on cheesecake just ruins the cake.....
* TJ's stir fries - they all taste too sweet or too salty.

[Deenso]

I read through this entire thread, waiting to see if uni was mentioned so that I could just add my "I second that!", but no. So I guess I really am in the minority when it comes to sea urchin. Not only do I not get it, while others are oohing and aahing over uni and extolling its "pure essence of the sea," it makes me gag.

[goodhealthgourmet]

Deenso, there are many people who don't like uni [i'm not one of them, i love the stuff...but i digress]. this thread is about foods you dislike that "Most" people love...and uni isn't exactly common fare to most people, nor is it beloved among all sushi & sashimi lovers.

[katybz]

You're not the only one. I simply cannot tolerate uni. It's like eating a briney, softened human tongue. The thought makes me gag.

[babette feasts]

Hamburgers. Never liked them, except as a kid I did like fast food hamburgers, especially at the local place with the condiment bar where you could really load up on the pickles. Beef in general is something I never order in a restaurant or cook for myself, but will eat if served at a party or something.

Mac & cheese. It can be good, but I just don't have the nostalgia/cravings. Mom never made it.

PB&J. I think I had my first one at girl scout camp, maybe only one. I was the one in school grossing out my friends with blue cheese or liverwurst sandwiches in my lunchbox.

Lobster/crab. Too sweet, and hate the stringy texture of crab. Lobster is better, but pretty much wasted on me.

Ketchup. Too sweet. French fries get dijon.

Honey mustard anything. Again, too sweet. I like sweet things, but as dessert, not on my salad.

Fried rice. People I work with seem to go crazy for it, but I don't really get why.

Creme brulee. Can be good in small quantities, but otherwise falls into what I consider the 'pile of goo' family of desserts that are so popular. I prefer more textural intrigue.

Mascarpone. It's not cheese, it's just thick cream, and tastes only like cream. Bland, boring.

[Paula76]

I second the motion for beets and beer. Also, it seems very fashionable these days to add coriander to anything and I cannot stomach the stuff (unless ground and mixed in curries). I think that after my teens which, as you'd expect, were inundated by junk food, I can't even tolerate the sight of any of these places or what they serve.

I can eat sushi but don't get much excitement from it; it is a bit like having leftover rice with bits in it for me (sacrilege for many, I know!).

Another thing Brits tend to love is cucumber with anything which I find disgusting in whichever form it comes. And as for baked beans...not for me.

[racer x]

I think it's very interesting that many of us have some of the same items on our lists.

For me:

green peas
eggs
beets
beer
apricots
olives
roast beef
baked potatoes (but love them done any other way)

and MAC & CHEESE!!!

[jules1026]

Second on the mac and cheese. Yuck. Only crossed my lips once, and that was enough.

[cimui]

yes, it is pretty interesting how some foods seem to 'group'. a person who dislikes x often also seems to dislike a, b, and c. wonder if there are inherent biological reasons why we prefer some of the foods and avoid some of the foods we do.

perhaps some of the reason has to do with digestibility for a particular person? that might explain cheese and eggs in any case.

[cimui]

i don't really consider myself a picky eater at all. i like durian, natto, stinky tofu and a lot of other unmentionables. but i really don't have all that much fondness for:

pizza
pasta
chocolate
peanut butter
cinammon

[latindancer]

Soymilk. It makes me gag.
Thankfully my doctor told me to stay away from it.

[hala]

Beer.

vinegar. Not because it's sour. I love lemons but vinegar just smells rotten to me. Yuck.

Hershey's chocolate. tastes like someone puked in it.

[aynrandgirl]

Hershey's uses soured milk, that's why it has that awful flavor.

[Passadumkeg]

I eat almost natural food w/o complaint, but do not like processed foods (Think POP Tarts) and chain restaurants.
Is this another Chowhound whiney list?

[goodhealthgourmet]

ooh, that reminds me...peanut butter that contains anything other than peanuts [and perhaps a little salt]. i don't get the appeal of Jif, Skippy, or any of those other beloved mass-market brands of PB. they're much too sweet for my taste, and the emulsifiers lend an unpleasant texture to them. i'll take natural, crunchy PB over that stuff any day.

[Passadumkeg]

We eat Teddy low salt or no salt; cheap & good.

[lagatta]

so far in this thread, I agree with goodhealthgourmet about everything but coconut! (Not that I'm mad about it, but it is an essential part of some Southeast Asian dishes I love).

[jeanmarieok]

Jerk chicken - I had a client in Jamaica, and I spent a couple months over the course of a year there. The firm I was working for was located in downtown Kingston, and they picked me up every morning in an armoured car, with a driver and a guard holding a machine gun. Since going out for lunch was out of the question, the firm brought a buffet lunch in every day, and jerk chicken was the least exotic of the menu items. So I got really sick of jerk chicken. And now I can't even smell jerk seasoning without gagging.

[EllyK]

This reminds me, I can't stand creole seasoning. Went to a creole restaurant with my parents when I was young. Everything we got tasted exactly the same. What we didn't eat at the restaurant we took home for take out. On the drive home the smell of it permeated everything, and it also gave all of us horrible food poisoning. Needless to say, the leftovers were tossed out the next morning.

[CrazyOne]

Bananas. I remember eating these as a child, but now.... And what's worse is all the fruit smoothies that seem like they would be so good have banana in them. I can't take anything with banana or banana flavored. I don't know too many people who don't like these.

Raisins. I don't know when I stopped eating these either, sometime in my teens I think, but yuck. I can duck around them sometimes in a cake or such, but I've grown less and less tolerant.

Celery. I can tolerate some things made with cut up bits or flavored with it but I can't eat it as celery sticks whether alone or with any possible accompaniment.

Jelly/jam/preserves/whatever. You know, the fruit stuff people put on toast, or worse, use to ruin a perfectly good peanut butter sandwich. Argh! Those do not go together. Even as a young child I knew this.

Gum: Maybe not strictly food, but somehow I never enjoyed this despite some trying. Couldn't figure out the appeal. Was the only kid and now seem like the only adult who doesn't want gum. I do believe it's partly why I have no cavities in my teeth, though. ;-) But then again, if chewing gum would help me eat less.... ;-)

Pancake syrup. That fake stuff, far as I can tell most people like this. Took me longer, but now I essentially can't eat it at all. If I eat out and get pancakes, french toast or a waffle, I generally just put butter on it. This preference has caused me to stick more to omelets when eating out for breakfast.

Beer. That's a good one, I see someone else used it. There are times when I'd really like to enjoy a beer, but so far it has baffled me. I have tried a number of styles and haven't found one that does anything for me.

Water. Okay, a bit silly, but on typical average work and home days I struggle to drink plain still water, even if it's bottled from a spring in Fiji or wherever.

[babette feasts]

OMG I hate gum. It's not food, why put it in your mouth?

[Kinnexa]

YES!! I hate gum, the idea of gum, the smell of gum, the whole thing. Seeing someone chew gum (let alone HEARING someone chew gum!) can leave me gagging.

Why anyone puts this crap in their mouth I can't imagine.

[c oliver]

I grew up with a proper Southern mother and gum chewing was considering one of THE rudest things to do. I NEVER had it and I too detest mouths opening and closing and the sound - blech.

[Olallieberry]

I'm the same with water. What helps for me is if its reeaallly cold.

[Melanie]

I'm with you on the water too. Everyone I've ever met thinks it's SO weird...which I guess it is, but I can't help it!

[billieboy]

Water is ok if it is thinned down a bit. Bourbon or rye seem to cut the bland taste :)

[cheetobrain]

ha! I prefer mine thinned down with diet coke mix and bubbles!

[Fromageball]

I hate listening to other people chewing gum. I only chew it occasionally as a quick breath freshener because it gives me a headache(another reason I don't understand how some people can endlessly chew gum like a cow...I would have migraine-level headaches from doing that.).

[alkapal]

look at their eyes when they're mindlessly smacking away. they are channeling THE ARCHETYPAL COW.

[taos]

People are always kind of puzzled when I tell them I do not really like chocolate.

Or cake of any sort. Something about the texture. It's so ... fluffy. Except tiramisu. I like that. Is that cake?

Also, do not like licorice. Yuck! Tastes like floor cleaner -- what I think floor cleaner might taste like.

I would rather have a root canal than eat olives. Any of the gazillion varieties.

And don't even get me started on mayonnaise. I'm gagging writing about it. Do not understand the appeal, though I do like all the ingredients that go into mayonnaise. Interesting.

[meremere]

All breakfast foods. Eggs, bacon and mayonnaise. Makes "breakfast for dinner" difficult in the meremere clan..

[llinza]

The food that others love that I find completely vile - Pancakes, big fluffy, syrupy pancakes. the thought makes me shudder, all that mushy sweet...ugh! I have no problem with nice thin swedish panackes or crepes.

Milk chocolate - too sickly sweet. Love dark chocolate.

[Fromageball]

I hate the fluffy pancakes too, when I cook them I squash them down and get crispy.

[EWSflash]

I like all pancakes, but not with syrup, especially that grotesque aboination that tries to pass itself off as maple flavored syrup. Real maple I might dip my pancakes in every so often, but I NEVER pour it over pancakes. I like pancakes plain, and eaten with my hands

Couldn't agree more about the chocolate.

[westsidegal]

i'm with you on this.
have you tried dollar-sized sourdough pancakes?
the yeastiness changes both the texture and the flavor and makes them terrific for eating with your hands.

[EWSflash]

My mother used to make sourdough buckwheat pancakes. She was so proud of them I never told her how disgusting they tasted. I'm not sure I've had regular sourdough pancakes, though, I'll have to keep an eye out for them.

[goodhealthgourmet]

there have been some recent threads in this same vein, but these topics are always fun.

common things others love that really hold no appeal for me [but i can keep it down if necessary to be polite]:
milk chocolate
super-sweet or sugary foods - candy, very sweet cakes/pastries
frosting - i like some cakes as long as they aren't to sweet [or dry!], but frosting rarely enhances the experience
full-fat ice cream [i don't like the heavy mouthfeel]
iceberg lettuce - it's like chewing water, and if i'm gonna do that i'd rather have ice cubes!

and while it's not necessarily the most popular food on the planet...coconut. it's the one flavor [and aroma] that will automatically make me gag. i'm slowly learning to tolerate small amounts of lite coconut milk in certain recipes, but i still shudder at the thought of eating actual coconut meat [due to both taste & texture].

[noodlepoodle]

Yeh, I'm with you on the coconut thing. A little goes a long way. I was once in Barbados years ago and a guy was selling coconut milk (water) cut out of fresh coconuts. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Uhh, that was so bad, lukewarm coconut water. Yuck.

[thew]

that isn't coconut milk.

and i love that stuff - used to drink it on the beaches of goa quite often

[ptenoid]

Apples. I can tolerate them cooked, but do not like them raw.

I'm not wild about cinnamon, either.

[queencru]

Balsamic vinegar- I cannot wait for this trend of sticking it on everything to go out!

Risotto- I just can't get into it, but most of my friends love it. I am pretty picky about the types of rice I like, and don't like anything particularly soggy unless it is a rice soup.

Sushi- I will eat it, but I will not go out of my way to eat it. I lived in Japan for two years and at some work parties, sashimi was one of the few edible items ordered, and I think it really lost its allure at that point.

As someone farther down the thread pointed out- frosting. I am one of those people who always waits until the pieces are coming out of the middle of the cake because I want as little frosting as possible. Typically I eat the cake around it and leave a wall of frosting.

Onions- ugh- can't stand them. I hate how it's often left out in a description of the item. I always ask to make sure there are no onions and whether they can be removed if there are onions.

[jcattles]

I'm so with you so on the balsamic vinegar and frosting. I also wait for a piece with as little frosting as possible then scrape the rest off. It;s just a waste of good strawberries when they're glazed with balsamic.

[KristieB]

I've made risotto numerous times and it NEVER turned out soggy.

[Cachetes]

Lobster. Most people I know at least enjoy it, if not out-and-out love it. It doesn't repulse me, and I can eat it in a pinch, but I'd rather not. Its flavors are lost on me.

[cimui]

my take on lobster, too, cachetes. i don't hate it, but i don't go into tizzies of delight, either. i think it's from being force fed the stuff as a kid.

[queencru]

This reminds me- I do not see the thrill of crab at all. Every time I try it, I think "Are you serious?" I am fine with in a warm format, but it just grosses me out cold.

[cimui]

so true. what a difference a few degrees makes!

[Cachetes]

Yes! Crab dip is okay, but that's pretty much it. When I was about 8, I remember fishing with my father and siblings off the Jersey shore. This was a particularly exciting trip b/c I surprisingly caught a crab on my fishing line. That evening, as my father and uncle cooked up the catch of the day, they ceremoniously cooked the crab and placed it in front of me. Imagine my disappointment as I took my first bite and, well, blech. My brother was thrilled to receive my castoffs.

[Caralien]

Crab meat that has already been shelled, I like, a lot. As does my husband. But when we ordered of steamed bluecrabs, we did our best to eat them (removing the skirt, etc.), but kept seeing giant bugs on the table. I love eating whole, fried, soft shell crabs too. But in the shell it's simply a huge bug. I don't mind knowing where my food comes from and what it looks like naturally, and certainly eat a lot of food which some find questionable, but we've sworn off steamed/boiled whole crabs for now.

[BamiaWruz]

I know exactly what you mean, I'm the same way and once I bought some fresh ones at the fish market (though they were dead) I had a hard time actually picking them up to cook because they looked like huge bugs in my kitchen.. freaky!

[kellithina]

I agree with lobster, although I LOVE crab. Hot, cold, dip - doesn't matter.

[Passadumkeg]

Hey, when lobster's 2 bucks a pound, it's no big deal; makes pretty good tacos, fajitas ands quesadillas I think taking the lowly bottom feeder out of context and raising it's allure is bound to disappoint. A hundred years ago, it was fed to the prisoners in the Maine State Pen.

[Olallieberry]

Okay, leaving off things that I don't like, because I've named those before many times- these are all things that I do like or at least will eat, but don't LOVE with the passion that other people seem to:

oysters
apricots, plums, nectarines (though I LOVE peaches)
strawberries
carrots
feta
beets
balsamic viniagrette
eggs

Like I said, I enjoy all of the above, but don't understand when people go into that rapturous kind of trance when thinking about them.

[chowfox]

I'm with you on the strawberries, Ol. Can't stand the smell. Likewise (in my case) peaches, pineapple, and most melons (watermelon's OK).

Am I the only one who picks raisins out of my food?

And I dislike anything with a vinegar taste. Sushi's fine if the vinegar was applied with a very cautious hand, but even sushi vinegar is unpleasant if there's too much. I dress my salads with lemon, lime, or wine.

Also, I guess most people like sweet peppers, but I know I'm not the only one who doesn't. Hot peppers are fine, don't ask me why.

[EllyK]

Raisins are the bane of my existence!!! They ruin everything delicious like oatmeal cookies and cinnamon bread.

Also hate raw broccoli, hershey's chocolate.... and especially licorice (or anything vaguely tasting like it)!

[Ned_Detroit]

Hmmm, I think I just might bake some gluten-free cinnamon bread, with raisin, tomorrow so I can have some peanut butter and raisin sandwiches;)

[hyde]

FISH. leave em all in the ocean. were destroying them anyway, leave them alone. they all taste like they been cut from one giant fish. cod, scrod, haddock, sea bass, roughy, flounder, same stuff, different names, bluefish is different and disgusting in a whole different way. cant reheat it, expensive. "good for you"... bullshit . mercury, salmonella. people who love it seem to think they are superior somehow. best used as fertilizer.

[Avalondaughter]

Yes yes yes! I hate fish too. I hate anything that grew in water. That means no crustaceans or mollusks either. People always tell me such and such a fish is good and isn't "fishy" but they're all fishy to me and I hate fishiness!

[JungMann]

I used to hate Hate HATE fish, too. After a childhood spent choking down the bones of milkfish and abiding the briny smell of salted and fried fish, I rarely order fish when dining out. But now that I'm learning to cook fish on my own, I'm starting to get over my loathing and finding methods that prepare fish in ways I find not only palatable, but delicious.

[Roland Parker]

I am not a fan of fish either and never ate them in my childhood. Then I started having salmon and these days I eat salmon and plain rainbow trout about once a month and I will even have hammour (a common white fish in the Middle East, where I currently live). But I cannot stomach other kinds of fish and I can only eat a certain amount of salmon or trout before my stomach starts protesting.

Love other seafoods, however. Shrimp, scampi, mussels, oysters and calamari are all foods of heaven to me.

[aynrandgirl]

I'm with you. Fish is horrible, evil stuff. Not just fish, but all kinds of seafood: shrimp, prawns, oyster, eel, octopus, caviar, calamari, lobster, crab. Just say no.

[lanersg]

mushrooms. Here in California they are everywhere.

Sushi - meh, I like the dragon rolls which everyone tells me is not sushi. :)
Chocolate - again meh, I prefer caramel flavors
Cilantro/coconut milk - just can't eat either of these
Fish - Most of it's OK but won't go out of my way to eat. Love shellfish though

[chilihead]

Sweets in general. I live in a veritable sweet desert, without a gumdrop tree in sight. Even when it comes to pie I go towards tart or savory. Things like Southern Sweet Tea, moonpies, cotton candy and other ultra sweets make me nauseous.

[sparkalina]

Celery. I think it's the strings.

[1sweetpea]

I'm with you on raw celery sticks. My mother used to cut the strings out, which made it look as if it had been flayed. I was won over to stir-fried celery in Chinese restaurants. They tend to cut it on the diagonal, but in thin slices so that the strings aren't very long. It helps with the stringiness a great deal.

[Caralien]

Celery tastes like soap to me, as does Earl Grey tea.

[chicgail]

Don't mind celery or Earl Grey tea.

What tastes like soap to me to cilantro. I once read that it's a genetic thing that has to do with enzimes.

[billieboy]

I wish you had not brought up cilantro. Now I have to go wash my mouth out with bourbon.

[CookieWeasel]

Yup, hate the strings. Won't touch raw celery, but it's great when it's cooked-- improves both texture and flavor.

[kubasd]

yep, strings are what turn me off from celery.... i like the taste and dip-ability, but strings, ugh

[ms. clicquot]

Goat cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, watermelon, plain white milk to drink and saffron are all things I don't really care for that seem to be popular with nearly everyone else I know.

[1sweetpea]

Lavender, as in herbes de Provence. It tastes like potpourri to me. Also eggs. I've tried to like them. I've eaten them every way possible. The more disguised they are, the better. The smell of hard cooked eggs in my fridge makes me want to vomit, but my SO adores them, so I don't do any deep inhaling when rooting in a fridge that contains them. On the topic of eggs, I don't like tobiko (flying fish roe) at all, but I do like ikura (salmon roe) and good quality caviar (beluga, sevruga, osetra). I also dislike most meat. This comment will surely stop most people in their tracks. Even when I was more willing to eat meat or poultry, it had to be either stewed or tender and served with a sauce. For example, I'd sooner eat a lamb shank than a lamb chop, or a pan-fried pork dumpling at dim sum vs pork loin, chop or roast. Something about the dry chewiness of proteins is a turn-off to me (not to mention the dead animal angle). I guess the sauce masks the flavour of the meat and helps ease it down. Softer proteins appeal more to me, such as fish, seafood, legumes or tofu.

[ms. clicquot]

Actually I'll add lavender to my list as well. I had a lavender creme brulee in Provence a few years ago and it was like eating a dish of hand cream! I love how it smells but please keep it out of my food!

[irishnyc]

I agree about lavender. That creme brulee sounds repulsive!

[cimui]

i third the lavender. it tastes like soap to me. there's a hard, lavender flavored candy that's the texture of those necco wafers and sold in the same size/shape package as the small packets of hall's cough drops you buy at the cash register. they make me mildly nauseous in a way that no other food i can think of right now does.

[cheetobrain]

are you sure you're not thinking of Violet candy? I love the stuff, sounds exactly like what you are describing...I've never seen lavender flavored!

[Caralien]

There are lavender pastilles in the Victorian French tins. Violet too. Plus violet gum. I used to try to like it, but I prefer the mint versions.

[alkapal]

i recall a lavender scented creme brulee i had once in napa valley. nope. not for me!

[cheetobrain]

yum! next time you see them send some my way ;)

I love anything flower flavored!

[EWSflash]

Oh my, those are so good! I had to quit buying them because I overindulged- as long as I had them I COULDN'T NOT HAVE ONE IN MY MOUTH. Easier not to buy than not to eat, sadly.

[bulavinaka]

I'm with you on the evil hard cooked eggs - for me it's hard-boiled ones...

chowhound.chow.com/topics/549324

Scroll down about two-thirds of the way down the thread. I feel like vomiting just thinking about it... :P

[beachmouse]

I'm with you on the smell of eggs being so vile in many different combinations. I can't even walk into most breakfast restaurants because the egg smell makes me feel sick to my stomach. Though if they're hidden in bread pudding or you dump enough sugar in them to control the eggyness when you're talking mergengue then I can sometimes enjoy them.

Not a huge fan of milk, but I suspect it's mostly because my Mom had a finish your milk before leaving the dinner table rule instead of some sort of clean plate club deal and only partly because of the mucousy feeling when it goes down my throat.

[danhole]

I was the same way with milk and I think I can blame it on those little milk cartons we got with school lunches. You HAD to drink it and it was always lukewarm. Nothing worse than lukewarm milk. Hot milk, for cocoa is fine, but not lukewarm. My milk aversion changed when I went to college in a small town in East Texas. They had a giant milk dispenser that kept the milk ice cold, and it was so good. You could get chocolate or white. I think I gained about 5 lbs because of that milk. So if it's really cold I like it, but not any other way. Now I like this Promised Land organic milk - especially the strawberry flavor.

[alkapal]

oh danhole, my elementary school in sw florida had the same lukewarm milk in the little cartons. i can smell it now! fortunately, we had *cold* milk at home!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Mrs Hole,m that sounds fantastic. Business idea: attractive young people on roller blades with backpacks of dry-iced milk packs at Epcot or Disney.

[danhole]

Sam,

I truly believe that more children would really like milk if it was super cold!

[James Cristinian]

I can go one better. Lukewarm milk, flash back, somewhere between second and fourth grade, the kid across from me opened his chocolate milk and was savouring it, UNTIL, he realized it was curdled and spit the chunks out on his tray. Some 45 years or so later I still eyeball and sniff any, and all miik I drink. Yes Dani, that Promised Land milk is like liquid crack. I prefer the chocolate, in small quantities, but the strawberry is a close second.

[alkapal]

mmm....where can i find this promised land? ;-).

ah, here it is on algore's amazing internet: http://www.promisedlanddairy.com/OurP...

i'm checking via email if they sell it here in arlington, virginia.

[kubasd]

unfortunately i'd never seen it in arlington, but then again, i moved a year ago... and damnit i looked!

[danhole]

James,

I really like all the flavors of Promised Land! And you are right, not too much. Of course if you pour too much you run he risk of lukewarm ;-)

Nothing in the world more disgusting than curdled milk, for me anyway. After days of no power, after Ike, I finally gave up and opened the fridge to toss stuff. You can imagine what the milk was like! I had to sit down and catch my breath.

[msgenie516]

I can't stand the smell of any spoiled food, so I broke down and bought one of those standby generators that go on automatically when the power goes out. We live in an area where it seems we lose power rather frequently so it's working out well.

[katybz]

Promised Land's midnight chocolate milk is what got me drinking milk again. That stuff is amazing, and local to me too!

[alkapal]

i've had that choco-milk from promised land. it is really, really rich! they also make great eggnog!

[CookieWeasel]

I'm TOTALLY with you on the chewiness of proteins thing. Gotta be tender and moist or no dice.

[cbauer]

As far as eggs go, I think we were seperated at birth. hard boiled eggs, just the smell alone wants to make be barf, let's not even go into deviled eggs. Holy crapola, just ewwww and gross. Hubby loves them though. I will hold my nose and make them for him, but I use a more "sophisticatd" recipe that uses champagne vinegar. Not sure that helps, but whatever.... sigh

[FriedClamFanatic]

Only way I can eat an egg is in something like cookies, bread, cakes, etc I cook them for my wife and kids...........but you'd have to hold a gun to my head.preferably a big one...to get me to eat boiled, fried, scrambled, etc. eggs........I can stomach some "mixes" but they better have a lot of veggies or meat!

[Passadumkeg]

How about fried clam batter?

[JungMann]

Chocolate never really did it for me. I honestly would rather have a bowl of Fiber One over a Hershey's Kiss any day of the week.

[sasha1]

With all due respect, Hershey's is to chocolate what Velveeta is to cheese. I don't eat hershey's either. But dark or bittersweet choc, 70% and up, not too sweet - that is a dream...

[queencru]

Or a total nightmare for those of us for whom dark chocolate induces migraines. I'd take a Hershey kiss anyday over 70% and up because I can continue with my day unscathed.

[sasha1]

I'm sorry - I had no idea they were a migraine trigger. My husband gets them sometimes (not from choc) and he can be laid up for 2 days... Good thing there's much choc variety in the world, isn't it :)

[shelly59]

Tomatos. Arrrggghh. It's such a curse to dislike them but I do. The ripe, ruby chunks or slices of tomato that make others orgasmic make me retch. My tomato sauce has to be silky smooth. No slices on sandwiches, salads, etc. Lol, I tell you..it really is a curse. And they are EVERYWHERE!! For example - I was at a very nice market the other day and was snooping around the hot entree counter for some tasty lunch and came upon a Shepard's Pie. COVERED with diced tomato. I thought it odd. And got some yogurt instead, LOL!

Raw onion (cooked are fine)..burns my mouth and, imho, completely overwhelms any other flavor in the dish. Also, like tomatoes, people go nuts over them and put them in or on everything but dessert. Yuck.

[Firegoat]

Totally with you on the maters. Hate it when a pizza place uses a chunky sauce instead of smooth.... nasty

[Fromageball]

I'm the same with both of those. I can't stand the texture of raw onions or tomatoes, and I hate the taste of raw tomatoes, but cooked is fine as long as they are pureed nice and smooth so there are no chunks. I also LOVE onion soup.

[tracylee]

Yup, my immersion blender is my friend! I recognize that veggies are necessary for some things, like soup. I just don't want to bite into them.

[contessa15]

i too am cursed with a dislike for raw tomatoes and oh how i wished i loved them! i have tried so hard to like them, but its something about a raw tomato makes me gag...it is the bane of my food existence.

second on that list is mushrooms...although i am not nearly as upset about disliking them.