It's a texture thing...

[pastry634]

Hello all. What foods out there do you find texturally disgusting? For me, it has to be the common culprit: Oysters. So slimy...gives me the shivers. What about everyone else?

[lexpatti]

I forgot, I don't like bubble tea pearls or gummy worms - too weird!!!!

[Passadumkeg]

Spam.

[JanPrimus]

pomegranate seeds - I love the juice though...

[alkapal]

greasy, grimy gopher guts.

[meatn3]

mutilated monkey meat.

Wow, 1st grade - good times! Who knew we could have turned our fixations into a food network career?
;-D

[abduction51]

Dirty little birdy feet...

[thinks too much]

chopped up baby parakeet...

[Firegoat]

and a little bird turd

[cayjohan]

Wish I had a spoon...
Cay

[Scargod]

Putrified porpoise pus..... Guess I'll go eat worms.

[Passadumkeg]

And eaten without a spoon.

[alkapal]

i use a straw for putrefied porpoise pus. the one with the neat twisty curls in it. the green pus looks so cool snaking up the straw.

[meatn3]

But a bubble tea straw would be sooo much more efficient!

[alkapal]

but efficiency isn't always the goal. part of enjoying the ppp is to see it swirling up to your lips.

[meatn3]

I bow to your greater vision....

I am humbled.

[alkapal]

(well, we'd both better keep our heads low lest we kicked out of this playground.... ;-). i'll keep that bubble tea straw (1/2" diameter?!) in mind for other items, though. thanks for the chowtip.

[Scargod]

Sucking up small oysters?

[alkapal]

small oysters, caviar, sea slugs.... if it'll fit, it's gone! ssllllhhhllluuuurrrrrrppppp. pass the tapatio, please.

[whs]

Hate matzoh-it's like eating newsprint. Does not explain my passion for mochi, which partner cannot tolerate.

[DC in DC]

Oysters, liver, and banana, for sure.
Okra [shudder]
Liverwurst [ruined me for foie gras later in life]
Raisins, especially when included in a cooked product, so they go all soft and slimy - blech! (but I like cranberries - go figure)
Prunes (but I like dried figs)
Also: durian. The smell & taste always get the rap, but the texture is pretty weird too.
I love tapioca and was surprised to see it on others' lists, but now that I think about it, I kinda get it.

[leahvh]

i'm with you Pastry, raw oysters are gross, couldn't pay me enough money to eat them. I also hate Sour Kraut, just the smell make me want to hurl.

[lexpatti]

Mine is Croutons on a Salad - it's the texture that messes me up, doesn't belong there. I love croutons to nibble on and I love my salads but not together.

[Caroline1]

BRAINS!!! <barf><barf><barf> Am I the only one who cannot endure the slick slimy texture? Disgusting, with a capital DISGUST!

I also can't stand tripe, but that's a flavor thing, not a texture thing. No matter how much your soak or treat it or how you cook it, it still tastes like cow spit.

[Firegoat]

Sadly, I actually know what cow spit tastes like. (long story.) You just saved me from ever having to taste tripe.

[lcool]

I also am familiar with cow spit,TRIPE is much nastier IF it has not been cleaned and cooked properly.You will smell the differance long before it passes your lips.

[LindaWhit]

LOL! Now THAT would be an interesting story, Firegoat. :-)

[Scargod]

Ya know, living out in Oakieland, it's not hard to fall for "beef". Probably just got a bum steer.

[LindaWhit]

:::snort:::

[Scargod]

Good lord woman; get a grip! I would never admit that I had tasted cow slobber! Do cows lick you like a dog? The cows must like you!
I'm about to set out on a big adventure with the Passman. Markie and I are going to hit NOLA and I have singled out Bayona, where they serve sweetbreads as appetizers and liver and onion stuffed rabbit roulade! If I can find some brains and eggs (help with that would be appreciated), I will have that for brekkie before we tear our ass for Jacksonville.

[dinaofdoom]

cows can and will lick you like a dog...
or at least i have had that experience with a younger cow.
and it had these weird little non-teeth, and was gumming on my hand.
very slobbery and strange.

[kattyeyes]

I once fed an ox a gourd. It had the largest tongue I had ever encountered and it was indeed slobbery and strange. I am not sure how folks eat tongue. But better them than me.

Fun sidebar: among oxen, do you know which one is the in-charge ox? If you think it's the biggest one, you guessed wrong...it's the one with the sharpest horns. ;)

[tatamagouche]

Love brains. They didn't seem slimy to me at all, just soft.

[pikawicca]

Tongue
Chicken Feet
Fig Newtons

[tatamagouche]

You know what, I thought I hated the texture of chicken feet because they were so gelatinous. Then this weekend I tried them again and they really seemed no different than any other dark-meat part of the chicken, except for the amount of meat on the bone, of course. I was told that was simply because the ones I were eating were freshly cooked.

[pikawicca]

The ones I tried were in my favorite SF Chinatown Dim Sum place, so I assume they were fresh.

[tatamagouche]

I don't mean, like, frozen, but more like rolling around in a cart on the floor for a half-hour before getting served or something.

But I dunno, all I know is I thought they were foul and suddenly I don't! Yay! That only leaves haggis on my list of textural grossouts.

[lcool]

shark fin soup,birds nest soup,99% of jello with stuff,OKRA and have a problem with
"congealed' fat

[Firegoat]

I'm curious what the acceptable 1% of jellow with stuff contains

[lcool]

most jello "salads" with canned fruit etc,just an awful mouth feel for many reasons OH and the ones with vanilla ice cream or cool whip stirred in are even worse
slippery slime and rubber
absolutely plain jello is only bad,helped it is ?

[danhole]

You would have "loved" my mom's version of jello. Take a bowl of jello, mix in a tablespoon of miracle whip, stir until it is well blended so it looks like pudding. Yeah . . . don't do that in my house!

[Rmis32]

"congealed' fat? Gee, it's good you don't work at my office. Half the people there can be described as "congealed' fat. Do I sound bitter?

[Cebca]

ooohh, thats cold. But i dont doubt that its true.

[laliz]

I agree with many here, the oysters, mussels, liver, peach/kiwi/apricot fuzz.

Adding a couple

un-crisp bacon shiver
liver ~~ cannot be mentioned enough. Although I love chicken liver and pate

the unexpected (as in pickle previously mentioned) ~~ like big chunk of bell pepper or onion ~~ as a matter of fact, ALL undercooked onions and too big onion pieces. And don't even get me started on cocktail onions in anything.

[thinks too much]

People have listed a lot of very specific textures, and I can respect that on an individual basis. Has anyone else noticed that it has also become a new go-to excuse? "It's the texture" doesn't claim that the speaker is allergic, they'rere not a drone for any trendy diet like Atkins, they don't risk offending the carnivores by being vegetarian (or otherwise potentially politicized groups). Plus it has the extra bonus of being able to fit any food that one doesn't feel like eating. The host can never plan for it. It also includes a slight frisson of psychological scarring: "You can't make me eat that, it would just be too traumatic."

Note that I am not applying this to mock anyone who uses it for one specific texture. I've just noticed some people using it more often in a plethora of situations.

[tatamagouche]

Yeah, interesting that that white lie would be more acceptable than "I don't like the taste." Cause ultimately what's the diff?

[abduction51]

Caviar...for years I had longed to try "good" caviar and when the time finally arrived I was so sadly disgusted. It wasn't the intense "flavor of the sea" (ok maybe a tad) but it was the texture. I did not like how the roe would just "pop" between your teeth...it reminded me of a gusher (the old bubblegum with a liquid center) on a micro level. And worse is how an egg would get caught in your teeth only to have it explode a minute later. Ick!

[tatamagouche]

I actually love that part. :)

[tracylee]

Oh yeah, caviar, tobiko, tomago....so much wonderful texture! OK, so I can't bring my self to try the salmon eggs - too much like bait!

[Humbucker]

Salmon eggs are the best ones! They're largest and gushiest!

[alwayscooking]

My ex-inlaw's 5 day old poi - I think it was the combination of texture and smell that made me gag since I can tolerate the fresh. Haven't had natto yet so can't comment on its notoriety.

[Babyducks]

I can only drink pulp free organge juice, I'd lose my breakfast with the fresh squeezed type.

[Firegoat]

I agree, as a child, before the invention of pulp free orange juice, I spent many a time with mom's metal mesh strainer straining out the pulp from the orange juice.

I didn't like carrots in my orange jello salad at thanksgiving either. Such a rebel!

[NellyNel]

"I didn't like carrots in my orange jello salad at thanksgiving either. Such a rebel!"

What??
Seriously? Carrots in orange jello????

[EWSflash]

Absolutely! And little bits of celery too. Orange or lime jello, usually orange.
I actually liked it, but judging from a conversation at lunch at work last week, i'm in the minority.

[NellyNel]

Wow - that screams of the 1970's!
It sounds absolutely repulsive!!

But I love it! and I almost want to try it!

[BobB]

Actually sounds more like the '50s to me.

[Melanie]

OOOO that's a good one! Generally I cannot handle orange juice with pulp in it. However if it's fresh squeezed (and I mean, really fresh squeezed, preferably by me) then I don't mind it as much.

[kattyeyes]

OK, kids. I've got two more:
1. pig ear
2. eel

I thought I'd be adventurous today and try pig ear in hot chili sauce, having seen other people enjoy them the last time I went to a very authentic Szechuan resto. If you are not acccustomed to eating such things, you might want to pass. Though from a distance, I swear sliced pig ear looked like prosciutto, that's where the similarity ends. It's extremely sinewy and beyond unappealing to the uninitiated. The mere thought of that texture had me on the verge of wanting to throw up for about two hours afterward...only remedied when I ate almond horns to eradicate the memory.

Eel--first time I ate it in a roll, the nasty little bones got stuck in my throat and felt like they were there for the rest of the night. Evil eel! I tried it again on a separate occasion in a different restaurant and while I skipped the bones that time, it's still no dice for me. I totally loathe the texture.

[Olallieberry]

Apricots. I'm ok with the taste (though they're a bit bland for my liking), but it's that super-softness and the way they kind of fall off the pit in your mouth that I don't like. I keep expecting to like them because everybody else seems to, but I just can't.

Dried figs kind of weird me out too, with all the little seeds, but I like the overall chewiness enough.

I can think of one food in particular that has the opposite problem: Turkish Delight. LOVE the texture, wish it tasted better.

[Firegoat]

Wooden popsicle sticks
Chunks of onion
Chunks of tomato
An unexpected pickle (i can eat t hem, I just have to see them coming and be prepared)
coconut
many beans (like bugs)

[goodhealthgourmet]

i can't believe how many of us have an issue with popsicle sticks. love it!

[Boccone Dolce]

unexpected pickles! that's funny. In that context, loose corn in my food is a no-no. I've had this conversation with someone here before. Those little suckers belong on their respective cobs unless they are toasted (ala Corn Nuts) or salted, buttered & popped (self explanatory).
Bug-like beans?

[Firegoat]

I think I should elaborate.... and then I read through in my mind what i would write to elaborate on "unexpected pickes" and I've just decided maybe that's not in my best interest.
All I can say is I order burgers without pickles, and I don't want pickles in my devilled eggs. A surprise pickle is immediate grounds for uncontrollable upchucking.

[Firegoat]

What do you mean "Bug-Like Beans"? Everyone knows Beans are just like a big fat beetle... all exoskeleton you bite through to the milk center.

[Boccone Dolce]

Kaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! Thanks for that milk center bit. I just screamed and scared the cat. (he landed correctly)

What sort of heathen puts pickles in deviled eggs?

Did I ever tell you about the horror someone shoved at me at a party? It was a hugely bloated rubbery dill, covered in cream cheese, then rolled in some sort of re-hydrated chipped beef arrangement. I earned the trophy that night for swallowing, but it was so difficult not to make faces. It was sliced, so it could have been unexpected, if you were inebriated or otherwise unfamiliar with a round green smushy chunk of food tarred in a fluffy cream cheese cloud and feathered with meat.

[goodhealthgourmet]

ROFLMAO! Boccone, your comments about the cat and the pickles just made me laugh harder than i have in a while. thanks for that :)

[Firegoat]

You go to parties where they have trophies for swallowing????

I want to roll with you! Beanie bugs and all

[Boccone Dolce]

Once ice cream begins to melt, I hand it over to my husband, or whoever is standing there. I don't do melting ice cream. I've never really enjoyed milk shakes either. Funny thing is, I do like soft serve. It's annoying.

Bananas. I can only manage a bite or two before their squishy/mushiness forces me to stop.

Raw nuts. They make noises when you bite.

Excessive mayo.

Plastic cheese-like the kind that comes individually wrapped. It has a nightmarish texture both cold or melted. I once bit into a leftover half sandwich my husband brought home from work and it had cold, previously melted plastic cheese on it. I'm still getting over it.

[tracylee]

OK, I admit right out that I'm odd.
I love sushi for the texture, especially Tobiko, which is not highly flavored.

However, foods I really, seriously dislike, it 's a combination of the two.
Liver
Oysters (OK, most clams, since dissection class in college)
Many, many, vegetables, especially brussels sprouts.

But I love winter squashes, and give me the pudding skin any day! I looooove tapioca and rice pudding, and soggy bread..i.e. French Toast, or French Dip - yum!!!

[soypower]

What really grosses me out is the super-smooth uniform texture of some processed, packaged meats like foodservice meatballs, sausage, and even some deli meats. If it doesn't have any chunky or stringy realness to it, it makes me feel awfully weird.

Also when I'm cutting meat, I have to have non-uniform shapes. I never 'cube' chicken, and when I'm slicing, it's usually at different angles.

[Scargod]

That's it! When I last had pot stickers, or dumplings, the filling was over-processed. Almost like toothpaste. What was that unrecognizable brown goo?

[c oliver]

You think that last paragraph might smack of a little OCD??? :)

[goodhealthgourmet]

could be...i have serious OCD tendencies, and i do the same thing when slicing meat! if it's too uniform, it's as though it came from a package.

[c oliver]

I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend. I think I have some small, benign, non-food OCD tendencies myself.

[goodhealthgourmet]

why did you think you offended me? not at all!

[c oliver]

Oh good. I wanted to err on the side on caution. Since non-food, at least I don't have to share my little OCD habit(s) :)

[goodhealthgourmet]

no need to be cautious with me, i don't offend easily.

as for my "tendencies," (food-related and non), it was decided quite some time ago that as long as they don't interfere with my daily life functionality, we'll call them "quirks" ;)

[c oliver]

Ooh, I'll tell people I'm *quirky* :) Nice.

[Scargod]

Does that mean if I cut all my carrot slices the same size and at the same angle I'm O-C?
I was taught to chop onions, potatoes, celery, etc. the same size, so it all cooks evenly... or is "perfect bite-size".

[c oliver]

ghg's post that I responded to evidently got deleted. No, I think we are supposed to cut the same size prior to cooking. She wasn't referring to that; it think it was the size and shape that she cuts her meat into but can't honestly remember :)

[chicaraleigh]

Beef Stew - not the vegetables but the meat. I just plain hate stew meat. Something about the stringy texture just sends me running.

Also can't do mussels but love oysters - raw or cooked.

Any organ meat from any animal.

[Katie Nell]

Ugh, you guys are making me gag a little bit as I read through this! ;-)

For me, it's when a "foreign" texture is all of the sudden introduced into whatever I'm eating... for instance, grilled chicken... I'm chewing, it's lovely, I'm chewing, I'm chewing, and then all of the sudden... ew, ew, ew, piece of gristle, must spit it out, must spit it out, and I'm done eating dinner! This could be, like I said, a piece of chicken, or a piece of beef, or sushi, or one time I had the hard outer leaf of an artichoke in a pasta dish. It's just the element of surprise, and why I can't eat burritos. Needless to say, my hubby has gotten used to me politely spitting whatever the offender is in my napkin!

And I've had nightmares of being invited to MMRuth's home in New York, and her feeding me a lovely dark meat chicken meal, and me gagging through the whole meal! (I'm not sure why it's always MMRuth- probably 'cause she epitomizes classy cooking, in my mind! And gagging is NOT classy!) ;-)

[Katie Nell]

Oh, yes, and pre-formed hamburger patties! Blech!

[Boudleaux]

Yes, I understand this completely. I am the same way about meat (not anything else really). I avoid hot wings for this reason. I watch people dive in and take huge bites and don't see how they are doing that. Don't they end up with a mouthful of gristle? I nibble and look carefully for gristle when eating them.

[Scargod]

Kiwi skin. Give me slick and slimy any day!

[danhole]

Oh lordy gordy! Scargod! Get over it. Kiwi skin is not a bad thing at ALL! Not slimy, not gross. Wash it and eat. good for you. From what I have read, you have eaten far worse than that!

Dani

[purple goddess]

I eat kiwi skin, peach skin.. love the fuzz.

It totally oogies my hubs out, though!

[laliz]

NO kiwi or peach fuzz. oogled here too

[BobB]

I love peach fuzz, it's as close as I'll ever get to munching on my kitty!

[Scargod]

I guess it's a short-hair? Sphynx? Man those are rare! Surely you wouldn't think of munching on it?

[BobB]

Russian Blue. And no, but it's SO soft. Reminds me of a quote from a Marge Piercy book - the protagonist is dating a guy who has a Russian Blue, and when she first strokes the cat she says "Oh my god, I'm a vegetarian, but I want a coat made of this stuff!"

[alanbarnes]

Okay, that reminds me...

They're not food, but food-related: wooden popsicle sticks. I'll eat anything. I haven't found a food texture that bothers me yet. But there's something about the feeling of that wood on my tongue that triggers the gag reflex. Ack.

[NellyNel]

Alan ME TOO!!!
In fact just reading your post made my skin crawl! I got goose bumps all over my body now!!
UGHH
I can only take one or 2 bites off a Good Humor bar before handing it over to someone else! I absolutely scceeeeeve wooden stix!
Oh and remember the cups of ice cream that came with wooden spoons?
Never - no way!!!
My DH will suck on the stick - just to make me gag!

[goodhealthgourmet]

"But there's something about the feeling of that wood on my tongue that triggers the gag reflex."
~~~~~~~~
i'm so glad i'm not alone on this! i think it's the structural & textural similarity to a tongue depressor that gets me. i have a wicked gag reflex, and popsicle sticks always remind me of getting a throat culture at the pediatrician's office. i gagged every time. almost hurled on the nurse more than once ;)

[Scargod]

Not food related either, except everyone eating/cooking food uses them: stainless steel utensils. I hate the taste of stainless! Give me wood or plastic, or give me death!

[BobB]

Scargod, are you serious? Pretty much all non-Asian restaurants above the fast food level and below the rarefied echelon that offer real silver serve their food with stainless flatware. Do you bring your own? Or only eat at places that have chopsticks? Frankly I'd be more concerned about tasting the real silver at those high-end places, stainless steel is a more inert metal than silver.

[Scargod]

Serious, but not as you infer. I eat with stainless. Yes, I am adept with and use bamboo chopsticks.
I am referring to licking a bare stainless steel utensil. Try it!

[chicaraleigh]

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one! It used to piss me off when I was growing up because everyone was chowing on their popsicles and I'd be twiddling my thumbs.......

[Katie Nell]

Oh yeah, totally agree on that one- missed it the first time around! I've mastered the art of eating a popsicle without ever touching the stick!

[janethepain]

Ugh I agree, I don't know if it's a texture or a taste thing, but licking a wooden popsicle stick or ice cream stick makes me shudder. I'm completely fine with chopsticks since it's not like my mouth is really going to be on it, but with ice cream, you can't help it.

[NellyNel]

I swear - everytime I read this post - my skin goes all goose bumps!!
My mom calls it "chicken skin"
That's how bad I can't stand the wooded things!! I can't even touch the sticks with my hands!
Wooden chopstick I can sometimes just about handle - that is until someone starts rubbing them together. UGhh - Then I lose it!
If I am at a public sushi bar and someone does that - i really have to refrain from screaming/running away etc...
BTW I'm the same about cardboard boxes!

[c oliver]

Well, I don't lick cardboard boxes either :)

[chicaraleigh]

do you have the same issue with chopsticks? I never thought about it until yesterday but wooden chopsticks don't bother me at all....very unlike a wooden popsicle stick

[alanbarnes]

Wooden chopsticks are no problem, but popsicle sticks and those little ice cream spoons are intensely unpleasant. Maybe it's because you don't rub chopsticks against your tongue?

[chicaraleigh]

normally, you're right but I was experimenting yesterday.....because of this thread

dang, I hate the ideas you people put in my head sometimes :-)

[tatamagouche]

Acutally, this reminds me in turn...accidentally biting into the pit of the peach gives me the creeps.

[CocoaNut]

Chicken skin is the worst - doesn't matter if it's fried, roasted, broiled, grilled.

Meat fat - any type - except pork fat if it's cooked to almost burned.

In either case, for cooking, fat and skin are a must for flavor and retaining moisture. But once cooked, AWAY! it's not going in my mouth.

[mexivilla]

I can't believe no one has mentioned shark fin soup with the worst gelatinous yuck factor.

[babette feasts]

Honestly I don't understand when people say oysters are slimy. I have big slime issues but don't think oysters are slimy at all. Is it just because they are raw and people THINK they must be slimy but haven't really given them a chance? To me, an oyster in its natural liquor is a little soft, a little chewy, ideally nice and briny, but not slimy. Cooked okra, raw japanese mountain potato, and natto are mucousy/slimy, not oysters. Where are you all finding the slime?

[danhole]

To be honest, I have never actually tried a raw oyster, but they look slimy, therefore I think they are. I guess I should be fair and at least try one.

[babette feasts]

Thanks for admitting that!

Just like people find snakes creepy and call them slimy. Snakes have dry skin, it is OK if you don't want to touch it, but that doesn't make it slimy.

[danhole]

I actually don't mind snakes, or any reptile, so I'll give you that! Now I hang my head in shame and will tag along with a raw eating oyster lover to see what it is all about!

[Mawrter]

There's an old thread about how to get into eating oysters on the half-shell:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/443983

Icy good bracing bevvie of your choice - make it dry, though, bone-dry - be selective about dining companion and go for it, embracing the texture.

[thew]

start with smaller oysters (which i prefer anyway). remember different oysters have very different flavors and textures, so don't giver up if the 1st one isnt to your taste

[tatamagouche]

They *do* take some getting used to, but once you're in, you're in for life. Then you will crave them forever, the ritual of eating them as much as anything.

[c oliver]

I too like the small ones, maybe a splash of mignonette or a squeeze of lemon and, of course, drink the "liquor" out of the shell afterwards. And I totally agree about the ritual part. To me, it's like martinis or caviar (probably other things I'm not thinking of) ritual. It's the ultimate *from the sea* taste.

[danhole]

So do you go into a place and order "the small ones" or is there a certain name for them? I'm here in Houston and most of the ones I have seen look pretty darn big to me.

Now the first time I saw a crawfish I thought that was pretty disgusting and there was no way I would EVER eat that, but now I can't wait for the season to begin, so since people seem to crave oysters in the same way I feel like I need to at least give them a shot!

[c oliver]

I don't have the opportunity to have oysters all that often so I just say to the server that I like smaller ones and what does s/he suggest. I suggest you go with someone who DOES like/love them, ask that person to order small ones and then you can taste just one. And I don't chew them; I just *mush* them against the roof of my mouth. If there's a correct way, I dont know what it is :)

[Scargod]

Chew and chew or use a string!
The Gulf oysters tend to be bigger. I so look forward to the trip to BC this spring, where, in Vancouver, you have a choice of about six different oysters. (believe me, there's a line for those six oysters) I like the small almost clam-looking ones the most; name eludes me.
Near our cabin, I just go out and gather all I can eat. I can pick huge ones that are almost too big for a bite or harvest smaller ones. I sometimes eat while I work...

[c oliver]

Do you carry a bottle of Champagne or a pitcher of martinis out when you gather? That sounds like heaven - with or without the libations!

[tatamagouche]

Kumamotos (W. Coast) are small & on the sweet side.

[Scargod]

Those are them!

[EWSflash]

I'm SO jealous. Last time DH & I ordered oyster shooters at a sushi bar the oysters were so big we nearly gagged on them. Kinda like the all you can eat oyster bar. Yuck. Little kumamotos sound like what we had pictured, but then in southern AZ you're not exactly in oyster central so one has to be willing to be more accepting.
If I could go get my own oysters I'd get a pitcher of "gogdails" ready for when I came back- at least until I got good at oyster hunting.

[pikawicca]

If you're in the U.S., Kumamoto oysters from the Pacific Northwest are the best little morsels to be had.

[goodhealthgourmet]

this topic spawned a relatively long thread last year:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/524365

my biggest offenders:
- desiccated/dried coconut = *instant* gag reflex. the mere thought of those nasty little strings squeaking between my teeth when i chew makes me shudder.
- beef tongue, particularly when sliced very thick. i was traumatized by it as a child ;
)- mealy fruit, such as apples & pears. 'nuff said.

[soniabegonia]

Mussels - oddly enough, I like oysters. I think mussels are more in the "squishy & chewy" category, oysters are more slimy yet succulent
Baby corn - the tiny kernels gross me out visually and texturally
Water chestnuts - the hyper crunch freaks me out and grates on my eardrums while I chew

[mordacity]

I love water chestnuts' crisp little snap!

[revsharkie]

Watermelon.

[lgss]

I'm vegan, so all the non-plant based things mentioned here gross me out for many reasons and most did back when I was an omnivore (ok, I was/am a picky eater, so many omnivore isn't the correct term). Okra and oatmeal are on the top of my gross plant-based foods list.

[pastry634]

Yeah, okra is up there for me as well.

[Azizeh]

I can't stand undercooked hamburger. It's just that mushy texture that's not interesting to me. With burgers, it has to be medium or above, but with steaks, medium rare or below. The texture of overcooked steak isn't acceptable to me, either.

[janethepain]

I agree with natto - very peculiar texture with worse taste.

I can't stand mushy fruit, like mushy ripe persimmons or mangos - has to be hard and cold. Maybe those particular fruits are worse because they have stringy/fibrous bits.

[tatamagouche]

I'm coming around, but it's taken me a long time to do sea urchin.

[tatamagouche]

Ooh, a new one. A couple of days ago I had a spoonful of canned haggis. Remind me not to do that again. Granted, it was a combo of taste & texture, but something about those mushy little oats just put the mushy little bits of heart & liver into high relief.

[Scargod]

How long do you have to cook a sea urchin before the pricklies are tender? That's one I've given up on because of "texture". Should this be posted in "Home Cooking" or on "What have you given up trying to cook?" ?

[tatamagouche]

You're asking the wrong person—I only ever eat it at a sushi bar or mixed into spaghetti with bottarga at restaurants...mmm...

[Cebca]

I can't believe no one has mentioned cottage cheese yet! Gross! Slimy milky stuff with chunks in it???? I've actually been trying to make myself eat it because its SUCH a great source of dairy and protein, so the past few weeks I've been eating a giant salad for lunch and trying to have like 1/4 cup of cottage cheese along with it. I find that if I take a little bit of cottage cheese, then stab some lettuce onto my fork and dip that into a tiny bit of dressing it actually makes for a good bite. But people who just eat bowls of fruit and cottage cheese . . . gross.

[kchurchill5]

I love it, small curd only

[ricepad]

Yeah, cottage cheese is about the only food I've tried and cannot stand, texture-wise. A spoonful of cottage cheese in the mouth feels like eating somebody else's bolus. And yes, I know what THAT is like, too.

[Cebca]

thank you! I knew I couldn't have been the only one! GROSS!

[goodhealthgourmet]

Cebca & ricepad, do you guys have issues with ricotta as well?

[Cebca]

No, actually (though I don't eat it very much). And actually, I just had a cottage cheese revelation. As I mentioned above, I've been trying to eat it recently with my lunch salads for a boost of protein and today I bought a tub of cultured cottage cheese, which, as it sounds, has live and active cultures in it. The texture was totally different, much more ricotta-y, I would say probably a cross in-between small curd cottage cheese and ricotta. The whey is much less separated and the curds are tiny - the whole thing is more uniform. I thought the taste was better too, less alkaline. PLUS live and active cultures and the protein content of normal cottage cheese! I might just be a convert.

[goodhealthgourmet]

the reason i asked is that not all cottage cheese is created equal. is the cultured one you found Nancy's? i think it's more uniformly creamy because of the nonfat milk powder they add.

i was going to suggest buying Friendship Whipped cottage cheese, or at least trying to find the smallest curd possible. you can also smooth out the larger-curd styles by processing in the blender or FP.

anyway, i'm glad you discovered one you like. it's a really good source of protein, just watch out for all the sodium.

[Cebca]

Yes, it was Nancy's. Funny you mention the Frienship, because I was deciding between the two at the market. I did check the ingredients and notice the milk powder!

I am a huge salt lover, but I have blood pressure that, if anything, borders on the concerningly low side, so I like to convince myself I can eat all of the salt I want.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i get the feeling you'd really like the texture of the whipped. give it a try sometime.

i, too, have BP that's almost dangerously low, but i actually don't like very salty food. in fact, the saltiness of regular cottage cheese makes me gag. that's why i love Friendship - i buy their no-salt-added variety. so help me if they ever discontinue it!

[Cebca]

Wow, its amazing that you are so sensitive to the salt - to be honest, I hadn't even noticed it was salty until you told me to watch the sodium!! Amazing the range of difference in palate sensitivity to different things.

[ricepad]

No, but then the only way I've had ricotta is in lasagne. I'm not much of a cheese eater in general.

My aversion to cottage cheese isn't logical...I don't have a problem with other soft, wet, slimy, bolus-y foods. I think it's the combination of the smell and the feel that makes me want to yak.

[laliz]

"bolus-y"

ugh

[Scargod]

Perhaps the small curd is the large curd's bolus. I prefer the large curd cottage cheese! Especially with big, soft prunes....

[tatamagouche]

Prunes. I so love prunes, stewed or otherwise. I even love prune juice, no jokes please.

[Firegoat]

So, it would be safe to say that prunes move you?

[tatamagouche]

More than you care to know.

Really think the whole "dried plums" marketing ploy is a shame. "Prune" is such a great word.

Another thread could be how the actual names of things do or don't affect your sense of the thing. E.g. "potato" is one my fave words in the English language. Whereas, say, "urchin" sounds like "lurch," which sounds like "retch"—at any rate a body in disorientation.

[kattyeyes]

Please do--start that one. That would be interesting!

[c oliver]

Definitely start that thread. I've always said that there's a reason "falafel" sounds like "awful." :)

[BobB]

Could get very interesting. Consider ratatouille. Or kreplach.

[kattyeyes]

Exactly! I love kreplach, but admit the word itself is not very appealing...especially with the "ach" at the end. ;)

But I do like "falawful!"

[tatamagouche]

Done!

[thinks too much]

Like "Waffle House is Awful House without its W."

[Rmis32]

Offal sounds pretty awful too.

[kattyeyes]

Here's a redirect to tatamagouche's "It's a language thing" thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/605330
Keep 'em comin'!

[thinks too much]

*giggle* I'm trying to imagine a yellow-roofed building open 24 hours, salubriously named "Offal House." Yup. I succeeded.

[thew]

jugs of haggis on every table

[Sooeygun]

Any sort of wilted or cooked greens. Wilted salad, cooked spinach, Caesar salad that isn't fresh.

[Sean]

Shrimp and lobster...

[Melanie]

The only thing I can think of is when I slightly under-fry an egg. Aside from the gooey yolk (which I love) part of the egg white around it will be a little gooey as well - ick!

[kchurchill5]

I so totally agree, ick doesn't quiet describe it!!

[janethepain]

I actually like the egg white but hate loose, runny egg yolk. I gotta stop replying to every single response on this thread, too.

[kchurchill5]

Ditto, I'll stop now, :)

[kristin311]

I can't believe how few people hate undercooked egg whites!! Eww! Egg whites are great for meringues, macarons, and fancy frothy drinks, but nothing ruins my breakfast faster than a jiggly egg white... I don't even eat the white when it's cooked properly most of the time. The yolk is a different story... on toast, risotto, or one of many asian dishes that add an uncooked yolk... I LOVE it.

Additionally, I noticed no one mentioned watermelon. all those grainly little white fibers.... Ew. Or the slimy seed part of tomatoes.

I used to me more texturally challenged - I wouldn't eat any veggies with a 'crisp,' like peppers, onions, celery, carrots... I still don't like them raw, but you just cant live without onions!

[Terrieltr]

I love a flavorful tomato, but I have to scrap the slimy seedy part out. Yelch.

[revsharkie]

I did mention watermelon. I don't like mealy fruits or vegetables.

And the main reason I didn't mention runny egg whites is because I don't like runny egg yolks, and if you get the egg cooked enough so the yolks aren't runny, it's a guarantee that the whites are done.

[alkapal]

you're getting bad, old watermelons if they're mealy.

[danhole]

That's my thought, too! Watermelon should not be mealy.

[dinaofdoom]

you know, i can't think of any texture that icks me out...
(love liver, lima beans, oysters and the works).

natto is totally yucky to me, but it's not the texture-- i just don't like the intense bleachy tang thing going on.

there are many "common" things i don't like whatsoever, but it's a flavor thing--
chocolate, carrots, ketchup, celery, beef stew.

[cayjohan]

Agree with you dina, as I've been mulling this over. There are certainly flavors that I don't care for, but none of the aforementioned textures (along with others yet unidentified) squick me out. Slimy, rubbery, slippery, chewy, grainy, stringy, crunchy...I like all those textures. Granted, there are preparation issues befitting the particular food, but that's not about the actual texture, but what texture the food should *have*.

Cay

[meatn3]

Peanut butter (doesn't matter if smooth or chunky, commercial or "natural"), but I like plain peanuts and boiled peanuts!

Raw pears too. Love them cooked or juiced. Asian pears I can do, the texture isn't as ...I don't even know what to call it.

Oh! Cooked nuts, such as nuts in brownies.

[Lucia]

Jello/aspic, and anything else thick and chewy that keeps shaking even after you stop moving the table/plate.

[danhole]

That reminds me of the episode of Third Rock from the Sun where a neighbor brought them a molded green jello salad and it sat there jiggling, and they thought it was alive! I never looked at jello the same way again!

[flourgirl]

OMIGOD I remember that episode! That was hilarious!!!

[Mawrter]

Completely. I want my food to hold still, damnit.

[shaogo]

My bananas must be firm or yecch. And for some reason I've never gotten used to anything lumpy in ice cream. Yep, you heard me, no nuts, no candy,.

[babette feasts]

wet bread, squishy bread
really ripe banana
natto

love oysters, don't find them slimy at all

[kchurchill5]

Wet Bread ... Oh top of the list

[janethepain]

yeah, injera took some (a lot) of getting used to for me. I don't enjoy sourdough bread, and definitely not wet, spongy bread. Got used to it though.

[EWSflash]

Risotto and rice pudding. I love steamed rice and rice pilaf, white, red, brown, and wild, but there's something so absolutely repulsive about the texture when you do that to rice it makes me gag just writing about it. And OMG, people always have to put cinnamon in rice pudding- I'm real dicey about where cinnamon belongs anyway, and it isn't in the potpourris in your bathroom. Or anywhere near rice!

[janethepain]

I loooove the texture of risotto. Does anyone think this is mostly a cultural thing? I feel like Asians really like the chewy, "rubbery" texture that Americans seem to despise. For instance, Asians have dried cuttlefish as snacks (hard/chewy), squid, tapioca balls in bubble tea... I can't think of anything else right now.

[huaqiao]

Asians grow up with all sorts of textures.

A full Taiwanese shaved ice bar is a sight to behold. 30 to 40 toppings that run the gamut from silky watery aiyu to the squeaky rubbery nata de coco and all textures in between. Many of the items have little taste inherently and just add interesting textures to the shaved ice.

[dinaofdoom]

mmmmm nata de coco....

[EWSflash]

I love dried cuttlefish, squid, tapioca pudding, and bubble tea. And okra and eggplant, too. why rice pudding and risotto gross me out is something I simply don't understand. But it does, in fact, gross me out.

[paprkutr]

My husband hates dried peas, beans, lentils etc., it's a texture thing. But if i puree everything he's fine.

[kobetobiko]

worms and bugs.

Looking at them I already have goosebumps...

[janethepain]

i guess I'd have to agree, though I don't know if these would be the first "foods" that come to mind. When I hear people describe what a big grub or wasp pupae (I saw an episode of Jeff Corwin's food travel show when he goes to Thailand) as something kinda hard-ish on the outside and bursting open with pulpiness on the inside, I want to barf. It's bad enough that they're bugs in the first place.

[Humbucker]

Eggplant

[kchurchill5]

Love eggplant, sorry?

[Humbucker]

Sorry if I've just blown your mind, but I had the slippery, slimy texture of eggplant. The purple color doesn't help, either.

I have no problem with natto or liver, though.

[kchurchill5]

Sort of like Okra ... the first time I had it I hated it. Then I had it cooked a few different ways and came to love it.

I love the Japanese White eggplant also love different recipes like roasted eggplant with capers, garlic and red peppers on baguettes.

I also love the baby Italian ones not fried but...

breaded and baked, topped with a olive pesto, fresh mozarella and then a roasted tomato slice. It really is good. Garnish with some fresh basil and it is wonderful.

[kathrynanne]

I second eggplant. The taste in non-descript, but the texture disgusts me. The other hallowed dish of Italy that I cannot stand putting in my mout would be calamari. Forget the "hula skirts," the rings themselves are pure briny rubber.

[LindaWhit]

If done properly, calamari can be a wonderful thing! I agree with you that they can be like rubber....but if properly cooked, they are sweet, tender nirvana! Having said that, I don't think I've ever had fried calamari - just in a paella.

[kchurchill5]

Cook quick or cook long ... secret to calamari, anything in between is horrible!!

[BobB]

Me three. Eggplant and okra are the only two vegetables I will not touch.

[tatamagouche]

Eggplant? Oh...it's my very favorite vegetable of all...It's so versatile! Have you just had it overcooked one too many times or something?

[BobB]

I've tried it various ways, and it's not like I absolutely CAN'T eat it, I'm sure I could if I were truly starving, I just don't like the texture regardless of how it's prepared.

[c oliver]

I'm with you, Bob. If served to me in someone's home, I'll eat it and thank them. I won't have seconds and I'll probably push it around a bit to make it look like i've eaten more than I have. And it's not the preparation; it's just a textural (or lack thereof) thing for me.

[Scargod]

Oh no, I can't believe people are complaining about two of the best things in the world! Eggplant can be just like caviar, but less salty. It takes other flavors so well, too. Calamari is not like rubber (most times).
Then there's okra (#3). That might be an acquired taste... but it doesn't have to be slimy-mushy. Get some fresh, young (small), pods and steam them very lightly. Eat them with your fingers, holding them by the stem. Oh yea, I'm getting a drool on!

[EWSflash]

You're so right!
Shoot, when I go to the farms to pick vegetables I eat okra raw. I just snap it right off the plant- most yummy!

[Rmis32]

Okra? poached lightly in tomato sauce with cumin & lemon juice, served over rice. Delish, fast, simple.

[Scargod]

Add some sauteed onions and I'm in! When our garden's producing that's one of my favorites!

[Dax]

For the most part, eggplant is the only thing that squicks me out, and it's all due to the texture. I can sometimes eat a bite or two of eggplant parmeseana, but not much.

[Glencora]

I hate the texture of eggplant in something like mousaka, but I like babaganoosh (sp?) a lot.

I also hate the mushy texture of liver. It's, what, cow's liver? Foie gras seems fattier, silkier and not mushy at all. Big difference.

Another one is frozen blueberries.

[Scargod]

Oh, I LOVE eggplant! Green, purple, white... I grew the Rosa Biancas. Best I've ever eaten.

[L_W]

Jello...yuck..ick...blech

And pudding "skin"...same texture and just as gross to me.

[flourgirl]

Yes! Pudding skin! So gross!

[Firegoat]

My BF loves when I make pumpkin pie.... he loves it more when its leftovers are in the frig for like a week and a hard leathery skin is on top.
It skeeves me out.

[denverkate]

Tapioca!

[Lenox637]

Creme Brulee

[jujuthomas]

raw carrots and sometimes peanuts. I don't like how they break up into pieces! also don't like stringy things - celery, snow peas that haven't been de-stringed.

[kchurchill5]

I do like oysters, but understand I even get bothered sometimes. I love them broasted. Completely different and great.

Liver, NO possible way, liver pate I can somewhat handle.

Beef fat, just had a threat. Absolutely not

[pastry634]

Now that I think about it, mayonnaise can get to me sometimes as well.

[TampaAurora]

I'll second the mayo.

[flourgirl]

I can only handle mayo in small quantities. Unlike people I've known who could eat it straight out of the jar by the spoonful. *shudder*

[danhole]

I've been wondering about oysters. I cannot even begin to think of eating one raw. Looks like a big old glob of snot to me. But if they are fried, roast, or broasted (what is that?) then are they still slimy? My mom put them in our thanksgiving dressing and they were really small, guessing they came out of a can, and they seemed slimy. I swallowed them trying really hard not to think about it, and also not to gag.

I like chicken livers, pate, liverwurst, foie gras, but not sure about calf liver. It's been a long time since I have had that.

[alanbarnes]

Broasting is deep-frying under pressure.

[danhole]

Oh, that's right. But that is not something your average home cook has access to, from what I remember.

[Glencora]

Fried oysters: almost molten inside, crunchy outside. The best. I like raw oysters, too, but I can see why some people wouldn't.

I'm with you on liver, though. I also didn't care for monkfish liver the one time I tried it.

[dinaofdoom]

they are firmer when cooked and not as ooogle-y (okay, i made that word up but you get it).
i love oysters but i can understand why some might not like the texture.

[kattyeyes]

I think "ooogle-y" is a pretty apt description of an oyster. ;)

[dinaofdoom]

thank you. maybe i should copyright it! j/k

[ipsedixit]

Cold, uncooked chicken fat.

[thinks too much]

I hope you're referring to the texture of touching this and not eating it! *said with a shudder*

[ipsedixit]

No, unfortunately, I was referring to eating it (or at least trying to eat it).

[danhole]

Why would anyone eat cold uncooked chicken fat? I either throw that away or save it up for future chicken stock.

[lergnom]

Chicken fat used to be a common condiment on the tables at traditional Jewish delis. Always disgusted me. At some point in the 70's, the schmaltz could only be obtained by request.

[Glencora]

That was cooked though, right?

[meatn3]

lergnom - schmaltz is cooked, it is rendered chicken fat...
people would use it like butter to smear on bread.

[phantomdoc]

Sammy's Romanian restaurant on Chrystie street in lower Manhattan has schmaltz in syrup pitchers on every table. If you order the chopped liver the waiter does a table side prep with fried chicken skins, fried onion, and mixes in a big pour of the schmaltz. I know its bad for ya, but, it tastes great.

[kattyeyes]

Dammit, doesn't everything (that's bad for you taste great!)? ;)

[c oliver]

MIL who is 88 and thin as a rail says her doctor once told her "If it tastes good, spit it out!" Her favorite restaurant is Applebees :) (Which, BTW, I think DOES have some choices, especially salads, that aren't bad at all. But that's a different board and thread.)

[tatamagouche]

That's BEAUTIFUL. Schmaltz in syrup pitchers, jesus.

[alkapal]

the irony is delicious: >>Schmaltz in syrup pitchers, jesus<<<.

[batchoy]

Thank you for this absolutely fascinating restaurant tip. I love any kind of liver, but chicken liver is the best: sauteed with onions and a little soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon . . .

[bayoucook]

Tapioca.

[akq]

I can do tapioca, but not tapioca pudding. Ditto on rice pudding. So gross.

[mordacity]

Exactly. I do not want my nice creamy pudding sullied with little slimy pellets. Ew.

[flourgirl]

Rice pudding! Yuck yuck yuck! My dad loves the stuff and it's always grossed me out.

[Dan G]

Bananas

[Blush]

I am with you on the bananas. I don't mind the taste, but a bite is all I can handle before I'm ready to gag.

[flourgirl]

I've never been crazy about the texture of bananas either. If I'm eating them fresh I usually can only eat them when the peel is still slightly green. Otherwise they end up in muffins and cakes or ice cream.

[huaqiao]

No discussion of texture would be complete without mentioning natto:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natto

And though I do find the texture pretty disgusting, I still crave it sometimes.

[NellyNel]

thanks for the link ..I never had natto - but I'd bet I'd like it!!

[BobB]

Careful what you bet on - I thought the same until actually tried natto. The texture is kind of gooey/slimy, but I didn't really mind that, it was the taste that really put me off it. Fermented, kind of vomitous, and I couldn't get that aftertaste out of my mouth until I got home and brushed my teeth.

[tatamagouche]

Ditto. I felt all cool for ordering it once 10 years ago or so and then felt like a boob as I choked down 1 bite and haven't given it another shot since.

Always worth returning to "Steve, Don't Eat It" at The Sneeze for that one...Natto's Volume 6...A quote, not even the best one: "I remembered hearing about this stuff on Iron Chef one time when it was the secret ingredient. The judges in the show were commenting on what a great job the chefs had done to 'supress the smell' of the natto. I'm no Iron Chef, but I've got a clever way to supress the smell. Don't put it in your fucking food."

http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/...

[alkapal]

you've gotta see his huitlacoche review, too. http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/...

[tatamagouche]

That one's probably my fave. That and the one in which he makes prison wine.

[alanbarnes]

I'll see your natto (which I've admittedly never tried) and raise you pulque (which I wish I hadn't).

[ipsedixit]

Pulque is bearable when mixed with Kool-Aid. But otherwise it's a waste of agave (that could've been used for tequila).

[dinaofdoom]

despite living in texas, i have never heard of pulque before!
wikipedia makes it sound downright palatable (they show a rather inviting six pack).

[Candy]

Salmon

[LindaWhit]

Liver. Oh - and lima beans. Liver and lima beans are probably my two ickiest foods I've ever tasted - although I'm sure there are ickier out there! LOL

[NellyNel]

I'm with you on the liver Linda - UGHHHH no I can't to it (though I eat fois gras and liver pate)
but I seriously LOVE lima beans!!!

Based on textue alone though, I can't say anything bothers me - I like 'em all!

I met a woman once who had no sense of taste or smell, so for her ALL of the enjoyment of eating was based on texture.

[chicgail]

We should get together, NellyNel. I LOVE liver and can't stand lima beans b/c of the texture thing. "And so betwixt them both, you see ..."

[kattyeyes]

Linda, I'm with you on BOTH--good (bad!) call. And at this point, I can't even vouch for the *texture* of the liver anymore, the memory of the smell alone is enough to make me want to vomit. Limas feel as though the beans are encased in wax pods--doesn't get much grosser than that!

OTOH, I unknowingly ate octopus head at a sushi bar and actually liked it!

[LindaWhit]

The smell of liver is what gets me as well, katty!

[kobetobiko]

What about foie gras? (will the name make it texturally acceptable? ;P) And can you do liver mousse or pate?

[LindaWhit]

I think I've had pate and/or fois gras once - and I don't recall if I liked it or not (based on the love for fois on CH, I think I'd remember if I really liked it!).