ottawa foodies

i'm always intrigued to find there are people out there that don't like, what i consider to be, 'normal' foods or ingredients. i'm talking things like tomatoes or other fruits/veggies, condiments such as mayo/mustard, or even meats like bacon (sacrilege!)

i'm a fairly adventurous eater, but for me:

green olives. i've tried so hard to like these all my life, but i just can't stand the flavour. the idea of a dirty martini repulses me!


let's hear 'em people!

fun thread, Ill join in here, I qualify myself for this thread by saying I will re-try anything every few years, just in case the preparation has made something good, or in case my tastes have changed...

Scallops, having been a fishmonger in a former life, I am a seafood lover, but can find nothing good to say about them except they have a pretty shell.

Turnips and beets, would do my part to banish them from the planet.

Those are my top three hates, most other things I can pretend to enjoy, ok someone elses turn to chime in here...

I don't like cheesecake. I don't like cream cheese, it's got a weird texture and is tangy. As a result, I don't like cheesecake! Or raisins, but I feel that's pretty common. Any dried fruit really, it's a texture thing.

More details in my profile, but even though I was an extremely fussy kid who only ate about 3 or 4 things by the time he was 10, I currently like everything. The only thing I don't really care for is lima beans, but I'll eat them anyway if need be.

I can't say that I have many true dislikes, but one ingredient that I try to avoid is cilantro. For some reason, it has a really soapy taste to my palate. I find the same thing with watermelon Jolly Ranchers.

On a more exotic note, I found Uni (sea urchin sushi) to be vile and one of the worst things I have ever put in my mouth.

Hmm, some pickled/preserved/smoked fish just taste fowl to me.

liver is number one on my list.....I think it's a texture thing. And papya juice. I don't think I could drink it even in a cocktail!

ha, ha, pickled fish! costco has a huge jar of solomon gundy (pickled herring) for about $4.50 - I just finished a jar!

Yeah, it's strange see, since I love seafood. Plus there are some pickled/preserved/smoked fish which I *do* like (sardines, anchovies, cured salmon, etc), but I'm very very picky about it. It's not to say I wouldn't eat those things I don't like or prefer, since I will eat literally anything, but I'm just more picky about some things than others, I suppose.

Whoa, killer deal on the herring!

Canned Cream Corn should be outlawed!!! Like baby puke in a can. Totally sick.

I hate quite well liked things - cinnamon, mint, nuts of most kinds and especially peanut butter!

Cream Corn is a guaranteed for my 5 year old though I forget the name he has for it. "Squishy Corn" or something like that :-)

whoaa hold the phone, you don't like peanut butter? Kiwiw, do you not like salty things?

Most cheese, unless it's melted on/in something. I would never grab a piece of cheese from a cheese platter - yuck. And I don't do cheesecake either.

And despite trying over and over, I can't seem to like yogurt - something about the tangy flavour of it.

Smoked salmon and canned tuna - something about fishiness of it. (Funny, I know many people who claim to not like fish, but they eat canned tuna - I don't get it!)

lol, no I love salt.... well as much as one can really love salt. I just think peanut butter smells bad, tastes bad and is all around gross!

I can't swallow mashed potatoes. They make me gag. (I do like all other potatoes though.)And I don't eat eggs, period. Unless they're in something an no longer "just eggs."

I, like sushifan, will re-try anything that I didn't like in the past and have in fact found that I like most things, but I just can't think of putting fried/scrambled/otherwise prepared eggs in my mouth. Gross!

Mushrooms. I'm okay with them in sauces, but that's it.

And I don't like Peanut Butter either. I don't mind peanuts, but I hate the texture of PB and how it sticks in my mouth.

Nanook...for every mushroom you don't eat I'll eat 100!

But, I don't like ricotta cheese...it has that vomit texture, like someone's already chewed it for me. When I make lasagne I always make a bechamel.

And I love all of the vegetable world, except asparagus...I'll eat them in something, like a pasta dish, but on there own I'll happily pass...they taste like grass.

Also hate all things white, fluffy and sweet, such as marshmallows and meringue(nothing worse than seeing my favourite dessert, lemon tart, ruined with fluffy white goo).

Would that include whipped cream?! Sacrilege!

I'm not a major fan of meringue, and like you, find it ruins a good lemon tart.

second the coriander and also lime leaves my current boss likes them both and every time I have to cook with them it is torture.

I also think fresh cilantro tastes like soap... well, kind of like dirty dish soap :-) I do like it when cooked into dishes, just not fresh.

I think pickled gigner (the sliced pink asian style stuff) tastes like soap too. I still eat it when it ends up on my plate though!

I hated brussel sprouts for years, forced to eat them as a kid, learned to like them though.

I can't think of any *whole foods* I really hate now. If it is prepared well, I'll eat it! There is lots of pre-made or processed foods I don't care for, like Patak's curry.

I love all fish and seafood but for some reason I just can't bring myself to eat an escargot (snail). Why it would gross me out any more than a mussell or an oyster I have no idea but I can't eat them.

I also just don't really like nuts, but I will eat them.

Cottage cheese looks like vomit and tastes WAY too salty to me. It has the texture of a bowl of wet cheese curds. I can only eat my cheese curds dry and cold, not warm and slimy...

Other than that I can eat pretty much any other mainstream food item (plus alot of non-mainstream) but I think Monty was more interested in the run-of-the mill food items.

On a side note, I know a lot of people who don't like cucumbers. How can you not like a cucumber??? I will never get that one :)

I'm pretty easy going when it comes to trying things, I'll try anything twice.

However, the one mainstream food that I cannot eat is raw celery. I just can't stand the texture, but I have no problem using it in stocks or anything where it's cooked.

This is a great topic!

I agree it is all about texture. For me it is raw bananas (the absolute worst), peanut butter, creamed corn, mushy peas, escargots (just the thought... ick) and lemon pie (I'll eat the meringue though).

"The Man" he doesn't eat bananas either (one of the few other people I've met... guess that is why we get along so well). But then on the other hand he also opts out on mayo, yogurt, and custard and cottage cheese.

We dine out often with another couple, "the gent" doesn't like many veggies... so many so, that it is hard to keep track. I always chuckle when he turns to his wife before they order and say "Do I like this" LOL

Wow.. everyone has a lot of dislikes! I have to agree with Zym, I'll eat almost anything. Obviously I enjoy some things better than others, but everything is an experience... more especially if it's well prepared. I could probably even be prodded to admit I dislike some things, but I try very hard not to allow that dislike to make my decisions for me. When I was a child/teen, I remember often going out for 'official function' dinners where my father (+ family) was invited over to people's homes for dinner. I decided back then, that my discomfort at eating things that I either didn't like, or just didn't like the look of, was a very small pill to swallow versus insulting some very fine people by not wanting their food. Of course, by trying things I found that I could enjoy much more epicurean diversity than I would have imagined. I almost feel a rant coming on, about how selfish and spoiled many people can be, and the art of truly gracious hosting, and guests who accept such hospitality graciously are a dying breed. Oh.. and I'm not a big fan of liver ;-) (But if you invite me over, I will eat it, and find something nice to about it)

I have a few dislikes, however there are very few things that I would actually REFUSE to eat or gag on. Most things, if they were served to me at a fancy dinner party or by my boyfriend's mother or something, I would be able to eat with a smile on my face so as not to disgrace myself or my host lol - however these are the items that I would never put in my cooking at home.

Raisins - Interestingly enough, I don't mind othr dried fruits, I love dried currants in fact which even look like raisins.

Raw Onions - Don't mind cooked, but it boggles my mind that people eat raw onions on burgers and salads. Blargh.

Green Peppers - I like red, orange, and yellow peppers so I guess it's the bitterness of these that turns me off.

Okra - Tastes like green peppers to me.

Cilantro - nice to know 'm not the only one.

I am also not a big fan of tongue. It's wierd, I have eaten brains and sweetbreads and other organ meats, I don't mind liver, however for some reason this one peice of meat creeps me out. I think it's the bumps (tastebuds?) on it *shiver*.

Oh...aaand in the processed food department, I despise Miracle Whip (ugh, too sweet) and Cool Whip (ugh, tastes so processed). What really pisses me off is when someone offers you mayo or whipped cream and then gives you this tripe. THEY TASTE NOTHING ALIKE PEOPLE!

Food is Hot, LOL you made me think of another great american invention that someone thought to call food... VELVETA.

How this ever got out of the petro-chemical category is beyond me.

There is no place for this in anyone's fridge, when there is a whole wide world of cheese to be discovered.

My dislike is Cheez Whiz. I find nothing more unappealing than pouring melted plastic over my food - bleck! Also cooked spinach. I will eat it raw any day but I absolutely do not like the looks of green slime on my plate.

Chimichimi,
I consider whipped cream more rich and fatty than sweet, unless it has too much sugar added to it. Even then, less is more, I don't enjoy anything with piles of whipped cream on it.

I'm a pretty unpicky eater, definitely. The only thing I have a slight aversion to are melons/cantaloupe, and even then I'll eat them.

Then again, I still have a bit of a psychological aversion to some of the more exotic meatproducts—I'm thinking brain/kidney/heart/lung here. But, who knows? Maybe if I have 'em once I'll be all for it.

I too am a cilantro hater! I grew up on the East coast and I have always HATED sea food. Otherwise, as long as it's not an insect, I'll probably eat it.

wow - thank you to everyone for participating. a very entertaining read so far...

i found it funny that we're in a deadlock on lemon meringue pie - we have some who are adverse to the meringue, and others who refuse to eat the lemon filling! also - who knew so many people hated cilantro?

I live in dread of one day being served a pie filled with onions, liver and peas.

As a kid I was a picky eater but happily grew out of that, like many that have posted I will try pretty much anything once and likely give it a second try down the road if it's well prepared.

That being said, I really don't like dried fruit in general mind you I like plump golden raisins but that's pretty much it. My wife loves dried fruit of all sorts and gets me to try some from time to time just to reinforce my dislike of them.
Any candy that is claimed to be watermelon flavor, nasty nasty nasty; it doesn't even come close to tasting like watermelon.
I love bananas on their own, banana bread, pancakes, fried bananas, but banana pudding, cream pie, yogurt is not appealing at all.

I will try anything once (okay, maybe not bugs) as well, but I do not like:

- Honey in its straight form: if it's cooked in something, fine, but even just the smell of the raw stuff makes me want to gag.

- Sea urchin: so far, the only type of sushi I haven't liked.

- Custard: not sure why. The taste and texture combo perhaps?

- Cooked celery: unless it's cooked to MUSH. Otherwise, I'll have it raw with Cheez Wiz or maybe chopped up in a tuna salad for crunch value.

There's more I can't think of just now...

a long preserved meat

Eggplant. And I wouldn't even eat it if the Queen herself served it to me. :) Being gracious goes out the window when it comes to putting things down my gullet.

All your posts and Petes in particular, got me thinking about my hated list and reminded me of a few things more I avoid, but Pete reminded me of a problem I have, maybe you guys have some advice... As I kid I would eat just about anything, as a young teen, I became totally grossed out at the idea of eating beef or chicken, and would not eat it EXCEPT if it was served at a meal I was invited to, I too was expected to be polite at all costs, good parenting in my opinion, anyways, Ive grown up and put meats back in my diet, mostly because Im too lazy to be a healthy vegetarian, but I cannot digest beef, I become very ill from it, I assume I lost the enzymes to process it. So now when invited out, I have to either ask what is on the menu and offer to bring my own meal, or I say nothing and if serving myself, I just skip the beef, either way I am comfortable and happy. If the host however realises that I am not eating the beef, I simply mention that I am sensitive to it, generally causing at least a small fuss. Any suggestions on how best to avoid making a host uncomfortable? Most of my friends are finally fine with it, but I feel badly in new situations.
Thanks for any suggestions, and no I dont miss the beef.

SushiFan, although I am most definitely a meat-atarian (a phrase coined by my teenage daughter when so many of her friends were becoming vegetarians), I understand that your issue can be a real problem both socially and physically. Out of curiosity, I did a search on the web and it said the following... the enzymes should rebuild themselves. They suggest that if you want to reintroduce beef into your diet you do so in small high quality amounts. See www.chow.com/stories/10827

But to answer your other question... the polite thing to do is if you are in a situation where you can serve yourself or are asked, then you can avoid beef as you are currently doing. If you are served by the host and then the plate is presented, then you cut up the beef and move it around your plate. Although it is difficult for me to explain what this looks like visually, what you are doing is giving the impression that you are eating all the items served on your plate (remember no one is watching you 100% of the time). When you are finished eating, you lay your cutlery in the usual "finished" fashion. You have given the impression you are full (it is always helpful to leave something else on the plate besides the offending item)... and if the host should ask, you can say it was great you are stuffed. Remember that in most social situations when one is served there is always too much given... so by leaving some you are indeed being polite and gracious. If anything else is asked, such as "you've hardly eaten the roast beef" (which by the way is a breach of etiquette by the host) then you are within your rights to say "the meal was delicious, it just is that beef sometimes disagrees with my tummy". Socially, one should not discuss these private health matters... but in this case the breach has already been made by the host, and has left you in a uncomfortable position to explain yourself. And it always the host's responsibility to make their guests feel comfortable... not the other way around!

The above tactic, "moving food around a plate and leaving some" is also a way of handling any situation where anything served does not agree with the guest... whether it is a hors d'ouvres at a cocktail party (you bite into it and find it doesn't agree with you) or a sit-down dinner (situation I've outlined above).

The only other situation (mine for example and my dislike of bananas) is played out over dessert. If a host presents me with a dessert brimming with bananas, I can outright refuse the dish. Stating that I am stuffed from the wonderful dinner. It is always acceptable to refuse dessert or alcohol.

By the way, it is the job of the host to always make their guests comfortable. If organizing an intimate dinner party, the host should always ask the guests beforehand if they have any alergies, etc. The correct response being "Why yes I am alergic to seafood" or "Actally I am a Vegetarian". This thereby short-circuits this above situation. If the occasion doesn't allow for this, say at a Wedding, House Party etc, then the host should always offer other choices and make those known to the guests. At a Wedding say, this could be accomplished with having Menu Cards on the table that state a vegetarian option is available.

Hope this is helpful.

I'll be short and just say.. 'same as Food&Think'. The one thing I learned to do that is similar had to do with tomato juice, which as a teen I despised, but which all adults seemed to serve at dinner. To be polite, I would drink it all right at the beginning of the meal, so I could wash the flavour down with the food, but this strategy backfired as the host would invariably walk around the table graciously refilling the drinks of all those who seemed so thirsty. After that, I learned always leave some in your glass, preferably around half full, and you will not usually be asked if you want a refill. Also, it is useful to find something you genuinely like about the meal, and compliment it to the cook/host... which will draw attention away from things you may not have savoured as much.

I put myself in the position of host and think, "I do not want any of my guests to eat something her or she dislikes"... unless it's the kind of person who enjoys eating something he dislikes. :)

I don't understand why putting on appearances is considered polite behaviour. I think being honest, in a completely tactful manner of course, is the polite thing to do.

Pete - it works exactly like that with vodka in Russia. When you are done, leave some in your glass or it will be filled up again without you asking!

to all of you dried fruit haters - try farm boy's dried strawberries and tell me it's not like eating a handful of glorious candy. other fav dried fruits of mine - banana chips, apricots, mangoes.

one noticeably absent poster in this thread - fresh foodie himself!

Ollie: Ha! I put myself in the position of host and think, "Who should I not invite to my party so that I don't have to compromise my vision?" ;)

My short list of ABSOLUTELY NOTS; turnips, organ meats, (oh dear God) headcheese, and salami that has a slightly hairy rind (it's out there, be warned).
Also, I will only buy eggs as liquid whites in the carton because of a very traumatic childhood experience; I watched my mother crack an egg directly into a frying pan and there was an embryonic chick in the yolk. Tiny but, yup, clearly a little bird.
Even those Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs? No thanks.

monty, there's very little that I won't eat! :-)

I'm uncomfortable about the idea of eating creepy crawlies and/or things that are alive when you put them into your mouth.

Foods I will eat but don't really enjoy: feta cheese, walnuts, most cheesecakes(*), savoury food with fruit in it (e.g. Moroccan), organ meats.

My mention of cheesecake deserves an explanation. I have a pure cheesecake recipe from my mother, which is insanely delicious and is quite possibly my favourite dessert ever. Almost all other cheesecakes I've tried are difficult for me to eat. Flavoured cheesecakes even more so... I consider chocolate cheesecake to be a criminal abuse of both chocolate and cheesecake! ;-)

I taught myself to like olives and cilantro. Now I love them!

FF: I'm interested in seeing your cheesecake recipe! I use the one that Alton Brown showed on one of his episodes of Good Eats, and it's like a little slice of heaven. Baked ridiculously long, and ridiculously low (like half the time in a low-temperature oven, the other half the time in the oven with the heat turned off.)

Even though it was absolutely heavenly, I still eat crappy flavoured cheesecake ;)

I'm assuming he's talking about a German-style cheesecake (yes, I know he'll balk and say "swiss-style"). They are indeed extremely good! IIRC you need quark for them. The Dr Oetker mix in the supermarket is actually pretty good.

Good guess, zymurgist, but this one has no quark in sight. There's nothing obviously Swiss or German about it although my mother did get the recipe from a Swiss friend...

I put the recipe on our wiki for your enjoyment: wiki.ottawafoodies.com

It's probably the simplest recipe I've ever seen, but also the best!

I'm a bit of a purist though. I like my potato chips "regular" but I like my fries with cheese curds and gravy. ;-)

Momomoto, that works too! Now you know who not to invite to your next eggplant extravaganza. ;)

The meal hall in Cologne is hands-down the best cheesecake I've ever eaten. That's where I fell in love with the stuff! I've never tried to make one from scratch - just the Dr Oetker mix. Will try this one - thanks FF

Thanks for the well thought out suggestions, you have added to my arsenal of ideas for how to dodge the great-steak-debate as it was once called. I am aware that I could try to re-introduce it into my diet, but after so many years away, I really dont miss it, actually, Id dodge all the meats if I could find a veg replacement for bacon, that and Im too lazy to plan an interesting array of veg meals.

Count me in for the eggplant tho, I love the stuff, but my hubby calls it the "Black Death" perhaps a little dramatic, but I can see how some wouldnt care for the texture.

Eggplant !!! Did someone say eggplant ???

I was never big on the big purple bulby thing.

Then.... I started roasting them under my broiler and combining them in my blender with garlic, salt, lemon juice and tahini (ground sesame seeds).

Thus Baba Ghanoush....بابا غنوج

en.wikipedia.org

Now I don't cringe when I see the mighty purple veg.



PS: I also use the chinese eggplant (long and slender, lighter purple)in a number of Szechuan dishes.


PPS: Tomatoes, like eggplant need to be well incorporated into a dish before I like them. Raw tomatoes.... yeeeesh.

my dislikes:
*organ meats

*sea urchin (perhaps it's karma's way of repaying me for once stepping on one.... but I doubt that as the pain was enough) just plain bitter, see lower

*pizza inundated with cheese, albeit I am lactose intolerant, but I don't care for that heavy bloated feeling nor the masking of the flavours of the toppings

*bread that will cut up the roof of your mouth

*most things bitter (I find zucchini can be bitter and the worse is galangal, which I do cook with, sea urchin, see above, and Chinese bitter melon, my mother used to make really really delicous food but even she could not get me to eat that)

*anything with more than 12 ingredients listed (that includes resto dishes other than paella and jamaican jerk seasoning)

*and my least favourite thing: DILL
I once dated a Lao girl and the only dish she could make and bless her heart she made it for me several times, was Lao charbroiled chicken with dill and Szcheuan pepper.... I would eat raw Thai chilis to get the taste out of my mouth because of my feelings for her but there were times I thought I would projectile vomit
the odd things is once I tried my ex wife's cottage cheese with lemon pepper and dill and liked it...must have been the lemon pepper...I'm addicted to the stuff

This will probably get me the foodie equivalent of shot, but STEAK (beef). Unless it's really rare/raw, as then it's not dry. But anything medium/well done is like chewing on a flesh-flavoured piece of vulcanized rubber. Yecch.

oh
I also dislike tomatoes
esp raw tomatoes unless bacon, goat cheese, roasted mushrooms, garlic and basil are involved

there are a few things I don't like, but Goat's cheese it probably the worst offender....to me it tastes like mold. BLECH.

Black licorice flavored anything- including anise, fennel, ouzo, sambuca, annisette. I can barely choke down fresh fennel in a salad.

Lamb- not a real fan.

Andouilette sausage- When I lived in France I randomly experimented with foods I've never tried or heard of- liked boudin noir et boudin blanc. Andouilette was sooo disgusting that I couldn't even swallow what was in my mouth.

Then I went on the internet and found out what it was....

I really don't care for turnip but will eat some to be polite.
I have no use for kale, not a fan of swiss chard either.

All my life I have disliked chocolate cake, choco ice-cream and brownies- I have always thought they had a weird aftertaste.

I will eat chocolate bars though and hot chocolate on occasion.

so glad this thread is still going. it's funny how everyone has a different taste and palate for food & drink.

obi - i wouldn't hesitate if someone offered me a shot of dill pickle juice

oddly dill pickle juice is fine
I use it in my bloody marys and caesars
it's the unadulterated herb itself
too many years of working in french restos
blah blah blah fish and dill cream sauce.....

Definitely raw onions, raw green onions, smelty salted fish (my mom's favourite though).

I don't like raw oysters disgusting and slimey, cant stand the taste and black olives just too strong and salty but I like just about all other foods the spicier the better

Oysters, mussels, scallops (and I do generally like seafood) and, like Pan Bagnat, black licorice flavoured anything.

Saurian, I also despise eating steak that's not done well (and that doesn't mean well done :P). It really grosses me out.

Kraft Dinner macaroni and cheese. Blech!!!
I can't even stand the smell of it.
Everything about it grosses me out.

oh and raw celery

Horseradish .....

As a kid, I thought horseradish was made from horses.

Still don't like the taste/smell of it.

There are four things that put me in a cold sweat. One bite I can pass passed my gullet but make me take that second and I have to fight the gag.

Most of my hated foods are for texture reasons, although put me on the cilantro haters list. I worked with a chef who hated tarragon(I like it), but loved cilantro, so we couldn't eat each others specials half the time. It was really funny when we HAD to try it. I'd tell her that I could appreciate that her salad or whatever was good culinary-ily , but I hated it! She said the same for my tarragon dishes.

Also salmon. Smoked it is okay, so it is really the texture. At my first dinner with my BF's family his mum asked what I didn't like and I admitted salmon - since I knew we were having chicken. But when we visited a few months later she had forgotten so I was shutting up and eating anyway. I could choke down half a piece for peace I figured. There was latkes and hallah so I knew I wouldn't walk away hungry. But I got busted! I was trying so hard to not make eye contact with BF since he was shooting me sympathy looks, but his step-dad caught on and remembered. He blurts out "You said last time you hated salmon". I tried to do the 'it's okay' thing but since I was busted I stopped eating it. I had to fend off offers of 'something else' for ages, I did score extra latkes though!

Kiwi - it has the texture of snot. Gritty seedy snot. This I cannot fake.

And coconut. The evil squeak!!! The squidge in my teeth. Sooo gross. But I like coconut milk in stuff like curries. And for some reason the chocolate coconut thingies people always bring to baby showers, called many things but usually macaroons or cow plops depending on who you run with. I think the only ingredients are bakers choc and coconut and they aren't even baked (???). So it must be nostalgia eating .

Also I can't do offal. We had a day at chef school where we did all the organ meats. I was sick the whole day. Chef was roasting a heart and I swear the place smelled like a blood doner clinic or a death camp. I had spent many teenage years as a hypocritical-vegetarian and had only recently recovered the ability to eat any meat other than bacon so it really was traumatic. We did tripe and giblets, liver, steak and kidney pies, all the yucky bits. There was some discussion over what a sweetbread really was (thymus gland of a calf) so I got permission to go to our little library to look it up. I took a really really long time to come back with a book. I have not cooked or eaten any innards since. Now I can't even get passed the smell to see if I like it.

Imitation seafood products
'Peach' flavoured products
Goat cheese and REALLY blue cheese

Oh yes, I forgot about flavoured products!

For me, it's anything banana-flavoured that isn't an actual banana. So candy, milk, liqueur... yecch. Mediciny-vile.

I'm with Captain C on this one - horseradish! Anything in that family absolutely repels me. I love Japanese food, but it has to be wasabi-free, or I gag.

And organ meats. Bleah.

I've seldom met a fruit or veggie I didn't like, but I could easily get along without turnips and rutabagas for the rest of my days.

Hey bdm ... Isn't Wasabi just Horseradish with green food coloring and lots of 'heat' ?

Hmm interesting. Over the years I've learned that there probably is no food that I really dislike on its on - it all depends on how its prepared. I've had various organ meats that I thought tasted gross on one occasion, but had them elsewhere in a different preparation and they were great. Same with parsnip/turnips, beets and squash. I've never let the actually food listing stop me from trying it - but certain preparations I won't go back to. (I didn't like tripe for dim sum @ yangtze - but I'm dying to try an eastern European tripe soup. go figure.

CC, the picture you depict is real wasabi in it's fresh form
very very hard to find since the wild sort is slowly disappearing
they are trying to farm it in northern Japan and Oregon but still spendy

the crap in the cans and tubes and found in most sushi restos is dried horseradish dyed green
if they had real wasabi, it would be fresh and look like that and grated to order

horseradish has a dark brown pithy skin usually without the tops
sorta looks like a malformed tripod
3 stubby legs

CC: horseradish and wasabi (aka Japanese horseradish) come from different plants, but they're close relatives. The thing that makes them pungent (and to some of us, repugnant) is a class of chemicals called isothiocyanates (yum, isothiocyanates!). I apparently have very keen receptors for those, and when those receptors fire off, the response is definitely not one of pleasure. My wife, on the other hand, absolutely loves the stuff. Hmpf!

Several foods I agree with various people are a no-no

Olives
Mushrooms (unless its Campbell's Mushroom soup, but never real or fresh!)
Cilantro (dispise this)
Horseradish
licorish

I'm sure there are more, but just can't think of any on my own.

Oh ya, Honey Garlic wings. Not a chicken wing in my opinion!

Raclette cheese. I'm sorry, I love Raclette, as in the wonderful Swiss meal involving cheese, potatoes, and lots of other delicious things. But I hate, hate, hate Raclette cheese.

Green peppers. This is only a recent thing. But, essentially I find them far to bitter, which is odd because I like most bitter things.

Corn tortillas. I can't do the texture. No matter how well made.

I'm so relieved that I am not the only one that claims cilantro taste like soap!

Peppermom - you are definitely NOT alone in your cilantro-hating, join the rest of the 'haters' at: www.ihatecilantro.com/

peppermom I am a cilantro lover and I am convinced I am the only one in the world that likes it! Whenever I tell people I like cilantro the usual reaction I get is "eeew you eat that?!". So there you go, you are definitely in the majority.

Pasta lover, just tell them you like coriander ;)

There is actually a chemical in cilantro that makes it taste like soap to some people, but not to others.

Speaking of soapy tasting products.

I used to like these as a kid ... but now .... eeeeeeeeoooow.

I just noticed on the new (to me) packaging ... "The Gum that Tastes Like Soap"

... and their proud of it !!

Sugary Soapy-medicinal at it's finest.
.........................................................

AND ... I no it's not a food ... but were talking taste here.

Anyone like the taste of Buckleys Cough Syrup ?

lady who brunches LOL why didn't I think of that! I will have to try that one-;)

I love Thrills! Gum is 'food' for some of us or the replacement of it sometimes anyways. Especially if you swallow it;)
As for foods I do not like...
New Zealand lamb, too strong for me. Love Ontario lamb from Saslov's!
Liquid smoked anything, should be outlawed!
Nori, wish I could like it but just can't. Sushi is so pretty and fun too.
Cheap chocolate, can't even enjoy a regular chocolate bar anymore. Sad really.
Dry,bland burgers. A good burger needs fat! Not an easy thing to find around here?!?!
Large pieces of cooked egg white. Can only eat it with a sauce or something on it.
I am sure there are more as I am a picky eater although usually it is a quality of preparation/product issue.

My Mom's a Foodie If you don't like nori some places offer sashimi - like sushi but without the nori.

I shall joing the horde.

*Cilantro, for the soapy taste.
*Olives
*Boiled mushrooms (the juice inside does not agree with me)
*Blood Oranges(Tasty but also does not agree with me)
*Organ Meats
*Eggplant thus far

Pasta Lover, I love sashimi and do eat it just not as fun to make as nori rolls:(

I used to and still do get car sickness while traveling.. How long and how many times can I tell myself I feel good and not sick until blaaa.... I get sick. Everytime my brother would open up a bag of ketchup flavored chips in the car as a kid, it would be a matter of minutes till my dad was pulling over to let me "out". To this day I cannot stand ketchup flavored chips! haha

Some have already mentioned my choices:
- black licorice anything
- cheap chocolate: Hershey's kisses (the traditional one -- I do like the almond one as well as the caramel-filled one)
- organs

Also ...
- any chocolate/orange mélange (have never been a fan)
- merengue (although I do like pavlova - go figure ... but I make mine with hazelnuts and there's a lovely chewiness)
- chocolate with cherry filling inside (forget name ... Cherry Blossom???)
- liquor-filled chocolates or desserts with lots of liquor (they make me sick, cannot enjoy them)
- cottage cheese (I will eat but it's so bland)
- eggs with runny yolks (I like mine cooked through)
- ham (luncheon meat style with no flavour) and bologna
- marmalade
- soft shell tacos (unless they are the traditional ones from Mexico -- otherwise I find them stinky and prefer the hard shells ... which of course are not traditional at all)
- fake processed stuff in cans

This is my partner's list - it's shocking we get along. Ha ha.
- olives
- avocado
- pineapple

Monty: thank you for starting this post. I think it's given a good many of us an idea as to how pick we are in comparisons to others.

BigMouth: You and my partner would get along swimmingly. I have three things on my list (raclette cheese, green peppers and corn tortillas) while his list is about as long as yours.

Also, I consider it a blessing when someone likes eggs. My SO's sister won't touch them unless they're in baked goods or hot-and-sour soup.

does not compute
does not compute
does not compute

there is not such thing as a food i don't like - there are only foods that i have not had enough time to learn to appreciate

as per my profile, lima beans are currently the only thing i can think of that fits into that category

that doesn't count of course some complete items of shite like fast food, a lot of packaged foods and so forth. because it really is debatable whether or not that stuff even classifies as 'food'.

lwb: thread is over one year strong :P

i actually thought about really nerding out by going through each post and doing a count of the most hated - but - i think it's safe to say cilantro is the clear winner. personally, i love the stuff!

I love cilantro too, can't imagine Mexican or Indian food without it. I do hate shrimp, but I am allergic so not likely to change my mind about that anytime soon.
I once tasted a cheese at work that tasted something like what I imagine it would be like to go into the washroom at the Dom and lick the floor. It also made my mouth tingle in a really unpleasant way. I've heard someone else describe the taste/sensation as "electric feet" and thought it was pretty accurate. I really hate the really ripe cheeses that have that ammonia smell to them. Reminds me of the cat box!

anything cooked by my mother-in-law....

she steams or boils everything until it is unidentifiable. she hates to cook (and i think she hates food), but feels it is her duty so we are banished from the kitchen. after 16 years, i know enough to bring already made meals that just need to be heated up.

my father-in-law loves food and wants to learn to cook, but is generally not allowed.

plus, mushrooms, eggplant and okra - three things that the in-laws love to eat. with okra, the slimier the better. gag, gag, gag....

New to Ottawa and this site. Really fun, I'm discovering lots of places I have to try out.

But for the hate list : cheese whiz, miracle whip... all those unidentifiable plastic-based condements that come in jars looking like they were designed in the 50s.

Ha! I forgot how bad cheese whiz was!

Please note, it is "cheez" whiz not "cheese" - not real food, just based on food :-)

Oh, man. Cheez Whiz. There's something delicious about it spread on toasted plastic white bread, and chucked under the broiler a bit to heat it up.

Or, at least, there was something delicious about it when I was 12. It may not work for me any more.

One of the few foods I would eat as a kid is Cheez Whiz eggs! Scrambled eggs with Cheez Whiz melted into it. Read my profile to fully understand this :-)

cheez whiz+bacon+wonder bread+broiler=da bomb

I was raised on Cheez Whiz on celery sticks.

There are no words:

www.eatmedaily.com

I couldn't think of a more appropriate thread to post it in.

Adding a picture of this atrocity

Olives of any type, ketchup, most seafood, peanut butter, tofu, and eggplant (although I love Baba Ghanoush... it's the texture of eggplant that really does me in). I'll eat all of those things (except seafood) in the proper context, but I'd definitely prefer my food without them.

Monty - Indeed this post is over a year old... and still going strong.

I decided to read thru it from start to finish today, and I must add to my original list of February 2008.
Seems that a lot more come to mind, after reading others dislikes:

*Organ Meats
*Bologna
*Fishy Fish (LOL - Smelts, Herring, Anchovies)
*Grapefruit (Bitter & Sour)
*Some Lentils & Lima Beans
*Moldy Cheese (like Blue Cheese, and some Goat's Cheese)
*Licorice Flavour (including Anise, Fennel, Ouzo & Sambuca)
*Green Peppers & Okra (BITTER - these two seem to go hand-in-hand)
*Wasabi & some Radishes (although not necessarily horseradish)
*Cilantro & Pickled Ginger.... Ginger is pictured ------------------>
(Agree with the others, these two SOAPY items seem to go together)

Things I will eat, but am not crazy about
*Tofu
*Watermelon
*Marmalade (too bitter)
*Tomato Juice (prefer Clamato)
*Dark Chocolate (prefer Milk Chocolate)
*Beer (Tastes ok, but the smell bothers me... too many College Beer Bashes, lol)
*Smoked Meat & HotDogs (like them both, but the Nitrates don't like me)
*Artificial Flavouring (like Peachy, Lemony, Limey, Ketchup, or Sour Cream & Onion etc)

MSG (this includes most potato chips, doritos, etc.), most processed food, "cocktails"--juice ok, "Artificial Flavours"--especially banana and peach, roasted red pepper (I don't know why--I like them raw), cheap cold cuts, boiled potatoes/cabbage, margerine. I really like cilantro, tarragon and dill--tho' first 2 took a bit of getting used to!

RE: Soapy-tasting pickled ginger: When I was an exchange student in Japan, my fellow expats called the pickled ginger "Lemon Pledge." For some reason, that still cracks me up.

Re: cheez whiz is also a dislike of mine (which I mentioned near the top of this thread). Have you ever looked at the ingredients? Nothing remotely resembling cheese, or any other food product for that matter, seems to be in this product. Captain Caper oh man I remember those cheez whiz and celery sticks. They were one of the many retro foods my mom made and I considered a real delicacy as a child. Thankfully my tastes have evolved since then-;)

I hate Dulce.

I wonder if you've ever had the real stuff (dulce) bok choy. The stuff you get around here is a pale version of itself. We bring back bags of fresh stuff from teh east coast, that have not undergone any processing. Wonderful stuff!

Yes it was the real stuff...I am from the East coast. my family eats the stuff all the time and loves it. I just can't do it.

broccoli, peas and beans ( almost all )
i know its broad and eliminate so many meals. you can sometimes sneak em past me but for the most part i simply 'ate em!

I have to say, I am a little surprised at how many people dislike olives... they're one of my faves! I also agree with Food&Think on the artificial flavouring thing... green apple and banana are the worst! Also mushrooms of any kind, smoked salmon (texture), fast food, and undercooked red meat... I had a bad experience and I've been traumatized ever since.
It must be noted that I love cinnamon buns, broccoli, cheese, and shrimp... separately

Someone may have already said this but I didn't see it. A few people mentioned that cilantro tastes like soap to them that is because they lack the enzyme to break it down.

Well, since this thread has been going for awhile I guess I should make a comment. Since I am a Chef/cook by trade I am expected to find the goodness I all things edible. If I had to say things I dislike I would have to say "Anything made improperly". Too many things are made for the dollar and not for the taste.
As base ingredients go I don't really dislike much of anything that I can thing of.

I share some concerns with others on this thread...will not eat fish and seafood of any kind (very bad experience early in life), beets, winter squash, and egg-based dishes (quiche doesn't work for me, French toast does). But I love Cilantro(but only after a REAL experience of exposure;two months of trying out various Asian cussians...please at least a month, I have tried different melons, licorices, and Brussels Sprouts and all types of beans.

I really WANT to enjoy the foods I don't "like" now, and hope that my issues with them are "experienced"-based, and nothing more...I'm looking for cooking and serving suggestions for the least fishy fish, the least squashy squash and the least beety beets, and the least eggy eggs:) I need to start trying these foods for health and hospitality reasons!

Karey - As for Squash... just baked as is, I agree it would fall pretty flat for many people. But serve it up mashed with butter and some sweet ingredient (brown sugar, or maple syrup) and with the right mix it can go from ho-hum veggie to d@mn near dessert!

Try roasted beets.

Wash and trim them but don't peel. Wrap in foil with a drizzle of oil. Roast until tender. The skin should nicely peel off. Wonderful sliced with goat cheese and balsamic drizzle.