Foods you can't stand

[oleada]

I love cheese, eggs, Brussels sprouts (roasted!); will eat salmon, though it's not by any means my favorite fish, hate mayo and white chocolate.

@Ania, these are the foods that I ate up until age 9 or so: eggs, chicken, arepas, fried plantain, lasagna, fries and white bread. Fruit? No. Veggies? Hell no! No red meat at all. I was the kid who would have rather DIED than eaten something they didn't like (I remember an epic hours long battle over a bowl of lentils). I was pretty underweight as a young kid so my parents gave in and made me what I wanted. My brother grew up in the same house and is possibly the least picky eater on the planet, and has always been that way. I am not sure how much pickiness is exposure and how much is a kid's personality, tastes and control. I Grew out of it. Picky kids don't equal picky adults. I will try pretty much everything

I guess I get adults being picky (though it's annoying when you have to pick a restaurant ) but I don't get adults who just flat out refuse to try different foods.

 

[PDilemma]

White chocolate people need to be at a different table in a different corner. (Chocolate snob.....)

I appreciate white chocolate as someone with chronic gastritis and GERD. Unlike dark chocolate, it is not a trigger and I can have it any time I want.

 

[hanca]

I love boiled brussel sprouts, the softer the better. (Although I also love the other presentations.)

I am such an outlier in this thread. Love cheese, eggs, some boiled veggies and mayo. Hate salmon and white chocolate. Yay me.

You are not really outlier. I also love cheese (most od them) and eggs and boiled veggie and mayo. I hate salmon (and any fish, especially tinned tuna). The only thing we differ is the white chocolate. Maybe you didn't try the right one yet.

 

[flyingsit]

All this talk about brussels sprouts being yummy... they are nasty no matter the preparation. To me they are overwhelmingly bitter in any case and, well, I'm not gonna eat them.

 

[Ania]

Thank you everyone for replying about food preferences over time!

@Ania, these are the foods that I ate up until age 9 or so: eggs, chicken, arepas, fried plantain, lasagna, fries and white bread. Fruit? No. Veggies? Hell no! No red meat at all.

My kids won't touch any of the foods you ate, except for bread They do love most fruit (except bananas) and will tolerate 1-2 types of vegetables (but their aversions constantly evolve). No meat, no poultry, no fish. I told them it's fine if they want to be vegetarians, but they have to get in protein somehow (cheese, rice & beans, eggs). Nope, no go. I can't help but wonder how much of picky eating is a privilege my kids can afford (sorry if it's too much off-topic).

 

[tamms]

Bacon. I will eat it if it's on my plate and part of a meal but I won't specifically order it.

Avocado and eggplant. Same deal with bacon.

Durian. Tried it once, couldn't stand the smell.

Goat cheese. No thank you!

Lots of mentions of liver here. On the flip side I love them, though I've only tried chicken, pig and eel livers.

 

[Vagabond]

Ania, I think it's not so much privilege as parenting.

I watched a French friend of mine who was at the time living in the U.S. feed her eleven-month-old daughter a cracker with blue cheese and Dijon mustard. I commented that an American infant of the same age would never eat that, and my friend said that you simply have to introduce foods at a very young age.

Failing that, the best strategy is to keep trying. I have read that it can take a child something like 150 tastes to overcome a prejudice against a type of food. For adults, the figure is less, but it's still something like 50 or so.

Usually, when I'm with other people's children who are aged nine or older, I tell them that they should at least have a taste of something they think they don't or won't like. I tell them that they don't have to like it or even eat it, but they should at least try.

As for adults who are picky eaters or simply won't try things, I think it's important that they at least try to figure out why they don't like something. As has been mentioned upthread, a dislike of certain kinds of prepared food is often the result of not having fresh ingredients or well-prepared dishes. Another reason is that people's palates vary. Some people like food sweeter than others do, so they may react to a certain dish with added sugar differently from each other.

 

[PDilemma]

As for adults who are picky eaters or simply won't try things, I think it's important that they at least try to figure out why they don't like something. As has been mentioned upthread, a dislike of certain kinds of prepared food is often the result of not having fresh ingredients or well-prepared dishes. Another reason is that people's palates vary. Some people like food sweeter than others do, so they may react to a certain dish with added sugar differently from each other.

There are a ton of things my husband thought he hated, then I have made them and he likes them. I have become convinced that it is because his mother can't cook. Whenever I have had some of those dishes at her house, I have sat at the table thinking "oh, dear God, no wonder he hated this!".

 

[DannyCurry]

I can't eat cheese...and I'm French !

 

[once_upon]

I remind my grandchildren *and my kids when they were little* to remember "Green Eggs and Ham" story, just try it you might like you will see

 

[gkelly]

So I have bought a few brussels sprouts, sauted them with truffle oil, garlic, pepper, and rosemary, and then broiled them a couple minutes in the toaster oven.

I would say they are edible and I will finish my portion but I'm glad I didn't buy more.

 

[Andrushka]

Don't remember if I ever replied to this thread...my food I can't stand is lamb. I literally hate lamb.If I am starving to death in a field full of sheep.They will all live and they will find me dead of starvation. I have cooked it loads of times for my boys and my now ex husband.And I've eaten in England and cooked by my ex mil and I tried it when I cooked it.I gagged...I just can't even.

 

[PRlady]

Don't remember if I ever replied to this thread...my food I can't stand is lamb. I literally hate lamb.If I am starving to death in a field full of sheep.They will all live and they will find me dead of starvation. I have cooked it loads of times for my boys and my now ex husband.And I've eaten in England and cooked by my ex mil and I tried it when I cooked it.I gagged...I just can't even.

My sister and I loved lamb (I still do) and would fight over the last lamb chop. My mom, meanwhile, ate a hamburger because lamb also made her gag. I think that it is one of those really love-and-hate foods.

I'm lucky I love it since I'm going to live in the Middle East and there isn't much good beef...and you have to go to find the pork.

 

[topaz]

Well, I was not a picky eater as a kid and I'm definitely not now. My grandmother told me once that I have always loved protein, especially meat. She stated I was the only baby she knew of that liked meat flavored baby food

Foods I don't like are sauerkraut(SOUR KRAUT). I'm not a fan of papaya(texture) and I don't really enjoy eating roasted peanuts. I can eat peanuts in foods but just a handful of roasted peanuts does not do it for me.

I've been growing my own veggies for a few years now and I absolutely can't stand store bought fresh tomatoes now. I can handle canned tomatoes(used for cooking) but store bought fresh tomatoes are nasty, nasty. Once you have grown and/or tasted heirloom tomatoes, you can't go back. My favorite color/type of tomatoes are black tomatoes. Black Cherry, Black From Tula, Black Krim and Cherokee Purples are nature's candy. The black tomatoes have a sweet, smoky flavor. Firm flesh, not mealy. Not alot of juice either. Also, I love most Russian variity tomatoes. The flavors are outstanding in Russian tomatoes.

Black From Tula
Black Cherry
Cherokee Purple

 

[Andrushka]

My sister and I loved lamb (I still do) and would fight over the last lamb chop. My mom, meanwhile, ate a hamburger because lamb also made her gag. I think that it is one of those really love-and-hate foods.

I'm lucky I love it since I'm going to live in the Middle East and there isn't much good beef...and you have to go to find the pork.

Interestingly enough,no one in my family can tolerate it.My boys definitely get their love of it from their father.

 

[topaz]

Okay all, I bought the following at the grocery store and I"m trying it. Has anyone eaten this product>

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5-S3V78cGfYaVpnVXlrYnhST2c/view?usp=sharing

 

[Spun Silver]

@topaz, where do you get your unusual tomato varieties? Do you grow them from seed?

I like to grow heirloom tomatoes too but I don't grow them from seed and the selection of younglings near us is not great. Not that I go out of my way to hunt. Maybe I will, now that I've seen your photos. The first one looks amazing!

 

[purple skates]

So I have bought a few brussels sprouts, sauted them with truffle oil, garlic, pepper, and rosemary, and then broiled them a couple minutes in the toaster oven.

I would say they are edible and I will finish my portion but I'm glad I didn't buy more.

You missed the key ingredient -- bacon!

(Although I will eat them plain - the bacon does make them yummy.)

ETA: Regarding tomatoes. IME, if you get seeds or plants that aren't heirloom, they will be as tasteless as what is in the grocery store. I will definitely peruse @topaz's links. We lost our old fashioned source for tomato plants a few years ago and what we've grown hasn't been the same since.

 

[topaz]

@topaz, where do you get your unusual tomato varieties? Do you grow them from seed?

I like to grow heirloom tomatoes too but I don't grow them from seed and the selection of younglings near us is not great. Not that I go out of my way to hunt. Maybe I will, now that I've seen your photos. The first one looks amazing!

You may be able to get Black from Tula from local garden center or nursery. Try calling around to your local nurseries first and ask about the varieties. Also, see if you can find organic heirloom sales. What city/state do you live in?

I do grow mine for seed. It is actually quite easy.


Here are my eggplant seedlings I grew from seed last year
Here are the pepper plants from last season

I grow peppers, tomatoes, beans, peas, greens and cucumbers. Last year I grew cabbage, broccoli, eggplant and cauliflower for the first time. The cabbage and cauliflower turned out great, Not so much with the eggplant and broccoli.

I started with a balcony garden(containers) about 3 1/2 years ago. Then I started a raised bed garden at my mom's house. Last year we rented a community garden plot and we'll be doing that again this season. The plot is tiled in the spring. However, they have the option to rent year around. There are hoop house/green houses on the land. I find gardening very rewarding. I only do veggies though. It is a alot of work but I enjoy it. It is an expensive hobby


http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-start-seeds-indoors.html

The initial start up can be an investment(around $60 to $100) but you can reuse the heating mat and lights year after year. If you want help I can lead to you some good youtube videos that helped me. Also, I'll help you.

I bought my seeds at a few online vegetable sites. The number of varieties are STAGGERING. You can get a packet which contain around 30 to 40 seeds for around $3.00. One seed equals one plant and one plant can yield 20 to 30 tomatos(10oz to 1 lb tomatos each) Here are some of my favorites:

Baker's Creek
Seed Savers Exchange
Tomato Growers Supply


http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Category:B.C_KO_T is such an outstanding wiki. Be prepared to be overwhelmed. But, she offers variety type, taste, days to maturity, etc. The owner sells seeds too. Here is the link to her seed store. Use the grid to select the color variety.

 

[Spun Silver]

@topaz, wow, thanks for the wealth of information. You are obviously a whiz.

This is not the year for me to learn how to grow from seed. I am trying to launch a business. But I do have the energy to hunt around for more interesting plants. Usually I grab whatever heirlooms are at Lowe's. I am even well connected -- my MIL is a past president of the NJ Garden Club and there ought to be plenty of special tomatoes for sale in our tomato-happy state.

Thanks for the inspiration!!

 

[clairecloutier]

My husband grew heirloom tomatoes for a few years, and they were great. But then he gave up. We had several unusually wet summers, which caused some of the tomatoes to rot on the bottom, and also we had a groundhog that came and took bites out of them!!

 

[quartz]

Mmm.....heirloom tomatoes! We tried growing some this summer, but the bunnies that live under the shed and the deer that come up from the ravine got ALL OF THEM.

 

[gk_891]

Heirloom carrots are also nice. Sweeter than conventional carrots.

 

[topaz]

I use protective measures when gardening. I use cover that protects from most insects and animals. Fences help too with deer at the community garden. Fencing and chicken wire embedded in the ground is a good deterent to rabbits and rodents. There are few youtube videos that show how to make it. It is inexpensive too.

I am by no means a wiz at gardening, I am learning each year. I just research and try to prevent bug and rodent damage. Preventative measure with the veggies like adding calcium and other minerals to plants to help prevent blossum end rot and other nutrient deficient issues.

 

[gk_891]

Have you Ever heard of neem? Neem leaves are a natural repellent when it comes to insects but they're actually good for humans if you can believe it. Neem is plentiful in India and my friend who's from India said that her parents had a neem tree in their backyard and they would sometimes boil the leaves in water, let it cool and use the liquid to either spray their garden vegetables with or pour it all over the soil to keep insects away. She claims it did the trick well.

 

[topaz]

@gk_891 Yes I have heard of neem. I have used neem oil on seedlings before I plant them in the soil. I have not used it on "established" plants(plants already planted in soil).

 

[Spun Silver]

Squirrels are my tomato predators. They take one bite and then drop the rest of a beautiful tomato in the yard. I was incredibly lucky that last summer, with only collapsing ancient fencing and no time or interest in tending my garden, the squirrels mostly left them alone. Maybe they like them to be properly staked and well watered. :/

It was also a great year for apples, no thanks to me. In fact my apple efforts were counterproductive -- the tree I watered (because it had good apples in the past) had bad ones and the tree I ignored (because it had terrible ones the year before) had absolutely marvelous ones. I shared with the whole neighborhood. But experiences like that totally encourage my laziness.

ETA: @topaz, I found a nursery selling Black from Tula and other heirloom tomatoes just over an hour from me, in one of the prettiest parts of NJ. They ship too, but I would like to visit. I will try to get there in late April or early May. Thanks again for the info and ideas!

 

[Spun Silver]

So I have bought a few brussels sprouts, sauted them with truffle oil, garlic, pepper, and rosemary, and then broiled them a couple minutes in the toaster oven.

I would say they are edible and I will finish my portion but I'm glad I didn't buy more.

That was a heroic effort. I would say you are off the hook!

 

[Vagabond]

Squirrels are my tomato predators.

IIRC, no one here has said that he can't stand squirrel.

Not that we'll be having any over in the salmon corner.

 

[quartz]

Squirrels are my outdoor pets. I feed our squirrels. They get all the stale bread and non-salty and non-sugary cereal, and any slightly mushy apples. They live in our giant silver maple and provide endless entertainment for the kitties.



I have my bedside alarm clock set to radio rather than the buzzer. This morning, as it went off, the woman host was declaring, .......and we put rosemary on them too, and wow, I never knew I liked brussel sprouts!!
I sniggered and slammed the snooze button.