POLL: Foods that sound bad

[kentgirl]

Does anyone NOT like a food because of the way it sounds? I'm not talking about what the food IS, just the name of the food. For example, I don't like poi (I think it tastes awful, but the name "poi" doesn't sound bad). Personally, I have never tried a turnip, gizzards, lutefisk (sorry Ed) or grits. I never tried them simply because of what they're called.

Am I wierd? Does anyone else NOT like a food because of the way it sounds?

[Julie O]

I never tried grits when I was a kid. I thought it just sounded gross. Then, I moved to Florida. My co-workers were shocked that I had never tried grits. So, they planned a breakfast that we cooked in our office, complete with sausage, eggs, biscuits, and grits. I tried the grits. Yuck! Definitely an acquired taste.

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[Linda I LIght]

Pickled herring....I finally tried it last year and wished I never had. But I do like anchovies, go figure.

[Kristi]

Minced meat pie! Just sounds awful...

[sneezles]

Haggis! Don't like the name or the way it looks and when I found out what it was made of...YUK! YUK! YUK!

[emilycat]

Steak and kidney pie....eww eww eww! Liverwurst, giblets -- I'm not one to judge a book by its cover (sorry for the terrible cliche) but I wouldn't touch any of those with a ten foot pole! (another cliche, although not so annoying)
And I must second the minced meat pie and haggis...when my boyfriend and I first started dating, he used to adopt this old British woman accent and say "Fish and chip...haggis" to make me laugh. When I found out what it was, I asked him to never say it again!

[lorilei]

tsk, tsk, http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Need we have the "food aversions are purely psychological" discussion again http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lindrusso]

Well, for a different twist, here's something that sounds awful but tastes good -- pu pu platter. Sorry, couldn't resist!

[BevP]

Pickled Pigs Feet!!!!!

Lindrusso, I remember the first time I was invited to a pu pu party in Hawaii http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif Thanks for bringing back a gigglish sort of memory.

[kwormann]

not me, but my husband wont eat Krispy Kreme donuts because of the name..he said donuts shouldnt be krispy!

kim

[SueK]

I think Head Cheese sounds pretty gross, and I know I'll never try it! Also, tripe seems to be a fairly weird word too, although maybe that's because I know what tripe is, and that just makes it all the more unappealing to me!

[sunbrie]

What's Haggis?

[valeriek]

This is going to sound really silly, but I guess since we are all sitting around the kitchen table I can share. I won't eat horseradish sauce. The reason I won't eat it is because when I was a kid my older, meaner sister told me it was made of ground up horses. As an adult, I know that is not true. However, I can't get over the damage my evil sister inflicted on me with the dead horses story!!!!

[Ohioan]

Blood pudding. Icky-poo feh! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

The second phrase, by the way, is a reaction, not another dish! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Grimaces, Phoebe

[lindrusso]

valeriek and Ohioan - you guys are cracking me up!!

[food girl]

Just a few funnies speaking of tripe and haggis, I had a friend who ordered "sweetbreads" expecting to get, like, danishes and pastries. What a shock!
Lisa

[sneezles]

sunbrie
Haggis is a sausage made from all the parts of the sheep you'd rather not think about.
It's Scottish in origin and I believe the only country that eats it! It's traditionally eaten on New Year's Day for good luck. The tradition is when you went to visit on the first day you would bring a loaf of bread, a haggis, a piece of coal and a bottle of whiskey, each item signifies all that you need to survive...you'd definitely need the whiskey to wash down the haggis!!

[Kimba]

Two words: spotted dick.

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[mommywannabe]

Kimba...I'm afraid to ask... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I can't bring myself to try kumquats (sp?)...just sounds weird. I second the pickled pigs feet; my grandparents ate them and it was GROSS!

[Luiza]

Thank you, kentgirl, for staring this thread. I find it really interesting to see what people don't like, because I like many of the foods listed here. I don't know what grits and spotted dick or the pu pu platter are, but I do like liver, kidney, tripe, head cheese, and pickled pig feet (that is, if pickled pig feet are pig feet that are boiled for hours until falling apart, then the meat is put in deep bowls with the seasoned stock and is left to gel). I'm not particularily fond of blood sausages, but I have an Argentinian friend that swears by them. As for haggis, I've never tried it, but Romanians have various dishes that sound simular so I suspect I'll like it. I also like tongue and brain and I'm partial to chicken feet in soups.

I guess it's a matter of upbringing and tradition, but I would also say that it's a matter of need as well. If I would have told my grandmother that I would not eat liver, I would have gone to bed without food, because there probably was nothing else in the house. She also had a number of scary stories that started "During the famine of '47...".

Just a thought on the issue of likes and dislikes... for whoever made it past the listing of foods I like http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Is there anybody else that likes this stuff? Just so you don't think I can eat anything, I'll tell you what I couldn't swallow: chinese a-thousand-year eggs. The egg yolk gets black and the egg white becomes a translucent brown. Yuck.

Luiza

[SoCal]

Linda I LIght,Luiza, and BevP...It is so funny you mentioned pickled herring and pickled pig's feet since Ed brought up pickled herring and I brought up pickled pig's feet in another poll. For the record, I've had both. I liked pickled herring (although I haven't had it in a long time) and I even liked the pickled pig's feet...except for the gel!!

Emily, we even had to eat liverwurst and giblets (over rice!). I'm sure it was because it was inexpensive and that is what my family could afford.

SueK, my Dad used to eat head cheese. That is something I could never/would never eat!

[Kimba]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mommywannabe:
[B]Kimba...I'm afraid to ask... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

It's actually a dessert, sort of like a very rich mincemeat pastry with a suet (!!) crust. Of course, I, being soooooooooo virtuous, wouldn't dream of touching such a cholesterol and fat-laden culinary nightmare http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

And not that there's anything wrong with these names, but if it's got liver or lima beans in it, it's NOT getting past my lips. And boudin - i.e., blood pudding - bleagh. I grew up with head cheese, though, and until I knew what it was, I liked it a lot.

[emilycat]

After reading through this list of foods while eating breakfast (bad, bad decision) I must say in defense of dear grits that they do not belong in such company.

If you've never seen grits (because you will never see a "grit" alone) try CL's Mast Inn Farm Shrimp and Grits. I thought these were so delicious....if they still repulse you, I rest my case. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 11-28-2000).]

[phantomcg]

My dad used to not only eat pickled pigs feet and head cheese but he also made his own. I could never get past watching him make them so I have never tried either one and don't think I ever will.

Cheryl

[Beth]

Does anyone else find it ironic that Kimba was able to post the name of that dessert, but you can't use the word for poking a pie crust with a fork?

[Gina O]

Okay, here is my contribution... cow tongue. Unfortunately, I have eaten it several times. Was forced to in grade school. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif

I get pretty squeamish over anything made out of animal organs, except a few select liver dishes. To me, they all have funky sounding names. I do love grits though! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Gina

[BevP]

Louisa, a pu pu platter is just a plate of hors duerves (sp) more in Hawaiian style. A pu pu party is just a party with finger foods and not a sit down dinner or even heavy snacks. Unless it says heavy pu pus.

[MrsReber]

You are all so funny! Valerie, I hate horseradish- I've tried it and don't like it, but my brother used to wake me up by putting the open jar under my nose. Ugh! He thought that was funny.

I won't eat tongue of any sort. Liver sounds and smells disgusting so I'm not trying it. Any other organ meat is out of the question, too. My husband knows hunters who ask him to save the deer hearts because they like to eat them!!!!!

That is pretty funny that you can't use the "pr" word, but you can use the "d" word?? I guess since it has so many meanings and can be used as a name?

[venus]

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif Hehehe http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif You guys are cracking me up.

I'm pretty laid back, but some things I won't eat are:

Brains
Tripe
Bubble and Squeek
Pickled Jellyfish (or jellyfish in any form--ewwwwww!)
Tongue
Pig Snout
head cheese
Olive loaf--something about it gives me the hee-bee jeebies
Pickled eggs

I do like snails, octopus, sushi in all forms, pate, foie gras, kimchee, horseradish and I love pu-pu platter. My husband is a big fan of heart. I've only had it once--and there was so much butter and garlic on it that it tasted great http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif

[Beth Y]

Emilycat, thank you for standing up for grits. I want to add my two cents. If you don't like grits, you are probably not having them prepared correctly. The are, simply the inside of corn, so how come everyone thinks they are so awful? If you have them at some diner or bad hotel buffet, yes, they are probably tasteless and either too runny or too hard. Or even worse, if you eat the little instant packages, YUCK. But have grits done right, or, even better, stone ground grits (Try them at the Frog and the Redneck in Richmond, Va. Ummmm!)and they are great.

Funny, you call them polenta (which is the same thing) and people consider it gourmet, but call them grits and people hate them. Hmmmmmm......

[This message has been edited by Beth Y (edited 11-28-2000).]

[valeriek]

I didn't even know you could eat half of the stuff you guys are talking about!!! Heart? Tongue? Pickled feet? There is no way I could even think about eating any of those things!!

By the way, grits really don't belong in this discussion. They are yummy.

[Luiza]

Originally posted by BevP:
Louisa, a pu pu platter is just a plate of hors duerves (sp) more in Hawaiian style. A pu pu party is just a party with finger foods and not a sit down dinner or even heavy snacks. Unless it says heavy pu pus.

Thank you for the explanation, BevP. I should try that sometime -- I'm curious how many of my friends will come to a pu pu party. Of course, chances are they'll show up anyway because they know they'll eat well. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

As for horseradish related traumas, I'm afraid I've perpetrated one myself. I was fairly new in Canada, so when a classmate asked me what horseradish was I thought she was joking, so I just told her it's little bits of horse and radish mashed together. Her reaction convinced me she really didn't know what horseradish was, and I hastened to give the right explanation. Alas, I think it was too late http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif

Luiza

[Ohioan]

I think we have two different subjects going here: what some folks think sounds awful and what some folks think might taste awful. I listed the blood pudding as a "sounds awful." But when I ate meat -- and when I could get the stuff -- I used to love all the organ meats except tongue (don't know why I didn't like tongue): brains, heart, liver, lungs, sweetbreads, something my grandmother called "meltz" and I think was the pancreas, and of course tripe.

I always wanted to try Rocky Mountain oysters (for those who don't know, they're what's removed from the male animal to make it a neutered animal, ahem -- and I think they're called the "lights" in some areas), but I never managed to find them anywhere, even when I lived in Wyoming. Has anyone here tried them?

Cheers,
Phoebe

[emilycat]

I'm really getting into this grits discussion http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif
I would like to second the ewww-ness factor of instant grits....to emulate Phoebe, icky poo feh.

And on the same note as Beth, have you ever heard of polenta called "cornmeal mush with class?" I don't know how grits got such a stigma attached to them, but they are simply yummy (especially if they're made by someone who knows what they're doing) And quite as good, (or better, if you have a southern bias http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif ) as Cream of Wheat.

Em

[AndreaU]

Duck Blood Soup! Yuck... my grandmother would make this for Christmas Eve dinner as part of the traditional Polish feast. I think she's the only one who still eats it today as everyone under the age of 55 refuses to even think about going near it! (and yes, it is made with the real thing.. I've even seen it for sale on a website) http://cgi.tripod.com/smilecwm/cgi-bin/s/cwm/blah.gif

[56grapeape]

i LOVE grits!! And im not even from the south! I grew up on them! I eat them w/breakfast and with lots of butter, salt and pepper! MMMMM! Ive never had them any other way.

I will NEVER cook liver! I HAD to eat it growing up, but I'll never make it for my family!
Same goes for "sunny side up " runny eggs! ICK!!! I remember one day, my dad MADE me eat my eggs like that, or i couldnt go to school till i did!(id be late, since i had to walk!). DH loves his eggs like that!

I also hate Chorizo! ICK! dh loves it with eggs in a tortilla!

[56grapeape]

how in the world did you make that cute little face!?!?

Originally posted by AndreaU:
Duck Blood Soup! Yuck... my grandmother would make this for Christmas Eve dinner as part of the traditional Polish feast. I think she's the only one who still eats it today as everyone under the age of 55 refuses to even think about going near it! (and yes, it is made with the real thing.. I've even seen it for sale on a website) http://cgi.tripod.com/smilecwm/cgi-bin/s/cwm/blah.gif

[AndreaU]

grapeape,
A while back someone posted a website that has a whole bunch of "smilies," different from those on this BB. It's at http://smilecwm.tripod.com. There are also instructions on how to use them. Cool aren't they? http://cgi.tripod.com/smilecwm/cgi-bin/s/cwm/spiny.gif

[56grapeape]

Thanks!! I wonder, can you use these on other sites?

Rachelle the 56grapeape http://cgi.tripod.com/smilecwm/cgi-bin/s/cwm/monkeysmile.gif

(hope it worked! lol)

Originally posted by AndreaU:
grapeape,
A while back someone posted a website that has a whole bunch of "smilies," different from those on this BB. It's at http://smilecwm.tripod.com. There are also instructions on how to use them. Cool aren't they? http://cgi.tripod.com/smilecwm/cgi-bin/s/cwm/spiny.gif

[Pat58]

Has anyone seen George Carlin's old routine about foods we all eat but probably shouldn't? The one that comes to mind is "Beer Nuts" - think about it.

[Cory]

I went to a wild game feast, & couldn't eat a thing. Pigeon, rabbit, ostrich, venison, wild boar & buffalo were all served.

[Angel]

"Rocky Mountain Oysters"...now I am not sure if it is true about what they are or if it is a mean thing people from the South tell us "Yankees"(I am originally from NY http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)
But the thought of it is NASTY!