I never thought I liked...til I had...

[Canice]

HoneyBun's applesauce thread made me think of a recent conversation with my sister in which we agreed that there are foods we quite like now but disliked when we were young - only because we'd never had them fresh/prepared well, etc.
I mentioned applesauce right away - no comparison between home made and jarred. Also: Roasted whole beets are nothing like the tinned strings; sautéed fresh spinach is not the same as a brick of the frozen variety, and fresh fish simply prepared with Japanese flavorings does not compare to the "fishy" fish we ate fried. (Gawd, this sounds like an indictment against my mother's cooking - it's not.)

What made you change your mind about a previously disliked food?

[wallycat]

Sweet potatoes without the sugar, syrups and yucky marshmallows :D
Now I LOOOVE them...but savory only :)

[SueK]

I'd say any kind of Chinese food, because growing up, Chinese food to me meant that awful, gloppy Chop Suey in a can covered with those hard noodles. Once I had the authentic stuff, I was hooked.

Although I'm in the minority on this one, I'd have to add liver to my list as well. I love liver and onions! :eek:

[sneezles]

Originally posted by wallycat
Sweet potatoes without the sugar, syrups and yucky marshmallows :D

I never ate sweet taters because of the sugar, syrup and marshmallows!!!

Spinach in any form since my mother never served that vegetable (because she hated it! :p )!

Asparagus...my mother only ever served the canned stuff and only to my dad and herself. I thought the stuff smelled horrible and looked way too mushy to be good! Now I serve it 2 times a week, roasted only.

All those weird looking mushrooms...looks can be deceiving! Now I seek out the most unusual ones!

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by wallycat
Sweet potatoes without the sugar, syrups and yucky marshmallows :D
Now I LOOOVE them...but savory only :)

Ditto! I have always avoided sweet potatoes after being traumatized for so many holidays with my southern grandparents and the sweet potato/marshmallow thing. :eek: But toss them with some garlic, chipotle powder, salt and pepper and throw them on the grill and YUMMY!

Funny though, it's the exact opposite with cooked carrots. I have always hated them and still do, except for carrot souffle. It's sweet and tastes eggy and custardy - very yummy.

[Little Bit]

Ditto on liver, of whatever variety. My mom must have disliked it, because it was one of the foods that she NEVER prepared. Chicken livers, beef liver, calves liver, nothing, nada, never.

I like it fairly plain, though, most of the elaborate recipes just gross me out.

My mom must not have liked beets, boiled okra, meatloaf, acorn squash or cabbage, because she never prepared them either, but I have no particular problems with them. (The food in our school cafeteria was GREAT, so I learned about a lot of foods there.)

[jtoepfert100]

Can you believe garlic and onions?:eek: Before I started cooking, I would not eat anything with either one of them. I hated the smell and was always having to special order things at restaurants. Once I started cooking, though, I didn't want to alter recipes too much the first time out so I started out just reducing the amoung of garlic and onion in every recipe. But soon I was hooked. Now I can't imagine cooking without them and even increase the amount of garlic in certain recipes. This pleases DH a great deal because he grew up in a family that eats tons of garlic and onions. I never thought about that much until this summer when we were on vacation with my family and I was cooking dinner for everyone one night. My mother and brothers cringed when they saw me putting garlic in the fajita marinade. Turns out my mother was traumatized by the amount of garlic her mother would use in cooking so Mom said that she never, ever cooked anything for us with garlic. Guess that would be why I probably though I didn't like it.

[Jessica]

I never thought I liked avocado until I had fresh guacamole at my aunt's house in California, and now I eat it every chance I get. And, I never thought I liked brussel sprouts until I tried them roasted.

Ditto on the sweet potatoes, wallycat. Those marshmallow-y ones are just nasty. I like the soy-glazed ones from an old issue of CL.

[KAnn]

Herring! I thought it looked too disgusting to even try! My Dad used to buy some every so often when I was a child and we all teased him....I was attending a Bar Mitzvah in Chicago about 15 years ago and my best friend persuaded me to take just a little taste of herring in sour cream and I loved it! I try to just stick with herring in wine sauce due to the fat/calorie content in creamed herring, but I love both! And it's good for me!

Katie

[essie]

Most vegetables, because my mother always cooked them to death. I remember cabbage being grey and slimy, but I cook it just until barely tender, and YUM!

I never liked onions in anything when I was young, but now I love onions anyway you prepare them.

[Aubergine]

i always liked even the canned asparagus but i hated canned LeSeuer peas -- what a revelation even the frozen ones were! mushrooms are at the top of my list, hated as a kid, one of my favorite foods now. my parents were gourmets back in the 50 & 60's, so i was exposed to a wide variety of foods always. never liked liver then, still don't, that didn't change. ditto oysters. the only other strong dislike as a kid that i've grown out of is radishes.

that said, of course it's true that our first taste of things like chinese food other than chop suey is an astonishment; my first exposure to indian food blew me out of the water, it was love at first forkful. when i went to france as a teen i couldn't believe how good the simple things like bread, and butter, tasted! all of those "omg, where has this been all my life???!!!" moments are at the basis of my passion for cooking. i mean, you think you love chocolate, and then you eat a Teuscher truffle or a Neuhaus anything, and suddenly the bar is raised way higher.

[KValley]

Chicken livers I've only had them in France and they were melt-in-mouth rich and succulent. I don't trust my own ability to replicate the method, nor do I think I could find the same quality of meat locally. I'll save my palate for the next visit.

Frog's Legs Ditto ;)

Raw Oysters Uh, ditto. An unintended theme is appearing! Unless the oysters are same-day fresh from the Washington St. coast.

I'm another who discovered the joy of fresh, roasted Beets, now a favorite veggie.

FOODS I WILL NEVER LIKE, EVER, NO MATTER WHAT:

okra
mayonnaise
offal
tuna casserole
vegemite

[Julie A]

Originally posted by sneezles

Asparagus... I thought the stuff smelled horrible and looked way too mushy to be good!

Me too! and fish! in my mind, those two go together and I hated them both. Now I love them both!

[cinnamon_queen]

My mom never really cooked while I was growing up, and for a period of time I was the one that cooked. Needless to say I wasn't exposed to a lot of different foods until I was on my own.

I never liked salad until I had an amazing salad at a restaurant. I realized that salad didn't have to be just lettuce, a large tomato on the side, and some shredded carrots.

I never liked onions until I discovered the world of carmelization.

I never liked carrots or asparagus until I realized that there is a difference between the canned stuff and fresh!

I think the only thing that I never liked as a child, and I still hate today is bread. I was that strange child that ate hamburgers with a fork and always requested it without a bun. Now everyone thinks I'm on that stupid Atkins diet. :rolleyes:

[jtoepfert100]

kvalley - what is offal?

cinnamon_queen - you really hate bread? I wish I did. I could eat whole loaves by myself (and I'm talking in one sitting).:o

[cinnamon_queen]

Originally posted by Julie A


Me too! and fish! in my mind, those two go together and I hated them both. Now I love them both!

I completely forgot about fish! We never had fish because my dad didn't like it (although I never knew this until about 2 years ago!). Shrimp was another issue though. One too many cocktail and dinner parties can lead a child to believe that the world of seafood is limited to calamari, shrimp cocktail, and caviar.

[cinnamon_queen]

Originally posted by jtoepfert100


cinnamon_queen - you really hate bread? I wish I did. I could eat whole loaves by myself (and I'm talking in one sitting).:o

Yes! It's a texture issue. :p

[rburganmckinley]

Originally posted by cinnamon_queen

I think the only thing that I never liked as a child, and I still hate today is bread. I was that strange child that ate hamburgers with a fork and always requested it without a bun. Now everyone thinks I'm on that stupid Atkins diet. :rolleyes:

OMG! I can't even imagine life without bread! I just remember baking bread with my great grandmother and the smell of freshly baking/baked bread thought the house. MMMmmmmmmm!

My DH has introduced me to bunches of things, what sticks out in my mind in particular is squash, sweet potatoes, and cranberries. It's not that DM didn't cook, cause she did and made everything from scratch.

Indian food was love at first bite for me too.

[KValley]

Originally posted by jtoepfert100
kvalley - what is offal?

cinnamon_queen - you really hate bread? I wish I did. I could eat whole loaves by myself (and I'm talking in one sitting).:o

Offal = nasty parts of animals- heart, entrails, even liver (so I contradict myself- I will eat liver), kidneys, brains, stomach, pancreas, giblets, skin that make up large parts of the diet in otherwise amazing cuisines of Asia, Europe, Africa- really most parts of the world but USA (excepting pigs' feet and pork rinds and hot dogs!). Haggis, foie gras, black sausage, andouille, tete de veau, sweetbreads- all celebrated dishes that use what we normally discard.

To me, my dislike of most offal is purely cultural. The distinction between eating animal brains and animal muscle is rather fine IMO. Had I grown up eating sweetbreads I'd probably like them. It's also a hugely practical and commendable way to use every part of an animal.

I too wish I had a dislike of bread. ANd chocolate. ANd peanut butter. ;)

[MNGirlTX]

Truffles....not the sweet kind filled with yummy stuff, but the kind pigs find in the woods.

I associate them with mushrooms, which I really don't like.

Then, I went to Commander's Palace in New Orleans and ate at the Chef's Table with friends. We had filet mignon with truffles sliced on top. OMG!!!! Yummy, yummy...and we also had 3 different grades of truffle oil (so we could see the difference) to dip bread in.

As an aside, this was the most expensive meal I ever paid for, but worth every single penny.

Lori

[waltnj]

For me, eggplant was probably the biggest one. I always said I hated it (As a child I thought I was eating chicken parm. & it was very seedy, mushy eggplant parm, yuk!). Then I had eggplant rollatini with my DH & I am hooked. I will also eat it grilled (the japanese ones, no seeds or mush). I also used to hate olives & feta cheese, now they are some of my favorites. Otherwise I will eat about anything else, except fish. I used to eat fish as a kid, now I hate it (I think I am even developing an intolerance to some shellfish).
Waltnj

[Aubergine]

here's a reverse one: for years as a kid i ate and enjoyed tongue, thinking it was spelled "tung" (which is wierd enuf if you know what that can mean). then, when i was about 12, i saw a whole one in the store, realized what it was, and couldn't eat it again for 20 years. had it twice since -- the flavor is still good, but i can't wrap my brain around what it IS.

also, escargots -- i used to love them until i started gardening and met snails and slugs; now i can't go near them. i've had rabbit in france but would never choose to eat it here.

why one creature and not another? why some parts of the cow but not others? taste issues aside, the psychology of eating is fascinating.

[Valerie226]

Sweet potatoes without the sugar, syrups and yucky marshmallows

Do I detect a theme here?? There was a whole range of vegetables (and fruits) that I love now but didn't as a kid because we always had them way, way over-sweetened. The entire family cooked the same way, so I grew up believing sweet potatoes, winter squash, carrots, and beets were overwhelmingly sweet by nature. What a wonderful surprise to learn fruits & vegetables tasted good if their natural flavors and textures were respected, and that they didn't need to be cooked to the disintegration zone.

[sherri]

I never thought I liked avocado until I had fresh guacamole at my aunt's house in California, and now I eat it every chance I get. And, I never thought I liked brussel sprouts until I tried them roasted.
Ditto what Jessica said, I know love avocado, brussel sprouts, and sweet potatos. It is all in the way they are prepared and they need to be fresh..not canned or frozen!

[tholbrook]

As a kid, I hated Chinese food, and refused to eat anything except plain white rice when we went to a Chinese restaurant (and I pouted the entire time too!:o ). Then I tried Mu Shu Vegetables and I loved it - but wouldn't admit for several more years. I like Chinese food now, but I prefer to fix it myself rather than eating out.

Mushrooms, lima beans, brussels sprouts, eggs, and peanut butter – didn’t like any of these things when I was younger.

Now, I love mushrooms, like peanut butter (not on sandwiches, though), and tolerate brussels sprouts and lima beans (as long as they are part of a recipe and not plain). I’ll eat fritattas or eggs mixed into a stir-fry (mu shu, for example) but not omelets, scrambled eggs, or other “egg-y” dishes. I do use plenty of eggs in baking, so I don’t have any issues with them other than taste.

There are some things I liked when I was a kid and don’t care for now: macaroni & cheese, popcorn, and any kind of noodle or rice casserole.

My mother, fortunately, was a fabulous cook, who introduced us to Indian, Japanese, and Indonesian food (probably not completely authentic, but still…).

[bobmark226]

Originally posted by KValley
To me, my dislike of most offal is purely cultural. The distinction between eating animal brains and animal muscle is rather fine IMO. Had I grown up eating sweetbreads I'd probably like them. It's also a hugely practical and commendable way to use every part of an animal.


It's interesting to me how "experience" with things like this figure into your like or dislike and my response to experience was just the opposite of yours. I certainly didn't grow up in a town where anyone knew what a sweetbread was. They knew kielbasa, kielbasa and more kielbasa. But because I started coming into New York as a kid and going to restaurants, by myself, that were beyond anything I knew back home, I was inclined to be adventurous as it was all completely new. Hell, I'd never even heard of corned beef hash until I went to a Bickfords and ordered it, but I was also going to inexpensive popular French places and choosing things like escargots and sweetbreads, both of which I loved at first bite.

Bob

[funniegrrl]

There is nothing better than a baked sweet potato with a little butter, but there is nothing better than sweet custardy cinnamony sweet potato casserole at holiday time ... WITH marshmallows or streusel ...

It's also funny to me that southerners routinely get slammed for preparing things like candied yams and sweetened sweet potatoes, but I've had much sweeter, BLANDER food in the midwest than I've ever had in the south, where I grew up and still live.

[bobmark226]

Originally posted by funniegrrl
It's also funny to me that southerners routinely get slammed for preparing things like candied yams and sweetened sweet potatoes, but I've had much sweeter, BLANDER food in the midwest than I've ever had in the south, where I grew up and still live.

I think the difference is that Southern food is very high profile while, excepting maybe Cincinnati Chili, who ever talks, writes, does TV shows about Midwestern food? It's actually a very neglected area that way. Southerners also tend to toot their own horns about their food a lot more, too.

Bob

[gertdog]

Avocado, until I was asked to make homemade guacamole to bring to a party and was too embarrassed to say "but I don't like avocados." So I made the guacamole, tried it, and liked it, and now I buy a few avocados every week for salads, sandwiches, etc.

Beans, until I was taken to a vegetarian restaurant on my 22nd birthday and had a taste of Cashew Chili (recipe is posted on the board somewhere)- I was hooked.

[wallycat]

Originally posted by funniegrrl
There is nothing better than a baked sweet potato with a little butter, but there is nothing better than sweet custardy cinnamony sweet potato casserole at holiday time ... WITH marshmallows or streusel ...

It's also funny to me that southerners routinely get slammed for preparing things like candied yams and sweetened sweet potatoes, but I've had much sweeter, BLANDER food in the midwest than I've ever had in the south, where I grew up and still live.

I hope you weren't offended by my post....
I just prefer that only my desserts be sweet...a sweet potato pie (though I've never had the pleasure to try it) is probably a close replica of pumpkin pie :) (of course, even there, I always cut waaaaaay back on the sugar).
THe custardy casserole sounds great, but just as I wouldn't eat my pumpkin pie along with my turkey, I probably wouldn't attempt teh custardy casserole either.
I'm sure it is just something people grow up with one way or the other. We actually never ate sweet potatoes when I was growing up. When I started dating and was invited over for holiday dinners is when I realized people prepared them like that (yes, here in the midwest)...and I just never ate them. That's why I assumed i hated sweet potatoes...I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that you didn't HAVE to make 'em that way :)

[KValley]

Originally posted by bobmark226


It's interesting to me how "experience" with things like this figure into your like or dislike and my response to experience was just the opposite of yours. I certainly didn't grow up in a town where anyone knew what a sweetbread was. They knew kielbasa, kielbasa and more kielbasa. But because I started coming into New York as a kid and going to restaurants, by myself, that were beyond anything I knew back home, I was inclined to be adventurous as it was all completely new. Hell, I'd never even heard of corned beef hash until I went to a Bickfords and ordered it, but I was also going to inexpensive popular French places and choosing things like escargots and sweetbreads, both of which I loved at first bite.

Bob

Hmm- I don't think we're after the same point. I agree with you-I, too, have a relish for experimentation- that's how I know I don't care for offal in general ;) I didn't grow up eating sashimi, eel, raw oysters, escargot, unpasteurized cheese, chicken livers, lamb, quail- but through experimentation I know that I love them.

This thread- this board! is evidence that we're all capable of developing tastes for things untried or previously disliked. My point is that culture plays a very large role in shaping our tastes, expectations, and reactions to food. In Japan, red bean paste is used in sweets- pastry fillings, etc. To me, it tastes like PlayDoh. I think it's nasty. Had I been raised in Japan and eaten red bean paste-things for dessert, I'd probably have a very different reaction. Japanese and Australian friends have reacted the same way to peanut butter as I have to red bean paste and vegemite: "You really LIKE this stuff!!!??? Crikey- it's revolting!" :eek: :D

Now, if someone could please explain to me why some members of my family cannot handle when one food touches another on their plate or loathe any sort of cooked dried fruit (i.e. raisins in cookies, cinnamon rolls, oatmeal) and how these people share the same genetic makeup with me, we could really have a nature vs nurture discussion!

Sorry to hijack!

[lindrusso]

You all reminded me about asparagus (now one of my favorite veggies) and avocado.

Another one for me was - gasp - Parmesan cheese. I thought I didn't like it but what I didn't realize was that what I didn't like was the fake stuff in the green can - trying real Parmesan made all the difference.

As for southerners getting slammed for their food, there is some truth to the stereotypes, but it's also a generational thing - it's not as if the south is the only part of the country that cooks that way, it's more a matter of cooking things one way for your whole life and not branching out to different things. It just so happens that my experience with this type of food was when we lived in the south, so I tend to associate it with southern culture. And yes, the midwest has its own food culture that I don't understand - like cocktail wienies in grape jelly served warm in a crockpot. Yuck. And then there was Texas where everywhere I went there was tons of BBQ and store-bought macaroni/pasta/potato salads (and I didn't eat meat)! :eek: Every region and generation has their food, uh, phenomena. :)

Alysha :)

[Cyn]

My biggest dislikes as a kid were raisins, ham, frozen spinach, pork chops, sushi, canned peas (way too mushy), lima beans, and what I now call grey vegetables.

Now I love sushi, fresh spinach and frozen peas.

It's amazing what local farmer's markets can tempt you to buy and teach you. Veggies really can be good, especially if you don't cook them for an hour. There's beautiful lovely and yummy orange squash, crisp green beans, vibrant eggplant, potatoes in a rainbow of colors, better radishes.....
Does anyone else ever go to the Farmer's Market and relaise once they get home that their fridge is too small?

But I'm still not eating black raisins (even in cookies), lima beans (except in humus), and never, ever ham.

Cyn

[PAMMELA]

I wouldn't eat any vegetables growing up except corn. My mom made us eat our veggies, so I'm sure that was why. I love most all vegetables now, asparagus and green beans being my favorites! The only ones I won't eat are spaghetti squash and brussels sprouts. Can't get over the childhood trauma:(

Also, I always turned up my nose at fish tacos, gross!!!!, who would put fish on a taco?? Well then I had Rubios and that was it!!! I love ANY and ALL fish tacos now, my favorite being the snapper tacos from CL 92, I make those at least once every two weeks. But I do despise tartar sauce!

[jtoepfert100]

No, lima beans, ever!!!!!! I hated them as a kid and I don't even want to try them now. I know, I'm being close minded but there were way too many very long nights at the dinner table with me against the lima beans. (Mom had a policy that you didn't leave the table until everything on your plate was gone. If it got too late and you didn't eat it for dinner, you ate it for breakfast. Didn't eat it for breakfast, you had it for lunch, etc.) This is also why I can't stand to drink milk. It's fine in baked goods but I don't even put it on cereal -- I use water. :o

[PAMMELA]

Originally posted by jtoepfert100
I know, I'm being close minded but there were way too many very long nights at the dinner table with me against the lima beans. (Mom had a policy that you didn't leave the table until everything on your plate was gone. If it got too late and you didn't eat it for dinner, you ate it for breakfast. Didn't eat it for breakfast, you had it for lunch, etc.) This is also why I can't stand to drink milk. It's fine in baked goods but I don't even put it on cereal -- I use water. :o

Us too, it was just awful when there was something we had to eat, we'd cry at the table, but we couldn't leave until we ate it. What is with you and the milk, did you have to drink that too? That made me laugh too because my mom's policy was we could NOT drink our milk until we were finished with our food. She claimed it filled us up and then we wouldn't eat our dinner. To this day, I don't drink liquids with my meals. It's really bizarre and people will comment that I never have anything to drink. I'll drink something when i'm all finished, but sometimes I dont' drink anything at all! Oh and water in cereal???? Yikes!!! :)

[imloulou]

Originally posted by KValley

To me, my dislike of most offal is purely cultural. The distinction between eating animal brains and animal muscle is rather fine IMO. Had I grown up eating sweetbreads I'd probably like them. It's also a hugely practical and commendable way to use every part of an animal.


I could not have said this better myself!

I am very picky about what part of which animal I eat...and it is only because of our culture. I really will try most things once...except odd (to us) animal parts...and I am sure many of them are very tasty!!

[imloulou]

Originally posted by bobmark226


It's interesting to me how "experience" with things like this figure into your like or dislike and my response to experience was just the opposite of yours.

...... but I was also going to inexpensive popular French places and choosing things like escargots and sweetbreads, both of which I loved at first bite.

Bob

For me it is not a taste thing with some foods...it is a what part of the animal is it....it is all in my own little messed up (not changing anytime soon) mind.:D

I can only speak for myself but I cannot get past the fact that it is an organ (or gland in this case) to even try it. And I will not ever try it (unless I am on Fear Factor and I am going to win $50,000 bucks...lol!) I may even like the taste but will not eat it because of what it is...that is the cultural part.

I like escargot and oysters though. I consider myself and my family adventurous (sp?) eaters...I just have my own personal limits (and I do not pass those limitations onto my kids...they eat anything!!!)

[stefania4]

Count me as a passenger on the sweet potato train! My mom hates them, so they only appeared on the table - in all their goopy, sugary, marshmallowed glory - when my grandmother came over for Christmas dinner. Imagine my surprise when I had them spice-roasted and loved them!

Green beans are another adulthood revelation. In childhood they always came out of a can sodden, grayed-green, and salty. In my first apartment I made some fresh green beans and could not believe they were the same vegetable.

I've learned to tolerate coconut and pineapple, although I'll never really be a fan of either.

Interestingly, there are a few healthful foods that I just love that my mother can't stand - yogurt, cooked spinach, and (as noted) sweet potatoes.

[ttubbs]

Roast. I always thought I hated roasts. We always had it in chunks that would pull apart in strings of meat. I hate those strings. They stick in your teeth, and just don’t chew up. You just chew them and chew them and chew them until they are a flavorless, fibrous, nasty chewy ball of meat. Just thinking about it makes me wanna gag. I’ve since learned that a roast that’s not overcooked and sliced across the grain is very, very good, a totally different texture.

I also didn’t like raw vegetables at all growing up. I really enjoy salad now, but only occasionally do I enjoy something like a veggie tray.

I also hate the marshmallow sweet potatoes. Other than carrots and potatoes roasted with the roasts (which I’ve always loved), I’ve just discovered other roasted vegetables in the last 3 or 4 years. I can’t think of any vegetable I’ve not like roasted. I don’t like bell peppers generally, but I even like them roasted. I’ve only had pickled beets, which I still hate, but you guys have me curious about roasted ones. My grandma used to pickle boiled eggs in the beet jar once the beets were gone. I used to love those though.

My mom used to make potato pancakes for dinner that my sister and I would slip to the dog when she wasn’t looking. She caught us once, and we never had them again. I don’t know if I’d change my mind or not now. I really don’t have a desire to try them, so I don’t see me making any to find out.

[MNGirlTX]

Originally posted by PAMMELA


Us too, it was just awful when there was something we had to eat, we'd cry at the table, but we couldn't leave until we ate it. What is with you and the milk, did you have to drink that too? That made me laugh too because my mom's policy was we could NOT drink our milk until we were finished with our food. She claimed it filled us up and then we wouldn't eat our dinner. To this day, I don't drink liquids with my meals. It's really bizarre and people will comment that I never have anything to drink. I'll drink something when i'm all finished, but sometimes I dont' drink anything at all! Oh and water in cereal???? Yikes!!! :)

We also had to eat everything on our plate...and if you were sitting next to Uncle Gene and said "Yuck, I don't like squash", you got 2 spoonfuls.

Personally, I used to get my water taken away from me because I would wash down whatever I didn't like without chewing...especially liver (still don't like liver).

Which, for some reason, also reminds me that I hated, hated wild rice when I was growing up. Probably because Grandma usually made this horrible dish known as pork chop casserole that had wild rice as an ingredient...now, I love wild rice.

Lori

[stefania4]

Originally posted by MNGirlTX

Personally, I used to get my water taken away from me because I would wash down whatever I didn't like without chewing... I did that, too! I used to have to take these giant pills for my allergies, so I was quite adept at taking a spoonful of canned peas and swallowing them whole with a sip of water. My parents shrugged it off, but when I spent a week with my grandfather he temporarily lifted my parents' "you have to at least have a spoonful" rule and begged me not to take my food like medicine.

[claire797]

Originally posted by KValley


To me, my dislike of most offal is purely cultural. The distinction between eating animal brains and animal muscle is rather fine IMO. Had I grown up eating sweetbreads I'd probably like them. It's also a hugely practical and commendable way to use every part of an animal.


This is true. Culture plays a huge role in food aversions, but texture is also an important thing to consider. Certain organs have a more "slimy" or overly tender mouth-feel to them that is a turnoff to some. The muscle of an animal has a very different mouth feel than the liver. I suspect certain texture aversions are biological or genetic rather than just cultural.

[JackieO]

Originally posted by PAMMELA


What is with you and the milk, did you have to drink that too? That made me laugh too because my mom's policy was we could NOT drink our milk until we were finished with our food. She claimed it filled us up and then we wouldn't eat our dinner. To this day, I don't drink liquids with my meals.

Yikes!!! I can't stand the idea of "food as punishment/reward" thinking that so many of us were brought up in!

I have always hated the taste of milk (and growing up in Wisconsin that makes me weird). But we were forced to drink a carton of milk at "milk break" every morning/afternoon in school and were encouraged to drink it at lunch, too. I used to have to wait until the teacher left the lunch room before I could go pour the milk down the drain of the drinking fountain. :rolleyes: I was always the last kid out of the cafeteria for recess.

But my most recent revelation has come with goat cheese -- had it about 20 years ago and thought it sucked. (Not like a typical Wisconsin cheddar.) Had it with grilled salmon at a restaurant not too long ago, and now I love it and actually look at recipes that call for it. :D

[mbrogier]

Asparagus. Mom made canned or boiled the fresh spears to sogginess in stereotypical Southern fashion. I had it roasted as an adult and loved it. My husband and I eat it all the time. (I think the worst part of my asparaphobia was this nasty casserole my mom made with crackers, asparagus and boiled eggs. :eek: )

Bleu beef. Beef at my house was overcooked and blackened. I tried a rare steak once and loved it. My mom thinks that's disgusting.

Sweet potatoes. Yep I'm another victim of the you-must-taste-that-sweet-casserole syndrome. I would gag on them. I had roasted sweet potato without sugar and it was good.

I still can't stand brussel sprouts. They taste bitter to me. I can't eat beets either. They taste like dirt to me.

My husband hated a lot of foods because of how they were prepared when he was a child. His parents are faculty at a university, and they ate in the cafeteria with the students. Beef Stroganoff for 4,000 people is not tasty. When we got married, I showed him what a lot of those foods are supposed to taste like.