If you happen to follow me on various forms of social media, you may have seen that yesterday’s Photo A Day Challenge prompt of “Disgust” inspired me to post a photo of a big bunch of cilantro (shudder!)… and the subsequent stream of comments that followed indicated that people seem to have VERY strong opinions (one way or the other) about the stuff!
In keeping with the topic of taste preferences, I thought it would be fun to revisit and update the list of foods and flavours that don’t particularly appeal to me, and give you a chance to air your own food and flavour grievances. In my case, there really aren’t all THAT many – I’m not a very picky eater (much to the peril of my waistline!) – but there are definitely some tastes that I don’t much like and will go out of my way to avoid.
So let’s go!
My Food Dislike List
(ranging from “blech!” to “don’t prefer” and everything in between)
- Cilantro/coriander. I can handle a very, very, very little bit. I don’t like it, but I can handle it. Any more than a very, very, very little bit has the potential to ruin a perfectly good meal. And I discovered yesterday, after handling fresh cilantro for the first time (to position a bunch of it for my photo), that the smell of it actually makes me nauseous.
- Spearmint. It’s fairly low on the dislike scale, but I had to add it to the list as I really don’t care for the taste of it. I do love peppermint and wintergreen, though.
- Durian. I had this once. You know that swampy fluid that collects in the bottom of your kitchen garbage pail when the bag springs a leak? And how that liquid smells? That’s what durian tastes like to me. *shudder*
- Liver. No. Just, NO. Unless it’s in the form of highly spiced pâté, I absolutely refuse to touch it, and as a matter of fact, don’t even want to sit next to you if you’re planning to touch it. And to anyone who says, “Well, I don’t love liver, but I don’t mind eating it if it’s breaded and cooked the right way” – I beg to disagree. My mom (AKA an AMAZING cook) couldn’t even make liver taste good to me, so I don’t believe it’s possible.
- Tongue. I had cow’s tongue when I was a kid and never touched the stuff again. I can’t say I remember a whole lot about the taste, but the texture and density is unbelievably gross and unappealing to me.
- Kidneys. If the thought of their function in the body isn’t enough to put you off eating them, the smell when they’re cooking most certainly is!
- Any tea containing even a hint of rooibos. I don’t know what it is about rooibos, but it actually makes me feel a little queasy.
- Lapsang Souchong tea. Want to read a vintage 2009 Alphabet Salad post all about Lapsang Souchong? Here you go.
- Artificial sweeteners. Though at one time I drank Diet Coke like a fiend, these days I find the taste of any artificial sweetener to have a nasty, rather bitter aftertaste. I drink water when I’m at home, and if I order a soft drink when I’m out it’ll most likely be ginger ale.
- Stevia. The response I have to this supposedly miraculous sugar substitute is much the same as the one I get from the taste of rooibos. A shame, really.
- Eel. It’s the texture. And the thought that it’s a little bit like a snake.
- Octopus. Texture, once again. But for whatever reason I do like squid.
- Dark chocolate. I want to like it… I really do… but it’s just too bitter for me. I’ll take milk chocolate every time.
- Beer. Do not like.
- Rabbit. Whoever claims that rabbit tastes “just like chicken” is wrong, wrong, wrong. Because it really, really, really doesn’t taste anything like chicken.
- Escargot. To be fair, I’ve never actually tried escargot. And I won’t. I have a pathological fear of slugs, and as far as I’m concerned snails are just fancy slugs. I don’t care how much butter and garlic sauce you soak them in, it’s not gonna happen.
Really, that’s not too many dislikes, is it? It doesn’t look like I’m in danger of malnourishment anytime soon!
So how about you? What foods or flavours do you dislike?
Please share!
Hello . I dropped in for the first time here and i see a lot happening. Hence i subscribe. Good read
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
Very nice to meet you, Rashmi! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
You and I have very similar tastes!!
Kathy recently posted… The Holiday Feast
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
Glad I’m not alone, LOL!
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
LOL. I’m totally with you on the durian. You gave it the perfect description. And what a pain to just get to the meet of the fruit. Why would anyone…
I will add veal brains to your list and, for me personally, black licorice. Blerk.
Anne-Marie recently posted… Clever Find: Sweatblock to stop excessive underarm sweating
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
Oh dear – I’ve never tried veal brains, but I will just go ahead and assume that they’re on my dislike list! *shudder*
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
You and I share very similar tastes indeed! I’m not a fan of stevia!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
I wish I liked stevia, but no. 🙁
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: RamblinGarden
June 10, 2015
Shrimp (texture makes me gag). I share your dislike of roobios and stevia, incidentally. Also, monkfruit doesn’t work for me as a sweetener – it has a horrid off taste that, to me, is even worse than stevia. (Strangely, I enjoy some flavors of Zevia, which is a stevia sweetened soda – go figure.)
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Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
Interesting – I’ve never tried monkfruit, but if it’s worse than stevia I don’t imagine I’d like it either!
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: ellytreehugger
June 10, 2015
I share some similar dislikes – and occasionally, though rarely drink ginger ale, usually when sick with a flu – avoiding artificial sweeteners (don’t care for them or trust them for that matter!), rooibus, slippery, slimy stuff as you mentioned a few, though I do LOVE dark chocolate. It’s a possibility that you are going for more than 70% which can taste quite bitter. Start lower and go up as high as 70% or start high and then go lower…experiment as you may prefer it and it is better for you than milk chocolate! 😉 I do not like beer at all either and I thought I was the only one! 😉 And I differ though as I mentioned yesterday, that I actually NOW do love cilantro where I used to hate it…not sure what or why it changed. 😉 <3
elly stornebrink recently posted… Wordy Wednesday: Powerful yet graceful
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
I know that as I get older my tastes in some areas do change – for example, I used to despise blue cheese, but for whatever reason can eat and enjoy it now (especially crumbled in a salad with dried cranberries and walnuts).
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: shilpaagarg
June 11, 2015
From your list, I like coriander/cilantro, infact no dish at our place is complete without it! And am with you on Dark Chocolate. It is too bitter for my taste too.
Shilpa Garg recently posted… Spotlight : Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
I think with cilantro most people either love it or hate it!
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: Fabulus1710
June 11, 2015
Cilantro is like a staple throw-in in almost all curries and dishes of the Indian cuisine. I don’t really mind if I find some coriander in my dish, though if I had the choice to add it, I wouldn’t!
That part about the dark chocolate. It used to be similar to my point of view till the day I tasted a dark chocolate cake for the first time. Yeah, now I’m addicted to dark chocolate. I hate milk chocolate, though!
I can’t really say anything about beer. I’m still underage to even try drinking it! 😀
Mithila Menezes recently posted… Selective Amnesia
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
I have a feeling I’d have a tough time enjoying my food if I ever visited India, LOL! Which is a shame, as apart from the cilantro I love what I’ve tried of Indian food.
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: FranceneStanley
June 11, 2015
I agree with you on corriander, as we call it here in the UK. Horrible stuff. Give me parsley any day.
I don’t like deserts–anything containing cream in particular. That ruins a perfectly good meal for me and leaves me feeling sick.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
Interesting – I have a couple of friends who don’t like desserts, but it’s pretty rare to find!
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: Misteism
June 11, 2015
I do not like tomatoes aside from being deathly allergic to them or okra.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
I’ve never tried okra, but I do like tomatoes. Food allergies are awful! 🙁
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: shyvish
June 11, 2015
Actually I love cilantro and dark chocolate! Just love! As for the rest, since I am vegetarian, I am safely with you on the dislike scale 😉
Shailaja recently posted… Muffled and muted #MicroFiction
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
I do wish I liked cilantro, but the smell and taste are just so off-putting to me. Such a shame!
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: miss_teerious
June 11, 2015
Oh! I just love Cilantro, or Coriander as we call it here! We make a paste of it, along with green chillie and some spices, and it is just awesome with snacks!
I don’t like dark chocolate either. Like you said, it’s too bitter. Beer is yucks! And artificial sweeteners sure do leave a bad after-taste. Have never tried any of the other items on your list.
Kaddu recently posted… My Favorite Handmade Work
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
Sounds like it would certainly be a challenge for me to avoid cilantro/coriander if I were ever to visit India, LOL!
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: 1951
June 11, 2015
I have never, ever heard of durian. Hubby hates cilantro. But we’re both good with beer.
Carol Cassara recently posted… What have your bad decisions taught you?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2015
Oh, durian is horrible stuff. Truly rotten!
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: Wordwrights, Ink
June 11, 2015
Absolutely amazed at how similar our two lists are. Never tried Durian and I do like organ meats and dark chocolate, but other than that, we’re twins!
Diane recently posted… Full House
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 12, 2015
Nice to know I’m not alone! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
Twitter: DebbieDoglady
June 12, 2015
Great list, Laurel. With you all the way on the cilantro! I think it tastes like soap. 😛 Not familiar with durian, but it sounds gross. My mother used to make liver and kidney – I haven’t touched it since childhood. No rabbit for me, or lamb and not only because of the taste. Too bad about the Stevia – I use it all the time at home. Rarely drink pop, but when I do it’s usually a Diet Coke. Dark chocolate is bitter, but goes well with fruit flavours (Terry’s dark chocolate orange comes to mind). Squid is one of my favourite foods, but octopus is good too, especially in antipasto.. Not into Beer either. We’re obviously not stereotypical Canadians in that regard, eh? 😉 I never acquired a taste for olives, which is too bad, since my husband is Italian. Anchovies, capers are also “yuck”, to me.
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Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 12, 2015
Definitely not stereotypical as far as beer is concerned, LOL! And definitely too bad about the stevia – I do wish it worked for me, as it would be a great and natural sugar alternative.
Laurel Regan recently posted… My Food Dislike List – UPDATED!
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