Debunking Beer Can Chicken: A Waste Of Good Beer, And Dangerous
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I once had a boyfriend who could not tolerate the taste or smell of hard boiled eggs. I remember learning this the hard way, after I had made a really terrific, labor-intensive salmon salad (with freshly poached salmon, not canned). We sat down to eat, and as he put the fork into his mouth, a terrible looked passed across his face and he looked like he was about to retch. The fork beat a hasty retreat back to the plate, and he looked at me with a very serious expression on his face and asked, "Does this have hard boiled eggs in it?"
These days I try to ferret out whether someone is a picky eater before I get too attached, but I've discovered that just about everyone has that one thing that they just can't stand to eat. For some folks, it has to do with a texture and for others it's the association that makes it objectionable. My mom doesn't care for pepper and my dad hates the combination of crunchy and creamy (think ice cream with candy bits in it). My list is fairly short, consisting only of shrimp (as I have a highly inconvenient allergy).
What's your objectionable ingredient? Has your list gotten short as you've gotten older? How do you handle it if you are served something that contains this item?
This post inspired by a question on Serious Eats' Food and Drink forum.
photo by Marisa McClellan
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8-31-2007 @12:28PM Sophie said... Dill - I can't stand it. As far as I know it's not an association or anything, or an allergy, but the smell and taste of it make me feel really ill.
I've learned to avoid salmon dishes when eating out unless the server can guarantee it won't have dill on or near it, and Turkish and Greek restaurants generally have to be avoided due to the likelihood of finding any and every dish liberally sprinkled with the stuff.
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8-31-2007 @12:36PM Jenbug said... Tuna. I can't stand the smell of canned tuna, let alone the taste. I can tell if it's in something almost before I've entered the room.
In fact I can't stand most fish in general, especially freshwater fish. The smell is like microwaved cat food to me.
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8-31-2007 @12:44PM slorgcatcher said... fennel and asparagus. i seem to have developed an allergy to fennel (or have always had it and never knew until the recent trend of putting the vile weed in everything including soap...yeah that was fun) and, as for asparagus i can't seem to resolve myself to eating something that makes my pee smell funny. i never get served either as i always make it very clear that i can't stand the stuff. oh, and coffee. blech! one taste will illicit a nasty face and a returned plate/cup/bowl.
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8-31-2007 @12:46PM Ozymandia said... I refuse completely to eat brussel sprouts or cooked cabbage. They're the only items that I absolutely put my foot down about eating, because I cannot stand the taste.
I'm not that keen on fish but I will eat it anyway, because it is good for me. I just don't eat it often.
I also have an allergy to cow's milk, so avoiding that is not exactly a preference, more of an attempt to remain alive and healthy. ;)
That's it that's all. :)
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8-31-2007 @2:05PM Ben said... Fennel. For some reason that spice is just not good. I can barely touch any Italian sausage that contains it. I really do not like fennel at all.
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8-31-2007 @6:44PM --bdw said... Organ meats. Especially liver, any kind of liver. My father in law is inordinately proud of his beef Wellington, which is a roast encased in puff pastry with a topping of foie gras. I quietly cut off the top and surrepticiously place it on my wife's plate. She loves the stuff and actually eats liverwurst, and then wants to kiss me for a joke. On the other hand, she is the only Italian American I have ever met who doesn't like pizza, one of my favorite foods. We compromise and eat a lot of sushi.
Also beets. I try them every few years, just to see, but, nope, I still hate 'em.
Also not fond of canned vegetables, but I'll eat them if a gun is pointed at my head.
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8-31-2007 @12:57PM Kiwi Carlisle said... My list used to consist of venison, ostrich, and emu, which were pretty easy to avoid, but now I have sensitivities to a lot of migraine-causing foods, so I have to avoid some nuts, bananas, and preserved meats. That's not pickiness, though, that's just health.
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8-31-2007 @1:01PM monica said... the only thing I can really think of is gelatin. Jello, jelly candies, pates w/ a weird gelatin layer, gelatin salads, etc. all make me gag. I think it's the texture and also thinking about what it is. (boiled bones and sinew? nice... not!)
Ick. Gag. Gross.
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8-31-2007 @1:06PM daveinseattle said... I can't do nuts. Don't have a really bad allergy, but they give me kancor sores in my mouth.
Also not a big fan of olives, but can deal with them in small doses.
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8-31-2007 @1:07PM Maggie said... Well, some people consider not eating meat picky, so you have me there. But also cilantro. I know I'm not alone on this, and you either get it or you don't. I have an actual physical reaction to it. Problem is, I loooooove Indian food, and often forget to ask for no cilantro sprinkled on top. At least then I can pick it out!
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8-31-2007 @1:19PM Patricia said... Dehydrated banana chips. They are repulsive to every sense--taste, touch, sight, smell, and they probably even sound bad, too.
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8-31-2007 @1:28PM KerryLea said... Beets. Growing up my mother would roast them and they would smell so good. I just can't stand the taste though.
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8-31-2007 @1:30PM Iscariote said... I don't like multiple textures in foods where the texture is one of the main reasons I like it.
For example, the aforementioned ice cream and candy bits. I like ice cream. I like candy. I really like creamy smooth ice cream, and adding candy bits into that ruins the whole thing for me.
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8-31-2007 @1:36PM Mike C. said... Celery. I have an allergy to it that causes an asthmatic reaction, so I have to avoid it. It makes eating out pretty tricky, since it's in quite a few salads, most soups, the entire Cajun cuisine, etc.
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8-31-2007 @1:41PM Marnya said... Tomatoes. Can't stand 'em. The slippery seeds and the taste.
The thought of eating one like an apple makes me feel sick.
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8-31-2007 @1:40PM PatirckT said... Mayonnaise. Absolutely detest the site, smell, or taste of it. Even when it's sparingly used, and hidden by other flavors, I can still tell it's there, and will easily refuse to eat.
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8-31-2007 @1:47PM Jason Levine said... I'm kind of kosher (not Orthodox, but I observe as many of the laws as I agree with) so that limits my ingredients a lot.
Beyond that, I can't stand the taste of coconut. When I was young, I went to a birthday party where coconut cake was served. I ate a piece, became sick, and... well, let's just say that the cake didn't stay put. Ever since then, I've been able to tell if a dish has any coconut in it (even a little bit) and it adversely affects my liking of the dish.
My wife dislikes peas or tuna when it's heated (tuna cold she likes). Of course, when she was pregnant (each time... we have 2 boys), she had various food aversions. At one point, chicken would make her ill. Then it was sweet potatoes. It can be a real challenge to cook for a pregnant lady. ;-)
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8-31-2007 @1:42PM team gingerbread said... Peas - I've never liked them, as a child I'd swallow them whole to avoid the taste. I can only stomach them in a stew if they've completely absorbed the taste of the stew
Yams/Sweet Potatoes - I don't like the texture or the taste
Watermelons - I'm allergic but even the smell of watermelon-flavoured stuff makes me ill
Peanuts - I absolutely detest the taste/smell of peanuts. Not clue why but I know I haven't liked it since childhood. I'm not allergic just the smell makes me want to retch
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8-31-2007 @1:44PM team gingerbread said... I forgot to add ketchup. Though I love tomatoes, I can't stand them in anything such as soups or sauces.
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8-31-2007 @2:11PM cmtdrt said... Marshmallows - the taste, the texture, everything about them is horrible.
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