Objectionable ingredients

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Aug 31st 2007 @ 12:02PM

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

Filed Under: On the Blogs, Ingredients
Tags: crunchy and creamy, eggs, hard boiled eggs, most hated foods in ..., mosthatedfoodsin..., mosthatedfoodsinamer..., objectionable ingredients, picky eaters, Serious Eats, SeriousEats, shellfish, shrimp, spices

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Reader comments (Page 5 of 5)

9-03-2007 @9:52PM Sarah said... I have to say hard-boiled eggs, egg salad, smoked oysters and brewing espresso... my stomach turns!
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9-03-2007 @10:01PM johanner said... Speaking of genetics... I am watching my 3 year old daughter very closely- i think she inherited my husband's taste buds. I can't stand melon of any sort and she loves it. Now we're waiting to see if she likes black licorice (his family is obsessed with it and my family picks out all the black jelly beans at halloween and uses them as torture devices). Anyone else find that your kids like or don't like things according to one parent?
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9-04-2007 @1:59AM Stan said... Onions, and green chives. Because they always seem to be prevalent in any cuisine, I've had to cook creatively without them, and adamant in any restaurant setting of my need to have them left out from my food.
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9-06-2007 @2:37AM Patrick said... I am not a very picky eater, and I don't think any textures bother me, but I hate cilantro! My dad does too, and I've heard the dislike is genetic. I also do not like the taste of cooked salmon or canned tuna, despite trying them many times. Finally, too much cumin in a dish is off-putting.
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9-05-2007 @1:18PM dancing monkey said... Let me echo the distaste of fennel, and related flavors of anise and licorice ... I always check the ingredients in herbal teas to avoid being burned (pun intended).
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9-05-2007 @3:17PM Shana said... my husband won't eat anything mashed or pureed - potatoes, turnips, butternut squash soup etc. He also hates all ground meats (except oddly the burger). It drives me nuts when I'm craving something homey like meatloaf with mashed potatoes. I never thought I'd crave mashed potatoes......
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