A while, back, I wrote a post on emotionally-based food aversions -- both my own (tuna noodle casserole), and those of loved ones (scrambled eggs, mayonnaise, garlic). Little did I know this was going to open up Pandora's icebox. More than 75,000 people weighed in on our "What food hits your yuck button?" poll, and the comments thread is at the time of this writing, 1668 strong and counting. It seems that folks have just been looking for a place to spill their long-stewing food loathings, so we've counted down the top 20, weighting them for poll votes, number of mentions in comments, and level of vitriol incurred.
Want to keep the conversation flowing? See the initial post, or hurl forth in the comments below.
AOL Food: America's Most Hated Foods
The post that started it all: Guilty Displeasures
6-24-2008 @2:13PM JAY said... WHAT ABOUT YAMS AND CREAMED CORN?
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6-24-2008 @2:12PM Micheswa said... Blue cheese ANYTHING! Bell peppers, celery, creme soda tastes like medicine. Cottage cheese and any slimy food. Barely scrambled eggs...NASTY!!! Pea soup, looks horrible. Liver tastes great!!!
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6-24-2008 @2:16PM Printbuoy said... How did Limburger (sp?) cheese not get on the list?
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6-24-2008 @2:14PM Mimi said... Peanut Butter is the worst of the worst. The texture is vile and the taste isn't even close to that of well raosted peanuts. Why on earth would wnybody want to eat it. YUK!
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6-24-2008 @2:14PM solomeeeo said... Oh mine is Brussel Sprouts and Lamb. Just the smell of those two things cooking makes me want to hurl my cookies!!
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6-24-2008 @2:18PM ckurumada said... I'm proud to say I'm an adventurous eater. I like trying things that are completely new. I've counted only 11 things that I really don't like to eat. Some for taste, some for texture. Lima beans and beets are two of them which are on your list. I don't throw a tantrum when I see them. I just don't eat 'em.
I realize the point of this was to elicit strong responses, but my reaction to others' reactions was "Grow up!" One person's meat is another vegan's poison. I discovered in the 19th century, a whole branch of my family starved to death. I'm of the fortunate world minority that I've never known hunger.
P.S. You really couldn't find a picture of a hard-boiled egg?
Craig K. in Arcata, CA
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6-24-2008 @2:22PM Paul said... I think it is a famillia or culture thing. My famly traveled when i was young so we ate what the natives ate. i can honeslt ysay that nothing on the list disgusts me, i will eat it all, and actually love most of the things on the list. i think if you grow up eating many different things, your diet is varied and most foods do not disgust you. but if you ate American stlye, burgers and mac and cheese, when young i could see how other foods would be foul to you. dont go to Asia, if you are not adventerous, you will starve, LOL
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6-24-2008 @2:26PM bpantz said... I love liver and everything else on your list, but okra and it's accompanying snot makes me gag, just thinking of it, and the smell of grilled salmon is enough to make me grab for a barf bag.
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6-25-2008 @7:18PM ht2jake said... My mother used to make Liver and Onions with Potato soup. My brother and I would see who could make the liver taste best. Needless to say no one was the winner, it is an impossible task. Oh yeah "Dear Ol' Mom" also told us it was steak.
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6-24-2008 @2:27PM longwalker said... It might be me but, except for the okra and the lima beans found in a can of C ration ham and lima beans, I actually like all the mentioned foods. As to the comments, I agree with the poster about yams but creamed corn is my secret vice. I eat it cold right out of the can. Better than ice cream in my opinion.
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6-24-2008 @2:28PM noza said... Keep in mind that this poll was based on people who bothered to read the original article and participate in the poll, so it's not at all a random sampling of the population. Couple that with the fact that picky eaters are notoriously vocal about their dislikes, and you're going to end up with an odd set of results...
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6-24-2008 @2:30PM Enigmatoid said... Who came up with that list? Of the 20 foods listed 16 of them are among my faves!
Relevant to the preceeding comments, I eat Peanut Butter with a spoon and drink bleu cheese dressing straight from the bottle.
Anything from McDonalds and ketchup in and of itself are among the worst foods IMHO.
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6-24-2008 @2:31PM steven said... Just a dumb list 75 pct of the items on this list people do not like wow shocks me they r good for u of course the Cows in the U S dont like it i dont see greasy a s s fries slimy burgers any fast food etc on the list why because 90 pct of the country is are poor redneck,bumpkin,hilly billy or some sort of filthy slob that thinks fried bologna is filet mignon i understand mayo i under brussel sprouts and there will be people who dont like cake and ice cream but so many people not likeing syrup for crying out loud lol i dont eat the stuff often but it certainly doesnt taste bad made someone tampered with yours
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6-24-2008 @2:45PM Mike V said... What about Limberger Cheese!? That is the most vile food in the world!
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6-24-2008 @2:49PM Katherine Whitley said... Obviously many of you havent eaten outside our wonderful country.
scewered scorpion, China
hagis, pig stomach lining, Scotland
chickens feet or jellyfish, China
Durian fruit, Thailand
The awful sauces the French use so you can't taste the real food.
Mexican food yyyyyyyyyyuk! (except nachos!)
I'll take mayo and brussel sprouts any day!
KKKKKKKKatherine
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6-24-2008 @2:58PM Janine said... Mayo is my #1 yuk food. I see it made #3 on this list, so why is it that every pre-made deli sandwich always has mayo on it? People tell me to just scrape it off. But if someone spread s**t on your sandwich, could you just scrape it off and eat it? I think not!
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6-24-2008 @3:04PM doris rivera said... When I was a child and refused to eat peas I was sent to my bedroom with my plate and told not to come out until they were finished. That stopped when my mother was gardening under the bedroom window, looked up and saw all the peas smashed into the window screen. No more peas - EVER!
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6-24-2008 @3:04PM Richard Sweat said... So what do these people eat...twinkies, potatoe chips, and corn dogs??? Most of these foods are good for you. Bet you ask some people who are starving or doing without how they like them and you would get a different reaction.
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6-24-2008 @3:05PM Kellen said... When we were kids my brother and I ate an entire box of Aids. Remember those? To this day neither of us can stand the sight or smell of caramel. Bleeh.
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6-24-2008 @3:07PM JLP said... A funny article, as we all seem to have our "food nemisis" somewhere. Blue Cheese, how can you tell when it goes bad? It's already mouldy. Liver, no way, no how! Cottage Cheese? The texture of worms & close to the taste. Green Stuffed Olives, which is worse, the olive or the brine it's packed in? Anchovies.....no comment needed.
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