There has been an overwhelming response to AOL's round up of America's Most Hated Foods. I mean, people are vomiting through their computers and damning foods to illegality (poor cooked carrots). I've gotta admit, I don't have any aversions that strong. Sure, I have foods I dislike (I'm lookin at you, Mr. Sun-Dried Tomato), but nothing that is going to make me weep into my dinner plate.
That said, I do have a pretty serious issue with seasonal food hatred. Certain foods that I enthusiastically eat all winter long just cannot cross my plate during the summer.
- Mint-Chocolate. As stated in this M&M review, mint-chocolate means wintry warmth. Although there has been accusation that I got this association from Starbucks (damn you, Grande Soy Mint Mocha!), I maintain that this comes from Christmas' candy cane cataclysm.
- Potato Soup. Obviously, it's hot. But what's worse, it's dense, and starchy, and thick, and kinda fuzzy. These are not acceptable adjectives for summer outerwear, let alone my internal organs.
- Breakfast sausage. Now, I'm all about a sausage on a bun; toss on some spicy mustard and it's a par-tay. But a girthy link of meat just sitting on my plate first thing in the morning, waiting for a greasy, snappy bite to set it free? Hell no.
- Pasta Sauce. Although many avoid pasta during the summer, I shamelessly embrace it ('tis a lovely canvas for vegetables). But as soon as you pour on the marinara, vodka sauce, or god forbid alfredo, you're essentially smothering your pasta with a hot blanket. Not very thoughtful.
- Bananas. Seriously, how can people eat these during the summer?! It's like voluntarily coating your mouth with Mod-Podge!
- Leftovers. Not a specific food, per se, but I do fear for the safety of day-old food. Despite the fact that there is thermometric evidence that my fridge maintains its cucumber cool of 35 degrees F., there is still an irrational part of my brain that's all, "I just know the sun snuck into my fridge and Listeria-ized my moo goo gai pan."
- Cinnamon Toast. Let's see... Thanksgiving's star spice bathes in a hot, wet, buttery puddle that collects in the depression of the bread. Who on earth can start a summer day that way?
- Mashed Potatoes. See: Potato Soup. See: Bananas. Add gravy. Kill yourself.
Second Helping of Slashfood - June 19
Competitive-Eating Contest to Pit Humans Against Elephants
The Backyard Boom - The Hungry Bride
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-26-2008 @ 7:28PM
Robert said...
Wow. You're so completely wrong. I mean, normally I try and respect people's opinions, but you're just... wrong! Good food is meant to be eaten at any point in the year. And bananas? They're a tropical fruit! You can't eat them in the summer? Come on...
I think I now have to start my own food blog because this one just got ridiculous.
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6-26-2008 @ 7:31PM
Catherine said...
Holy cow! No, you're among the masses in associating foods/flavors/dishes with seasons and really only feeling like eating them during their respective ones. But! You are really strict about it. And! Yours are kinda weird here and there. Of course, weird-food-ism wise, you are safely among the masses yet again, myself included (I can't stand bacon. I feel utterly alone in this).
Mint with chocolate can take my palate any time it wants, especially summer, which I can't imagine making it through without some Haagen Dazs Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. And cinnamon on its own? Any old time. I'd have a completely different list than you, but one thing I would totally get is cinnamon in concert with the other spices that make up pumpkin pie spice. That smell/taste definitely means Autumn and Winter to me.
But I'd let it cross my plate! I've had a chilly piece of pumpkin pie in late June, and it was lovely. A little foreshadowing of what's to come later in the year.
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6-26-2008 @ 7:44PM
Samme said...
I will eat just about anything just about anytime, but there are a few seasonal combinations that seem a bit weird to me. Summer: Chili or Stew. Winter: Iced beverages, ice cream. Spring: heavy meaty dishes like ribs, fall sausages etc.
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6-26-2008 @ 8:20PM
dragonet2 said...
I get meat-averse when it's so frelling hot outside that you cannot think. A big hunk of grilled steak or any other pork, beef or chicken large cut sometimes makes me gag.
Seafood, even lobster tail, is okay. So are things like chicken salad, ham salad or other such proteins. Steak salad is okay, probably because the meat is presented in slices and bits, not a gigantic slab o'protein.
No idea why.
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6-26-2008 @ 9:03PM
Josh said...
I just had a couple slices of cinnamon toast the other night. Yummy any time of the year. :-)
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6-26-2008 @ 9:06PM
Jackpot said...
I'm with Robert. This post really missed the mark.
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6-26-2008 @ 9:17PM
Adam S said...
Historically, meats were always eaten at breakfast. In fact, cereal, muffins, pastries, etc as a morning food is generally accepted as an inventions of the 1900s.
Queen Elizabeth I is famous for having started each day with a steak and a pitcher of beer.
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6-26-2008 @ 9:32PM
stephen said...
Over the past few days there have been a few "I like"/"I dont like" posts, to be blunt, I really dont care about your personal tastes in food, What happened to the cool discoveries, the good reveiws, the food news... I dont care if you like potato soup on a hot day, stop being so narrow minded and negative... there are plenty of chilled potato soups that are refreshing and cooling, perfect for a summers day.
I expect from this food reviewers to be open minded and willing to try new things.... Why not make this post about things that you dont like to have in the summer and your experiments to make the dishes summer worthy, that would be interesting, instead of a whiny 6 year old throwing her food stomping her feet shouting "I dont wike it"
and as for Max, "me and my friend made this ice cream, please people tell me what it tastes like as I've never had it" which is it? did you make it or did you not??
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6-26-2008 @ 9:36PM
stephen said...
sorry should be "I dont care if you DONT like potato soup"
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6-26-2008 @ 10:21PM
Joel said...
I have a cinnamon addiction. Coffee? Toss some sticks into the grind. Oatmeal? With cinnamon, possibly cayenne too (the ultimate anti-summer). Hash? Take it north african with the king of spices.
Oh dear, someone, stop me...
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6-26-2008 @ 11:33PM
jezebelly said...
You'd die if you opened my fridge. There's a bunch of overripe bananas sitting on the bottom shelf. You can smell them even when you open the freezer.
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6-26-2008 @ 11:55PM
Catherine said...
Of all the haters, I was the most polite and diplomatic! (so far).
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6-27-2008 @ 12:40AM
Stephen said...
Cathrine not hate from, me may come across that way I guess, but it's disappointment...
Disappointed that a list of peeves is blog worthy posting, come on!
Im not saying Kristyn Pomranz is a bad writer tho, the Homemade Ice Cream, Wine glasses for posers (like me), Kool-Aid + Pickles = Koolickles,Ted Allen: Food Detective etc etc are all informative, interesting reads... I think tho "Add gravy. Kill yourself." takes a bad topic and throws it into the insulting disappointment basket tho.
Most of the bloggers on contribute great storys/entries
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6-27-2008 @ 9:48AM
Allison said...
Wow, I NEVER comment, but this post moved me. What are you, 92? You definitely win the award for being crotchety. Yikes.
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6-27-2008 @ 10:14AM
Kristyn Pomranz said...
Dear everyone,
I was merely pitching in my response to the America's Most Hated Foods post. I think seasonal food aversion is an interesting anomaly, and I hoped to engage readers in conversation.
To me, blogging is about community, it's about interaction. News posts are great, but when you're an active member of a subjective niche blog such as Slashfood, you ought to expect (and maybe even embrace!) the occasional opinion. Otherwise, it'd just be CNN for Foodies.
Best,
Kristyn
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6-27-2008 @ 2:08PM
GL said...
I don't have any seasonal food issues other than what is in season usually seems like the right thing to eat. I'm pretty sure that isn't too surprising a way to go about it.
While my initial reaction to this post was "you're insane, Kristyn", I wouldn't tell you not to post such a thing. In fact, I now crave a cold potato soup and a chilled steak salad. So thanks.
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6-27-2008 @ 3:08PM
TC said...
I dunno, I don't mind Cinnamon during the summer, esp as it has been found to have some strong Insulin Boosting qualities
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6-28-2008 @ 9:07AM
patrick said...
yeah, I wondered if anyone was going to mention vichyssoise as an acceptable response to your potato soup aversion in the summer. it's delicious, and cold. on a different note, I think that the reason you're getting so much vitriolic backlash from this post is because these types of lists just sound childish and whiny. it's not that you're not entitled to your own taste preferences but, in what I suppose is the same way you can't stand certain foods, I instinctively cringe whenever I'm around picky eaters. it makes me embarrassed for them, and I think this the reaction you're getting from some readers. and on a different note again, I want you to know that thanks to your previous post, I bought those wine glasses for my poseur friends' wedding gift. so that should end things positively. (try vichyssoise!)
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6-29-2008 @ 2:43AM
leigh said...
"I hate" lists make me sad in an open discussion forum. I don't care if you're listing foods, flowers, bands, colors...what you may hate, some other people may have deep emotional reasons to love, all year round. I generally try to keep my hates to myself, even if it's just a seasonal sort of aversion. (I did post in the discussion about weird aversions we have that seem to be at a gut level).
But no breakfast sausage, bananas or left-overs? WTF do you eat when you're camping? I'm gonna go make some cinnamon toast, I've been craving it all week!
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6-29-2008 @ 11:29PM
Tina said...
Have you ever had a whole pineapple covered in cinnamon and then grilled? That is totally something to eat in summer. And, cinnamon toast with a nice cold glass of chocolate milk is a good breakfast on any day of the year.
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