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Foods People Desperately Tried To Like But Couldn't Get Into

Reddit user cloudtdaz asked: 'What food have you tried liking but just can’t?'

plates of food
Coralline Clin on Unsplash

There's a misconception that some foods are so superb in flavor or quality that everyone will love them, but taste is extremely subjective. A person's sense of taste can vary greatly even within the same family.

There's also some debate about the capabilities of the human tongue.

Biology suggests human taste buds only detect four flavors:

  1. sweet
  2. bitter
  3. sour
  4. salty
But most culinary experts speak in terms of seven flavor profiles:
  1. sweet
  2. bitter
  3. sour
  4. salty
  5. meaty/umami
  6. cool/minty
  7. hot/spicy

What one person tastes is likely not an exact match to what someone else does.

Some people love spicy foods while others feel physical pain when eating foods featuring chilis. Some people are sensitive to salt while others add extra salt to everything they eat.

Because our sense of taste is so individual, it's inevitable some popular foods won’t be palatable to everyone. And that's not even considering texture, smell or appearance which can also turn a diner right off.


Curious about which foods left people disappointed, Reddit user cloudtdaz asked:

"What food have you tried liking but just can’t?"

Peeps

"Peeps,the Easter sugared candy."

"I like to think I can digest anything covered in sugar BUT NOT THAT...."

~ Asapdustybraids

"They’re best when they’re stale. I can’t eat them fresh."

~ Vicktrolia

"My grandmother would send them to my dad every single year. He would leave them in the cabinet for probably 2-3 years. When the new pack arrived on Easter he popped open the 3-year-old pack."

~ DrKennethNoisewater-

"He dry aged peeps. That's incredible and terrifying."

~ BeesNeverSting

"Peeps are some of the foulest creations that have ever hit the food realm. Whoever invented them needs to have their existence removed from history."

~ shatteredhelix42

Peeps GIFGiphy

Grape-Nuts

"Grape-Nuts."

"I hated them as a kid but as an adult I decided to try them again, thinking maybe my tastebuds had matured by then."

"Nope. They were still just as awful as I remembered."

~ kanna172014

"My grandpa used to eat them every morning with coffee instead of milk."

"I'm not sure if he was lactose intolerant or what but good grief, I can't imagine what that combination tasted like."

~ hornet_teaser

"As a kid, I never felt more lied to."

"I liked grape juice and grape flavored candy, so why wouldn’t I like 'Grape-Nuts'?"

~ triton2toro

"Hate the cereal, but love the ice cream."

"Not sure if it's just regional, but here in Maine Grape-Nuts ice cream was around for decades. I think only Gifford's still makes it commercially."

~ LakotaGrl

Just Offal

"Intestines/innards of any kind and solid portions of fat on meat."

"One of my husband's favorite dishes is barbequed intestines (Japanese barbecue) and I can smell its appeal, but I physically can't deal with the texture."

"And it really saddens me because I've always wanted to eat menudo and I know the soup is bomb AF 😭."

"I think I have some sort of fat/chewy PTSD from when I was forced to eat gristle off of meat as a kid."

~ LeocadiaPualani

"Yeah I can't do innards either."

My mom loves that stuff because 'it was the cheap stuff back then" and they had a big family. I guess I'm glad I'm an only child."

~ ilovepeachpie

Black Licorice

"Black licorice."

"I've accepted my DNA just can't stand the stuff."

~ slimpawws

"My mom loves it. She makes it look so good."

"I'm 29 and I still think 'hmm maybe this time...'."

"Nah. It's like tar vomit."

~ lpcoolj1

"Same with my mom."

"Black licorice, black jellybeans. She loved ‘em."

"I inherited exactly ZERO of her taste buds for that."

"It is the foulest flavor ever."

~ Retro_Dad

"Black licorice tastes like depression."

~ pr0f0undleader

black licorice GIFGiphy

Eggnog

"I can’t drink eggnog."

"Every year I give it a shot and try to like it, but I just can’t."

~ cyberzed11

"I mean , it’s essentially drinking (sometimes alcoholic ) custard. So that’s fair."

"I myself cannot be trusted with eggnog and should not be left unsupervised or I will put a straw in a half gallon container and slowly sip years off my life."

~ logicjab

"I’ve always thought it tastes like bad bubblegum so I’ve never really been a fan either."

~ Huntsvegas97

"Liquid snot."

~ SalesTaxBlackCat

"Yep this. I give it a shot every year to see if it’s changed. It doesn’t."

"I give it to someone else in my house who likes it; or pour it down the drain."

~ Electric_Leopard

"It’s truly awful. Texture taste smell, all just bad."

~ ruffsnap

Liver

"Liver the smell alone makes me sick."

~ Redditor

"I just wonder how Humans get to that stage."

"They find something, it smells foul, cook it, still smells foul, AND THEN DARES TO EAT IT."

"We're glorious as a species."

~ xseodz

"I'm guessing when we first started eating liver, humans didn't smell very good either."

~ LakotaGrl

"I have tried it maybe 15 times, different preparations because people claim their recepie makes it not taste like sh*t."

"Lo and behold, it still tastes like funky iron meat."

"I don't even like foie gras for the same reason, that metallic taste comes through, ugh!"

~ doomLoord_W_redBelly

Kombucha

"Kombucha, smells like stinky feet and taste like vinegar to me."

~ -LordKromdar-

"Kombucha absolutely DOES taste like vinegar, coming from someone who loves it. Other kombucha enjoyers will try to deny the vinegar taste, I embrace it because I bloody love vinegar."

"I even have 'sipping vinegars' in my fridge in various flavors, to add to cocktails or to pour a shot glass of and sip on… just pure vinegar."

"Very strange of me, and I totally understand why other people would not like that flavor."

~ UnderwaterParadise

"Oooh people used to drink vinegary things a lot more because they were refreshing! Try raspberry shrub!"

~ lyan-cat

Kombucha GIFGiphy

Sparkling Water

"I know this is a drink, but sparkling water."

"I like some flavors, but I can’t stand that after taste. Bleh!"

~ TruBluBritt

"The way I describe it: 'it's what tv static would taste like' or 'it's the same flavor as hitting your funny-bone'."

~ LazyLich

"We were given some flavored water at work and my employee said it tasted like 'a strawberry farted in the water'."

~ g-e-o-f-f

"My son calls LaCroix a piece of fruit waving to to a can of water."

~ pittipat

"I say with Perrier that someone yelled a flavour into the water."

~ structuredchronicles

"My favorite is 'someone placed a lime skittle next to some soda water'."

~ DosiMoe

Overnight Oats

"Overnight oats. They're basically lumpy, cold snot in my throat first thing in the morning."

"I gag just thinking about adding chia seeds."

~ DarkDesireX

"This comment has me literally confused as to if I actually like my overnight oats or just tell myself I do."

~ Lord_Knorr

"Oh man. I feel this."

"It just looks like refrigerated vomit to me. Absolutely not."

~ slmr38

"I tried to like overnight oats for a couple of weeks."

"Tried a bunch of different recipes, but they all ended up being disgustingly sweet slop."

"The only one I sort-of liked was the 'chai latte' one, which emphasized spices over sweets."

"Still not worth the effort to make them—I'd rather just make microwave oatmeal."

~ Noise_Cancellation

Wine

"Wine. Every year I'll try it around the holidays with family and it's still gross."

~ Redditor

"You can only appreciate wine after you have tasted the bitterness of life."

~ Spirited-Site-Hunter

"Once in my life I have tasted wine that I actually liked, and that was Golconda wine, which I tried in Darjeeling."

"After I got back to the USA, I decided that I would, for the first time in my life, actually spend money to acquire wine."

"Went to a wine shop. They had never heard of it."

"Turns out it’s not exported, and if you want some, you have to go to India."

~ Wild-Lychee-3312

wine GIFGiphy

Olives

"Olives. I've tried many varieties."

"I always try them because they look like they'd be good but they're just not."

~ TRIGMILLION

"As a bartender for over a decade, I’m constantly surrounded by olives."

"They always look good & once in a while I’m like 'do I like these yet?'.”

"No. I still hate olives, & I hate myself more for trying again each time & expecting different results."

~ kandixchaotic2

Matcha

"Matcha ! Just tasteslike grass to me."

~ mulberrycedar

"I worked in a business park that had a matcha headquarters in it. They moved out and dumped big boxes full of matcha samples that they took to trade shows."

"Never tried it before but I was thinking what a treat I had found, I would be enjoying free matcha for at least a year if not longer."

"Boy was I wrong."

~ TiogaJoe

"Seriously, I do not get the hype about it at ALL."

"Like when people tell me matcha frappes at Starbucks are the best I'm just like 🥴🥴 bffr dude?"

"That sh*t tastes like creamier wheatgrass. Nasty."

~ SilverWorry8047

Mushrooms

"Any kind of mushroom."

"It's not the texture there is always a taste that i cant do for some reason."

~ Correct_Ad4937

"Taste and texture for me! It’s the only food I absolutely hated since I was a child."

~ BelenadaSilva

"Same. I can eat them on a supreme pizza because they just get lost in everything else, but if I can taste them, I'm out."

~ notonrexmanningday

"Eating cooked mushrooms feels like chewing on rubber."

~ Icy_Ad_9134

mushrooms GIF by XboxGiphy

Beets

"Beets. I just can't."

~ Many_Dirlam

"What got me to like cooked beets was a beet and goatcheese salad at an upperscale restaurant."

~ dilfybro

"Nope! Tried one of those and they still taste like dirt."

"I don't care how you prepare them, pickled, roasted, whatever the f'k, they taste like dirt."

~ vandelayATC

"Vile root.

"Wash them, peel them, boil them, add sugar, mix with sour cream, put in a salad, all you accomplish is different tastes to accompany the overwhelming flavor of DIRT."

~ logicjab

Okra

"Okra."

~ crablegsforlife

"Soggy fried okra is the dinner of my nightmares."

~ Bigsam1514

"Okra is an abomination."

"I like damn near all vegetables but that slimy bullsh*t can f'k right off back to the ectoplasmic bog it slithered out of."

~ An_Appropriate_Song

"Okra? She’s not that bad."

"You have to at least admit she was generous with the audiences and she's a decent interviewer."

~ Redditor

Oprah GIFGiphy

I have two to add that weren't mentioned:

  • lima beans
  • salmon

Which is embarrassing as both are culinary staples in my culture.

Lima beans are probably disliked by plenty of people, but salmon is on lots of restaurant menus. I've tried it over a dozen ways—poached, broiled, grilled, pan-seared, smoked, marinated, as sashimi, dried, loafed, baked—and I just don't like the taste of it.

Salmon is the only fish or seafood I've tried that I dislike and I've had both octopus and sea urchin. I'm sure my ancestors are mocking me.

Have you ever really wanted to like a popular food but ended up giving it a hard pass?

Share your experience in the comments!

Historically Inaccurate Movies That Everyone Gives A Pass

Reddit user Agreeable-Beach-3009 asked: 'What's a historically inaccurate movie that gets a pass because of how good it is?'

Generally speaking, we watch movies to escape our current realities and be transported to other worlds.

As a result, we don't always walk into movie theaters hoping for a truly authentic or genuine experience.

After all, how many people in real life actually met the love of their life at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day, after hearing them on the radio?

When it comes to historical fiction and dramas, however, some might say the facts and historical accuracy are a bit more important.

Indeed, part of the ongoing grudge over Shakespeare In Love's surprise Oscar victory over Saving Private Ryan was the latter was applauded for its accuracy, while the victor was anything but.

However, what probably helped in Shakespeare In Love's upset despite its many historical inaccuracies was that when push came to shove, it was a very good movie.

Redditor Agreeable-Beach-3009 was curious to hear what other films people thought were so good, that their anachronisms and inaccuracies should be overlooked, leading them to ask:

"What's a historically inaccurate movie that gets a pass because of how good it is?"

You Mean, Rasputin WASN'T A Demonic Sorcerer?

"'Anastasia'."

"Can you imagine getting murdered, then a movie gets made implying the woman who claimed your identity was the real deal and had to fight a freaky wizard's curse, and there were two knockoff movies made in the same year?"

"Songs were boppin tho."- vworpstageleft

"CRETACEOUS Park" Just Doesn't Have The Same Ring To It...

"Most of the dinosaurs you see in 'Jurassic Park' are actually from the Cretaceous Period."- 3loodwolf117

First Hand Accounts Were Probably A Bit Hard To Come By...

"Gladiator."- chewie8291

"Almost nothing about the movie 'Gladiator' is historically accurate, but it doesn't matter."

"S tier historical drama."- Pixelated_Penguin808

Russell Crowe Gladiator GIF by MOODMANGiphy

Those Costumes Though!

"Amadeus."- Sgtp3ppers

"I feel like 'Amadeus' gets a pass because it's an adaptation of a stage play and as an adaptation, it's not trying to be historically accurate but to instead tell a great story, which it does phenomenally."- LadicusRex

Making His Lies Even More Far Fetched...

"Catch Me If You Can."- Bender_Wiggin

"While it all being bullsh*t does take some of the magic out of it, it’s still an entertaining story."

"And the soundtrack absolutely slaps."- rnilbog

It's Safe To Assume The Spanish Inquisition Had A Lot Less Singing And Dancing...

"History of the world part I."- whopper68

"Rome didn't have bullsh*t artists collecting unemployment?"

"Did Mel Brooks lie to me?"- CrunchyDonut42

Giphy

Good Delivery Can Disguise Almost Anything...

"Tombstone."

"But I really do love it."- Iwouldntifiwereme

"Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life"

"The Life of Brian."- Visible_Claim_388

"'He’s not the messiah he’s just a naughty boy'."- dcrico20

For One Thing, Dogs Can't Talk...

"Balto?"- rmr236

"I love how the premise is that the little girl is telling the story as an old woman, but she was unconscious the whole time."

"She’s definitely pulling that shi* out of her a**."- TheFufe10

sad shame GIFGiphy

There Is, Indeed, A Sucker Born Every Minute. Including Many Who Thought This Movie Told The Truth...

"'The Greatest Showman' makes PT Barnum look like a better person than he was in real life."- viridianvenus

He Was A Man Of Many Talents... This Wasn't One Of Them...

"Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer."- nogoat23

"That movie crosses the absurd into awesome, and I love it."- FactoryOfBradness

Stretching It...

"A Knights Tale."- SoCalRc

"I always wondered how Queen never admitted to stealing such a banger from hundreds of years ago."- londoner4life

heath ledger love GIFGiphy

Some Of The Irish Accents Were Less Than Authentic As Well...

"'Gangs of New York'."

"Historically accurate setting, costumes and some characters/gangs, but the plot and the events supporting it are largely fictional."

"Damn good movie though."- Lieutenant_Skittles

Tom Cruise Swinging A Sword Is More Than Enough For Some People...

"The Last Samurai."- The Last Samurai

"I was surprised at how good this movie was when I saw it this year for the first time."

"The costumes, action, and acting were all quite good."- OutlawQuill

More Memorable Than The Truth?

"The 1970 production 'Tora, Tora, Tora' pulled off one of the great cons of modern cinematography."

"It convinced an entire generation of Americans that after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto had said 'I fear that all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve'."

"There is no evidence that the quote was ever spoken by Yamamoto."

"But it was so perfect and convincing that subsequent Hollywood movies released in 2001 (Pearl Harbor) and 2019 (Midway) unquestioningly passed it off as legitimate."- InstrumentRated

Movies are, first and foremost, a source of entertainment.

As a result, most viewers pay no mind at all to all the complaints historians and scholars may have about them.

If you're looking for speedy answers for a history test or essay, it's best to stick to the textbooks and not rely on Spielberg or Scorcese.


Legs of a Military recruit next to their personal belongings and American flag
Benjamin Faust/Unsplash

Mischievous military recruits in the process of basic training may not always be seriously punished unless they commit a serious crime like stealing.

Instructors punish those in training with an assortment of disciplinary tactics, which can include yelling and "getting dropped"–or being ordered to do push-ups.

Some instructors, however, like to get creative.

Curious to hear about some unique forms of military punishment, Redditor Defiant_Concert_9542t_9542 asked:

"What's the most hilarious punishment you've ever heard of someone receiving in the military, and how did they end up in that absurd situation?"

These recruits were made to be the laughing stock.

"Forgetting The Hat"

"A couple of guys hated wearing their cover (hat), so they kept 'forgetting' to put it on when going outside."

"Sgt made them each 'wear' the other guy's hand as cover for a few days. They looked so ridiculous/miserable walking around holding another man's bald head."

– Scaphismus

Bad Hat

"Had a guy forget to put on his hat when coming outside during basic training. Instructor told him that it wasn't his fault but that it was the hats fault. He made the guy spank the hat and yell 'Bad Hat' over and over. After that he said even though the hat was bad he still needed to let the hat know that he loved him. He then made him caress the hat and tell him that he loves him."

– Kmo78

Importance Of Being On Time

"So this guy was constantly late to everything. Never out of bed on time, never in formation when he was supposed to be, etc."

"The Sargents pulled a clock off the wall, attached a bike chain to it, and make it look like a big a** necklace. (If you were a rap fan back in the day you may know where this is going)"

"They made the dude wear it like a Flava Flav clock chain. They would constantly scream at him 'Flava Flav what time is it?!?'"

"He learned to be on time real quick."

– LeluWater

Things get more creative.

Perfect For The Gullible

"We would tell every new person in our squadron that they had to set up an appointment with 'Captain Dees.' We'd give the person the local number of the Captain D's restaurant. They'd call the number and ask to speak with Captain Dees. It was hilarious every time."

– Kmo78

Ladybug Story

"I once had a ladybug land on my desk during morning inspection. When staff found it. I had to write a 500 word biography of who the bug was etc. and then had to make sure he was there for the rest of the week in good health for every morning inspection that week. Lol"

– withoutwarningwood

How Touching

"Newly promoted to Sergeant me and my buddy got the task of pre barracks inspection prior to our new CSM barracks inspection which was to be after our 1SG barracks inspection. Ya... anyway, the new CSM wanted troops to actually have their rooms decorated and lived in looking which whatever right? So everything is going fine we're still in good with the E4 Mafia so we're given heads up on whose rooms actually need inspected and which we could just skip cause they were squared away. Last room of the evening and it's bare as a prison cell. Troop was using his woobie (poncho liner) as a blanket, no pillows and literally nothing in this room that wasn't issued not a thing in his fridge etc. Come to find out he has been sending all like seriously ALL his money home to his mom to help raise his 4 siblings. Me and the other Sergeant ordered him to come with us to the PX, we got on the horn to our 1SG explained the situation and he met us at the PX with our entire upper NCO chain and the Commander. We forced this kid to buy over 1000 dollars of items/food/tv/etc for his room and all the money was donated by the NCO chain and the Commander. That was a great leadership was very sad to leave that unit. Sorry long winded lol"

– geriatric-sanatore

Free Concert

"We had a guy who could just not get his sh*t together. We all know that troop. Even the easy things were hard, etc etc."

"The cadre found out he was a former opera singer and also fluent in German. So they made him write and sing opera songs about his f**k ups. This was the only thing he was good at."

"Now here’s where this gets hilarious, beyond one dude singing self-deprecating songs in a marching formation. The cadre would bark 'German style!' and he’d seamlessly switch his lyrics to German. They’d yell 'underwater style!' and he’d take his index finger and flip it up and down on his lips as he sang, making the song sound bubbly."

"Not only could the cadre not hold it together, the guys in his company would absolutely lose it. Complete breakdown in military bearing, and no one cared. Other cadre and instructors would come just to listen and they would be in tears laughing."

"I don’t know where you are now homeboy, but thanks for the laughs."

– vmikey

Environmentally Conscious

"Having to carry a plant to make up for the oxygen he was wasting."

– International_Set522

"I remember one of the others on my intake being sent over to the nearest tree to deeply apologise for wasting the good oxygen this tree produced and explain to said tree why he was such an utter t*t...."

– The_Burning_Wizard

Lesson to be learned: don't lose or forget things that are essential.

What's The Big ID-a?

"Guy kept losing his ID/leaving it sitting in the computer. Chief 'borrowed' it, took it to one of those one hour print job places, had it blown up to like 3 feet across, cut the picture out, and made the idiot walk around all day holding his enormous ID up with his face in the cut out hole. He stopped misplacing his ID after that."

– HakunaYouTaTas

Don't Lose The Rock

"We had a tradition when you were new to the unit and went on our first summer exercise (National Guard) that you would need to carry a rock around with you. It was an inspectable item so it needed to be with you at all times. You were not to let anyone else have this rock. The trick was if you lost the rock, you'd get another rock chosen by the platoon sergeant."

"One guy had a hard time with the 'Don't give this to anyone else' and kept losing his rock. After the 4th or 5th time, the platoon sergeant gave him what I can only describe as a small Boulder. This kid had to lug that rock around for the next week but he made damn sure not to lose it."

– Lawson470189

The Long Road March

"1995 - At mile 4 of an 12 mile hump (quick water break), my assistant gunner forgot the tripod for the M60. The platoon sergeant made him hug and apologize to every tree along his side of the road for wasting oxygen for the rest of the road march. 8 miles of this and no one could go past him. A road march that should've taken three hours ended up taking 12. There's a lot of trees at Ft. Campbell"

– MrL1970

The road from being a recruit to soldier is a tough but rewarding one in the end.

While some of the punishments and actual training tactics seem insurmountable, they build character, better physical endurance, and resilience.

It may be grueling, but it's all part of the military world.

Are you up for the challenge?

It feels like everything under the sun is expensive these days.

So maybe when we look at price tags, we're just having a little financial PTSD.

Some items and services that were once doable have turned into a years-long savings plan.

Like where do the cable and internet people get these price points?

Especially for their "services."

Please.

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