Top Stories

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!

Things That Were Way More Expensive Than People Anticipated

"Reddit user Jarvis_Strife asked: 'What turned out to be A LOT more expensive than you anticipated?'"

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.

Keep reading...Show less
ramen in white bowl

Mae Mu on Unsplash

For many people, the difference between being housed and unhoused is a single paycheck.

For some it's a matter of money management, but for most it's the lack of a living wage for many jobs. Add a poor social safety net and poverty is always a footstep away.

Let's face it—many people have lived with a zero balance in their bank account and bills to pay and empty cupboards.

Keep reading...Show less

With the elaborate costs of the wedding industry, starting with the engagement ring and going all the way up through the honeymoon and anniversary plans, there are those who will spend all the money and those who will look for savings.

While getting married is absolutely worth spending the money on, how much money is spent is not necessarily reflected of how much the two people love each other, either. It's all up to the couple!

Redditor ClassicJogging asked:

"Married people of Reddit, what made you decide to get the engagement ring you did, and how much was it?"

A Special Bond

"My grandmother pulled me aside five minutes after meeting my now wife, then girlfriend, for the first time, that she really loved her and she would fit right into our family. They had a REALLY good bond for a couple of years before my grandmother passed."

"Her last wish was that I use her engagement ring from 1945 (my grandfather proposed the day the Germans left Norway) when I asked for marriage. I did, she said yes, and we have been happily married for a good few years now."

- Panzerpython

Perfectly Vintage

"I was asked if I wanted a ring... and I surprised myself by saying that I did even though I'm not a jewelry person."

"So we went shopping and I hated all the jewelry store rings. We decided to check out antique stores and we found a cool-looking '50s vintage diamond ring with an illusion setting (makes tiny stone look bigger). It fit. It was $300. It was perfect."

- RitaTome

Recreated Art

"I love vintage rings, specifically art deco style, and had a whole Pinterest board of ones I loved. But it turns out I have giant fingers and most vintage rings are much smaller. Yes, you can size up, but only by so much."

"So my now husband surprised me by getting a ring custom-made in the same style. I adore it and get so many compliments."

- angeliqu

A Last Wish

"My mother was dying of cancer and gave me her engagement ring to give to my wife. It was a low-profile diamond from 1965. I think my father paid $275 for it at Eaton’s."

"We just celebrated our 25th last week. She still wears it daily."

- JustsomeAudioGuy

Full of Memories

"$140, I wanted a more expensive ring for her, but she insisted that I use that money for the wedding."

"I ended up going with a silver ring that looks like the branches of a tree, it has one large amethyst in the middle and two smaller ones in the branches to the side."

"When I saw it, it immediately reminded me of the date we went on when I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."

"We got up early to go to an orchard that was a little while away, the whole ride, she was talking about how frustrated she was with work and I was so happy to be listening to her talk and to spend time with her. We spent all day at the orchard, we got lunch at the farmer's market, went on a hayride, went to a petting zoo, and we picked pumpkins then picked apples as the sun was just starting to get low."

"From there, we went a haunted trail on a ski trail that took us up the hill in a ski lift and we had to walk down. As we went up the hill, we got the most amazing view of the sunset and I knew had found my better half, because I couldn't even imagine anyone else that I would want to watch the sunset with."

- TabbyCabby

Because Science

"My wife is a chemist and agronomist. She was working on her master's in agronomy and part of her thesis project had to do with cobalt and molybdenum."

"So I got her a cobalt chrome engagement ring (which happens to also be 6% molybdenum). For the stone, I went with a manufactured sapphire, because science."

"She absolutely loves it. Cost me less than $300."

- surdophobe

Substantial Savings

"I worked for the jeweler store. I had about a steep discount. I chose five options and let him pick from there since I had to technically buy it. He picked my favorite."

"It is a one-carat ruby set in rose gold, and I love it. Retail it would be around $5000, but for me, it was $900."

"I wanted a ruby as I did not want a diamond, and I am a big history buff."

- Nancy2121

A Good Listener

"My Fiancé remembered that in Freshman year of college, I mentioned I would only take a lab diamond (clear or black), and my dream ring had a specific gemstone on either side of the main stone."

"Fall 2018 to December 2022 and he remembered every detail. From one conversation. He is a blessing and I love my ring."

- Trumpet6789

Post-Engagement Ring

"I couldn’t afford an engagement ring when we got married. It’s been a few years and now I can, so I’m working on a custom ring with a local jeweler we’ve worked with a bunch already. The concept is a subtle subversion of traditional engagement ring tropes and will cost around a grand USD."

- DeepFriedApples

Groceries > Rings

"She gave me pictures of a few rings she wanted. All sapphires, no diamonds. I got one of those for $120. Probably worth in the $200 range today."

"She specifically did not want the 'two months' salary' standard. She would refuse a ring that was expensive enough that somebody would be willing to cut off her hand in order to steal it."

- CaptainTime5556

Important Family Heirlooms

"It was my grandmother's and it was awesome and it was free and she loved it."

- Knute5

"Grandma's club checking in. I was having sort of a deep philosophical moment with this question about how I guess it technically cost me my grandma. But then I had a burrito."

- Hammand

Worth the Pricetag

"Love the shaming on this thread for anyone who spent more than $24.99 on a ring."

"$18k because it’s the only expensive thing she’s ever asked me for and it makes her happy every single day. One year interest-free financing softened the financial blow considerably."

"To each their own! Don’t shame people for spending their money how they choose on the ones they love!"

- Son_Of_A_Plumber

Yay for Pinterest Boards

"My wife had a bunch of floral style rings on her Pinterest page, so I went and got one custom designed from a local jeweler."

"They suggested Moissanite (synthetic diamond) to keep costs down and appearance up. I got three times the stone for half the price of a real diamond. Well worth it. Total ran about 3k for the engagement ring."

- bighairyyak

Everybody's Happy

"I chose the shape of the stone, he chose the actual diamond (size, quality, etc), and then we went shopping together to choose the setting."

"It was a lovely experience! I got a ring I love which I will wear forever and he got to control the situation and feel comfortable with a large component of the cost to keep within his budget."

- jvldmn

Très Relatable

"My wife liked it. 15k."

- BabyTunnel

"All the top voted answers are just cheap rings or inheritance. So I am glad someone posted something else. Although maybe there is something below but Reddit might just upvote certain answers more."

- Additional_Meeting_2

"Dude. Finally a comment in here I can relate to."

"My wife liked it. 12k."

"No hate to the lab-grown, or the many blue and yellow special stones in this thread. But d**n, it makes it sound like the norm! In my experience and my friends' circles…. It’s just diamonds from the jewelry store lol (laughing out loud)."

- howmanywhales

This thread was a great example of "to each their own." Where some will want an expensive ring, others will want something incredibly simple, just like some will want an extravagant wedding whereas others will want to go to the courthouse and have a nice dinner after.

These decisions don't make one couple or one marriage or one love better than the other. They simply reflect that they're different partnerships, and as long as both people are happy, who cares how anyone else would handle it?

Anyone who grew up with one or more siblings is bound to have stories of how their siblings occasionally (or frequently) got on their nerves.

Indeed, some people don't even have any sort of relationship with their siblings once they fly the nest.

Those who grew up only children, however, often have trouble accepting that people would cut their siblings out of their lives.

While being an only child can often mean getting your parent's complete love and attention, it also means that you will have to go through many of life's challenges alone, with no peer to turn to for support.

Not to mention, never having anyone to torment and boss around, as many children dream of doing to their younger siblings.

Redditor BroccoliniCarrot was curious to hear what only children thought was the biggest disadvantage of growing up with no siblings, leading them to ask:

"What’s the worst about being an only child?"

Lack Of Playmates

"When I was little, people would give me board games like Monopoly for gifts, and I wouldn't have anyone to play with."

"even Hungry Hungry Hippo sucked playing solo."

"I did master Solitaire though!"- Jesikabelcher

Last One Standing

"When my parents die that’s it."

"I’m just alone."- undertheraindrops

"Family is the most likely group of people to help you when things get tough."

"When your parents pass you have less support."

"Also, aging parents become solely your responsibility."- rubixd

"Taking care of an elderly parent with no one to help."- 3Gilligans

No One To Turn To

"When you are the only one to support your aging parents."- Fantastic_Leg_3534

Forced Independence

"I think because I am an only child I have become used to spending time on my own."

"As a result I am quite antisocial.'

"I don’t mind being around people and can be quite talkative however it exhausts me and I need far too much time on my own to recover."- OstneyPiz

"You become TOO comfortable with being alone all the time, to the point where being alone is the default and interacting with others feels like a chore."

"And that doesn't play out too well in the real world."- DeathSpiral321·

Going Through It Alone

"No one to have a sanity check with."

"My wife and closest friend have siblings and they talk about a close bond with their respective siblings where they could look at the other and effectively say 'mom/dad are crazy, right?'"

"Being an only, I thought some of the sh*t they pulled growing up was normal."

"Having a sibling would have helped counter the gas lighting from parents."- RennSport5280

Making Your Own Conversation Partners...

"As an adult, I sometimes find it difficult to quiet the self-talk because all too often growing up it was all I had."-GreenDolphin86

More For Me?

"I am absolutely not good at sharing."

"Plus and minus was that I got all of my parents' attention, so I had a lot of love and support but also a lot of expectations and not a lot of space to f*ck up."

"Nowhere to hide, no one to blame anything on, and no backup when they were being unreasonable."

"But I also didn't have to split time, affections, or personal belongings with some other gremlin sharing my DNA."=Justheretolurkyall

No One To Keep You In Line...

"No reality check."

"Nobody to confirm that, no, it's not you that's acting nuts."

"Later, nobody to bounce ideas and behaviors off of, nobody to tell you, 'hey, X thinks you're cute' or 'that's not how you ask a girl out, doofus, say this'."

"I should mention that for various reasons, if I had had siblings they would have been older."

"So when I imagine not being an only child, I tend to imagine being a younger brother."

"But I think the reality-check thing would still operate even as an oldest sibling; plus I might have learned to handle responsibility earlier."- ElderPoet

There Is, Indeed, Safety In Numbers

"I am the only son of a single mother."

"I hate this term, but it's called emotional incest."

"Basically my Mom was very young when she had me and there were no men in her / my life."

"As a result, she placed all of that emotional needs of a grown woman on to me."

"My Mom never really raised me as a son."

"At best, she raised me like a little brother she got stuck with after our parents died."

"At worst, she treated me like I was a toxic boyfriend."- ANerdCalledMike

No Scapegoats

"All eyes are on you- can’t get away with anything!"

"Most strict parents ever ( they were older too)."

"Unlike my husband's family growing up with 6 kids."

"Parents hardly knew where the teenagers were or who they were with."- Available_Honey_2951

"When asked by a parent what happened you cannot blame your sibling."- nanodecay

The Eye Of TheBeholder

"People assuming that I was spoiled."- Purlz1st

Having no siblings means never being bullied, teased or tormented, or having to vie for your parent's attention.

Something many people who grew up with older or younger siblings openly say they dream of.

When the going gets tough, however, and these same people realize they always had their brothers or sisters to turn to, they might bite their words and regret ever even thinking of being an only child.