For those who've thought outside the box and put together a delicious concoction, Redditor wildwoodflower_ asked:
"What's a food combo you love that people think you're weird for?"
People slapped two ingredients together to come up with quick and easy masterpieces.
Jamming Out
"Not me but a close friend: fried eggs with strawberry jam"
– Temporary-Patient-47
Crunchy And A-Peel-ing
"One of my grandmothers used to like stuffing a few pretzel sticks down a banana. Salt and the crunch with the banana is a surprisingly decent mix of texture and flavor. She called it 'Bananas with bones.'"
– EffyewMoney
A Potent Combo
"I used to eat tuna and spicy v8 like every day my first year in college. It gave me some paint peeling gas that almost killed my roommate. 20 years later, I still get sh*t for that."
– TrickyXT
Pacific Northwest Delight
"Seattle dogs are my jam, hotdog with cream cheese and caramelized onions"
– giggles________
These basic ingredients can be the perfect foundation for anything cheap and delectable.
Quintessential Ingredient
"So the general consensus here is peanut butter + anything."
– Lonely_Custard_5838
British Savory Condiment
"Being British you can divide the country with Marmite with anything."
– oldhandnewmind
It's A Wrap!
"I like making PB&J with tortillas, I spread it on then roll it up, it reminds me of those Smuckers uncrustables but better."
– Dude_Baby
Try Not To Sneeze
"Cottage cheese with a sh*t ton of ground black pepper mixed in, used as a dip for potato chips."
"Mmm it’s been too long since I’ve had this."
– Quirky_Word
It's Their Jam
"Sausage McMuffin with hash brown and grape jelly."
"I assumed this was pretty common, but I have never come across another person who does this. most people think it's gross."
– run66
Two different snacks came together and delighted the palates of these Redditors.
Sweet And Savory
"Chili with a cinnamon roll."
– MrDover2112
Tasty And Tangy
"Brownies with orange juice."
"Also havarti cheese and corn (I was high when I discovered this)"
– cookiedux
As a kid, my husband liked to eat sandwiches consisting of bologna and peanut butter together.
I winced, but he swears by it.
I just have to believe him because that combo doesn't make any sense to me at all.
But hey, to each their own.
Snails. Liver. No. No to all of that. Why would you eat a snail? Don't tell me!
Grape Only!
happy bread GIF by ThreadlessGiphy"Non-Fussy Slav here : Aspic or any other form of Meat-tasting Jelly... just... no, thank you." ~ BlimeyChaps
Pu-NO!!
"Silkworm pupae that is boiled or steamed. I tried it once and that’s it. I don’t like the taste, how it looks, and the smell! I get nauseous whenever I smell it. And they also sell it in a can!! 😭" ~ Casmekju20
"If I ever get a whiff of a street Beondaegi seller, I have to cross the street to the other side. Or just turn back. Forget it, wherever I was going, it was not as important as avoiding that smell. Tried the canned one once, since it had little smell and it was basically a dare. It tastes like it smells." ~ heliumneon
Cut through the Piss...
"Fermented fish." ~ LangMildInteressant
"My mom buys it every time she’s in Sweden on her monthly food shopping trip, and will text me when she has some so I know not to come by on visit for 2-3 days until that horrible smell is 100% gone!" ~ RowAcceptable4715
"I'm not Swedish but I once had a tiny tiny amount with some onions and sour cream on a piece of bread and it was honestly great. It kind of tasted like sauerkraut soaked in thai fish sauce with a hint of pee. The onions really cut out the pee taste though." ~ Colonel_Fart-Face
No, just no!!
"For me it's brains. I don't care if they're from a cow, a pig, a sheep or some other unfortunate creature. Doesn't matter if they're baked, poached, breaded then deep-fried. No, just no!! Not to mention that if the animal that supplied them was infected with the kind of prions that causes Mad Cow Disease."
"And other related ailments, brains would probably give a person a super-sized dose of the stuff. Eating brains is an item that I'd never put on my bucket list and if I die without ever having taken a bite of some, I won't have any regrets." ~ NoodlesrTuff1256
Only Deviled or Boiled...
Egg GIFGiphy"Balut. Just something about a partially developed chicken egg that I just... can't... do." ~ adamchid
"How nice it is to learn that my egg eating nightmare scenario is an actual food people intentionally make in some parts of the world." ~ Hotshot2k4
I love eggs. I've tried them many ways. First rule no matter what... COOKED!
Look Away
bbc one fish GIF by BBCGiphy"I draw the line at fish eyes... one and done thank you." ~ hats4bats22
Flavoring
"Imitation coconut is the one thing I just can't seem to like." ~ Setsuna85
"Somewhat the opposite for me. I’m not super bothered by real coconut, but I’m not a huge fan of the texture (the little strings). I love the flavor though! So if something has coconut flavoring but without the strings, it’s a plus for me." ~ MonsiuerGeneral
"Imitation mango. It's the worst." ~ getthatbreadmyfriend
Failure
"I had Natto once. Once. Maybe it's 'healthy' but if your Wikipedia page describes it as an 'acquired taste' due to the odor and texture ... yeah it looks, smells, and tastes like snot goblins. Different culinary history, but also, if you need to ferment seafood in lye, I believe the appropriate words are 'failure to plan for winter' rather than 'delicacy.' ~ InannasPocket
Fishy Issues
"Tuna. When I was pregnant with my twins, I had horrible morning sickness the entire time. But my body just craaaaved Tuna Helper one night. Made a box, ate it all myself. Pretty easy to know where this goes. I threw up so hard and so long that I was throwing up just burning stomach acid when I stopped. I also peed my pants. I can't even look at a can of tuna at the store without feeling sour." ~ orangestar17
Run Away
poop GIFGiphy"That fake crab that tastes like plastic, and tangerines cause they give me the runs." ~ Hwil33
From the Body
"Any kind of brains. Do you want a prion disease? Because that's how you get a prion disease." ~ flyover_liberal
"I'm pretty adventurous with organ meats, I've had various lungs, hearts, livers, tongues, blood sausages, etc, but I draw the line at nervous tissue lol." ~ REDDIT
"I agree. Born in Africa. Raised in America. Dated a Canadian girl that craved water buffalo brains we we went to Nepal. I refuse to eat organ and she gave me so much sh*t. My 3rd word brain trumps my adventurous 1st world brain." ~ Hayabusasteve
This and That
"Add on question, are you a picky eater if you’ll eat most foods, but they have to be prepared a certain way? I will only eat carrots if they are raw or in carrot cake or curry. Little things like that for example." ~ jecama
"I’ll eat anything plant-based from any cuisine but can NOT do raw broccoli. I keep trying it with different dips and sauces but it’s gross unless cooked." ~ TheWildTofuHunter
"Green peppers are only ok in gumbo." ~ i_said_no_mayonnaise
Choices
"I made a deliberate choice to not eat octopus. Honestly, I used to love them!" ~ MBeebeCIII
"Octopi are wonderful creatures! Of course, so are all animals in their own ways. Subs like r/happycowgifs and r/pigifs make me happy I left eating animals behind." ~ pmvegetables
"I love it but seeing how inhumanely they are treated, I no longer order them. If a law was passed that bans cooking them alive and similar things (like in UK recently), I'll probably return to eating them. They may be smart but so are pigs, it would be hypocritical for me to exclude one." ~ REDDIT
Substitutes
coffee sugar GIFGiphy"Fake sugar, like aspartame, sucralose, stevia, etc. I'll eat (or would try) everything else in this thread, but I just can't stand the taste of sugar substitutes." ~ 40percentsafe
Texture Issues
"Natto. I try it every few years just in case anything's changed with my taste buds or texture preferences, but it's just as bad or worse every single time I give it another go. The slimy, stringy texture is the primary offender." ~ bufori
"There's a supermarket where I live that sells super small bean natto (just natto but beans are smaller) with mustard and soy sauce. That tastes ok." ~ thesadmarshmallow
"I can’t eat it alone. In a sushi roll? Mixed with rice and egg? Yeah it’s great. Not by itself though… It’s so healthy for you though, I really should eat more." ~ savwatson13
Calories. Calories.
"Shark Fin. Such a cruel process to obtain and flavorless from what I heard. I'll eat pretty much anything else, or try it once." ~ SleepyPrince
"Imitation Shark Fin soup is great tho. It's the thick and heavy broth that makes the whole thing taste amazing. Not the fin." ~ TearyEyeBurning
"FaceMy dude, I appreciate the thoughts on cruelty to sharks in making that dish, but there are many fuc*ed up cruel things done to animals in the making of other dishes as well. There are seven billion of us calorie dependent creatures that average out to 60kg of water and other stuff… that's a lot of food needed." ~ Steamwells
From Hell
"Aspic. 🤮" ~ HistoricalMarzipan
"I cannot agree with this more. There are a few things here I don't particularly like, but can stomach, like lima beans.
"Aspic however is the food from hell. Will refuse it every time, which fortunately is rare. The only other thing I cannot stomach beyond that is Vietnamese coriander. Supposed to be used as a substitute for people who think cilantro tastes like soap, yet it tastes like soap mixed with cleaning products." ~ BigSwedenMan
Teeth Popping
"Indonesian mother of a friend of mine once made a squid dish, flavorwise it was amazing, but eating entire minisquids just gave me a texture difference overload. Had to tap out once I got too much into my head." ~ albokun
"Had mini squids at a sushi restaurant once. Didn’t taste offensive at all, but biting down I could distinctly feel my teeth popping through the various membranes and organs. I really didn’t like the sensation." ~ SonOfMcGee
I thought I might be picky but I see I'm more normal than most. Don't die for food.
Curious to hear about the palates from strangers online, Redditor knightfall0 asked:
"What is a poverty food you'll always eat no matter how you're doing in life?"
These typical cultural cuisine are popular favorites.
Simple Tacos
"Cheap can of corn, cheap can of black beans, 3 cups of cheap rice."
"Tortillas for flair."
"Boom! Poverty tacos."
Magic Of Ramen
"Same. I've eaten expensive restaurant meals that still don't compare to a 25 cent ramen package."
"25 cent ramen package with a boiled egg marinated in soy sauce packets and sugar and some spinach if you have any for some veggie chef kiss cheapest dinner but makes it feel fancy."
Presto, Dinner Is Served!
"Random stuff in my fridge fried rice. Take the veggies that are about to go off, throw in some cheap white rice and an egg with some soy sauce and garlic- boom, dinner."
Bread-based meals seem to be an easy go-to choice.
For The Posh Palate
"Beans on toast and if I'm feeling posh maybe i will put an egg on top."
Season 5 Eating GIF by OutlanderGiphyGood 'Ole Cornbread
"Cornbread and buttermilk. Seem to recall that my maternal great grandmother's house in the the early 1960s had a manual pump in the kitchen, an outhouse and oil lamps, no electricity! There was a big stump for splitting wood for the heat and killing chickens. Relatives had tractors but at least one still worked with draft horses...big horses. NE TN. And my Mother would eat salt sandwiches."
"I do like cornbread, various peas and beans and greens...a lot!"
Who said traditional side dishes can't be the main attraction? These folks, that's who.
Cheese-Drenched Pasta
"Mac and cheese with hotdogs or sloppy joes were top tier. I remember having to be careful to not take too much meat/noodles since we only had one can/box to share."
Getting Krafty
"If I had a million dollars, we wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner (but we would eat Kraft Dinner)"
Instant ramen has come a long way. I go to one of several local Japanese markets here in Manhattan and there are literally aisles of a variety of ramen and yakisoba, my personal favorite, stocked on shelves to choose from.
Yakisoba is basically "fried" noodles. It is "instant" because you basically soften the noodles with boiling water and drain it after three minutes.
The sauce packets that come with some of these are an absolute delight, and I usually add scallions or even a hard-boiled egg.
It is cheap, simple to prepare, and absolutely delicious.
Curious to hear from strangers and their experiences with home cooking, Redditor Poecifer asked:
"What food did you think you hated for years until you realized your parents just couldn't cook it?"
Veggies can actually taste delicious...if prepared well.
Lack Of Taste
"Eggplant. My mom didn't know you're supposed to salt and blot it to remove the bitterness. She just cut it up and fried it. The only thing palatable about it was the batter."
How 'Bout Them Taters
"Potatoes. My mum would undercook them. Served them boiled with no salt or seasoning. Dad didn't do anything foodwise except burn steaks a few times a year outback on a grill. I now make various potato soup and whipped potatoes bits o'loveliness that would make an Irishman blush."
"To be fair, they were chainsmokers, so everything likely tasted like ash to them anyways."
– 13Lilacs
Slimy Spears
"Asparagus - had no idea you could get it fresh and crisp. We always had boiled, canned asparagus when I was a kid. Blech."
Healthy But Inedible
"Mashed potatoes. My mom's method: only a sliver of butter, no milk or cream, very little salt. Mine: lots of butter, whole milk, roasted garlic, salt, pinch of pepper."
How Popeye Likes It
"My mom bought canned spinach in my childhood. Slimy! Then my parents custom was to pour straight white vinegar on it. Picture Calvin's expression saying "Bleeehck!" to Hobbes."
Funny Face Calvin GIFGiphyCooking meat well is essential, but some people should never be in front of a grill.
If Coffee Were Food
"Bacon. I assumed it was the solid food equivalent of coffee when I was a kid - smells amazing, tastes like bitter, burnt ashes. My parents err on the side of burnt, and sometimes they err hard. When I was 12 my buddy made us some for breakfast after a sleepover and pulled it off the heat almost still pink and my mind was blown."
Former Anti-Vaxxers Explain What Actually Made Them Change Their Mind | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Burnt Pork Chops
"Pork chops, mom used to make them dry as a bone with only salt for seasoning. I had them at a friend's house once when I was in highschool and it blew my mind. My dad thought that if any type of meat had moisture it was raw so my mom burnt everything."
– Nothing_
Wife's Pork Chops Vs. Mom's
"Pork chops for me too. My parents would broil the heck out of them and I never once considered making them after I moved out. Then one day my wife came across a slow cooker pork chop recipe and it was/is incredible. Now pork chops are one of the meals I most look forward to, including salivating at the leftovers."
– NS8VN
Rubbery Chicken
"I used to have a roommate who, every Sunday, would bake chicken breasts for weekly meals. The problem was that he'd cook them to the consistency of shoe leather. This was also someone who cooked rice with way too much water and basically made gruel. I honestly think he was one of those guys who saw food as sustenance and nothing more. I don't think he gave a sh*t how it tasted."
Wearable, Not Edible
"STEAK. Turns out it's not supposed to have the taste and consistency of shoe leather."
Bad Poultry
"Baked chicken breasts. Overcooked and so dry that they sucked the moisture out of your mouth."
Crisp Catastrophe
"Fried chicken. I thought the fact that I was black had something to do with it."
"Turns out my mother was pretty and a sh**ty cook."
How bad can you ruin the first course? For some Redditors, the answer is: "very easily."
One Kind Of Soup
"Soup. Actually not because my parents couldn't cook it, but because they literally only ever made one kind of soup, and I didn't like it. So I grew up thinking 'I don't like soup'. Eventually I would taste other soups that are delicious, so I realized it was just that one specific soup I didn't like."
– Karzul
Apparently, It's Possible To Screw Up Salad
"Salads were iceberg lettuce, tasteless tomatoes, and a couple of unhappy croutons all covered in ranch dressing. Just awful."
This Salad Is Very Clean
"My childhood best friend's mom would make 'salad' by cutting a wedge of iceberg lettuce, dousing it in the same straight white vinegar she used for cleaning floors, and topping it with pre-ground black pepper. I have weird cravings for it from time to time."
Painful Topping
"Same! I forgot about the occasional crouton that would scrape the hell out of the roof of my mouth."
I have to admit, when it comes to traditional Japanese cooking, my mom excelled at it.
Because even when I would dine at Japanese restaurants, the dishes I enjoyed at home failed to satisfy my palate when prepared by professional chefs.
Gyoza, or potstickers for instance, that my mom made from scratch were far too superior than any I've had outside the home.
Same goes for miso soup. The way my mom makes it, she piles it on with cabbage, tofu, scallions, and onions, with various secret seasonings.
She remains unchallenged to this day!