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?'
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:
- sweet
- bitter
- sour
- salty
- sweet
- bitter
- sour
- salty
- meaty/umami
- cool/minty
- 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
GiphyGrape-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
GiphyEggnog
"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
GiphySparkling 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
GiphyOlives
"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 tastes like 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
GiphyBeets
"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
GiphyI 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!
No matter how old we get, we still find ourselves keeping up with the latest trends.
Binging the show everyone's talking about, downloading the newest app, and partaking in the latest social media craze, all in an effort to appear cool to our friends and colleagues.
Of course, not all of these trends are "cool" to us.
In fact, sometimes we grudgingly partake in these trends, no matter how idiotic they seem to us.
While others have no concerns about being cool, and won't even think about joining in with everyone else, choosing instead to gleefully look down on them.
"What's something extremely popular but you just can't give a f*ck about it?"
What Exactly Are They Trying To Influence?
"Influencers."
"They have a different vibe than I have/aspire to have, different ways of expressing themselves, different values, different beauty standards, etc."- smieklinsh
"So-called influencers."
'My personal opinion."
"If you like them, cool."
'No harm done."- queen_tabby
"Elon Musk.'
"Isn't aren’t part of my life, so why should I take time from my life to think about the crap they’re doing?"- attention21
Elon Musk Reaction GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphyIsn't It Good News Either Way?
"Gender reveal parties."- Back2Bach
Just Another Distraction
"TikTok never got into it."- thneakythnake660
How Many Strangers Are Looking At Your Pictures?
"Followers on social media."- Single_Goat3138
Pop Tv GIF by Schitt's CreekGiphy"Figure" Heads being the operative word
"The Royal Family."- Natasha_JB
Comfort Over Quality
"Sneakers."
"Like, I’ll indulge and buy a pair I think are really cool."
"But other than that, why tf would you spend $2000+ on a pair of shoes that actually cost less than $10."- eggtada
Fame Is Seldom The Same As Qualified
"I’d say entertainers who are so wealthy and think they are the voices of normal people."-mayoinstrumentalz
Or Anything Else About Him?
"Ye's Opinion."- SlimePrice
Just How Real Was It?
"Reality TV."- brycebrycehayeshayes
Phaedra Parks Reality Tv GIF by Real housewives of AtlantaGiphyCan It Even Be Considered A Chat?
"SnapChat Streaks."
"Since when was a fire emoji and a number a symbol of popularity and friendship?"
"I just don't have the time for this sh*t."- Yes-I-Have-Arrived
Quality Over Quantity
"Starbucks."- Maleficent_Insect71
The best thing about opinions and personal taste is that they are unique to every individual.
No two people have to like the same thing, nor should we judge those who dislike something we like and vice-versa.
Even if it's hard to say it's unreasonable that not even two people should give Elon Musk or Ye any time of day.
Though again, that's just an opinion...
Trends. They will always happen.
And there will always be followers.
But these fads come and go, and the followers go on to follow something else.
We've seen tons of popular movements that had their fifteen minutes, and they can bring up some nostalgia.
But we can be glad to wave goodbye to plenty.
Redditor Animeking1108 asked:
"What fad are you glad died out?"
All fads die. I'm glad shoulder pads are out.
Looped
who let the dogs out GIFGiphy"There was a two-year period in the late 1990s when 'Who Let the Dogs Out' was featured on the soundtrack of every single motion picture."
DawnJGoodwin
Game Over
"Those Facebook games from like 10-15 years ago and the constant onslaught of invites. I guess people would get extra points or some crap for inviting as many friends as possible and my notification box would be full of fifty invites saying; ‘Tim needs goons for his mafia. Join mafia wars now!’, ‘Susie needs seeds for FarmVille’!, ‘Tyler sent you five hundred silver tokens’, ‘Keith needs sixty bucks for a gram of blow!’ (that one may have been a legit request, but I just couldn’t take the chance on it being another game.)"
dum_spir0_sper0
Just Once
"YOLO culture. Not like the YOLO where you take a vacation that you’ve always wanted, but doing stupid crap because 'YOLO.'"
signaturefox2013
"There was a solar eclipse on my 21st birthday, and I was at an Irish pub, and one of the bartenders, in a very thick Irish accent said, 'Well you only live once, right?' and went outside and looked up."
Yochanan578"As you said, YOLO was supposed to promote the idea of doing adventurous things to broaden your horizons, because life is short. NOT shorten it even further by downing a keg of vodka while skydiving without a parachute."
Drakeskulled_Reaper
Food Poisoner
"That short lived fad where people were licking food and putting it back at the stores!"
LookMa_ImOnReddit
"Some chick filmed it and got arrested for this."
OriginalDarkDagger
"I don't know how much time she ended up serving, but she was facing up to 20 years in prison for food tampering. A guy in Texas spent 30 days in jail and ended up having to pay the ice cream company for all the stock the store had to throw away."
WitchInYourGarden
Bad Pop
Marvel Cinematic Universe GIF by Leroy PattersonGiphy"Double polo shirts with the popped collars."
Free0rDead
"It was worse when they started to make regular shirts with 3 popped collars. Same look without the body sweat."
oystersaucier
I hate those shirts. So pretentious...
Boo
pennywise it 2017 GIFGiphy"The freaking Clowns standing in the middle of the street or in the woods. Glad that crap is over."
MichelleEPhillips12
"Yeah, you don't see clowns outside their spawning grounds after the government announced that cull a few years ago. Course that just caused the mime population to explode due to lack of competition."
bumford11
Not Fashion
"Teenage boys wearing their basketball shorts so low that their butts literally hung out the back. Had a couple of geniuses at my school that avoided the wrath of the teachers by wearing three pairs of basketball shorts layered in various stages of pulled-down-ness, so they could still get their low pants vibe without showing everyone their undies. Looked more ridiculous than the original iteration."
zoomlentil
This is a Thing?
"Toddlers and Tiaras. Shouldn't have been a thing in the first place."
KingZaneTheStrange
"When I first heard of child beauty Pageants as a teen, I was expecting something completely different. I expected really cutesy outfits like princess dresses and fairy themed etc. you know stuff that kids would love to wear and dress as."
"I was very shocked that they dressed them and put makeup on them like an adult. It’s not acceptable in normal everyday life and shouldn’t be acceptable for pageants either. They are kids and shouldn’t be dressed in anything like what they show."
Yandere_Matrix
Yum. Not.
"Kale in EVERY FOOD for 'health.' I am mildly allergic and it causes my entire mouth and throat it itch as if I have eaten a cactus... Even fast food was adding 'healthy kale' to their salads and sandwiches...!"
LikelySuperBored
"As an old person, I can tell you that superfood fads come and go just like clothing fads."
"In the 80s, someone decided that oat bran was good for you. Next thing you know there's oat bran in everything you can imagine. I still remember a New Yorker cartoon depicting an office worker in front of the water cooler, which bears a sign saying, 'Now with added oat bran!'"
sirdigbykittencaesar
Gotcha
Grocery Store Falling GIFGiphy"A**holes filming themselves and friends in grocery stores pretending to slip and throwing gallons of milk in the air."
YourStolenCharizard
"Remember that one guy who slipped and fell on his face and broke his jaw doing this? That video was some karmic beauty."
Broken_castor
Karma always finds a way. Injury can follow. Be safe out there.
Do you have any fads to add? Let us know in the comments.
Remember when McDonald's sold pizza... or rather "McPizza"?
If you don't, it's fairly understandable, as it was generally reviled, and today there is exactly one McDonald's in the USA which continues to serve it.
As a result, not many people go to McDonald's wishing the McPizza would make a comeback.
But there are other items once seen on the McDonald's menu which people do wish might return to their menu, such as the McRibb sandwich, or the adult oriented Arch Deluxe.
Indeed, almost every fast food restaurant in the country must have at least one item which has since disappeared from their menu which at least one loyal customer is campaigning for a return.
"What's your one discontinued fast food menu item you want back?"
Not Your Grandmother's Burritos
"The Volcano Burritos from Taco Bell were my fav fast food item ever."- kefefs
"Taco Bell Chili Cheese Burrito."- insertcaffeine
The Perfect Alternative To A Big Mac...
"McDonald’s Snack Wraps."- MadisonPearGarden
"McDonald’s chicken snack wrap ;(."- Ok_Moonlight
Food Burger GIF by McDonald's ParisGiphyIf A Taco And A Quesadilla Had A Child...
"Meximelt."- Canesfan2718
For Those Who Needed More Than McNuggets...
"The original McDonald’s Chicken Select Strips."- H0D00m
...Or Couldn't Settle For An Egg McMuffin...
"Mcdonalds Steak, Egg & Cheese bagel."- TheRealSzymaa
National Bagel Day GIF by BagelNetGiphyWho Doesn't Love A Handheld Pie?
"McDonalds fried apple pies."- NoOneEscapesTheFury
Don't Leave Any Consonants For Anyone Else!
"McDLT."- ManimalBestShowEva
Desert Empanadas? Yes Please!
"Taco Bell's carmel apple empanadas."
"They dropped them like a couple years ago."
"Plus side is that I very rarely ever go there anymore."
"Maybe twice a year now."- Pragmatist203
Hungry Taco Bell GIFGiphyWe generally don't go out for fast food to expand our palettes and try new things, but rather to get a reliable and comforting favorite.
Which makes the disappointment of discovering that old favorite is off their menu all the more bitterly disappointing.
Though, one can only assume that anyone who actually misses the McPizza might not actually understand what pizza is supposed to taste like...
People Confess Which Wildly Popular Things They Have No Interest In
In every generation, there are certain behaviors that are popular among many people. Sometimes, it's the "cool" thing to do. Other times, people just get swept up in the fad.
When I was in high school, the popular thing was to have the funniest Facebook statuses. In college, it was all the rage to smoke pot. By the time I started my first adult job, everyone I knew was watching -- and theorizing about -- Game of Thrones. In my office, you were ostracized if you didn't watch and discuss it every week.
While there's no shame in being into what's popular at the time if it's something that truly interests you, there's also no shame in choosing not to partake in the popular thing.
Redditors certainly believe that, since they broke down which popular things they have no interest in.
Redditor snowmanll00ll was curious about this, so he asked:
"What is something very popular that you have absolutely no interest in?"
Family Celebrity
"YouTube family channels, some of those children will probably grow to resent their parents"
– PlutoTheGod_
"It doesn’t matter the medium, it’s always a douchebag move to exploit your children for your own gain."
– MenosDaBear
I Idolize
"Becoming extremely die hard fans for an idol group or probably anything."
– kobold9070
"Young people giving up their personal freedom and expression for cash and fame seems very wrong, these contracts are horrible, especially in East Asia"
– Sanzhar17Shockwave
Animalistic
"Chasing squirrels around the yard and barking at them once they run up a tree. Seems to be all the rage with my dog though."
– 80burritospersecond
"...you're a cat aren't you?"
– littlemarcus91
Simon Says Follow Me
"Following Influencers"
– sparklingshanaya
"It's hilarious how they actually call themselves 'influencers'. Half the cr*p they do should not be influenced ... especially to younger people! It's kind of weird how they crave that much attention."
– MissyCobain
"Listening to influencers. It’s a barrage of non-stop schilling of questionable investments without them accepting responsibility or facing consequences."
– jmmorart317
Why Are They Here?
"The bachelor and bachelorette tv shows."
– junior_emo_mcgee
"Right? It’s so odd to me like, they’re attractive people but they couldn’t have a relationship without a tv show? So how bad are they really and how many red flags do they have?"
– PlutoTheGod_
The Dark Hole Of Social Media
"TikTok. I just don't want it, and never interested to see what the people there are doing."
"Although, I am aware that if I decided to install it, I might get addicted to it. So no thank you either way."
– GreatNameLOL69
"My older sister almost ALWAYS starts a convo with “I saw this on tiktok that..” at least once at family gatherings, like stfu! I don’t care! A lot of “information” on there is false. But because some random girl on tiktok who said her father's great uncles cousins neighbor is a doctor, I’m supposed to believe it."
– GimmieDatCooch
Your Lungs Thank You
"vaping"
– dourceo
"That’s good you should have no interest in vaping, it’s not meant to do because it’s “popular” or “cool” it’s supposed to help curve and help quit cigarette addiction, which it does do, but just as cigs, people just started doing it to be “cool.""
– lionexx
Let Me Take A Selfie
"Pouting for selfie"
– sparklingshanaya
"A friend got married a couple of months ago, and about 70% of her wedding photos are of her pouting or making duck lips at the camera. For someone who says she loved her wedding, she sure looks sad and/or bored in her photos."
– twothirtysevenam
Tee Off
"Golf. If it’s nice out I have so many other things I could do"
– BulloxBaxter
"I came here to say golf as well. I work in the corporate world and people just don't understand how I don't play golf, it blows their minds. I just don't get the draw though, and it's crazy expensive to go play a round. The excuse people always give me is "it's a great way to get outside!". Well turns out so is hiking or fly fishing and it doesn't cost hundreds of dollars to go stand on someone's lawn."
– EntropyBier
It's A Bird, It's A Plane...
"Superhero movies. I used to love them, but I burned out very quickly when too many were released, and they're really all the same. I do love Deadpool, though."
– BeskarVagina
While I gotta disagree with that one, to each their own.
Just because everyone around you is into the popular thing, doesn't mean you have to be. If you have no interest in what's currently in vogue, that's okay!
Be who you are, not who everyone else wants you to be.