Basically the post title. If you are going to say you do not like something because it contains some ingredient you don’t like, without trying it, you probably would benefit by having a more open mind about food and you’re doing life wrong.
Obviously, valid exceptions would be if you’re allergic/sensitive to an ingredient. And there may be some other valid exceptions outside of that, but in general, I think this is true.
What’s an example of what I mean? I HATE eggs generally, I almost always strongly dislike their texture as a dish unto themselves. They smell like sulphur, they’re often oozing liquid or they are are plasticky/spongey. What’s that you say? I just haven’t had them made the right way? Au contraire, because therein lies my point. I have had eggs made the right way. Or rather, not the eggs themselves, but the structural or textural qualities they add to a dish. I normally don’t like omelets because of this egg aversion, but if an omelet is well made by my standards, the egg is just the wrapper. A thin, barely noticeable container in which to stuff other delicious ingredients. I absolutely do not care that omelets contain eggs, I care that they taste good, and don’t make me notice the qualities I hate about eggs. I also of course enjoy around a bazillion other breads and desserts made using eggs.
I recently posted here about my hate for crunchy vegetables and heard that my opinion is garbage from many users. Ya know what though? I’m not an extremist. If you tell me “oh sorry you wouldn’t like this, it has crunchy vegetables in it”, you’re jumping the gun. Because if I try it (and I likely would), and the crunchy texture does not outweigh the good qualities of the dish, I’m probably not going to dislike it.
I have known plenty of people who literally judge food constantly by what’s in it. “Oh falafel is made of chickpeas? BARF I wouldn’t like it and I won’t try it!!” It doesn’t matter to them that they literally may have never guessed that chickpeas are in there if I hadn’t mentioned it, now they know and their minds’ made up. “But I don’t like mushrooms, so I won’t try that pizza :(” … this idea makes me sad. I’m both a slightly picky and very non-picky eater in different ways but I can promise you one thing: if I based my food preferences primarily on the ingredient list, I’d be picky as hell and much less into food. I’d probably be borderline malnourished because I’d have never matured beyond 10 year old me, thinking most foods are “yucky”. And that would be sad (and unhealthy).
I’m guessing a lot of users won’t admit they judge food by what’s in it, but I’m confident that if people were honest about what people actually do, they’d consider this opinion unpopular af. Think about it: I bet a large percentage of you don’t like eggplant (or some other specific vegetable) and would refuse to try some new dish because it contains eggplant.
You eat what you want, I’ll eat what I want. No judgment, I mean, why would I?
When I encourage people to not be picky eaters, I’m not coming from a place of judgement. Food is one of the most wonderful, universally human pleasures we can experience. It saddens me when people’s experiences with food are limited by simply not knowing any better.
Well said!
Do you know which community this is? You at least should tell me I’m wrong or something.
I have a weird relationship with mushrooms. I don’t like the taste or texture. I’ve had them every which way and nothing helps… except beef stroganoff. If you leave the mushrooms out the flavor is so bland and boring. I have no idea why! I still hate the feel of them but for that dish I deal because it’s so good overall
I respect that.
From what I remember of stroganoff, that dish really needs the earthiness of the mushrooms to offset the creaminess. Doesn’t seem odd to me!
Try frying the mushrooms alone until crispy, make sure they are dry dry dry if you wash them, slice or tear (depending on the variety) and fry them. No salt until they are done. I use this technique with both mushrooms and okra for people who say they do not like them, because usually it’s a texture issue. Personally I like the texture of both but understand it, they are kinda slimy. And I like them fine without the slime too, so not like I suffer when eating them soft but crisp.
If there is no extra moisture from water, and no salt to pull water out of them, both okra and mushrooms can be prepared dry. Don’t crowd the pan!
I have yet to have something with cilantro where I can not detect its presence. heck most of the time I don’t know it has it till I spit it out and reach for a drink. its silly for me to try stuff with it in it if I know its an ingredient.
That one is a genetic trait though. Seems to rise to another level I would think.
That’s more like an allergy I think. My mom couldn’t eat cilantro or coriander (cilantro is coriander greens). I don’t think it tastes the same to me as it does to you. But I do know one guy who sort of powered through (he was a chef) and tolerates it now, I wouldn’t say likes it but it doesn’t ruin a dish for him either.
I can actually tolerate it a bit now. It got very popular in the us and shows up a lot. I still don’t like it but like won’t spit it out or gag. If its a small enough amount I can finish the meal and just remember not to go to that place again.
I love trying new foods. I gotta agree with you on this one, if there’s nothing too weird (i.e. things you won’t/can’t eat under any circumstance) there’s no reason not to be open to trying it. There’s a whole world of flavors and textures out there, and folks should be receptive to exploring it.
And if it’s a food you used to dislike and haven’t had in a while, try it anyway! Tastes can change, and preparations vary. You might come away pleasantly surprised.
Yep that’s exactly how I see it too. I’ve been wrong about so many foods. I’d never know it if I wasn’t open to being wrong about them sometimes.
Meh.
There are ingredients I absolutely do not like, and have tried many, many times, because other people think they’re great.
For example, scallops. I’ve had them made by experts… Still don’t like them. And because I really dislike both the taste and the texture, theres just no way I’m ever going to like them, no matter how they’re prepared (unless they’ve been turned to mush and hidden in something else, but then are you really eating that ingredient?)
And that’s where your argument falls apart - if something is so buried that you can’t tell it’s there, is it actually there?
Well yeah, exceptions include anything that would overpower or almost be the whole dish. But that’s not really what I’m talking about. “Ingredient” here refers less to the main aspect of a dish but something that just happens to be in it. Many people love to hate food because it happens to have something in it they don’t like.
And that’s where your argument falls apart - if something is so buried that you can’t tell it’s there, is it actually there?
Yeah I would say an egg is a significant part of an omelette.
That’s not an unpopular opinion, that’s just understanding how cooking works.
My wife is like this with mushrooms. She tried a plain, raw mushroom once and didn’t like it. On that basis, she refuses to eat anything with mushrooms in it. I’ve tried explaining that mushrooms are like shrimp, they taste like whatever you cook them in, but to no avail. Thankfully, they’re not a favorite of mine, so it isn’t a huge deal.
You certainly shouldn’t judge food by only one item on the list, but the entire list seems like a pretty good starting point.
Though the “one item on the list” definitely does come into play when you’re eating out or even at an acquaintance’s, if one ingredient made a certain way could ruin a dish for you, it’s often sensible not to gamble on whether it’s made that certain way or not.
if one ingredient made a certain way could ruin a dish for you
This is exactly what I’m saying normally shouldn’t happen. Unless it’s the most dominant thing in the dish. For me, a good dish usually has many ingredients. One that I wouldn’t like on its own is not a good reason to count the whole thing out, typically.
See, the ingredients that I don’t like are very often an extremely prominent part of the dish. e.g. I don’t like the taste or texture of broccoli, asparagus and similar vegetables, and so far when I’ve encountered a dish where that’s a prominent-enough ingredient to list it e.g. on a menu or when someone says “I’m making <meat> with <starch source> and <vegetable>”, it usually includes these in very large quantities and in big pieces. I wouldn’t care if it’s included in an imperceptible way, but that’s generally not how these vegetables are treated IME. I might still try a bite from someone else’s dish that includes some small amount of it, but I’m certainly not going to order a dish that lists broccoli, and when you’re visiting someone it kind of sucks to refuse the food, especially if it’s made in such a way that you can’t just leave it out (e.g. soup, something baked au gratin). Often there’s no other option, but it’s also pretty common to get asked beforehand if there are any ingredients you won’t eat.
If you’re from the US, I used to hate the flavor and texture of broccoli and asparagus too. What I found is, the reason why I hate it is because most people here boil the living piss out of their broccoli and asparagus until it’s mushy and bland, then slap a bunch of salt and butter on it for “flavor.”
I started broiling or roasting my broccoli and asparagus in the oven. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll lightly brush on some butter or oil and sprinkle some garlic or garlic salt. Very light butter/oil, just enough to make the seasoning stick.
The result is crunchy veggies, crispy edges, and a balanced flavor. If you haven’t tried them prepared that way before, I’d recommend trying it for a low-risk snack on a day you have a backup ready to go.
Then you find my opinion bad. Because that’s a pretty perfect example of what I mean. I don’t like broccoli on its own or most ways I’ve had it, and yet I find it just fine in dishes that use it well, even if it’s pretty noticeable. I just don’t want to taste mostly broccoli, basically. Spices are my friend.
My issue isn’t that I’m categorically against trying new dishes, but that I’m opposed to gambling with big meals that aren’t easily swapped out …
I suppose it also depends on your reaction to food you don’t like. If you can still eat it fine that’s one thing, but for me there’s a nonzero chance that I’ll throw up or at least look like I’m going to, which many people consider very rude.
Agreed. There is basically no fruit, vegetable, or ‘typical’ meat that I am 100% opposed to eating because I wouldn’t enjoy it.
That said, I don’t care for pork, and I usually hate okra, but I have had a couple of okra dishes that were pretty good. I thought I hated papayas in all forms until I had a Vietnamese papaya salad (Gỏi Đu Đủ), which was unreal.
Aubergine/eggplant is a great example. It’s naturally quite slimy. Needs something more substantial to be paired with it to offset the texture a bit.
I had the same papaya experience. That’s unripe green papaya, though, not fruity vomit-flavored papaya.
When my husband and I were dating he took me to a Vietnamese restaurant and I ordered that salad and he couldn’t eat it, so spicy. I love it though. This does relate to the claim in this post though as my Laotian friend said her mom used ant eggs or a bug paste of some sort (I can’t remember exactly but some insect based ingredient) in hers. She was the one who introduced me to this dish in the first place, I’d given her some hot peppers from my yard. So even if it had bugs on purpose I did love it. And that is not an ingredient I would like alone no way.
Prior experience is a hell of a drug though
There’s a few things that I learned to dislike as a child that I instinctively avoid today - despite having tried and enjoyed them again as an adult. It’s weird because I know from recent experience that they’re not so bad, yet it’s hard to shake something that you’ve carried with you for so long.
Trauma’s a fun one. I got food poisoning from an improperly stored sandwich once, and it was years before I’d touch mayonnaise again. Now I enjoy it enough to use it again, but sometimes I look at it and the memory turns my stomach.
Sometimes it’s something that I had enjoyed, but then learned something about its production that icked me out. I used to love salami, but I read about how it was made and something about fermented meat is just viscerally totally wrong for me. You might also be surprised to hear how often fermented fish comes up in condiments. That doesn’t make the food worse, but there’s definitely some kind of psychological component for me.
Enoki are a variety of mushroom that I’ve tried several times to get into because I see them at the grocery store I think they’re neat. Then when I prepare them I look at them and see… I don’t know, some alien creature or insectoid or something horrible. Even though I know they’re nothing more than mushrooms that millions of people eat every day. I guess that’s more presentation than preparation.
Preparation definitely matters though. I’ve never in my life enjoyed a raw tomato, although I can see in some dishes where they make an impact. As soon as you cook that tomato it becomes immediately better. Based on what I eat, you might not even be wrong to say that tomato must be one of my favorite foods. Still can’t stand raw ones though.
I feel like I’ve complained a lot about food. It’s funny, because I generally think I’m pretty open-minded about it. I might even go so far as to say adventurous. But there are just some things that are hard to get over - once bitten, twice shy
I don’t think we are on too terribly of different pages here. I guess it’s not as an unpopular opinion as I thought. I just differ in how much I’ll let past experience guide my judgements. I got severe food poisoning to the point I was wondering if I might die once, from sushi. I didn’t eat sushi for like 4 months, then resumed lol. I try to assume I’m missing out on at least some things I actually like if I don’t try them again and that is true more often than not for me. Worst case I end up eating a meal that wasn’t great, but 95% of the time I enjoy it and also learn more about that dish/ingredient.
