Rick and I were chatting after watching a commercial about Thanksgiving food. That led to a few comments about foods that I don't like anymore. I shut that conversation down With The Quickness, as my students used to say.
You know, I'm the first one to admit that I've gotten ... Difficult with food. But I'm also the first one to admit that I heartily wish It Weren't So. I used to be a genial, easy-to-please eater who had no opposition to any food. I gladly ate anything put in front of me without complaint well into adulthood.
It's only been in the last several years that I've suddenly become unable? unwilling? to eat some foods that I used to like, and the list seems to be growing. Have my taste buds changed? Am I finally becoming more discerning or unwilling to settle for stuff I merely think is ok? I know a couple of things don't sit well in my stomach, and that makes them Not Worth It anymore. Here is a (partial!) list of
Foods I Don't Eat Anymore
1. Bacon
2. Ham
3. Eggs
4. Pizza
5. Pumpkin Pie
6. Pickles
7. Green Peppers
8. Caramel
9. White Chocolate
No need to go back over the whole Pizza thing--please.
I've found that smoky foods are too overwhelming for me. If barbecue sauces are smoky, I'm out. I do not like that taste at all. Recently, I tried ham again, and it was not too bad, but that was enough to hold me for probably another year or two. It makes me sad because I make a terrific glazed ham that everyone loves, and I used to love it too. Bacon is probably the most overrated thing in the world, there I said it.
I used to ask for, and get, huge jars of dill pickles for Christmas. I piled them on burgers and all kinds of cold cut sandwiches in addition to eating them plain as a snack. Now? I don't think there's a single jar in my house, here or at the lake. When did this happen? No idea.
When I was a little girl, I got incredible chocolates in my Easter basket. My uncle owned and operated a candy store, and he made all the chocolate molds, big filled Easter eggs, and fondant mints. His chocolate was delicious and all bunnies, crosses, chicks, and ducks were solid, not hollow. I often got white chocolate and loved it. Now? Ugh. How can they even call it chocolate? (By the way, each of us used to get a 12" solid chocolate bunny plus other molds, and yes, we always ate the ears first.)
Rick teases me about pumpkin pie this time of year every year. I make two each Thanksgiving and eat zero pieces. I have tried very hard to like it. I love pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies and pumpkin roll. I find pumpkin pie boring and sad. "Oh, Nance, " you say. "Make a pumpkin cheesecake!" I forgot to add cheesecake to the list of foods I no longer like.
What are some foods that you've suddenly lost your taste for? Do you share any of mine?
You know, I read your list and thought, "Oh! To not like pickles would be sad!" Because as a kid, I would eat jars and jars of pickles, and my immediate reaction is "I love pickles." But I don't remember the last time I ATE a pickle. Well, I remember eating jars and jars of pickles while I was pregnant, but surely I've eaten a pickle since 2013??? Perhaps I got my fill of pickles in the early 2010s and don't need to eat them anymore, even though I feel no aversion to them?
ReplyDeleteI am with you on pumpkin pie. No thank you. The texture makes my stomach turn.
I remember a time when I was in elementary school when suddenly the very scent of cooked pepperoni made pizza unappetizing. I used to love pepperoni pizza (and still do!), but for some reason it gave me The Ick for some number of months or years. It was very distressing. Fortunately, my taste for pepperoni has returned and I have well made up for whatever time I lost.
Suzanne--I don't feel negatively toward pickles, but, like you, I may have filled my quota early on. I never think about them. If they're offered, I only put them on the very very occasional cheeseburger.
DeletePumpkin pie could be so much better. How? I have no idea. But someone should try and do something about it.
This post made me laugh. You are so funny. I have never liked pickles so that’s easy. Well, I grew up with a picky eater mom so there are lists of things I have never tried like cottage cheese. Gross. Didn’t try sour cream until I was an adult. I enjoy it in a taco or a potato. Since ‘15 celiac diagnosis, I am limited because of gluten. Damn it all - it’s in almost everything. I don’t eat bacon but if a restaurant puts it in a salad- fine. I don’t do sushi or gardinaire. (Spelling). I hate spicy food. Tiramisu. Don’t put rum in my dessert, just don’t. I grew up hating coconut but am ok with it in small doses. Cannot eat a banana but it’s ok in a shake. I hate watermelon. It’s water with a weird taste. Oh I hate coffee.
ReplyDeleteErnie--Gluten really is ubiquitous. I don't know how you (and my friend Shirley) do it. I do not do sushi, either. I don't get the attraction. I love tiramisu, but I rarely order it if there is creme brulee on offer or a panna cotta. AND I AM ALLERGIC TO RUM. It makes my face and tongue swell up. Same as you with coconut! I don't hate watermelon, but I find it boring.
DeleteOh, Ernie. We were doing so well, and then you hated coffee. I adore coffee. But that's okay. We're still buddies.
I agree with you about green bell peppers and white chocolate. Well, I used to like green bell peppers OK, but then they started selling red, yellow, and orange ones, and I never went back. I’ve never liked white chocolate.
ReplyDeleteOf your list, I think eggs would make me the most sad. I love eggs and I eat them several times a week. I love bacon, but don’t eat it terribly often. Ted and Maya don’t really care for it, so if I buy it, I end up eating all of it or it spoils, and neither of those are good options. We have a grocery store with a meat counter / butcher, and they will sell it by the slice, so sometimes I will buy a few.
There are things I don’t like, like bok choy and collard greens and corned beef. I don’t eat veal or octopus or fois gras. I do like most foods though. Ted has had to give up a lot of things for health reasons, and Maya is mostly vegetarian, so it’s a good thing I’m not too picky, or we’d be doomed.
J--The egg thing makes me sad, too. I used to make huge frittatas for summertime dinners at the lake and accompany them with a nice white wine. Perfect. Then eggs stopped agreeing with me for some reason. I'd start feeling a little queasy. Maybe I'll try again sometime and see how I do.
DeleteI used to love corned beef and make it in the crock pot every once in a while. Rick really loves it. Then I just lost my taste for it, and it's too much for just him to eat, plus the sodium! Too unhealthy for his blood pressure.
I haven't had good collard greens since one of my students brought in a plate for me from her mother: excellent homemade white cornbread and a mess of collard greens. That was more than 30 years ago!
I think I eat more things now than I ever used to, but my daughter and I both have some severe food aversions, mostly texture-related, so I never judge anyone for being 'picky' in any capacity. I can't stand the texture of onions or mushrooms although I sometimes cook with both for flavour. Same with peppers, although I can do red pepper paste. I love dill pickles but only dill pickles. Not crazy about pumpkin pie. I've never been a ham person, but for some reason there's a Farm Boy deli ham with rosemary that I occasionally crave. I didn't eat red meat for years as a teenager but as an adult my iron often bottoms out and then I can't get enough red meat -theoretically anyway, I'm still too lazy to cook it often.
ReplyDeleteBiblio--I can understand a texture thing with mushrooms. Textures don't really bother me; I love raw oysters. But wait--okra has that slimy stuff. Still, I'm put off by okra's taste more than its texture.
DeleteHave you ever had those teeny tiny whole sweet pickles? I like those once in a great while when I get a taste for them. I'm talking maybe once every 5 years.
Beef and I have a difficult relationship. I understand.
I like white chocolate, personally, even though it is not exactly chocolate-like. Dill pickles - love them! I like to crunch a nice big one right out of the jar. I don't know that there is anything I have lost my taste for, honestly. Most of the things I like I still like. I have an aversion to onions and I loathe celery so much that I won't have it in the house.
ReplyDeleteNicole--Celery is so strongly-flavoured. I like to cook with it in concert with other root vegetables in stews and roasts. I usually cut the root end, start it in water inside, then plant it in my herb garden just to have the leaves.
DeleteGosh, I couldn't cook without onions. Of course, I thought the same thing about garlic, but Rick is so anti- fresh garlic, that I soon learned. Sigh. The sacrifices I have made for him.
In recent years, I tend to eliminate food that doesn’t “sit well” in terms of digestion and what causes bloating and, er, unwanted gas. I still like these foods, but I can pass them up on that basis.
ReplyDeleteCan’t really think of anything that I “used to like a lot” but can’t stand anymore. There are things that I just don’t eat very often because the price is so prohibitive, such as jamón serrano, which is the Spanish version of prosciutto. Also very unhealthy, I know. Speaking of which: I adore potato chips, but very rarely buy any because they are so loaded with sodium and I am such a potato chip glutton that I can knock off a full bag in the time it takes to watch a telenovela.
I have never liked pumpkin pie. If we are invited to Thanksgiving dinner elsewhere, I always hope there is an apple pie somewhere on the horizon. Otherwise, I just say that I’m too full— always a legitimate excuse for Thanksgiving, lol.
Lately I have taken to Google to search out the health benefits of certain foods. That usually ends up confusing me a lot, though, because for every advantage a certain food has, there is almost always a counter argument saying that it’s also bad for this and that. Gah! My current rule of thumb is: Use common sense, don’t overeat, get lots of variety, and follow the healthy cravings. Right now, I am about to go out foraging for food and I really crave a Reece’s peanut butter cup. I’ll try to resist, but… I discovered that there is now a zero sugar version. 🤔
N.B. — My deleted comments above were due to HTML errors where I did not close off the italics indication with a slash mark in front of the letter i. Etcetera. I should probably stop using italics, but I find them so necessary for emphasis or if I insert a Spanish word, lol.
Ortizzle--You know my fraught relationship with potato chips. We are estranged for good. Thankfully, that is not the case with Reese's peanut butter cups, but I rarely eat them. I learned from my mistakes (see Lay's and Cheetos).
DeleteI think your instincts will serve you well in the long run. We know what's healthy. We know to eat in moderation. All the other stuff is usually noise.
I much prefer pecan pie over pumpkin. Or sweet potato pie instead. Pumpkin as a flavor isn't really all that for me. Nevertheless I will probably take pumpkin pie to our family gathering - along with a lot of cool whip!
ReplyDeleteI definitely have foods that go in and out of favor. I used to eat salad almost every day, and now I just don't want to. And even though I still like pizza, I don't enjoy it as much as I used to. Other than that, I can't think of things I used to love but don't eat anymore.
Bug--Oh, pecan pie! It's so decadent and wonderful. It's my second favourite dessert pie. Lemon meringue is always #1.
DeleteI love a big salad. I just hate making it. In the summertime, it's my favourite dinner. And I put everything in there from my leftover containers. But I get how you can get sick of them, too.
I used to love Earl Grey tea. No longer -- no thanks. I now have to limit tomato sauce to avoid the acidity. ... Maybe you could farm out the task of baking the pumpkin pie?
ReplyDeleteCHM--Rick has agreed to bake pies this year.
DeleteRick has also wandered away from his daily Earl Grey into the arms of English Breakfast tea. I don't know if the breakup is permanent or not. I assume you are drinking something else?
This is a fun one. Stuff I don't eat is a long list. What I don't want, usually, is a texture plus a taste. As the example, as a child I was given and required to swallow every single morning, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice into which a large spoonful of cod liver oil had been added. The combination of the pulp and the oily, fishy taste has put me off citrus juice for a lifetime. On the other hand, I am well grown and was healthy right into my 70's, so my loving parent(s) did well by me.
ReplyDeleteI think the texture thing is genetic. My daughter will not eat meat that has been stewed or ground up. her version of the texture thing. The other daughter eats, like her father, anything that has not eaten her first.
Mary--Ugh. I think you'd rather have taken the CLO straight and chased it with the OJ. The combination seems cruel, though I know your mom didn't mean it that way.
DeleteLove the last sentence of your comment! It reminds me of Theo, whose appetite is astonishing.
I have a gluten intolerance so that takes out a whole swath of foods that I can't/won't eat. I fortunately do not have too many other "won't eat" items. But I do not care for tarragon. If I see it mentioned in a recipe or description of a menu item, I'm out. I love love love pickles so I would be very sad if I wasn't able to eat them. My youngest loves them, too. I even take a swig of the pickle juice occasionally which disgusts my husband, but oh well.
ReplyDeleteI really would be better off if I stopped eating ice cream but I really enjoy it. But my stomach does really protest so I should try a dairy free variety but I'm skeptical that it would be just as good.
Lisa--RA and a gluten intolerance? Too cruel. Are you familiar with my friend Shirley's website? Her gluten intolerance is severe, and her website is a vast and valuable resource. She runs a celiac support group, and she posts wonderful recipes that she tests herself. I've eaten gf while staying with her, and the food was delicious.
DeleteI grow tarragon in my herb garden and enjoy it, but the taste is like licorice, which is off-putting to many. And some of the best bloody marys I've ever had have a slug of pickle juice in them!
I've all but given up ice cream, too. I like premium ice creams, and the butterfat content is so high that my stomach protests like yours. I can't remember the last time I had any. How sad is that?
Pumpkin pie is and has always been a no go for me. But yet, I will make it because my son likes it. He was gobsmacked when I told him I didn't like it. Same with banana bread; I will make it and share it but I won't eat it.
ReplyDeleteGigi--I hear you. I make it for my sons and my husband. I don't even know if they notice that I don't eat any! I do, however, love banana bread. Since I got my new oven--hooray!--I made a loaf with chocolate chips, and it was perfect. I hope to make more soon.
DeleteI've never like pumpkin pie either. I also always got the white bunnies growing up and can't stand white chocolate anymore. Meat is something I've lost desire for. I still try to have some for the protein but don't particularly like it, it's so weird. Also, tomato sauce now cause me to break out in eczema. Getting old sucks!
ReplyDeleteMartha--I'm iffy about meat, too. Chicken is fine, but the rest--meh.
DeleteI'm sorry about tomato sauce! That would disappoint me so dreadfully. What can you do?
Part 1 (blogger won't let me post my whole comment)
ReplyDeleteToday happens to be national pickle day. I hate pickles but like just a tiny bit of sweet pickle relish in my deviled eggs, chicken salad, shrimp salad, etc. Otherwise, I'm not getting close to pickles. It blows my mind that my very picky sister likes them. lol However, she is revolted by mayonnaise so she'll never touch a deviled egg or any of those others that I mentioned. I tend to substitute sour cream in recipes that would normally use mayo so she can enjoy them. That sub doesn't work for everything but it does work well in a surprising number of cases (e.g., crab cakes, crab casserole, breads and cakes that use mayo).
A lot of the things I don't eat now are due to celiac, Alpha Gal, and other intolerances of course. Texture does play a big role in my dislike of foods though. I never liked pumpkin pie before going gluten free because of the texture but then a gf friend told me that you could pretty much make any pie crustless by adding some gluten-free flour mix and I made crustless gf pumpkin pie. Not only was it super easy to do but it also completely fixed the texture issue. The before version was wierdly "wet" and the after version was perfectly custard--no wetness. So many who make my crustless pumpkin pie mention that family members who never liked pumpkin pie before love the crustless version!
Re: your discussion on pumpkin items, I want to make a pumpkin roll and have a wonderful gf recipe from a friend but my motivation is sorely lacking. This has actually been the case for years. Haha but true.
Shirley--I love a pumpkin roll. Maybe I'll try a crustless pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving. I know where to find the recipe! Rick has volunteered to make the pumpkin pies this year for Thanksgiving at Jared and Jordan's.
DeleteI haven't had a good crab cake in ages. And by good, I mean a Maryland blue crab crab cake. Sigh.
I missed National Pickle Day (again)!
Part 2
ReplyDeleteCapers are the bane of my existence but happily I don't ever encounter them when ordering gf menu items. They used to plague beloved crab-stuffed flounder that I'd get for special occasions when eating out. I had to pick around them. I know many who love them and I just don't get it.
I love olive oil but olives of all kind are gross. Texture thing and flavor thing.
Oysters and mussels are nasty IMO. But pretty much every other seafood I adore. I've always said if "they" take away my seafood, I'm going to commit absolute mayhem! I do have my preferences for preparation methods though. Steamed, broiled, and fried (safely, which is a rarity, so only if I do it myself) are all a big yes. Cioppino is a big no but chowder and gumbo are also a big yes.
Have never ever been a fan of sourdough.
I would say I don't like pizza nearly as much as I used to. But that could be due to not being able to eat regular pepperoni anymore. Turkey pepperoni is tolerable but not the greatest. (Turkey bacon is an absolute abomination. It tastes like a hot dog to me. Turkey ham is also a no go.) I do eat veggie pizza and have made chicken-themed pizzas but they're simply not as satisfying to me.
Okra is off the table unless it's sliced thinly and roasted in olive oil.
I really can't stand bananas any longer. They seem to just sit there. I can't believe I ever found them appealing. I remember loving my mom's banana pudding growing up. Now I know I would not want even a safe and delicious gf version of that (which I did make many years ago).
Those chocolates you got at Easter from your uncle's candy store sound like heaven on Earth! What special Easters those must have been. Solid exquisite chocolate bunnies and eating the ears first! I can eat white chocolate in very small amounts only.
I'm finding broccoli really doesn't do it for me now. I didn't start eating it in life until I was pregnant but grew to love it and slowly that love has disappeared.
When I learned the ingredients in Cool Whip and their uses for other things, I stopped eating Cool Whip. I used to love it. I tried it again a few years ago and found it to be very weird.
I used to love hot tea---all my life---but since having C-Diff a few years ago, it never makes me feel well.
I like the taste of eggs but don't do well with them. The protein in them changes when they're baked and of course, you consume a smaller amount per bite in baked goods, so I can still do them in baked goods.
I've always thought cottage cheese was vile. The people who love it baffle me.
Jelly and jams have always been gross to me due to texture issues but I really like pumpkin butter and apple butter. That's a fairly recent thing---maybe last 10 years---so in some cases I have gone the other way.
I'm sure there are more items but this list is pretty long!
Shirley--I used to like cottage cheese, too, and ate a lot of it as a kid. WHAT WAS I THINKING?
DeleteI miss my grandmother's homemade apple butter. So good. I don't eat jam as a rule, and I was never a jelly person.
Have you had banana and peanut butter? I love the combination, especially on very seedy toast, like Dave's Killer Bread.
I love raw oysters. I like mussels. Thank goodness for seafood for you.
And I love olives. But not sourdough.
Oh! And I just referred Lisa, a commenter here, to your blog.
Thanks for more of this thoughtful food discussion, Nance (so many memories---both interesting ones and treasured ones), and thanks so much for the referral. That's truly so very kind of you! xo
DeleteI join you on the anti-ham brigade! The ONLY time I have enjoyed ham was when we visited relatives in Pennsylvania when I was in 3rd grade and they made something called "chipped ham" and as a kid, it was amazing. It had ketchup, Coke, brown sugar, and all sorts of other things in it, along with paper thin slices of ham. I had it on a sandwich and it was literally the only time I willingly ate ham. I am sure the copious amounts of sugar hiding the actual taste of the ham had a lot to do with it.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, I ate pickles all the time. And I mean, ALL the time. It was probably my number one snack. And then one day, I just didn't like them any more. Never had a pickle since.
I no longer do onions because they do me wrong digestively, but I have never been a fan. My sister, on the other hand, can eat a whole cup of raw onions and be very happy about it. My husband can also polish off raw onions with no issue, but is usually forbidden. The horror!
I also don't do spicy foods. I literally cannot handle spicy food, it hurts my mouth and I don't like it. Which is very un-trendy and spicy food and drink are all the rage around here, but it is so unpleasant and also digestively I am punished for it, so why bother?
White chocolate has never been great, just sweet. If I am craving something sweet and it's the only choice I have, I will have it. Otherwise, it's not real chocolate and no thanks.
Also, as the parent of a child with ARFID, I am very used to accommodating dietary preferences. I no longer question why anyone eats or doesn't eat anything, although I will admit to having a bit of judgement in the past. But, no longer. None of my beeswax and I am nobody to impose my preferences upon anyone else. Other than my husband and his onions, though!
Gina--ARFID is a tough thing to deal with. For everyone. I'm sorry your family has to go through that.
DeleteI also don't understand the mythos surrounding fiery food. What is so flavourful about having to gasp or reach for a drink when you eat? Maybe we were born without the gene that translates that sort of heat into flavour or something. But I don't want to suffer when I eat.
What you had as a kid and fell in love with was the good old Isaly's BBQ Chipped Ham Sandwich, a staple of PA. Pennsylvanians rang their own changes on barbecue sauces, but the idea of a sweet sauce with Isaly's chipped ham was the basic idea.
Raw onions are starting to bother me (and one of my sons!) more and more, which is a Sadness. Cooked and caramelized, we're still okay. Do not take all my onions away, please!
I'm not sure if you intended this to be comedy, but I giggled reading your post today.
ReplyDeleteI've never liked white chocolate; it's not chocolate, and anyone who says it is shouldn't be trusted. It's gross.
I don't care for ham at all. Maybe I did as a kid? I'm more discerning with my food, now, more for health reasons than taste.
I do love a good dill/spicy pickle. I also love pumpkin pie! I could eat it all year long, but I only have it at Thanksgiving. You are a gem to make it for your family!
BB Suz--Oh, sure. Laugh at me, go ahead. ; )
DeleteI do wish I liked pumpkin pie. It's such a hallmark of the holiday. And it smells so nice.
Like you, I'm more discerning about my food choices. I inherited my father's bad cholesterol, so I am done with having just cheese and crackers for a meal. How sad is that?