My 21 year had the weirdest palate as a kid. Loved Thai food and pretty much any vegetable including garlic and onions as a 2 year old, but will not touch a banana to this day. Does not like any cooked fruit so no blueberry pancakes or cranberry muffins, no banana bread, no apple pie, no fruit yogurt – still hates all of that. Likes a fair amount of crispy fresh fruit, but nothing too mushy and definitely no bananas. Loves Kimchi and spicy stuff. Adores Brussels sprouts. Would happily eat little green peas or garbanzo beans or tofu as a 1 year old, but not the mushed up baby food — picked little green peas up with the tiny baby fingers and put 'em right in the baby mouth — no mama feeding the baby bird with a spoon or anything. Weird kid, but very healthy!
I’m not picky and like most of the things mentioned here (though I’ve only tasted liver a couple of times). My trauma was margarine passed off as “butter” during my childhood. Always said I didn’t like butter (can you imagine?). Then I went to college and discovered real butter and it was life changing. I still get a thrill almost like eating chocolate when I eat something covered in butter. I also discovered you could cook scrambled eggs so they weren’t slimy and mucosy. Less life changing but nice to realize I liked scrambled eggs just fine - as long as they were actually cooked.
A guy I used to know always said that eating liver was like eating Noxzema. Weird analogy but I completely agree with him.
My mother was big on convenience foods even though she was a fabulous cook when she wanted to be. She used to serve a side dish that she called “peas and mushrooms”. It was frozen green peas mixed with undiluted cream of mushroom soup and heated in the oven. I used to like it 60 years ago but I wouldn’t touch it today.
My mom was Irish, came from a poor family, so there was that. My dad came from a wealthier family (he and his brother attended boarding school and Ivy League colleges in NJ), but his mom was from Scotland and dad was German- so food wasn’t the best. I’m grateful I was never forced to eat anything, but our traditional big family Christmas meal for decades, I was not a fan Sauerbraten Mit Kartoffel Kloesse My husband loves it, I made it once to be nice.
We didn’t eat beef liver much when I was little, but I used to really like chicken gizzards and livers. Vegetarian now, so no thanks, but I liked it then.
I also hated brussel sprouts as a kid. I think my mom boiled them and they smelled like feet. A few years ago a friend convinced me to try her (roasted) brussel sprout appetizer that was a favorite at the restaurant where we were. They were delicious!
I have always liked frozen Lima beans, and they were my choice when it was my turn to pick the vegetable for dinner. My brothers still haven’t forgiven me.
I detest most condiments. I absolutely cannot stand mustard - I would literally throw up if I was forced to eat it. Ketchup, mayonnaise, butter … also absolutely off my plate. While I would never request it, I can put up with a little melted butter on food, although too much will make me gag. But unmelted butter … ugh!!! I once had to eat a salami sandwich on buttered white bread at a family friend’s house. I still haven’t gotten over it.
Oh…cauliflower. How I hate thee. Like all of the times that my mom made me eat cauliflower that had been cooked in a pressure cooker, then smothered in some tasteless white sauce with paprika sprinkled on top.
So all of these eateries now that have cauliflower this and cauliflower that? I do not understand why people eat it. It always smells like feet.
When we were 1st married, DH went on and on about how great Manwich was. I humored him and ate some, but I knew that I’d hate it because we had it all the time when I was a kid and I hated it back then. DH convinced me that this would be different because HE was making it.
I remember peeling off the taste buds on the tongue and taking it around to gross out the neighborhood kids. My mother was a great cook. What was she thinking!??
My mother was also a great cook (well, a great cook for that era at least!) and tongue made an appearance at our dinner table a few times a year. She served it with a cherry sauce that I loved. When I was young I didn’t make the connection to what we were actually eating, and I loved it - thought it was a classy type of ham! Once I understood what it was - NOPE, no way. My best friend from elementary school still laughs about how we had tongue for my birthday dinner to which she was invited!!
Lima beans were my favorite vegetable. Never understood why people didn’t like them!
Tuna casserole - a fave, with crushed potato chips on top!!
My trauma/gag food was cooked/roasted carrots (which I will eat now.)
My SIL tried to feed her that delicacy. Did not end well!
