More Food Stuff

Have you ever been disgusted by a food for reasons other than how it tastes?

The reason I bring this up is because, every time I have Chinese food, I find myself digging through the rubble to see if there are any ninja water chestnuts thrown into the mix.  Now, I suppose that water chestnuts are not absolutely awful tasting, but I emphatically do not like them.  The reason for this is not due to an overindulgence which caused serious illness, rather, it is a case of mistaken identity.

When I was younger, I thought the little round disc in my Chinese food was a potato.  When I crunched into it, I was shocked and confused.  First, I thought it was a raw potato, which is kind of gross.  Then I thought it was a hunk of apple, which, in pies and desserts are pleasant, but not in the middle of a steaming dish of soy laden food.  Someone informed me that it was a water chestnut, and I was angered at the whole process of being taken unaware by some strange non-potato morsel found in my dish.  (I know, why would there be a potato in Chinese food?  I was young, cut me some slack)

I know someone else who stated that he didn't like things like lasagna or saucy type dishes because he didn't like it when he couldn't identify everything individually on his dish.  Now, I consider that a little bizarre (come on.. lasagna??), but I guess I do sympathize with the whole surprise factor.  That one little surprise can change your life!

There are other food items which I generally avoid, either because of their "looks" or their textural properties.

Guacamole is one of them.  I'm sorry, but it really does look like some sort of vomit (all those unidentifiable chunks in there), and I just can't bear to plop it onto my dish.  It's not that it's awful tasting (it's not), but I just can't bear to look at it.  It's an effrontery to my senses, and I won't do it.

In the "textural properties" category, I'll mention pea soup and baked beans.  Pea soup is something I am really trying to like; I've realized that I probably didn't like it much growing up, because my father was very salt-controlling, and thus, to me, it tasted like ground up poo.  (Same goes for baked potatoes.  They need salt! Or something!)  Anyway, pea soup is such a quandary, because it smells so good when it's simmering on the stove, and then you taste it, and... not so much.  For me, I think it's the pasty texture.  It's just not a pleasant thing to me.  And baked beans, once you bite, have the same texture.  Anchovies, too.  Plus, they're hairy.  It's just that gross, mushy, grainy, I don't know what, that has made my dishes devoid of such pleasures over the years.

Now, there are other foods which I really disdain because of the taste, most of which have childhood memories attached. I'm not a fan of liver, because even when it looks like a steak cutlet, and your mother tells you it's a steak cutlet, it sure as hell tastes nothing like a steak cutlet. I am also a non-fan of green peppers, particularly when they are put into a red sauce. Regardless of what your mother or anyone else says, you cannot just "pick them out." They change the entire taste of the sauce, and it's a real disappointment when your precious sauce has been compromised.

Anyway, I could go on for hours about food, I'm sure I can work up enough posts to generate a "food" theme, but for now, I'll end it here. In some other post, I'll discuss foods that I won't eat in public, and foods that you should never force your kid to eat. In the meantime, buon appetito!