#MicroblogMondays 118: The Newly Not Gross

by Mel

21 comments

1 Mali { 11.28.16 at 5:47 am }

I can certainly relate to not wanting to be pushed into trying something, yet finding yourself eager to try something on your own timetable. Sometimes I find if people push me, I’ll push back. Give me time, and I’ll come to it on my own. (For example, like having children!)

I don’t know if I’ve ever said I would never ever eat something. Though there are certainly things I might be reluctant to try. I remember in Taiwan generously donating a bowl of huge octopus (not squid, real octopus) tentacles to a businessman sitting next to me, because I couldn’t face the idea. He loved me for it! That said, I tried stir-fried crickets in Thailand, as a result of peer pressure. So maybe sometimes I don’t push back – though I was only 17 at the time.

2 Nabanita { 11.28.16 at 5:58 am }

I’m like this too. I can’t bring myself do or like something when forced to.I like to do it at my own pace and I have changed my mind on several occasions due to this

3 Modern Gypsy { 11.28.16 at 7:18 am }

hmm….I think I did it with broccoli! I never wanted to eat it as a child, but now it’s one my favorite vegetables! Who knew?

4 Jennifer { 11.28.16 at 7:23 am }

OooOoh, Tofurkey. ::shudder:: I don’t blame you for being hesitant to try that! I’m a pretty adventurous eater so there isn’t much I wouldn’t try – my “nope” line is probably somewhere near tarantula legs. =)

5 Cristy { 11.28.16 at 8:48 am }

I still have certain food adversions that stem from pushing (dates come to mind). Hence I firmly believe in offering but not forcing with older children and adults. That said, I do like the idea of giving control to someone so that they can explore. Maybe that’s what I need to do with dates.

6 Karen { 11.28.16 at 9:08 am }

I’ve never really had a list of things I would never, ever eat. With most things I don’t like, I still have this hope that maybe my tastes will change over time and eventually I’ll like them. So every once in a while I’ll try it again just to see… think, “yep, still don’t like this!” and give up for another bit of time.

7 SRB { 11.28.16 at 9:24 am }

I only do Tofurkey at holidays for me, the kids, and my FIL. I am a WIZARD at doing the Tofurkey roast. It involves basting, herbs, rubbing roasted garlic, roasting it with vegetables, homemade mushroom gravy…the best! And I say this a vegetarian who dislikes faux meat intensely.

8 Working mom of 2 { 11.28.16 at 10:13 am }

I don’t know why but when I was a child I was an extremely picky eater, only ate a few things and try new things made me very squeamish. Yet I of all people became a vegan. And actually one of the reasons it took me so long to go from vegetarian to vegan – – about seven years – – was that I was afraid to try soy milk. Now I think back and laugh at how trivial that change was. I have mostly gotten over myself when it comes to being squeamish about new foods.

I love Tofurkey roast and have for years. My family prefers a roast that Trader Joe’s makes that has a crispy coating. Gardein makes one like that too.

Oh, and some things never change: I find gravy disgusting and do not eat it. Also FYI you can buy Tofurkey and other roasts that come with gravy if you want.

People feel different ways but I’m in the camp that says hey we all grew up eating meat there’s nothing wrong with liking or wanting a faux version and it doesn’t hurt animals to do so. And it will benefit animals way more if carnivores try a meatless Monday with a faux meat versus trying to get them to eat some strange concoction.

9 Isabelle { 11.28.16 at 10:17 am }

Being Chinese, I eat anything weird. But there are regular things that I don’t like, like eggplants or bitter melon. Recently I tried both again in adulthood and liked them both the way they were prepared. Will I seek them out in the future? Probably not. But I don’t think I will be as resistant. As for durian, the tropical fruit that smells like a sewer? I can say that I will never ever put it in my mouth.

10 Lori Shandle-Fox { 11.28.16 at 10:32 am }

There are certain things I’ve tried periodically over the years again and again because I knew they were healthy. I’ve loved plain yogurt for decades now but still, even after several attempts, haven’t mastered either oatmeal or grapefruit. I can’t do the bitter vegetables either like cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. If I make them edible, I totally kill the nutrition value.

11 Wendy English { 11.28.16 at 12:01 pm }

Shoot. I wrote a comment that went in to the black hold of an internet glitch. Synopsis – green beans and meatloaf are a yuck. I do like tofu and love how SRB describes preparing Tofurkey.
What do you eat on Thanksgiving? I may have missed that tidbit of info. Hope everyone had a good holiday!

12 Sharon { 11.28.16 at 12:25 pm }

I am not at all a picky eater, so I haven’t ever had to be persuaded to try new foods. However, I have discovered that some foods that I disliked as a child (Brussels sprouts and spinach are a couple of examples) are actually quite tasty if prepared properly.

One thing I ate once and will never eat again is roe. Yuck! The texture grosses me out.

13 Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) { 11.28.16 at 2:32 pm }

When I was little, I hated eggs. Not sure why or when it changed, but I eat them regularly now. Once in awhile, something about cooking them will kind of gross me out, so that must be leftover from childhood.

14 loribeth { 11.28.16 at 2:59 pm }

Absolutely. I was a very picky eater when I was a kid, but many of the foods I would not touch then I have learned to eat & even to love as an adult. I didn’t even like pizza when I was a kid, although I learned to like it as a teenager. I didn’t like Chinese food & didn’t eat it until I was at university. I turned my nose up at my Baba’s borscht, cabbage rolls & pierogis, all things I have learned to love as an adult. I’ve learned to like brussel sprouts & mashed turnip (that one just int he last few years). Some of the things I still don’t like to eat: mushrooms (don’t like the squishy feeling between my teeth!), game (deer, rabbits, etc.). Pumpkin pie. (I have a feeling I’d probably like that one if I tried it now as an adult, but I figure I don’t need the calories, lol.) Coconut. I still don’t like food that’s too spicy — Indian, for example — or raw (i.e., sushi, or steak tartare). I did try escargot once when I was out with friends — and that was enough, lol. 😉 And there are some foods I won’t eat because of my tomato allergy — but that’s being careful, although I’m sure some people think I’m just being picky.

15 Jess { 11.28.16 at 6:29 pm }

I don’t think a Tofurkey is for me, but I have been embracing tofu instead of chicken in my Thai food, which is a new thing. I hated beets. The only beets I knew were my grandmother’s pickled beets, which always came out at family and holiday dinners in a special crystal pickle dish, with beets on one side and mini gherkins on the other. I would try them every year in case my tastes changed. They didn’t. But THEN I discovered roasted and thinly sliced raw beets, and I can’t get enough of them in salads. I am a beet monster now. I am a meat eater, but while my sister was a vegan she made a stir fry dish of seitan… which I will forever call SATAN because I didn’t know it was totally made from wheat and on top of tasting gross it destroyed my stomach (this was before I knew I had celiac, but now it makes SO MUCH SENSE). So I am always wary of the meat substitutes. Tofu, okay, but anything pretending to be actual meat? No thank you.

16 Traci York { 11.28.16 at 11:28 pm }

I can’t think of any food I ever felt that strongly about that I’ve changed my mind about, but I hear you on the timetable thing. I do much better acclimating to new ideas and such on my own time – being hurried along by other people usually just makes me dig in my heels.

Be sure to shout out after you’ve experienced Tofurkey – I’m curious as to how good it is (but not curious enough to try it). Happy dining!

17 Suzy { 11.29.16 at 4:13 am }

I did not like eggplant until I was forced to eat it at my aunt’s place. Loved it ever since and it’s one of my favourite veges.

18 Ashley { 11.30.16 at 1:00 pm }

I’m a fairly adventurous eater. I liked to push the pallet of my Pennsylvania Dutch family, which sometimes worked in my favor (Mexican rice casserole) and sometimes not (the fateful Lemon Chicken that even the dog wouldn’t eat!). I pushed for my family to try Chinese food when the first restaurant came to our town (we all found something we like!). In contrast, my sister was such a picky eater (and still is) that she wouldn’t eat pizza or hamburgers and absolutely NO CHEESE! Not me, I’ll try anything at least once! Mostly, the things I don’t like (olives, beets, sardines) are still things I don’t like, but try from time to time to see if I have acquired a taste. I learned to tolerate (not really like) tomatoes this way. The strangest food I’ve eaten was when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua and ate iguana. It tasted like really chewy chicken.

19 Mary Francis { 12.01.16 at 3:38 am }

I grew up on the working-class diet of the 1950’s which was, to say the least, unadventurous. So striking out on my own at 18 was an adventure.

My amazing housemate, Viv, is Jewish and she introduced me to parts of a chicken that had definitely off-limits before! Liver, and the ‘parson’s nose’ to be exact.

Chicken in the 1950’s was a luxury. We had chicken for Christmas Dinner, and that was that. I still prefer it to Turkey, and it always feels like a special treat.

I will try most things, , but I draw the line at insects. Though logically, they can’t be that different from shrimp. I will never know.

20 Cyn K { 12.01.16 at 3:06 pm }

Some day I will embrace guacamole. Not sure when but I think it will be worth it.

21 Lori Lavender Luz { 12.01.16 at 4:13 pm }

I love Brussels sprouts now, too.