Consider the Cannoli: Subjective Preferences and Conversations about Geek Media

[Dannyalcatraz]

I really do feel for those for whom certain ingredients are intrinsically unpleasant to eat because of their genetics.

There’s a local gelato chain that has- among other things- a delicious lavender vanilla flavor. And one of my favorite preserve makers from the local Farmers’ Market makes a lavender peach preserve we just killed our first jar of.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I generally agree, but also think it can be more complicated.

My rule of thumb is always that people should always try something, but ... well, people are bundles of all sorts of weirdness. Tastes can evolve over time (things you like when you are younger, you might not like now, and vice-versa). Preferences can change as well (I'm really into bitter in a way I wasn't in the past). And how the food is prepared, and in what context, can also matter- there are preparations of okra that are amazing, and some that are just slimy/inedible (to me).

But yeah, the most skilled cooks can do wonders with foods!

I forgot an okra story! Actually, two!

1) I was trying Filipino food for the first time at a cafeteria-style place, and the owners were being very patient in helping me (& Mom) make our choices. We were picking things out with their help when I noticed they had very few stand-alone veggie dishes. So we wound up getting an okra dish. Surprisingly, it was the single best side dish we had. I got seconds.

2) if you’re adventurous, check Asian/African groceries for okra. Often, they’ll have variants from those regions that are smaller than the American ones, which are MUCH less slimy,* Completely different culinary experience.




* That said, you actually want that slime if you‘re making a gumbo, because it acts like a thickener. Of the several gumbos I make, the only okra based one uses the American variant of the plant.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

…people are bundles of all sorts of weirdness. Tastes can evolve over time (things you like when you are younger, you might not like now, and vice-versa). Preferences can change as well (I'm really into bitter in a way I wasn't in the past).

Agreed.

White chocolate and grape jelly/preserves were once common things for me to eat. But now, they’re almost completely out of my diet. White chocolate only gets eaten in certain cookies or on cakes at functions. I haven’t had grape jelly since 1987.

On the flip side, my appreciation for mushrooms went from essentially nil to becoming a a staple in my kitchen.

 

[payn]

Agreed.

White chocolate and grape jelly/preserves were once common things for me to eat. But now, they’re almost completely out of my diet. White chocolate only gets eaten in certain cookies or on cakes at functions. I haven’t had grape jelly since 1987.

On the flip side, my appreciation for mushrooms went from essentially nil to becoming a a staple in my kitchen.

Canned mushrooms were all I got as a kid. They are nasty so I never had any appreciation for mushrooms. That has certainly changed!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Canned mushrooms were all I got as a kid. They are nasty so I never had any appreciation for mushrooms. That has certainly changed!

One product I miss is Tones’ dried mushrooms. They stopped making them years ago. Unlike others I can find (usually in Asian markets), Tones’ product used only one kind of mushroom as opposed to a mix.

As such, it was a great flavor & texture enhancer for things like pot roasts, stews and soups. In fact, it was the “gateway” to my Mom eating more ‘shrooms. She doesn’t care for mushrooms in general, but those she often insisted I add to certain dishes.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

On the flip side, my appreciation for mushrooms went from essentially nil to becoming a a staple in my kitchen.

I had, a, uh, friend who loved mushrooms. But this friend really got into the whole White Rabbit mushrooms, you know, when your mind is moving low. Anyway, got to the point where the friend couldn't eat regular mushrooms, because he had fed his head so many times with the other kind that the taste of regular mushroom just made him queasy. Took him years to get back to enjoying mushrooms again.

Friends, man.

 

[Maxperson]

I really do feel for those for whom certain ingredients are intrinsically unpleasant to eat because of their genetics.

There’s a local gelato chain that has- among other things- a delicious lavender vanilla flavor. And one of my favorite preserve makers from the local Farmers’ Market makes a lavender peach preserve we just killed our first jar of.

Yeah. I'm one of those Cilantro tastes like soap people. I have to pick it out of my tacos a lot, because I love onion and the taco places usually have it mixed together.

 

[Mad_Jack]

When I moved back to the US, it was NYC, and my first job was at a bagel bakery, where I could take home bags of the day olds. It helped feed us all in our crummy little Bowery apartment, but I don't think I have ever really enjoyed a bagel since.

I rolled pretzels at the mall back in my college years, and we got to keep the leftovers at the end of the night.

It took me almost a year before I could smell butter or taste pretzels again - they literally just didn't register to my brain anymore, lol.

 

[Blue]

Canned mushrooms were all I got as a kid. They are nasty so I never had any appreciation for mushrooms. That has certainly changed!

Growing up the only fish I was exposed to was frozen fishsticks - frozen breaded whiting or tilapia. I thought that was what fish tasted like and didn't eat cooked fish until my late 20s. (I had started eating sushi and sashimi with a group of friends, graduating from the "gateway" california rolls to actual several years prior to that.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My Mom is still hung up on childhood memories of canned salmon, which had some bones still in it. To this day, the ONLY salmon she eats is lox.