In a country as vast as the great United States, tastebuds differ not only from other countries but even down to different states and regions.
Then some cannot stomach foods that everyone else seems to love. Here are some of the most divisive foods on the menu.
Diet Coke
If you’re one of the people who cannot stand the taste of Diet Coke, you’re among a growing group who feel the same. Some people say Diet Coke tastes highly acidic. Or the artificial sweetener leaves an unpleasant sticky aftertaste with some serious staying powder.
Diet soda consumption is declining in the U.S. Maybe everyone else’s tastebuds are getting in line with yours.
Olives
Americans are the most olive-hating group in the world. Even among people who claim to love olives, they usually don’t mean ALL olives. A tangy green olive stuffed with a little pimento sliver in a glass jar may trigger the gag reflex of someone who loves their olives black and out of a can.
It seems there’s a lot that can go wrong in the world of olives. So people need to be very specific about where their love-hate relationship with the fruit lands.
Miracle Whip
The great divide is about how to use Miracle Whip. Is it a sandwich condiment or a salad dressing? Or are you in the camp that insists the only place for Miracle Whip is in the trash?
If you want to cause a divide in any group, share how Mayonnaise makes your taste buds sing while Miracle Whip is just plain wrong.
Ketchup
It’s hard being a condiment these days. The anti-ketchup camp complains it’s too sweet, tangy, and thick. Ketchup lovers say that’s the point! Outside the U.S., ketchup gets weird. In Germany, curry powder is added, and in the Philippines, it’s “banana sauce.”
Water Chestnuts
First of all, these crunchy little tidbits are confusing. They’re not a nut at all; they’re an aquatic vegetable. While some people love them in their salads and stir fry dishes or wrapped in a piece of bacon… others hate them. The most common complaint? They taste like where they’re grown, underwater in the mud.
Bananas
Bananas are just as tricky to categorize as water chestnuts. Because bananas are actually a berry! (And also a fruit)
The main issue for those who do not go bananas for bananas is that the fruit’s smell is overwhelming for some people. Others say the texture makes them impossible to swallow.
Mangos
For some, a taste of paradise, but if you hate this fruit, you’re not alone. The texture is the biggest complaint. Slimy and stringy. Mmm-mmm.
Handling the skin can cause horrible itching for some people.
Cilantro
Some could happily munch through a bunch of cilantro with a side of street tacos. While others think cilantro tastes like soap. Some scientists say cilantro’s natural aldehyde chemicals are to blame. Or a genetic variation tampers with taste in some people.
Then there’s a third camp of people who hate cilantro that tastes like cilantro. It’s supposed to have a fabulous lemon peppery flavor, but you’re not alone if you think it tastes like grass clippings.
Tuna
Seafood is a nutritional powerhouse, but tuna ends up on the naughty list more than any other fish. The main culprit is the smell. Eating tuna in the workplace is a major no-no. Tuna casserole warmed in the shared microwave could earn you a strongly worded letter from you co-workers.
Clams & Oysters
Both are considered seafood delicacies, but what’s really to love? Grey with a slippery but chewy texture, and most of the time, you’ll get a grain of sand or two to chew.
Cheese
Not liking cheese may get you the most side-eye of any other food on this list. Nearly every country on earth has some form of local cheese. Those who don’t want anything to do with the dairy product say they can’t even try out the cheese taste because they can’t get past the smell, which is described as spoiled milk.
Bell Peppers
This may be the big surprise on the list. A lot of people cannot taste any sweetness in bell peppers and get bitter instead. Mom always said, “Try it! You’ll like it!” Oh, mom.
It’s probably true some foods are an acquired taste. But there’s deep science behind your tastebuds. It’s in your DNA. Each person is unique in whether a smell or taste is delivered to the brain as a positive or negative experience.
No matter how wildly popular a dish or ingredient (think avocado toast), you might as well move along if you can’t handle the taste or texture. Let the majority have at it!
This thread inspired this post.
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