Worse, Much Worse, Than You Remember: Acquired Distastes

[David A. Goldfarb]

The "Hall of Shame" thread has me thinking about things I used to like but can't really tolerate any longer. I think I could easily make my way through a whole box of Hostess HoHos when I was around nine years old, but I tried one a few years ago and the fascination has clearly passed, which is fortunate, since I no longer have the metabolism of a nine-year-old. Maybe the ingredients are of lesser quality, or maybe the mylar wrapper that was once aluminum foil has changed the texture by retaining more moisture, or maybe by eating better cakes, I've acquired a distaste for them.

When I was growing up, we also generally used margarine at home, and I was a bit apprehensive about butter, but now we always use butter, and I find margarine revolting.

Have you learned to dislike things you once liked?

[Dianabanana]

All my life I have been an avid lover of smoked fish of all kinds, but especially smoked salmon, which was just about my favorite thing in the world. In the last couple of years, though, I have found that I can no longer tolerate the smoke flavor. It now seems so heavy and oily and overbearing, and the smoke taste lingers on my palate for such a long time afterward.

Thanks to you guys, all is well, though--I've got a batch of gravlax curing in the fridge right now.

[Dakki]

Processed cheese and cheese foods (Velveeta, Cheez Whiz, etc) and dried meat snacks such as Slim Jim.

(I enjoy homemade jerky though, and made a big batch this week.)

[thayes1c]

Fat Tire beer. Used to love it, now the biscuity flavor overwhelms any enjoyment I might get from it. Fat tired out, more like it!

[andiesenji]

French fried onions or onion rings.

There was a time when I could eat an entire can of the FF onions but now can't even open a can without feeling nausea.

Same with the appearance of FF onion rings seen at restaurants.

Strange, because I love onions fried, baked, onion confit, etc.

[Katie Meadow]

There are many foods I once ate happily that I find horrid now. The last time I tried Spaghettios--maybe 20 years ago when I had a toddler and curiosity got the better of me--I was astounded at how terrible they are. The things I find most inedible now are packaged chocolate chip cookies, instant quaker oats, poptarts, Israeli chocolate coins and all poor quality milk chocolate, peanut butter that has anything besides peanuts and salt in it (that would be sugared stuff like Skippy), margarine, anything made with cream of mushroom soup, canned clams (and most other things from a can), Kraft grated parmesan, most sodas, and Philadelphia cream cheese. Sorry, I grew up on it but it tastes like plastic to me now.

[lancastermike]

While growing up at home all we always had margarine and only instant coffee. Can't stand either of them. As time goes by I like mashed potatoes less and less.

[Chris Hennes]

Sugar. Like nearly all children I had a sweet tooth and would gladly eat whatever sweet thing you put in front of me. Now? Not so much. A bite or two and I'm done.

[Dave the Cook]

Rice Krispies now taste inedibly salty.

[Peter the eater]

Rice Krispies now taste inedibly salty.

They've changed, but I can still eat the Rice Krispies. What I cannot handle are all the hypersugary cereals that I once liked. Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Trix, Cap'n'Crunch . . . Count Chocula. Gag.

[nibor]

Most of the stuff on the eGullet Hall of Shame thread....

[teagal]

Boxed cake mixes!!

[Dakki]

Add canned mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup and fideo to mine.

Also, hardboiled eggs that are not devilled. :yuck:

[KathyP]

When I was a kid I'd eat anchovies and sardines. Now, I can't even stand to look at sardines and I avoid anchovies in salads and other foods.

[kayb]

Most coffee. I've become a coffee snob, which means the coffee from the Bunn in the break room at work is undrinkable, as is most restaurant coffee. (For the record, I also dislike most coffeehouse coffees, which tend to have way too much of a bitter taste; I'm spoiled to my medium roast, freshly ground, and prepared in my French press, which goes with me when I travel.).

[Lapin d'Argent]

Oaky white wines. Use to love them. Can't go near them now...they taste fake to me.

[clove2873]

Rice Krispies now taste inedibly salty.

They've changed, but I can still eat the Rice Krispies. What I cannot handle are all the hypersugary cereals that I once liked. Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Trix, Cap'n'Crunch . . . Count Chocula. Gag.

In absolute agreement here.. The "marshmallow" laden Lucky Charms that I once ate bags of are hardly edible anymore.

[Shamanjoe]

I used to love milk, but for some reason I couldn't palate it for a long time. Only recently I've started drinking it again, but only in limited quantities, and usually with a baked good or over cereal.

[dividend]

Margarine for sure, especially spread on things. I've become a butter girl all the way. Velveeta shells and cheese. I used to love it, but it tastes overwhelmingly like plastic now. Skim milk, or milk in plastic containers. I've started drinking local, whole milk in the glass bottles, and it's like night and day. I got Dad to try it, and now he's drinking milk again after years of thinking he didn't like it.

Most coffee. I've become a coffee snob, which means the coffee from the Bunn in the break room at work is undrinkable, as is most restaurant coffee. (For the record, I also dislike most coffeehouse coffees, which tend to have way too much of a bitter taste; I'm spoiled to my medium roast, freshly ground, and prepared in my French press, which goes with me when I travel.).

This. Although at the local coffee house where I buy my beans, you can order french press coffee, and sometimes I can talk the resident coffee geek into making me a vacuum brewed cup. That's a good cup of coffee.

[Meanderer]

Other than very dry, anise-based versions, I find I have lost my taste for liqueurs. Judging by the dust on certain opened bottles, that change in my palate must have occurred many years ago.

[Peter Green]

A few years back, on the North Shore of Vancouver, Yoonhi and one of her old friends were shopping in a Korean grocery.

They chanced upon a can of beondegi (lsilk worm larva).

"Oh, remember when we were kids? I loved this! It tasted nutty!"

"Oh, yeah, I remember! These were so good."

"Oh....it's bugs."

"Oh, yeah....ughh."

They put the can back on the shelf.

Note - edited because I was slapped on the head and told how to spell "beondegi" properly

Edited January 25, 2010 by Peter Green (log)

[JAZ]

I used to love Wheat Thins. Recently I bought a box for the first time in years. They were unbearably sweet and odd-tasting. On the other hand, I still love Triscuits.

[Stephanie Brim]

Store bought bread. Even some bakery versions.

In the commercial bread such as Wonder and Sara Lee, I'm thinking that it's the High Fructose Corn Syrup that I can't really stand. Why put that in bread of all things? In the bakery breads, I'm becoming adept at baking similar things, and therefore my home-baked is better because I can get it that much sooner after it's baked.

[LuckyGirl]

This topic and the responses are very interesting.

I have outgrown many of the same items as others from cheese slices to canned spaghettio-type things to even, mashed potatoes.

I never was a fan of the blue box mac & cheese or the Velveeta version but I did, on occasion, like a grilled cheese sandwich made with Kraft slices (but it had to be decent bread- go figure) and a bowl of Campbell’s tomato and rice soup. It’s been several years since I could stomach either those cheese slices or canned tomato soup (which was the only canned soup I could ever stand).

I agree with Katie with regards to not being able to stand anything from a can or Philadelphia cream cheese.

I think the only canned items I have in my house are tomatoes, tuna and black olives. I only like the canned variety of black olives with tacos. I have often wondered if I would ever loose my taste for those.

As for the Philadelphia or other commercial cream cheeses with guar and what ever else they are made with I really, really dislike them. There is one sundried tomato spread that I will use commercial cream cheese for but other than that, forget it. The only cream cheese I eat any more is Zingerman’s which means I don’t eat it very often. In fact, lately I have been lamenting the fact that we have no locally made, good cream cheese available in Cleveland. I have to learn to make my own.

I used to get a hankering for canned spaghetti-o type things every year or two. Many years ago I got over that craving.

Like “Dave the Cook” who finds Rice Krispies to be salty, how salty Cheerios tasted to me when I had a handful of them from a hotel’s breakfast offerings astonished me.

I too have lost much interest in mashed potatoes unless they are made with equal parts turnips and or rutabaga and maybe with sautéed onions or leeks and some sort of green like swiss chard or kale.

No commercial bread.

Sometimes I wonder how much of no longer liking something is a change in my palette vs. how the used to be made vs. how it’s made now.

For instance, Fig Newtons, were they always so sweet? Saltines, used to love them now I only like the Old Cape Cod brand, is that from the recipe of the Premium brand being changed to use hydrogenated oil? Same for Oreos and those Nutter Butter cookies, I used to like both of those on occasion but it’s been like 15 years since I liked either.

Oh, yes, I also agree on peanut butter. I pretty much only like Koeze, Cream Nut or homemade. I used to like Crema Nut too but it’s been so long since I’ve had it I can’t quite recall how it tastes.

[Peter the eater]

Oaky white wines. Use to love them. Can't go near them now...they taste fake to me.

I like my reds dry and my whites sparkling. Or fortified.