I won't eat... What are your food limits?

[loper]

Ripe bananas, no. green bananas, yes.

I love dairy in general, but won't drink milk.

I love those little sesame baby octopus (I belive they are actually just a smaller species, not "babies" per se, but either way).

What I can't stand (be kind, I'm new) is melon of any sort.

It has a background flavor of, well, pastel.

[lala]

The interviewer asked the wife what kind of adjustments she'd had to make, changing from the Brazilian rainforest to (I think) Iowa.

"The tarantulas you get in the pet stores here," she replied. "They just don't taste like the ones back home."

So is that wild vs. cultivated tarantulas? so funny!

I'll try just about anything once. Having tried it, I will be happy to never eat okra again.

[sml311]

Ripe bananas, no. green bananas, yes.

Same here!

SML

Nice to know I'm not that weird!

[JohnnyH]

fennel.

[Barb48]

No live bugs for sure, and maybe not even dead ones...geez, I couldn't even eat an incapsulated pretrified worm inside a cherry lollipop!

...and under no circumstance would I ever eat Fluffy or Rover...

[mcdowell]

I watched this thread in amusement, knowing that there's nothing that I wouldn't eat. Never run across anything, not in trucking around my favorite parts of this world. I've spent inordinate amounts of time cruising our borderlands, eating border food, animal parts that you'd turn your nose up at, little question.

Then last night I watched a show on National Geographic Channel called Taboo. Their focus was on food (titled Delicacies), and boy did it hit a few food prejuidices that I didn't know I carried.

There's a ritual in Greenland where they capture a certain type of shark and prepare it by having it rot, buried in sand for six months, continually decomposing. They do that to leech out toxins. Then they air dry it. It's called hakarl and is heavily ammoniated and smells of urine.

I don't think I could eat shark that heavily smells of urine.

There was another ritual in another country involving some sort of live-stock fetuses that didn't look too bad, but my girlfriend made me change the channel; bull-riding took us away.

[Pouncy]

Cherries. The smell makes me gag. For the first 8 years of my life, I was on twice-daily doses of Cherry Septra for my sinuses. I know medicine never tastes like the real thing, but the smell is close enough that I can't take it.

[RagallachMC]

Besides all the obvious (rotting shark et al.), the only two things I won't eat are Broccoli (including Rapini) and Cauliflower. Vile, vile stuff.

[Bicycle Lee]

UNI!

no way, shape, or form...

[purplewiz]

Non-deveined shrimp.

Yes, I KNOW it's edible and I KNOW it won't hurt me but psychologically, I just cannot force myself to eat shrimp if I see even a bit of black. I've tried, and my throat physically refused to swallow it - and I realized that if I kept trying, it was going to come right back up anyway.

So I don't know if I won't eat any of the more exotic items mentioned in this thread, but I know my body absolutely refused to eat non-deveined shrimp.

But once that vein is gone, I eat 'em like beer nuts .

Marcia.

[CompassRose]

I think I probably would take a pass on most organs and eyeball-type things. In any case, I don't feel it's a good idea to eat organs, in this country at least; they tend to stockpile any toxins to which a given beast is exposed. Mmm! I'll have extra pesticides with that kidney!

Insects I'm okay with. Not that I'd seek them out, mind you. I rather liked durian. I don't normally care for octopus or squid, but I think that's cos I'm not rich enough to get it consistently prepared properly. I liked it -- in one dish, once. Other than that -- gloing! gloing!

The one everyday thing that I won't eat is anything visibly, or perceptibly, greasy or oily. The feel of oil or grease sliding down my throat is one of the most hideous eating experiences I can think of.

[foodobsessed]

This is a strange one, because it's not all that wierd and I can certainly choke down some strange foods (i.e. Rocky Mountain Oysters, snake).

However...I've tried many a time, and I just can't STAND the taste of raw tuna. I've had the best grades, even tried the much sought after Toro (belly of tuna) that Jeffrey Steingarten raved about in "It Must've Been Something I Ate". I really WANT to love it, but something in the taste disgusts me. I don't get it!

[tastykimmie]

no animal balls (sorry, i mean testicles!!)

[tastykimmie]

no animal balls (sorry, i mean testicles!!)

[JennotJenn]

I like to think of myself as pretty open minded and stated in my previous post that I'd eat just about anything. But if I may, after reading this, may I add the one item that I will not eat, ever, even if I'm starving to death?

Stink eggs. With botulism or without. Gah!

[Milt]

This series of responses has caused me to rethink my initial comments, also. My thoughts were limited to what is offered in grocery stores and restaurants here and abroad - but I think there are a few "off the wall" offerings where I would choose to stay hungry.

I still feel, in general, that the less popular meat, vegetables, desserts, drinks, etc. are where I would choose the one I had never experienced.

[dr_memory]

Eggs. I'll eat them mixed up in a batter such as cake, custard, sweet souffle or bread pudding. I'll even eat french toast if the batter isn't too eggy. I've tried caviar and I don't have a problem with that. But eggs alone--scrambled, omelet, poached--no way. Hard boiled or egg salad---SHUDDER....

I cannot tell you how happy I am to find that I am not the only egulleter with this aversion.

They are satan's snot. Sulfurous, congealed, quivering mucous. Not food. No way. Non serviam. I disbelieve.

Needless to say, I will not be trying the fetal duck eggs any time soon!

[dr_memory]

There's a ritual in Greenland where they capture a certain type of shark and prepare it by having it rot, buried in sand for six months, continually decomposing. They do that to leech out toxins. Then they air dry it. It's called hakarl and is heavily ammoniated and smells of urine.

I don't think I could eat shark that heavily smells of urine.

They sell tiny jars of cubed hakarl in the duty-free shop in Keflavik Airport in Iceland.

It even looks nasty.

Luckily for all concerned, it is sold in airtight (if sadly transparent) cannisters.

[mags]

This is a major thread-hijack, for which I apologize, but I just heard a wonderful story about Iceland. One of my customers had been flying from Munich with his wife and two cats, en route to a 3-month sabatical in NYC. While they were over the Atlantic, one of the plane's two engines caught fire, and they were forced to make an emergency landing in Iceland. At the airport, they were greeted with reporters and photographers -- apparantly the engine problem had been REALLY bad, and nobody had expected the plane to make it down safely. My customer was photographed clutching one of his kitties, and then he and his wife and the cats betook themselves to a hotel for some much needed whiskey and rest.

The next morning, they were awoken by the police. The photo of customer+cat had appeared on the front page of the Icelandic equivalent of the New York Times, where it had been spotted by the Minister of Health. Iceland, it seems, has very strict pet-quarantine laws, similar to the ones the UK used to have, and the Icelandic government was furious that they had brought their cats into the country. My customer and his wife were hustled down to the police station, and somebody or other from the U.S. Ambassador's office -- who knew we HAD an ambassador to Iceland? -- had to come and negotiate their release.

They have printed up cards with a picture of the villainous cat in question, draped over a sign reading "I caused an international incident."

[mongo_jones]

things i will not eat if given the choice:

dogs: inconsistent ethical reasons

monkeys and apes: see above

spiders: they gross me out

cockroaches: see above

endangered species: anyone remember "the freshman"?

other than that i'm game for anything--and i would probably reconsider the above (definitely the endangered species) if my life depended on it.

those of you who say you won't eat brains you need to get yourselves to a good punjabi dhaba in north india and try some brain curry--the way the livid, red sauce spurts out of the cubed brains when you press down on them just adds to the sensory pleasure.

[Susan G]

those of you who say you won't eat brains you need to get yourselves to a good punjabi dhaba in north india and try some brain curry--the way the livid, red sauce spurts out of the cubed brains when you press down on them just adds to the sensory pleasure.

Oh! Oh! Mercy! And I thought i had a cast-iron stomach!

[FunJohnny]

I'm shocked that no one has mentioned - and you could actually be confronted with this option - dog! You're saying that you could munch down Lassie if she came to you on a plate?

[PakePorkChop]

Fafaru.

Put fish into clean seawater, let stand for days, strain the remains of fish and keep the SEAWATER. Soak seafood in water from ten minutes to eight hours, to taste.

Slice and serve.

Although a popular dish (the water is bottled and sold in stores), airline regulations forbid the substance aboard the craft because of the aroma.

Fafaru was served to Survivor contestants and several were penalized because they refused to eat it.

For delicious details, see:

http://www.hawaii.rr.com/leisure/reviews/a...fajatpphigh.htm

[handmc]

Fin & Haddie. My mom used to make it. Its smoky smell would be attractive but it would taste...Gak, I would put it in my mouth and my body would eject it faster. My mother was an incredible cook, I always felt bad I couldn't choke it down, neither could anyone else in the house for that matter.

[britcook]

Fin & Haddie.

I take it you're referring to Finnan Haddie, smoked haddock originally produced in Findon, Scotland?