Tricking your non-foodie friends

[Kent Wang]

I once tricked my roommate into thinking that tiramisu was Japanese. Hey, the name does sound pretty Japanese!

What tricks have you played on non-foodies?

[Jason Perlow]

Its more impressive to play tricks on -actual- foodies, like convincing them that Tater Tots are in vogue or that Toaster Bags are the best thing since sliced bread.

[Trishiad]

What? tater tots aren't in vogue??? What will I tell my 3 year old?

[Megan Blocker]

Is tiramisu a foodie thing?

Tater tots ARE in vogue - anything that delicious never goes out of style.

[lorilei1170]

When I was about 8, I told one of my parents' dinner guests that the brussel sprouts were miniature Chinese cabbages. He bought it and loved them, previously claiming to have HATED brussel sprouts!

[Jenny McClure]

Many years ago, I convinced my friend that my Mum's chicken Liver pate was this new breakfast spread ( if she knew what it was she would never have tried it, I really thought once she did she would be converted forever). The look of digust when she did try it and the subsequent retching in our toilet, when she found out what it actually was, made me feel very guilty indeed.

[Carlovski]

When we were on holiday as kids my Parents convinced my very picky eating cousin that fried Calamari were onion rings. He was enjoying them until my Nan let it slip....

Trying to trick wine snobs with cheap plonk can be entertaining.

If they are adventerous to try oysters then giving them your special rare 'Mountain oysters' could be fun

[SuzySushi]

When we were on holiday as kids my Parents convinced my very picky eating cousin that fried Calamari were onion rings. He was enjoying them until my Nan let it slip....

←

Oh, yes... we're still letting our 9 year old think that fried calamari rings are just different French fries!

[culinary bear]

When I was about 8, I told one of my parents' dinner guests that the brussel sprouts were miniature Chinese cabbages.  He bought it and loved them, previously claiming to have HATED brussel sprouts! 

←

Actually, you're not far off the mark!

Cabbages and sprouts are exactly the same species, Brassica olerecea, but cabbages have been bred to have one huge terminal leaf-bud and brussels sprouts have been bred to produce many small leaf-buds.

Incidentally, broccoli and cauliflower are different strains of B. olerecea too.

[Country Cook]

I got my niece to eat frogs legs by mixing them in with my Dad's honey garlic chicken wings! She didn't notice the bones looked a bit funny until after she'd had a few (legs).

[Moopheus]

I have arbitrarily refused to eat things by saying they aren't kosher, in places where I wasn't likely to get called on it.

[Daddy-A]

When we were on holiday as kids my Parents convinced my very picky eating cousin that fried Calamari were onion rings. He was enjoying them until my Nan let it slip....

←

Oh, yes... we're still letting our 9 year old think that fried calamari rings are just different French fries!

←

I told me ex-BIL that they were bacon!

Another couple of stories from my fish-monger days ...

We used to get sturgeon from time to time and put a whole sturgeon, sans head, up front for "display." When asked what it was we would tell unsuspecting tourists (and naiive locals) that it was in fact a narwhal. When asked where the long tusk was, we'd point to an old broomstick at the back of the shop.

Occaisionaly we'd get early spawning salmon with their "hooked" noses. If asked what the hooked nose was for (it really has no "use" AFAIK) we'd reply it was for the salmon to hook over branches in the river so it could rest during its long trip up stream to spawn. Somewhere in Houston, there's a family that video-taped me telling this "fascinating" story!

A.