Food discoveries ...

[Kestrel]

Most of my life I've not liked spinach or coconut, and had only a passing desire for chocolate.

Well, I've finally discovered ...

... it was CANNED spinach I didn't like, because that was the only kind I knew when I was growing up. Or if it was fresh, Mother cooked it till it was mush. But I LOVE spinach -- fresh, stir-fried, etc. etc. Just not as mush. And kale and chard and all the greens. Yum!

... it was the dried sugared coconut I didn't like. It didn't even smell good. Coconut oil, coconut cream, dried unsweetened coconut, coconut water, etc. -- I love them all!

... it was the sweet chocolate of my youth -- Hershey's and the like, just not very appealing -- that I didn't like. I've avoided dark chocolate because I thought I "didn't like" it, but you know what???!!! ... it's amazing stuff! 70-80% cocoa, sweetened with stevia, added coconut bits, etc. Wow.

Who knew?

[treehugger]

This is funny, and familiar. I had to teach myself to like vegetables as an adult, because I was raised by a mother who didn't (still doesn't) like vegetables, and, consequently, all she ever served was frozen creamed spinach and frozen green beans.

She also had me convinced I didn't like mustard, chocolate with fruit, pork, salad, capers, peppers, and any number of other things. Once I was out of the house and cooking for myself, wow, my whole world opened up! The past 20 years have been a great food adventure!

Kara

[ApatheticNoMore]

There might be more to it, I've read vegetables taste more bitter to children than to adults, and that that may be as it should be, as they can't absorb the nutrients in the them as readily as adults can (they're not harmful of course, just maybe not as beneficial as they are to adults). Not that it's not a good idea to introduce children to them, of course it is, so that they may enjoy them someday, and if they like them as kids so much the better.

Coconut still is somewhat an aquired taste I think, I'm trying. A good quality milk chocolate is delicious, as is dark chocolate (though I usually don't go much beyond 70%). My mom will still serve plain boiled brocolli, oh no wonder the food always seems so unappetizing there, veggies may have been more bitter when I was young, but to this day I think veggies need some fat and flavor! I'll get her to at least put some cheese on the brocolli :). Myself I'm not limited to that and most things are good sauted in olive oil, garlic etc..

[JaneV2.0]

I was convinced since childhood I hated rhubarb, but I gamely tried some at a friend's house as an adult. Guess what--I still hate it. It was in a pie with strawberries and I thought what a dirty trick that was to play on the strawberries.

I grew up being exposed to a narrow range of fifties foods, so I was delighted when the world opened up lots of new cuisines to try. I always loved onions and garlic, so spicy foods are a natural for me--Ethiopian, Indian North and South, Thai, Szechuan, Latin American...If it has chili, I like it. Mostly, except for menudo, but I can eat around the tripa part. I can't think of anything I didn't like as a child that I like now. I didn't like sea food when I was standing knee-deep in it, and I still don't.

[sweetana3]

I grew up to hate the taste of mustard and I attribute this hate to being forced to eat potato salad with mustard while in elementary school. I use Dijon but have to try not to look at it and stir it in quickly.

I also hate ketchup since my brothers doused everything in it and I just grew to hate the smell. I do love BBQ sauce though.

I do not like mayo but can eat it in tuna salad if I only use a little.

They are strange dislikes I know but I would rather eat raw fish and octopus than the above.

My fifth grade teacher brought in unusual things for us to eat. Once we had pressure cooked sage stuffed beef heart. Wonderful.