What are foods that polarize - love or hate?

Pickles

Pickles

I was in China recently and had the unique displeasure of eating One Thousand Year Old Eggs (not really 1,000 years old, but aged for quite awhile in salt and ash). They are loved by the Chinese and hated by people who did not grow up eating them. Also, some Nordic foods, primarily some of their cured seafood, are strongly disliked by me.

Definitely hate cilantro, love lemon

My five siblings and I all hate coconut!

Don't like raw tomatoes either, they have to be cooked! Absolutely!

Don't like bananas either, hate cilantro but like coriander, go figure

Not a fan of cabbage, guava and green olives! Love artichokes, black olives, spring onions, fenugreek leaves. I can imagine why so many hate okra.. But, I do like if it is fried and sprinkled with curry powder... I have a friend who belongs to southern India, and she hates bananas.. Bananas are staple to the south of India... Btw I love cilantro and basil...

Personal hatred: cucumber and raw celery.
Crowd dividers: anchovies, olives.
I would erradicate cucumber from the planet the stench is that strong.

Rainbow cookies or seven layer cookies. I love them and make them often, but I find people either hate them or love them. I suspect the haters have had flavorless, dry ones that seems to appear in every deli in NY. Made correctly, they are amazing!

okra seems to gross people out, but i love it...pickled; in gumbo; fried - its all good!

okra seems to gross people out, but i love it...pickled; in gumbo; fried - its all good!

I absolutely can't stand the taste of goat cheese.

I have found that lots of people don't like lamb. Moreover, I don't think most people even think about it because when I invite new people to dinner I always ask: "Food allergies or aversions I should be aware of when preparing the menu?" They will either tell me something specific (peanuts, dairy, 'we're vegetarians') or "oh no, we like everything". But once I say "Great, I've wanted to make X lamb dish for a while now" they get silent or change their tune.
In another setting some one once said, " Who even eats lamb?" wow
http://food52.com/recipes/12112_lamb_artichoke_kebabs_with_minted_lemon_aioli

Although I love it, there are too many people I know who can't stand cumin. I don't understand it at all!

This is still a great thread, thanks SKK!

I'm surprised no one mentioned Miracle Whip, but then again that's a not really food.

I hate olives. Husband loves them. I can't even kiss him afterward because of the residue taste. Gross!

And I love huckleberries picked in the mountains of Montana, especially when we pick them. Some people think they are too bitter - makes no sense to me.

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Back to Sam the SPAM, you could try out my Tiki Taco Tuesday recipe which actually turned out pretty well. One of the residual effects of WWII in Hawaii (apart from blown up stuff at the bottom of Pearl Harbor) is a local infatuation with SPAM. Even though I hate visiting Honolulu they actually do some pretty cool stuff with what is otherwise a godawful product. I'm just preparing for the day when I might have to live off it and MRE's like the new caffinated jerky.

chocolate eclairs. chucked one up when I was about 7. Haven't had one since.

i still find that grown men (my dad for one) shy away from green vegetables. they'll eat them, maybe it's not polarizing, but for something like swiss chard, it needs to be presented with other foods and cooked to a proper texture; also raw vegetables need to be in the right format for a lot of people (cabbage should be very finely shredded for a lot of people, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. vegetables need at least a light dressing or better yet a blanch-and-dress)

I have no idea why people are either lovers or haters of eggplant! I grew up in an Italian household and eggplant was very common and I love it But as an adult - and PARTICULARLY since I moved to the west coast - I have met more eggplant haters than I ever would have thought! I'm not talking about mild dislike, I'm talking HATERS!! I have one friend who will actually nearly gags at the sound of the word...and she claims to not have had a "bad experience" with it...she just can't stand it!

I have no idea why people are either lovers or haters of eggplant! I grew up in an Italian household and eggplant was very common and I love it But as an adult - and PARTICULARLY since I moved to the west coast - I have met more eggplant haters than I ever would have thought! I'm not talking about mild dislike, I'm talking HATERS!! I have one friend who will actually nearly gags at the sound of the word...and she claims to not have had a "bad experience" with it...she just can't stand it!

For some reason, my husband is hostile to pine nuts. I love them and think he was served some rancid pine nuts in his past.

Kidney:Baaaaad.Okra:Goooood.

Oh, and we must add that we won't serve bagged, triple washed anything to guests because of the potential food poisoning risks which have been adequately exposed.

Okay, Pierino is the 600 pound omnivore in the room. He eats everything (even though he actually weighs in at about 140). Okra, cilantro, anchovies, organ meats, and the smelliest cheeses you can find---bring it! Maybe not all at the same time but we'll eat 'em. Oh yeah, and hog maw too. We will agree that cilantro is not an acquired taste, it does seem to be a genetic thing. Fortunately we're not afflicted. What bugs us is when people refuse to eat something they've never tasted just because it happens to be a pig's ear, a thymus gland or a squid. Squid by the way are very easy to clean.

I despise beets with a passion. And I love goat cheese. It gets under my skin because they're paired together so frequently. I get so mad because chefs take such a beautiful product like goat cheese and taint it with beets! They just taste too earthy to me I guess. Like dirt.

I don't like pears either. I think they're way too gritty. The texture just rubs me the wrong way.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO.... NO OKRA themes PLEEAASE!!

synopsis: Okra, Cilantro, banana, anchovy, cephalopods, peanuts, stinky cheese, coconut, licorice, sushi...

I'm internally polarized about peanuts. Love peanut butter and the nuts themselves. Even like peanut butter cups. But I can. not. eat. a peanut butter cookie. Will spit one out if accidentally taken for a sugar cookie. And dear god don't put them on an ice cream sundae! Can't eat that either. Walnuts belong there, not peanuts.
And zucchini--disgusting spongy texture and yuck/bland flavor. Love almost all other vegetables to distraction, except okra. Love cilantro--made a killer cilantro pesto this summer. Anchovies rock.

No cilantro at Chez Julia. It tastes like soapsuds to me. Why use that when there are so many other herbs for flavoring?

A propos of a lot of potentially polarizing ingredients/ food: if I don't mention they're "in there," most folks can't tell. Anchovy haters would be surprised by how many dishes I make that contain the toothsome little fishies. I just make sure they don't show in the finished dish.

Has anyone mentioned coconut? I hated it as a kid, I couldn't understand why anyone would ruin a cake by dredging it with shredded coconut? Now I like it in most situations but my husband hated it as a kid and hates it now. This IS a fun thread.

Talking of polarized.. I must confess, I absolutely HATED any kind of cheese that came from a goat..to the extent I'd discretely apply a tissue to my tongue to wipe out the taste.. & surprisingly, (I don't remember exactly when, but definitely after getting into F52), I'm HOOKED on to it.. I just LOVE it!

This is such a great thread. Meat is one of the foods I avoid cooking for guests because I know so many vegetarians. It's crazy, since I grew up in the Midwest and no one would have thought about a company meal without meat then.
For me, gin.... had an unfortunate drinking experience when I was 16, and am grateful that my mom doesn't follow food pickles. Just a whiff makes me feel deathly ill.
Cilantro goes into most of my company meals, since Indian vegetarian food is my quick and easy menu for a crowd . I'm careful about heat, tho... try to have some on the side for those who like it.
My older brother still eats like a kid. I visited him when he was living in San Francisco and offered to take him out to any restaurant... we walked around for hours, as he rejected option after option... finally agreed to a Japanese restaurant where he could order tempura. Likes crisp fried things. When he comes to visit, I stock potatoes (have to be cooked crisp), hamburger, saltine crackers (eats them with ketchup), Coke, green peppers (raw only). He tries to be gracious about our regular meals, like rice and beans, but can't tolerate foods like shrimp and even the sight of anchovies grosses him out.
These are the most fun food pickles, never imagined them happening when food pickle started. Also v happyto have the idea about drinkable vinegars. Going to search recipes for hardlikearmour's ideas now. :)))

People can be weird about bell peppers. I love peppers, chilies, spicy food...all kinds, but have to tone it down for most audiences. I am big on black pepper, again, some don't like. I am NOT a fan of white pepper, for whatever reason, it tastes like bad breath and smells like dandruff to me.

Tomatoes: people who won't eat them annoy me. They always make an exception for ketchup.

Marmite: I have never tried it but am super curious. Some people are rabid fans and others have a total aversion.

Stinky cheeses: how can you eat something that smells like rotten feet?! People who are into those freak me out but I am touched by their fanaticism.

My sister will not walk into a house that has goat cheese in it. She cannot tolerate it, just the smell sets her off.

I usually don't serve fennel, okra, or cilantro to guests. I love all three, but I know many people don't.

Anything spicy. For me, the spicier the better, but I have lots of friends and family who physically (tongue blowing up style) can't handle it.

I don't hate many foods, but absolutely cannot tolerate blue cheese or horseradish/wasabi/hot mustard. There's a substance in mustard seeds and horseradish (Allyl isothiocyanate) that gives you that strong nose-hit...makes my eyes water just thinking about it. First job I ever had was working in marketing for a cheese company in upstate NY. First day on the job, president of the co. walks in with a cutting board that had a huge root-looking thing on it, some of which was sliced up. Try it, he urged, clearly proud of the horseradish plant that his family also owned and operated down the road. Painful intro to the co...I choked it down. First time I had wasabi was when my part-Japanese college roommate invited me to meet her mother (and as it turns out, several of her mother's Japanese friends) at a local Japanese restaurant. I had never had sushi before - and I saw everyone mixing this green paste into their soy sauce, so when in Rome... When I took that first bite, it was all I could do to hold it down, knowing that gagging at the table would've been a major cultural no-no, not to mention throwing up, which is what almost happened. Still can't get near wasabi to this day.

Tripe ... yuck!
Kidneys .... yuck!
Pretty much everything else (except root beer) ... YUM!!!!

Tuna casserole... Yuck!

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Beets..I just can't stand them. I've tried and tried, but each try only reinforces my dislike. I guess some things we just never get over!

I've heard the cilantro thing is genetics - some people are just wired to think it tastes like cilantro. Not sure if it is true but it is interesting since there is always such a huge divide.

Orzo - is it a pasta trying to be rice or rice trying to be pasta...all I know is that is banned in our house.

Orzo - is it a pasta trying to be rice or rice trying to be pasta...all I know is that is banned in our house.

I love, love brussels sprouts and okra!!! Could eat them every day but I do NOT think okra should be in gumbo because of the slime factor. I grew up in Louisiana and always preferred an okra and tomato-free gumbo.
My husband doesn't like bitter greens and root veggies. I could eat them all day but the bitterness can be off-putting for him. Same with the herbaceousness of bell peppers. I eat them like apples but unless they are red or yellow and cooked, he can't handle them.
I think beets and liver are other foods that are totally love/hate. I love the former, hate the latter.
And for the most part, I do not love fish + tomatoes.

I love this question! My husband and I have almost exact opposite taste in food. He grew up with a mom who kept kosher and was a very picky eater. I grew up in New Orleans where we had contests to see who could make the biggest pile of shrimp shells and crab and crawfish carcasses. (bonus points for sucking the heads). All the things I think make food interesting-- mustards, olives, capers, strong cheeses (feta, parmesan, bleu, etc)--he hates. As in with a passion. And I'm not a fan of liver, slimy fish in cream sauce (actually most things in cream sauce), gelatin almost anything, runny egg whites, cooked celery. When we did the octopus and squid contest, I couldn't even open the page because the sight of that little raw octopus on the front page grossed me out so much.

I'm Nigerian and I like Okro....BUT only if its grated and cooked and turns a healthy texture of mucill.....you know the word. Now I have Okro chips (Deep fried - I had them at Wholefoods), pickled (I never had them but grossed out at the sight at WIlliams Sonoma) and can tolerate them in Indian style dishes.

Snails......I couldn't, wouldn't try French-style snails without some pay off but serve me 'cleaned'/unshelled Nigerian snails, peppered and sauced and I'll happily finish off a bowl!

I've never tried grits but am already on the other side of the stonewall - forget fence! I imagine it is like cooked oats....and can't imagine having that savoury.

And celery = I stay well away from it. I love Celeriac but I can't stomach the smell, or taste of celery - suprisingly though...I used to be able to.

And finally tinned sardines get to me these days. Thanks for asking!

My brother and sister in law do not eat tomatoes. They will eat tomato sauce, ketchup, and other tomato based products but not raw or even chunks of lightly cooked tomato. And they haven't "outgrown" it. I think it's funny that they found each other.

My partner doesn't like pork. He grew up on a farm in Arkansas and his grand parents had a pig farm and a rice farm. He was bitten on the ass by a mother pig while trying to castrate her babies.

For some reason, he uses that incident as his hate of pork. I'd think it'd be Payback. But I think it's because they used to cook pork to deathly dry chops back in the day.
However he does sport a cute little pig bite dimple scar on his ass.

My husband won't touch anything too briny or full of vinegar: olives, capers, pickles, etc. (Something to do with an olive mistaken for a grape when he was a kid.) I, however, think HLA's drinking vinegars are a stroke of genius. Cilantro, mushrooms, and bananas come up for me too with my friends. Some love them, some hate them. I still can't figure out how to serve a turnip so I'll like it. Cumin and cardamom also seem to turn some people off--the strong flavors or something.

Mushrooms, not because of the taste, but the texture. And the smell. Other texture turn-offs: bananas and potatoes.
Anchovies. I keep trying, and well-meaning folks like to say that you can't taste them, they just add a certain savouriness. Um, is that what you call the foul oily-fishy layer coating my mouth?

I'll throw my hat in the mix.
Cannot, will not, just despise zucchini. Blech! Love foie gras...
Hate Miracle Whip, love mayo.
Love vodka martinis, hate gin martinis.
Love perfectly cooked medium rare lamb, hate mutton.
Love aged cheeses, hate Velveeta.
Love PB&J's, hate Fluffernutters.
Love potato croquettes, hate Tater Tots...
Love Marcella Hazan, hate Rachel Ray.
need I say more?!

Sad to admit that I detest cilantro, corriander, lemongrass & coconut milk...

And rattlesnake - it does not taste like chicken no matter how often people say it does!

I cannot stand sushi! Can't see, hear or speak of it. Too much of the live stuff when I lived in Tokyo - really stopped the night the spiny lobster crawled off my plate because it wasn't dead...

Ok, foods that divide populations into love-hate polarities: capers, anchovies, okra, peppers of any color, calamari, olives of any color, clams, oysters, anise from fennel to Pernod, meat of any kind, pita chips (seriously), liver in any form including pâté, cilantro of course, nuts due to allergies. Okay, I think those are the big ones. When preparing a menu for a client, one of the first things I ask is what food sensitivities/dislikes we need to avoid. When preparing a menu at home, buffet or seated, I figure it's my home and my food. That is not to say that I include all of the above just because I can, but I'm not afraid to make great foods with great flavors and explain the components of each. When added to the right dish in the right way, I find people will be happily surprised to learn that that they've just eaten something they thought they hated. I especially love, love, love converting people to anchovies, capers, and calamari. And okra. And cilantro.

I think it's hilarious how brussel sprouts are now the darling food--when everybody figured out how to fix them.

LOVE fried okra--nothing slimy there

but my "ekk" food that everybody loves--coffee. Love the smell, tried it every way, just can't stand it.

Black licorice - or anything in that family of taste (anise flavored cookies; anisette, Pernod, Ricard, ouzo, etc.) Frankly, I don't even like fennel, for that reason (I know, how uncool these days!) Even dishes heavy on tarragon don't appeal, because it can taste too licorice-y. Possibly my only major food aversion. I must have been traumatized as a child by black Good & Plenty.

HATE OKRA! in ANY form.. GROSS!! EEW!,
Agree with the acetylene nail polish remover smell of the banana , Makes sense, since acetylene is the by product of ethylene synthesis (which bananas generate while ripening )

Cilantro tastes like soap to me too!

This is weird, but I absolutely can't stand bananas, and my boyfriend wishes for banana bread just about every week! Also, I love yogurt, sour cream and goat cheese (things with tang, basically), and he hates them all! How sad life must be without goat cheese....

Hate lots of raw onions and also raw garlic a little is ok . Raw oysters turn me off.

Cilantro is big around here. The partner will only eat the stems because the leaf tastes like soap to him. Anchovies too, I'll put half my pizza so that half will be mine and all mine.

Miracle Whip vs Mayo! Can create a house divided more than a UT / A&M marriage! (I am a mayo girl myself ...)

Love -Brussel Sprouts. Hate-Okra