hobbitmom, I’ll have to think and come back. I do hear you regarding tamales. For years people have tried to convince me I’ve just never had ”good” tamales. A guy I once worked with raved about his mom’s tamales, and assured me I’d change my mind once I tasted them. He brought some to work and it was still a big NO. I think for me it’s more of a texture issue. LOL, also agree regarding weird fish, although I’m not a fish fan to begin with. My Scandinavian grandparents always had really weird (gross!) fish around.🤢

Off the top of my head....

Anything that comes out of the ocean

Sugar free anything

Liver

Pesto

Chinese food

Sour candies

Black licorice

I may come back and add to it......

I would eat almost anything on your list except weird fish and energy drinks.

I never buy cucumber, unless it's for DH or guests.

energy drinks (rockstar etc.)

pesto

quinoa

grits

slim jims

sushi

Brie cheese

Radish's

Cucumbers

Snails/escargot

Beef, any cut

Lamb

Bear/Elk/Venison

Liquorice/any flavor

Scallops, Calamari, Caviar

Pickled Pigs feet, Gelfilte Fish

LOL! Cucumber would be on my list as well :-) As would energy drinks, licorice, cilantro, okra, tapioca and diet soda. Not sure what qualifies as 'weird fish' but if it comes from the ocean, I probably like it. But with the exception of sushi, it has to be cooked. I would however avoid meat from less common protein sources........no bear meat, crocodile, ostrich or rabbit, etc.

Brussels sprouts

Breakfast cereal, the manufactured kind, unless for a crafts project type thing

Yucky breads ditto

Stuff I'm allergic to, duh (fin fish, coconut, mango, papaya)

I'm sure there's more, but, while I eschew a lot of poor quality items, I might not if they were better, and there's a lot of things I wouldn't normally buy, but can imagine reasons why I could, like pork chops. I don't like or eat them, but I could make them for a friend's birthday or something. I can't handle the smell of the Brussels sprouts long enough to cook them.

tofu

cornbread / tamales / corn dogs I will use corn meal mixed into tamale pie though.

vegetarian meat substitutes

cauliflower pizza

pop tarts

menudo

and any species of liver is out for me, too.

I shop for health, taste and environment so I don't buy:

Out of season fruit, eg strawberries in winter.

Soda, flavoured water and energy drinks

Cakes and cookies.

Candies

Chocolate

Fancy coffees

Highly processed foods

Ready meals

Snack foods

Excessively packaged food

Bottled water unless I'm somewhere the tap water isn't safe or I'm travelling and can't find a tap.

Pre prepared fruit and vegetables

Some of the things on people's lists are unknown to me so I can't comment on 'slim jims' etc. but others are on my regular shopping list eg Brussels sprouts, oatmeal and seafood.

Like pillog, there are plenty low quality products which I'd buy if they were better or were home made. Cakes would be in this category.

Diet soda and energy drinks.

Frozen burritos and frozen waffles. I make homemade better and cheaper.

Tripe, chitlins, and pigs feet. I still give tripe the try if it's something I haven't tried before, but it's been a loooong time since I've been offered it.

Extra hot foods- I like spicy, but some stuff just adds in hot till it's tasteless from the chemical burn.

Some of your "do not buy lists" look like my shopping lists! (Oatmeal, blueberries, Brussels sprouts, farro, licorice, etc). I couldn't really think of much but escargot that I wouldn't buy until I read through them and saw a few I hadn't thought of.

Quinoa - I don't like the texture and much prefer farro or bulgur.

Veal - I used to love it as a kid, but after moving to a farming community, I can't abide the thought of it.

Octopus- tho I love most seafood, the thought of killing these lovely creatures just does me in. I do love squid...so go figure.

Catfish - after the lovely ocean fish I was raised eating, catfish tastes like mud to me.

Tilapia or other farm raised fish, including farmed Atlantic salmon.

Nothing with artificial sweeteners, no energy drinks either, no protein drinks or powders,

Cool Whip - yuck, like eating sweetened crisco.

Duck - they are just too cute to eat.

I also don't know what a slim jim is.

Any dessert flavored with coffee or booze

Most fish

Tamales

Spicy food

Japanese/Chinese food (though I do like some)

Oatmeal and most breakfast cereals

French toast

Black licorice

Dark chocolate

Tarragon (a hint is okay)

Anything savory with cinnamon 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

Slim Jims are shelf stable meat stick snacks, often seen at the check-out at major chain grocery stores and gas stations in the USA. (Ick) They're high in protein.

Ingredients (per Amazon): Beef, Pork, Mechanically Separated Chicken, Water, Textured Soy Flour, Corn Syrup, Salt, Contains less than 2% of: Natural Flavors, Dextrose, Paprika and Extractives of Paprika, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Maltodextrin, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Barley Malt Extract, Citric Acid, Soy Lecithin, Sodium Nitrite

Thanks, I've probably seen them but don't know that name. Not an appetizing list!

Most of the foods in the lists I would probably eat at least twice a year. My dislikes are

soda drinks, including energy drinks…although I will drink a diet coke maybe 3 times a year,

lambs brains

kidneys ( but I do like liver )

ready meals

enchiladas

slim jims ( we don’t call them this but I’ve seen similar at the checkout)

exotic meats

pigs feet

chicken feet ( tried once never again )

No artificial sugars

floral… no chocolate ????

No, no chocolate. I'll eat a bit at Easter and Christmas if someone else gets it but I'm not bothered either way. I never buy it for myself. I'll drink hot chocolate on all day winter walks. It keeps better in a flask than coffee and feels more warming to me.

I guess I am a human disposal, as I’ll eat most anything. But, okay, are there any things I really don’t like?

Peanut butter hamburgers, special dislike for this abomination.

Pancakes with lots of syrup.

Generally, things that are too sweet - bananas foster and so on.

Kim chee and similar sour fermented stuff; I’ve done too much vomiting in my life to eat anything that is sour and fermented!

Um, that’s all I can think of . . .

Oh, Kentucky Fried Chicken more than 1x year - I actually looove the stuff, but it makes me feel sick afterwards - and Taco Bell - I prefer not eating cardboard.

It is a short list. I believe, it seems, in omnivorousivenessivity.

Off the top of my head...

Sushi - gives me heartburn

Soda

Every fast food you can think of - pizza doesn't count

Every popular snack food brand I can think of

Gatorade/energy drinks

Every popular candy brand I can think of

Just about every kind of food advertised on TV

Oh and for dear plllog’s sake I hasten to clarify that “human disposal“ does not imply “cannibal”.

Granted that as a child I recall musing, in that very serious way that children muse about weird things, whether in extremis I would ever eat a human. I guess I’d read about the Donner Party and suchlike. Some of my friends and I even discussed it, in whispers. I can’t recall the consensus, if one was reached as we munched our Cheetos and debated various forbidden topics.

We read all kinds of horrific stuff in those pre-PC days. Remember ”Tales From The Crypt” comics, full of dismembered bodies hanging from meat hooks in dungeons? You were properly raised, so likely not. But I grew up liking organ meat - coincidence? I also remember reading that “people” are called “long pig” in some primitive cultures.

Yes I must have been fascinated by cannibalism as a young boy. Then I discovered cannabisism and the mind turned, thankfully, to other things and a Hannibal was not born.

I laughed a lot, thank-you, then you went and made it all about cannibalism.

So, clearing one's mind and thinking only of the philosophy, the instict to survive is extremely powerful, and the pain of starvation such that one's body is eating itself to live, I have to imagine that most of us would at that point choose survival. The real question is would we hasten the death of a person with no chance (or one who could outlast us!) to continue our own lives, whether through eating the last resort, or taking the share of whatever else to increase our own chances. It's a horrific situation, with equally horrific options.

May none of us ever experience such pain and indignity, and keep us plump and happy in our chairs to discuss what ifs.

I love kim chee! Not sure I could eat a person, even if I was starving and they had died a natural death. Just remembered how much I don't like lobster or really fishy fish like mackerel, salmon etc (though I do buy salmon for DH).

colleen, my trick for mackerel is to soak it in salted water 3X. Removes all the fishiness and oiliness.

Simplest way to cook is to boil water with a lot of miso, using a pot just large enough to hold all the mackerel, turn off heat, slide the de-fishinessed mackerel into the miso soup, and let the mackerel absorb heat from the cooling liquid for 10–15 min. You can serve it at any time, it will stay warm. Drizzle with teriyaki or Japanese BBQ sauce. Very easy.

plllog, it seems to me that if I were starving, I’d eat anything.

The Donner party only ate people who were already dead, only when they were on the verge of death themselves, and they kept track so no-one ate their relative.

No record of culinary technique, if any.

So, today, I called the snooty store (good butchers) and learned that they had turkey wings ready to go for the make ahead gravy. It's not so far from where I had to be this afternoon, though I did get caught in the school rush, which at 5:01 turned into rush hour grid lock! I was pleased that my frozen baby limas were still frozen when I got them in the freezer. I also bought some frozen corn kernals in case I'm too tired to deal with fresh. I almost never buy frozen vegetables, but got some candy for myself--er...petit poi--while I was at it.

So, I've never bought turkey wings. I don't think I've ever even noticed them packaged for sale before. They certainly could have been on my never buy them list were it not for this recipe and the whole me making Thanksgiving thing. When I roast a turkey for Passover, I serve the braising liquid rather than gravy (which one could make with potato starch for the holiday). This is why I never say never (though the Brussels sprouts thing is a no go forever--I did buy them twice propted by "guaranteed" stinkless recipes (not so!) and one of those were babies which were supposed to not stink (not!)).

I had a Zoom meeting tonight, so I picked up some prepared foods, especially given my sore toe. Something that figures high on many of your lists of no. But this is from the snooty store. You pay for the privilege. I got a whole cooked chicken--free range organic, American, brand on the label.

They didn't have any non-fin-fish sushi, but I got the wonderful octopus salad (I think it's actually from the local seafood market/wholesaler). I know some of you don't like the idea, but I eat poultry and mammals, too. I also got shrimp shumai, which was still warm and perfect at home. Really excellent. And a container of pickled ginger. I bet if the stores there were as good as this you wouldn't mind picking up Asian ready to eat. :)

ETA: Part of the reason for going there, besides the great butchers, is that the snooty store is very compact. Not much walking involved, incuding from the car. :)

FWIW, I used to buy turkey wings regularly and roast them with a spice rub. And I also used to get smoked ones that were so yummy. Prices have gone up so much, they now cost more per pound than the organic chicken I buy, so they're kind of a rare treat these days.

This is really an interesting thread! I'm honestly surprised at some of the delicious foods some won't eat, but then maybe my list would be surprising to some, also.

Cilantro, and anything that might contain cilantro.

French's yellow mustard.

Menudo.

Tripe.

Refried beans.

Tea.

White chocolate, including cookies and desserts containing white chocolate chips.

Salt substitutes.

Artificial sweeteners.

Peanut butter.

There may be more, but that's all I can think of right now.

Rusty

ETA: Bologna and hot dogs.

Let's see, popular things I wont consume:

Any type of fish or seafood

Lamb or Veal

Coffee or coffee flavored things

Anything sweet that is supposed to be savory (ex: BBQ with sugary sauce all over it, potato salad or devilled eggs or something that has sweet relish in it, honey glazed ham etc)

Jerky or Jerky-like items

Vegan things that are not Vegan (ex: Vegan eggnog, vegan cheese, vegan meat) all trash

Sour candy

I am sure there are more, but I tried to focus on things that most people around me seem to enjoy and have given me flack for.

Maybe not well-liked by all others .... oysters.

Good one, Olychick!! I would never have thought of it, so far it is off my perception of food.

I ordered Shrimp and Grits years ago when in Charleston SC. People had raved about it. I’m not a fan. I see Chicken and Waffles in many places. I’ve never tried that. I find the combination a turn off.

Re:cannibals

My grandfather lived in Paris and Djerba in his early artistic wandering days. Somewhen in the 1920s I think. There is a family tale (to be taken with a large grain of salt) that he met a cannibal once. Upon asking the fellow what humans taste like he responded ’comme veau (like veal) - but my grandfather heard ’comme vous (like you)…

Well, I'm going to cause a stir here:

Cheesecake

Lamb

Smoothies

Yogurt

Alcohol (Beer/wine/liquor/etc. I'm not opposed to YOU drinking it, I just don't like it)

Cake Mix cakes (dry yet fluffy, just odd texture. Again, help yourself)

Jello

Fake milk of any kind, i.e. oat/almond/soy (which is especially vile)

Iced coffee (I want mine hot)

Curry

Raw oysters

Annie

Oh I forgot to add cheesecake to my list Annie! The LOOKS i get when I mention I do not like it!

Depends on the cheesecake for me. I like a zingy, cheesy, curdy, home made German style cheesecake. No flavours other than lemon or plain. But I hate the sweet sickly things usually served. Same with iced coffee. A strong coffee with nothing added but milk is nice in hot weather. But commercial iced coffees, especially canned ones, are disgusting. Also yoghurt. Plain Greek yoghurt is yummy. Flavoured sweetened yoghurt is yucky. But of Angie's list, oysters, lamb, curries, beer and wine are among my favourite things.

Floral, you and I could have supper, you could eat all those things I don't like and it would work out splendidly!

amylou, you are the only other person I've ever known to say they didn't care for cheesecake.

Annie

Do I join the numbers? I like baked Italian style actual cake cheesecake well enough to eat it if offered, but then there's that kind that tastes like a block of Philly dipped in sugar and jam... Ugh! Though I did recently try Ricky's no bake which has Philly, but also plenty Greek yoghurt, mascarpone and cream. It was tangy and different, though some got used as a spread. That was pretty good. But, yeah, not a big fan.

Milk

Lamb/veal

Energy drinks

Diet drinks

Venison

Organ meats

Miracle Whip

Booze

Sushi

Oysters

Tilapia from China

Slim Jims/Jerky

Meat from plants

English peas

Slaw

Runny fried eggs

Probably about 80% of my local supermarkets! Plllog is that slim thing really classed as food? Yuck.

"Food" maybe not. It's sold in the same spot as gum, mints abd single portion candy. I've never eaten one, but it is properly labelled (I looked them up up-topic and saw pictures of the labels) to classify as food by regulation. You can eat and digest it. It has Calories. People in this thread have said they ate them. All evidence suggests that it's food. Would I rather eat a properly prepared fillet mignon? Sure. Would I eat Slim Jims to avert starvation? Doubtless. Much better than following JL into infamy! Would I eat them if I were merely hungry? It would depend on how long I'd think I'd have to wait for the fillet, or even real beef jerky...or candy for that matter. The reputation of foul odor is that offputting,,,,

Mechanically obtained meat..... I'd rather go veggie.

I agree with you on the sound of it alone. It's much worse when you know what it is. I just copied the ingredients. I had no idea what that was, but figured it was required to be listed that way because it's not normal Warning, this is disgusting,

From Google AI:

The term indicates that the product has a different physical form and consistency from hand-boned meat and involves a specific production process:

• Process: Mechanically separated meat (MSM) is a paste-like and batter-like product created by forcing bones, which still have edible meat and tissue attached after the main cuts are removed, under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the remaining soft tissue from the bone.
• Texture and Form: This process changes the muscle fiber structure, resulting in a smooth, pureed consistency, which is distinct from ground meat.
• Common Use: Due to its texture and lower cost, MSM is commonly used as an ingredient in processed products like hot dogs, bologna, sausages, and certain types of chicken nuggets and patties.
• Regulation and Safety: Mechanically separated poultry and pork are considered safe and wholesome for human consumption and have a standard of identity established by the FSIS. [United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service] However, mechanically separated beef has been prohibited for human food in the U.S. since 2004 to protect against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease").
• Nutritional Differences: The final product can have slightly different nutritional values, often with a higher calcium content (due to trace bone material) and an increased fat and sodium content compared to traditional muscle meat, which is why specific labeling is required.