Back when I was a kid, my parents promised me that one day I would like peas. And, they weren’t necessarily wrong.
Children have differently developed taste buds. According to The Guardian, infants have 30,000 tastebuds that slowly diminish around two-thirds by the time they become adults. Know what that means? It means that gross foods like peas can be more extreme. They literally taste different to kids than adults, which is why so many of us change food preferences as we grow up.
It’s an amazing concept to realize how much our bodies change as we get older. But when food is concerned, sometimes it’s not just about taste. Sometimes, it’s about the experience.
Food aversions can happen based on one bout of food poisoning or one very unpleasant experience. If you’re making a salad and a gigantic spider emerges from your romaine, you may mentally connect the two for years.
In trying to make a negative a positive, consider the fact that at least some of these bad food moments will lead to excellent and entertaining stories. Here are some of the best “I would never” stories on the internet that, hopefully, won’t turn you off the food in question as well.
1. Buffalo Chicken Oreos
Uh. Did you even know these were a thing?
When you’re overseas, you’re lucky enough to be able to experience a ton of different flavors. We all know that Oreos can get a little extreme at times, but. Seriously. Who thought these would be a good combination? Even if you’re curious, you should probably stay away based on this one Redditor’s review.
2. Pudding Cups
They seem innocent enough. But, surprise!
I’m pretty sure that each and every one of us has had a surprise mold moment. It’s why you should always check the expiration date, just to be on the safe side. (But even then, sometimes you might get a little unlucky, leading to what can only be described as a pudding phobia.)
3. Grandma’s Recipe
Okay, some of these can be sweet as well.
Food can connect us to some strong memories. Even if you follow a recipe exactly, it’s very common for food to just miss the mark when it comes to nostalgic taste. Next time you have a loved one make you a special treat, make sure to let them know how meaningful it is to you.
4. Shirako
Sometimes, it’s good to be blissfully aware of what a dish actually is.
This couple gets props for being adventurous, as well as polite, but Google has destroyed a lot of foods for people throughout the last few years. Next time someone asks you to try shirako, at least you now have a heads up as to what part of the fish you’re actually eating.
5. Chicken from Wendy’s
The manager handled this beautifully, but the horror still left a lasting impression.
Bad pieces of chicken can happen anywhere. The good news is that the staff seemed apologetic over serving up something less than favorable. OP (aka Original Poster), next time just stick to my personal favorite items on the menu — the Dave’s Single or Dave’s Double. Wendy’s knows how to make a satisfying burger. (Pairing it with a Frosty is an even bigger win.)
6. Mall Chinese Food
For the record, this is pretty severe food poisoning.
Most Chinese food places are up to code. But still, you might want to check out a list of local restaurant inspections before grabbing lunch, just to be on the safe side. Chinese food is so good that it’d be a shame for a few negligent managers to ruin the experience for you forever.
7. Cinnamon Rolls
It’s possible that anyone who’s ever worked at a mall Cinnabon feels the same way.
Cinnamon buns, while usually delicious if eaten sparingly, definitely have a unique sweetness and smell that could turn anyone’s stomach — especially someone who’s had a bad reaction before. The good news is that unlike some of the other foods on this list, cinnamon bun retailers aren’t something you necessarily have to walk past or drive by every day.
8. Monkey Brains
They tried it so that you don’t have to.
The good news is that it doesn’t seem like this dish is very popular. In fact, it seems as if people eating monkey brains regularly is more of a myth. Still, people are culturally equipped to work with all parts of an animal for food, so it makes sense that people have tried it at least once before.
9. Caviar
Caviar was always known as being a fancy food. But, never forget that it’s fish eggs.
Some people love it, some people hate it, and some people will straight-up never try it. The eggs come from the sturgeon fish and are salted before being served. There’s a difference between caviar and roe, which is the correct term for eggs from other fish. True caviar will always be dark in color.
10. Reuben Sandwiches
Remember what I said about that one mental image tarnishing everything? If it’s not too late, don’t read this one during lunch.
Now, for the rest of his days, the Reddit OP will associate an otherwise delicious sandwich with getting sick (and an equally disgusting aftermath). If you’ve never had a Reuben — and still want to try it, after reading this story — it’s a grilled sandwich that contains corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian or Thousand Island dressing.
11. Uni
This chef had a genius way of getting kids to expand their palates.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work. But at the very least, now they can say that they were able to eat an actual delicacy. Uni is a sea urchin that isn’t up to everyone’s tastes, but Food & Wine notes that it’s pretty expensive based on how tough it is to clean and harvest. If you’re mildly curious, you may be able to try it in sushi form.
12. Subway
Eat Fresh? Well, maybe.
Even though they have a ton of healthy options and the employees wear gloves (or at least, should), Subway takes a risk by having their food right in front of the customer for easy access and ordering. That means that one sneeze, or one unwashed hand, may put a lot of customers at risk. Most of the time you’re fine, but one bad experience may ruin Subway for you forever.
13. Shellfish
Shellfish is delicious. That is, unless you’re highly allergic.
Allergies are something you should never mess with, and having a shellfish allergy is more common than you may think. WebMD reports that around 7 million people have shellfish allergies, and many of them develop it later on in life. Supposedly, it’s most commonly found in people who are between the ages of 40 and 60.
14. Baked Spaghetti
Chalk this one up to user error.
Ranch tastes good on a lot of things. Veggies? Of course. Pizza? Hey, why not. But when it comes to spaghetti, you should stick to a tomato-based sauce or butter. Or, alfredo sauce — which may have been what this young and inexperienced chef was trying to create, based on color.
15. Fish Tacos
They’re usually a good choice, which is why this story is upsetting.
As far as tacos go, fish tacos are usually a pretty healthy bet. But the problem is, fish can often come out as being undercooked. The good news is that it seems like OP was the only one who had a bad reaction to this shared dish, meaning that perhaps they were just the unlucky one, or couldn’t digest it for some reason.
16. Haribo Gummies
When you’re a kid who’s sick, your first thought is probably “gummy candy will make me feel better!”
But, too much of anything is bad for any stomach — not just a weak one. The good news is that this is yet another user error incident, meaning that you probably won’t wince when you walk past the gummy aisle during your next grocery trip. Which is great, since those Twin Snakes are pretty phenomenal.
17. Peaches
Surely, plenty of college kids have the same aversion.
Vodkas and liqueurs come in so many fruity, sweet flavors that you’ll want to be careful. Not only due to the horrible hangover that you’ll experience the next day, but due to the fact that one bad night can turn you off of the good, healthy equivalent for a long time — if not forever. So if you love peaches, maybe avoid peach flavors for now.
18. Brussels Sprouts
May this be a lesson to all of the new parents out there.
This is almost similar to why I hated peas — aside from texture issues, I didn’t like the fact that it became a nightly argument. Taste, smell, and feeling aside, it’s very easy to project negative emotions to foods. So if you want someone to eat their Brussels sprouts (which are quite good), try to be a little more understanding.
