Confession time. I don't like...?

Insects of the Sea. Anything that if on land we'd squash.

Really I don't care for any seafood other than a good fish and chips.

Ditto on seafood. I can just about take albacore tuna if it's ground up in a Cuisinart with a lot of carrots and pickle relish and mayo. People are always making me taste this or that fish or icky-looking alien, saying "You'll like THIS seafood, it doesn't taste fishy at all."

I don't think of myself as a picky eater, especially not in Italy, but I do not like truffles, olives, mushrooms, and organ meats (the "fifth quarter" of any animal).

I'm not convinced with truffles too lol, alot of talk and pomp but each time I try them (even in Umbria) it's a meh for me. Give me some Ceps from the forests of Catalonia any day :)

I also don't like truffles! Even a small taste or the smell of them. I consider myself pretty adventurous with trying foods and because I LOVE Italian cooking, I so wanted to like them, but no. So glad there are others like me! I also don't like olives of any kind.

Bell peppers, Oysters, Rhubarb, Licorice or anything Anise flavored, Organ Meats and Tongue.
Just don't like them.

Sea food except for tuna.

Alcohol.
Any kind of smoking.
Every kind of passive smoking.
Lists that make people concentrate on negative things.

Are North Americans all really so cold towards seafood? I mean you guys have alot in terms of coastline! :)

Carlos,

I don't think Americans are generally "down" on seafood, especially those in the big cities (where they're more likely to encounter better stuff in restaurants or higher-end markets) and on the coasts. But those who grew up and whose tastes were formed farther from the coasts might have less positive experiences to draw on. I have cousins who grew up in Colorado Springs and who are now the "foodiest" of travelers, but when they were young adults were pretty blah about seafood because so much of their previous experience had been with frozen stuff. I myself like most seafood though sadly I have developed an allergy to shellfish, which narrows my options.

As for my own confession, I loathe peppers. All peppers. I hated them when I was a child, and adulthood and a more experienced palate have done nothing to improve my opinion. I can tolerate cooked red peppers if I must (meaning if I'm in a situation where to refuse would be rude), but the texture and the smell drive me mad. I'm also not wild about organ meat, and wouldn't go out of my way to have it at home. While traveling though in areas where it is a speciality, however, I'm happy enough to have it as part of the experience, I don't fantasize about it when I get home!

Caroline

Iced tea.
I don’t understand my fellow Americans’ need to guzzle gallons of it. To me it tastes like water that’s been poured over a brown paper bag.

The irony is that I like hot tea, but it’s a desperate day when I touch the cold version.

@Carlos, some of us love fish and seafood. Shrimp, crab, scallops, trout, salmon ... yum! (Full disclosure -- I have aways lived within 50 miles of the Pacific ocean.)
That said, I do prefer it cooked, not raw.

Wild caught Alaskan cod...YUM! Baccala... not so much.

No raw fish for me! It’s bait!

Just like with my children (now adults), I've always gone with the " try anything once". Found that I like pretty much everything, some things more than others. Not my favorites are celery and green peppers, but I will eat them.

As far as fish and shellfish, proximity to fresh makes a huge difference. We've been lucky to live on both Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Husband turned me on to sashimi (fresh ahi) in Hawaii. During our last trip to Italy (Sicily), our last group dinner was a fish and shellfish buffet. I was in heaven.

The last couple of weeks, Copper River Sockeye Salmon from Alaska has been available here in Oregon. Best salmon out there.

Ahh glad to see some do enjoy seafood on this side of the pond! Back in Spain seafood is a big part of our culture. I think we eat the second most fish per capita after Japan. Heck, out largest seafood market (4th largest in the world) is in Madrid 600+ km from the nearest coast :)

Ditto for truffles-I've never gotten the appeal of even chocolate-covered variety.

Oysters-Ew

But I love seafood and I've developed a love of Spanish cooked octopus. So delicious.

Vodka

Raw fish/sushi

The gonads of any animal.

@Carlos.
Back in the 1950's and 60's, our family Christmas Eve dinner was steamed clams (and we lived in a tiny town in the middle of Oregon). The tradition continues, although we've moved up to paella now (meatless to keep some family happy). I thought everyone ate steamed clams.
We haven't been to Spain yet, but it's on our list!

I like seafood, including oysters, not so much clams or mussels but I wouldn't be fussy. No to peppers and beets if possible. Not a fan of eggplant, to my wife's distress. Also no to pickles, but olives are fine. Go figure.

I’ve never liked oranges or orange juice, don’t even wear or decorate with the color.
No food with strings, like celery, unless it’s finely chopped.
No guts/organ meats but my husband will cook tongue, beef heart and chicken gizzards for himself if i’m out of town.
Corn nuts and pork rinds
Oysters
Anchovies
I’m sure there are more but I don’t think of myself as a picky eater. Tastes change. As a kid I wouldn’t eat peanut butter but now I like it.

Then there are the food allergies (chocolate) and sensitivities (dairy) but that’s a different subject.

Ice tea is something I never drink, never think of drinking even on hot days...don't care for it. It's OK but I never order it.

In Germany eating pork and veal innards (tongue, tripe, kidney, etc) and lamb ...all basically no problem.

Sea food is great , except octopus, (none of that) but fish, scallops, abalone (if available), oysters, shrimp, mussels, herring, lobster, crab, clams, sushi too, but I have not tried eel yet, either Japanese style or German preparation.

Nuts

Offal

Very spicy curries

I can take or leave oysters but I like everything else that comes out of a shell including snails

Celery

Sprouts

Satay or anything with peanuts

Grapefruit

Jeanine, your "truffles" experience sucked me in on this thread. It reminded me of when I paid extra for grated truffle on a pasta dish in Italy, that left me wondering why anyone would want to eat them (or pay for them!).

In California it took me a year to become an ABC drinker - Anything But Chardonnay. Every winery I went to (and there were LOTS of them) insisted theirs was unique and I'd like it. After a year, I learned to "just say no." In Reims, I discovered my favorite champagne is Mercier . . . every other producer uses 60-80% chardonnay grapes, Mercier uses much less, even makes some bubblies with no chardonnay at all.

I don't like Polish food (in my world, known as Eastern European Jewish). I managed to spend 2 weeks in Poland without eating traditional Polish food once!

Now, excuse me while I pour myself a glass of iced tea, from the pitcher in the fridge.

I don't like:

Crowds

People obsessed with their phones and are oblivious to the world around them,

Bugs

Very spicy foods

Lilliputians

I live in one of the best places for seafood and I only eat haddock and tuna from the can. I might eat something like cod or another white fish if it's done up as fish and chips and I think I bought tilapia once (frozen). My husband's mom is from the 'land of fish' (Lunenburg, NS) and I can barely even get him to eat haddock. So I feel a bit 'sad' when we go to somewhere like Venice with the seafood specialties and I don't even want to try.

I'm also not a big fan of alcohol, so winery tours or visiting a brewery is not something I ever want to do. I'd love to try a prosecco or aperol spritz or a bellini but I figure it would be wasted on me. I've had sips of limoncello and hard cider and pastis in France and nope - tastes like cough syrup to me - one sip was enough but I took a few more out of politeness before giving up.

Olives - never ate them but when we were in Provence last year at one of the markets (Aix, I believe) there was a young boy with samples of marinated ones - I'm like - try one, why not?! Well, never again - nope nope nope. Even now I feel my gorge rising just thinking about it.

Coffee - imagine all those delicious coffee drinks in Italy going to waste on me. I don't even like a drink that's half and half, like a mocha. Cappuccino, espresso, lattes...no thanks. .

Avocados. I long for when the fashion to add them to everything ends.

sushi (sashimi). I tried it once on a dare. I don't get it. I think it is like the all-time greatest practical joke, Japan has played on the US - to get us to eat raw fish. Talk to a marine biologist about the parasites in raw fish sometime.

I'm not a fan of Bordeaux wines. The mineral taste is not appealing. I went to the wine festival in Bordeaux last June and liked one wine, out of twenty or so I tasted. Burgundy is great and so is Gewurztraminer from Alsace but I can't wrap my taste buds around Bordeaux.

I don't really like wine from the Rioja region in northern Spain either, for much the same reason. I was much happier with Tempranillo from the Valdepeñas area further south.

...tattoos.

Not a confession — just a fact. 😉

I don’t like olives, chili peppers, schmaltz, octopus and squid.

I despise all smoking,

I love truffles! 💜💚💜

coffee (except for mocha ice cream)
organ meats
mustard
blue or moldy cheeses
any raw meat, fish, or shellfish

Well I am odd in that I love oysters raw but hate them cooked ( blech makes them taste strong and fishy instead of fresh and light from the sea )
Don’t like the smell of truffles but oddly like the taste lol

Organ meats unless made into a pate

Love all seafood but won’t eat shrimp unless they are fresh wild caught - not cheap frozen stuff that comes from nasty fish farms - also only will eat fresh wild salmon never farmed stuff ( it is nasty and so unhealthy )

Yes there are parasites in fish but freezing it kills them - so I love buying frozen tuna an earring it raw - yum !

Olives! I love all the other foods in olive growing areas (Italy, Spain, Greece), my favorite areas to travel in. I also like olive oils, even those described as very olive-y. But I just can’t stomach eating an actual olive. It’s a shame but I’ve tried many types and just don’t like them at all.

FYI, I love almost all seafood. I’m not crazy about oysters but will eat them if in a place where they are a specialty.

I grew up and live in Massachusetts and am about 3 miles from fresh off the boat seafood. However, I only like fish & chip fish and a few shellfish - crab, lobster & scallops. All the other fish tastes fishy to me and I can't get past the texture of shrimp, clams or oysters. I am the only one of my friends like this. However, I eat more seafood than any one of my siblings or parents ever did. So maybe it's a learned behavior?

I'm so glad I'm not the only one with an aversion to seafood here, or the only one who's ended up nibbling chicken teriyaki whenever friends have dragged em out for sushi! (Though, as others have expressed, I'm fine with canned tuna and battered fish, because I'm classy and sophisticated like that!)

Beyond a slimy seafoods aversion, I do not understand cold/iced/iced blended coffee. Even on the hottest summer day, I need my coffee scalding hot. I need it so hot that it hurts me like I owe it money.

Do not like black licorice or anise in whichever form tastes licoricey. Raw or properly cooked anise is okay. Don't like cooked oysters but raw is great. No kidneys. No smoking. No eating bugs. I think no eel, but I haven't had any yet.
Coastal girl, so yes to seafood and fish, raw or cooked. Wild sockeye salmon and home smoked mackerel....so wonderful.

I dislike garlic, the smell makes me nauseous. Ditto coffee.

Everyone is focusing on food...except for a few of us. I don't like....being on a tour with loud, ugly Americans. I am always embarrassed by them. If you think that such and such is SO much better in the states than STAY in the states!!! I guess that is my pet peeve.

I've lived in coastal Florida for 20+ years and will gladly eat just about any locally-sourced seafood. I get pickier when I'm out of my home region and it isn't clear where the fishie came from. If it's a Vietnamese fish farm, I'm not going to eat it.

Haven't eaten red meat for about 25 years at this point, which can lead to some difficulties when you find yourself in a part of Germany where poultry isn't the most common menu option and vegetarian fare hasn't really caught on yet. Under those circumstances, I've been known to make an exception to seafood pickiness and go for the pizza with canned tuna as a topping in the name of getting some protein into me.

I'd rather stay in a soulless concrete box Ibis than many an 'authentic' old school inn. The Ibis probably has air conditioning and too many old inns have mold and mildew issues.

I have more than once gotten a cheap soda from a foreign McDonalds in order to also get to use the toilets there and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Stinky cheese. I can handle the mild stuff but when it has spent time in a cave, develops mold and blue veins, and starts to smell like death, I'm out.

Yeah, I also detest blue cheese and the over priced stilton I ate in northern Ireland. Since others are trying out their origin stories, I always blame too many rounds of thick pink liquid penicillin as a child, blue cheese on a spoon. SHUDDER

"Iced tea. I don’t understand my fellow Americans’ need to guzzle gallons of it. To me it tastes like water that’s been poured over a brown paper bag. "

Rachel, your comment made me laugh! I hope your interesting description won't be on my mind all Summer while I'm enjoying our favorite cold beverage!

I'm fairly easy in the food department, but I found out how much I don't like the taste of anchovies during our first night in Spain. My husband took a bite first and told me the tapa tasted great. Actually, he hated it but was holding back his real comments until I took a bite (and we both have a good sense of humor!).

Truffles, black licorice, many more listed in responses are some of my favorites. I still think about that shaved truffle pasta lunch I had when I first arrived in Montepulciano, sitting under misty umbrellas overlooking the countryside - ahh!

I really don't like being forced to smell and breathe cigarette smoke. It's truly disgusting - both the smoke itself and the complete disregard that smokers have for others.

As we travel through Europe (especially Italy, Spain, and France), at restaurants I sometimes cringe when I explain that I don't eat ANY cheeses, no alcohol (including in sauces or cooked in recipes), and I want my meat cooked well-done. From the looks they give me, I sometimes feel like they think I am the "Ugly American". I actually had a waiter ask me, "I don't understand, why would you come to France then?" (I, of course, can think of hundreds of reasons why I am drawn to France---and want to go again!)

I do like olives, though. :)

Olives, although I love olive oil.

Offal

Oysters

Rose Wine

Also on the I hate Truffles wagon.

It's so interesting how the same foods are mentioned in many replies. I wonder what it is about them? It's probably not unfamiliarity because I grew up with all the foods I dislike now. Gourmet cook mother.

I forgot to add stinky cheese to my list.

Some food dislikes are mental and can be overcome --- I did not eat raisins until I went to college because when I was little my friend's big sister told us both that raisins were actually "dead fly bodies." Also, when our younger son was about five (still extremely picky at age 27) and eating ice cream with me one day, I remarked, "Wow, this is really frozen solid" and he spit it out, exclaiming in horror "THIS is frozen SALAD???????"

Avocados and mushrooms for me. I find them both completely detestable.

I'm with Laurel and several others on the I hate truffles wagon.

Also hate offal, blue cheese, melon, and celery and raw carrots!

Also hate anise/licorice flavors.

Hate the smoke of smokers, as many have mentioned.

Hate hot, crowded places. hate heat, hate being hot, and hate crowds.

Born and bred in Oklahoma, and I love seafood!!!

The Spousal Unit's preferred tea for making iced tea at home is PG Tips, for what it's worth.

Kim , considering your aversion to heat , and a love of seafood , both of which I am in concurrence , have a look at this video . Cape Ann , Massachusetts , a favorite haunt of mine for many years . While it gets a bit drawn out toward the end , four minutes in , are pictures of Annisquam Village and Lobster Cove in West Gloucester , real eye candy ( and the lobster and clams are the best ) ..https://youtu.be/wy22Z_ZWFK4

I don't like octopus or fried squid. Texture thing. I have found I really like grilled squid bodies, not the tentacles.

Not fond of mussels or clams or oysters no matter how they are cooked. Not fond of anchovies. Anything else from the sea I can eat. Sushi is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the flavor of the various fish (no drowning the stuff in soy sauce wasabi).

Hate it when smokers congregate around the front door of a building forcing you to walk through the cloud. At least once you get inside the building isn't filled with active smokers like it used to be. Strange thing is, I like the smell of good unlit cigars, reminds me of my grandfather who always had an excellent Cuban but never actually smoked it.

Don't like crowds, the only drawback to travel I have since everywhere I want to go seems to be crowded.

Don't like wearing shorts except doing yard work, or at the beach or maybe when playing golf. Just don't look right on me no mater what style or tailoring. Would never wear them to work, church, or when flying.

Over salted food is another thing I don't like. Not sure why chefs feel the need to constantly add salt even to things that are already salty enough.

Can't take rhubarb or licorice. Allergic to something in them. Same with strawberries.

I used to not like coffee, but then I had GOOD coffee! (NOT Starbucks!!) It was in Hawaii on Kauai. I now drink that brand exclusively, brewed strong and served plain black. The best smell and taste of anything you can imagine.

Iced tea is the best thing ever to drink. I always drink it unsweetened. I agree that some you get does taste like it was brewed from a brown paper bag, but that is just cheap food service and store brand generic ones from the low quality tea bags. Even Lipton tastes better than those especially if you use good tasting water to brew it with.

I do like truffles, both the fungus and the chocolate candy type even though they have nothing in common between them other than the name. I like most olives, but there are a few varieties that just taste and feel off. I like my steak medium rare. I am very fond of Scotch whisky (18 yr old or more served neat).

I selflessly volunteer to free anyone here of their assorted and unwanted blue cheeses.

Mark, you adding chocolate truffles to the mix reminds me of an experience with Mexican houseguests, I pulled out a box of "turtles" candy w the cartoon turtle on the box, their faces were a mix of aversion and terror.
In case they aren't called that in Europe, etc, it's a couple of pecan halves, big dollop of caramel, and the whole thing is dipped in chocolate. Omg. Not a truffle. But cheaper and more readily available

Doric that’s funny and reminds me of a German friend who visited us about 15 yrs ago - we went through an A and W drive through - and I asked her what she wanted to drink - I said coke or root beer - she excitedly said “ yes root beer “ - man it was funny when she took her first sip and almost spit it out - she was expecting a type of beer !

Add anise for me too. I can handle a hint in pizza dough but black licorice or anise flavored drinks are yucky.

I don't like coffee but I did drink one served after lunch in Brittany, it wasn't bad. I told the waitress I didn't want coffee but my French was probably impossible to understand. Since she put it in front of me, I thought it would be better to at least taste it (and I needed some caffeine).

Coke, doesn't matter which brand, Coca-cola, Pepsi or supermarket own brand. All disgusting taste and over-sweet.
I'l have orange, coffee, tea, beer, wine, water, milk, just about anything else but no way a coke.

Sorry if that is heresy to some people.

I do enjoy a sprinkling of truffles on Pasta! Living in the Pacific NW I eat Seafood- especially Halibut, occasional Shrimp, Crab, Scallops. Do not care for Oysters, Mussels, Clams, or Octopus. No Organ Meats.

I am shocked I am the only one to immediately think "pushy sales people." I loathe being harassed, having things shoved in my face, trying to push things into my hands...ugh! Immediately makes me want to leave. This does have the benefit of keeping me from spending too much money on shopping :)

Childishly I won't try oysters (the "slime" yuk!) but I will eat most other seafood as long as it is cooked. I've eaten sushi and it is fine, but I don't enjoy it enough to bother worrying if a place is good enough quality to safely handle raw fish.

Surveys! Rental cars, hotels, Airbnb’s, so many surveys come after traveling I almost prefer to stay home.

I don’t like Goat Cheese! Just can’t stand the taste or smell of it. Love other cheeses and especially a good Stilton! I dislike visiting the sheep farms and sheep dog demonstrations on RS tours! I may be the only one! I raised sheep as a child, ran my own stud service with a Ram I owned starting at age 12! I have been to many sheep dog trials in their US. I feel it is a waste of my time to do it on a RS tour when I could be doing something else of more interest to me. I can’t opt out on those days as they are always on a travel day. I would like to do the RS Scotland tour but once again it has a sheep farm visit! Better to take us to a sheep dairy in Italy and learn how Pecorino Romano is made!

Raw oysters have the same consistency as snot, so no.

There is a strong link between eating raw fish and anisakiasis, or round worms, so no on that, too.

Virginia ham and other salt-saturated foods. It's like they take good ham and soak it in a brine solution for a month.

I agree with Nancy about not wanting to be with a group of Americans while overseas, as "we" tend to be, as an aggregate, rather loud and obnoxious. I'm not going to Europe or wherever to be surrounded by Americans. I can go to Scranton for that. But yes, we do occasional group tours as I defer to my wife. RS tours tend to get a more mature and educated group, so it's a good option in that regard.

Stinky people on public transportation. C'mon, man, take a doggone shower! Heavy cologne ain't masking the stink, it only makes it worse.

@BigMike

. . . good ham and soak it in a brine solution for a month.

That's what turns pork into ham. 😋

I hate closing time: if God wanted my butt and the bar stool to part company, He'd make the floor stop moving.

Stan, you may be right; I may be crazy.

@Big Mike, maybe you need to look at small group international group tours like Intrepid, G Adventures or Peregrine? 13 to 15 people, various levels of comfort and generally a wide range of nationalities or ages. Granted, they do less Europe as they figure you can do it alone, but it might be an interesting alternative to a 'group of loud Americans'. At least you can compare and decide if it is a group in general, or a group of Americans you don't like.

Thank you, Maria. That's helpful. Also, I love your name.

Iced tea? What's not to like? Sure, it doesn't overwhelm the taste buds (I like to think it has a subtle taste), but it beats many of the alternatives. If you drink lots of fluids and want a mild dose of caffeine, it is perfect. And if the weather is warm, I prefer it over the hot version (although I do like the hot version, too). Plus, if you drink it unsweetened, zero calories.

Here's my post about discovering I could have it in places where it isn't generally available: cold brewed tea This discovery has enhanced my enjoyment of travel immensely.

I don't like Mondays, and I won't tell you why.

Goat Cheese - It's the first word I learn when we travel... cabra, capra, chèvre, Ziege, koza
I also will take cold weather and a little rain over heat and crowds anyday