On the assumption that it was way out of hand hearing about all the flavors I dislike on an OT. So sorry, Beanies! Btw, I also hate mint and if it wasn’t clear before, ginger.
I have another friend who hates tomatoes in all forms except sauce and therefore pizza is ok. But you sound like you’ve changed? It is my joy to eat tomatoes like apples, I can’t get enough of them 😄 and have a large picture saluting them in my kitchen. Interesting about the milk and cheeses. We only had American and Velveeta so I was not faced with that decision. Oh, and Swiss. Which I adored. Where do you stand on cheeses now? I’m cracking up because my favorite pasta sauce today combines cream and tomatoes (and vodka).
@bbstl, I hadn’t picked up on your dislike of mint or ginger. Interesting, as they are both penetrating flavors.
As for tomatoes, yes, I’ve changed. I’ll eat fresh tomato in a green salad, but I wouldn’t eat one out of hand like an apple, or a sliced beefsteak sprinkled with salt. One of the interesting things that Annemarie Colbin mentioned in Food and Healing was that the calcium in dairy products helps neutralize the acidity of tomatoes, which may be a factor in their being paired in Italian cuisine.
When I was a kid, we had Old English American cheese slices with pimento, which I adored. It made great grilled cheese sandwiches. A local dairy bar used to make grilled cheese on split English muffins with slices of pimento-stuffed green olives. One of my favorite treats. (I love most olives to this day.)
Other cheeses, even mild cheddar, was too much for me. I couldn’t stand the smell of Swiss (methinks from the propionic acid generated by the culture). Just looked it up, and I was right:
Propionibacterium produce propionic acid as the end-product of their anaerobic metabolism. This class of bacteria is commonly found in the stomachs of ruminants and the sweat glands of humans, and their activity is partially responsible for the odor of both Swiss cheese and sweat.
Mom loved stinky cheeses (Liederkranz or Limburger, anyone?). I went with her to the Italian deli run by the parents of one of my grammar school classmates, and thought I’d croak from the cheeses hanging up: provolone was one of them. Grated parmesan was another killer. Weirdly enough, I’ve come to adore good, sharp Romano, cheddar, and provolone. Buffalo-milk mozzarella (with 10% butterfat) is simply exquisite.
The cheeses I absolutely cannot abide are the ones infested with mold, especially blue varieties. I’ll never willingly touch a Buffalo wing or bleu cheese dressing in this lifetime.
Mild fresh cheeses such as cottage cheese were fine, and I ate lots of it, as well as cream cheese. I didn’t like yogurt at first, but would eat Dannon’s and Columbo’s flavored varieties by the time I got to high school. Later I went on to culture my own yogurt, fromage blanc, and a couple of other lactofermented dairy products.
I’ve got to say that vodka sauce is a truly weird color. I don’t think I’ve ever tried it. But that’s understandable, given my Campbell’s cream of tomato soup fiasco. 😉
I’m really loving the variations in humans right now. Vodka sauce is just about my favorite color in the world, one I try to wear as much as possible 😆 And I just polished off a large wedge of triple creme blue cheese that was heaven. But please don’t ruin perfectly good olives or mild hard cheeses with pimientos, ugh! I can do red/yellow peppers but never green in any form.
If you’re wearing the color of vodka sauce, someone might mistake you for a flamingo. 😉
I’m glad you enjoyed that nice triple crème blue cheese. You can have my quota, too. 😉
When I was a kid, the only way I would eat green peppers was raw. Back then I couldn’t stand them cooked, as in a hot oven grinder made with Genoa salami & provolone on a torpedo roll split open and basted with tomato sauce. [Sheesh! I just realized that the “Tuesday” grinder from Sal’s on the Berlin Pike near Hartford, Connecticut, was my sole exception when it came to strong-smelling cheeses like provolone. I suspect that baking it with the other ingredients helped neutralize the odors I didn’t like. — The eatery featured grinders named for every day of the week.] My Dad liked stuffed green peppers and Mom made them occasionally, but I wouldn’t eat them.
I don’t recall encountering red peppers when I was a kid, and certainly not yellow or orange ones. Interestingly, I learned much later that green peppers are hard to digest (the proprietor of an Armenian restaurant told me that, and I’d read it in Annemarie Colbin), but not so in the case of sweet red bell peppers. I went on to put red, yellow, and orange peppers in my pasta sauce, along with green and yellow summer squash, 5 or 6 varieties of lilies (red and yellow onion, garlic, scallion, leek, shallot), and carrots.
It occurred to me years ago that my aversion to nightshades may have been indicative that they did not agree with me. I’ve read that they can aggravate arthritis symptoms in some people. Potatoes are the only ones I really like. Eggplant was a turnoff. I found it bitter, and only later learned that salting it draws out the bitterness prior to making eggplant parmigiana, for instance. It’s only within the last 10-15 years I tried eggplant rollatini at a local place that one of our neighbors raved about. It was great, and not the least bit bitter.
I liked raw cukes when I was little, but only sweet pickles. I used to like cucumber salad, but nowadays the vinegar kills me. At fast food burger joints, I initially eschewed the usual pickles, ketchup (yuck!) and mustard, but eventually got to like dill pickles. To this day, I don’t eat ketchup, aside from the occasional fast food burger. I’ve never put the stuff on French fries or scrambled eggs, nor do I like French or Russian salad dressing, although I’ll eat the special sauce on a Big Mac, which is similar to Thousand Island. I’m inconsistent that way.
We have SYNCHRONY!!! No ketchup and no green peppers, esp cooked, esp stuffed – super blecchhh!🤢! I don’t know how they got the reputation as edible when they’re not digestible, seriously? I will drink tomato juice by the quart but hate that sugary ketchup, bleah. 😏 but love Russian and Thousand Island dressings. And Big Macs. And Mayo.
I’ve gotten around some of the sharp vinegar problem by using rice wine vinegar.
I believe you have seen some dang strange vodka sauce, mine is a lovely coral. No wonder you don’t want to try it!
I love nightshades, maybe that’s why I’ve had aggravated arthritis since my teens?
And I am mystified by your stand on provolone, which I consider the most taste- and smell-free of cheeses. St. Louis has a special version called provel which is technically “cheese food”, used on pizza and in salads. I call it White Velveeta. I don’t eat that, either 🤣
I couldn’t stomach canned sauerkraut when I was a kid. Vinegar and I don’t get along well nowadays, although back then I liked Mom’s pickled carrots and sweet-and-sour finely shredded cabbage salad with celery seeds. But then I studied in Germany, and discovered the joys of red cabbage, which I can eat like candy. I also learned the secret of prepared kraut: wash it first. That gets rid of the vinegar stench, and it tastes and smells a whole lot better. Champagne kraut (made with white wine) and pineapple kraut are a couple of variations. I like the pineapple version a lot. But the best kraut is the naturally lactofermented kind, a Germanic cousin of kimchi. No need to wash that. The lactic acid is great for the digestion and inhibits the growth of pathogens. Plus all that fiber does wonders for the old GIT.
This week’s episode 7 of DAE JANG-GEUM IS WATCHING featured kimchi making, and it was very interesting to see all the ingredients that can go into it, including fresh oysters and finely minced salted shrimp! I had read that fish was used in North Korea, but fish and shellfish are used in various parts of the ROK as well. I’m allergic to shrimp now, and don’t trust other shellfish, either. Watching the cooking and eating doesn’t bother me because I don’t have to smell it, or risk anaphylaxis. 😉
Yay for the German sweet and sours! I hated all that growing up but finally learned to appreciate the family recipes with maturity. I buy my fermented sauerkraut in the refrigerated section at Trader Joe’s where they once again carry kimchi as well, but mine comes from the Korean grocery. I thought almost all kimchi had some shellfish so I look hard to avoid it, but I think the stuff I get (made in Chicago) is probably modified somewhat for American tastes, maybe. I love that I can get so many varieties like shredded radish, leek, whole radish and more.
bbstl 🧹
November 21, 2018 at 5:30 PM
@pakalanapikake, I decided to continue our epicurean convo over here if you don’t mind.
bbstl 🧹
November 21, 2018 at 5:39 PM
On the assumption that it was way out of hand hearing about all the flavors I dislike on an OT. So sorry, Beanies! Btw, I also hate mint and if it wasn’t clear before, ginger.
I have another friend who hates tomatoes in all forms except sauce and therefore pizza is ok. But you sound like you’ve changed? It is my joy to eat tomatoes like apples, I can’t get enough of them 😄 and have a large picture saluting them in my kitchen. Interesting about the milk and cheeses. We only had American and Velveeta so I was not faced with that decision. Oh, and Swiss. Which I adored. Where do you stand on cheeses now? I’m cracking up because my favorite pasta sauce today combines cream and tomatoes (and vodka).
PakalanaPikake
November 21, 2018 at 7:39 PM
@bbstl, I hadn’t picked up on your dislike of mint or ginger. Interesting, as they are both penetrating flavors.
As for tomatoes, yes, I’ve changed. I’ll eat fresh tomato in a green salad, but I wouldn’t eat one out of hand like an apple, or a sliced beefsteak sprinkled with salt. One of the interesting things that Annemarie Colbin mentioned in Food and Healing was that the calcium in dairy products helps neutralize the acidity of tomatoes, which may be a factor in their being paired in Italian cuisine.
When I was a kid, we had Old English American cheese slices with pimento, which I adored. It made great grilled cheese sandwiches. A local dairy bar used to make grilled cheese on split English muffins with slices of pimento-stuffed green olives. One of my favorite treats. (I love most olives to this day.)
Other cheeses, even mild cheddar, was too much for me. I couldn’t stand the smell of Swiss (methinks from the propionic acid generated by the culture). Just looked it up, and I was right:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propionic_acid#Production
Mom loved stinky cheeses (Liederkranz or Limburger, anyone?). I went with her to the Italian deli run by the parents of one of my grammar school classmates, and thought I’d croak from the cheeses hanging up: provolone was one of them. Grated parmesan was another killer. Weirdly enough, I’ve come to adore good, sharp Romano, cheddar, and provolone. Buffalo-milk mozzarella (with 10% butterfat) is simply exquisite.
The cheeses I absolutely cannot abide are the ones infested with mold, especially blue varieties. I’ll never willingly touch a Buffalo wing or bleu cheese dressing in this lifetime.
Mild fresh cheeses such as cottage cheese were fine, and I ate lots of it, as well as cream cheese. I didn’t like yogurt at first, but would eat Dannon’s and Columbo’s flavored varieties by the time I got to high school. Later I went on to culture my own yogurt, fromage blanc, and a couple of other lactofermented dairy products.
I’ve got to say that vodka sauce is a truly weird color. I don’t think I’ve ever tried it. But that’s understandable, given my Campbell’s cream of tomato soup fiasco. 😉
bbstl 🧹
November 23, 2018 at 10:48 PM
I’m really loving the variations in humans right now. Vodka sauce is just about my favorite color in the world, one I try to wear as much as possible 😆 And I just polished off a large wedge of triple creme blue cheese that was heaven. But please don’t ruin perfectly good olives or mild hard cheeses with pimientos, ugh! I can do red/yellow peppers but never green in any form.
Cucumbers? Sauerkraut?
PakalanaPikake
November 24, 2018 at 3:34 AM
Part 1 of 2
If you’re wearing the color of vodka sauce, someone might mistake you for a flamingo. 😉
I’m glad you enjoyed that nice triple crème blue cheese. You can have my quota, too. 😉
When I was a kid, the only way I would eat green peppers was raw. Back then I couldn’t stand them cooked, as in a hot oven grinder made with Genoa salami & provolone on a torpedo roll split open and basted with tomato sauce. [Sheesh! I just realized that the “Tuesday” grinder from Sal’s on the Berlin Pike near Hartford, Connecticut, was my sole exception when it came to strong-smelling cheeses like provolone. I suspect that baking it with the other ingredients helped neutralize the odors I didn’t like. — The eatery featured grinders named for every day of the week.] My Dad liked stuffed green peppers and Mom made them occasionally, but I wouldn’t eat them.
I don’t recall encountering red peppers when I was a kid, and certainly not yellow or orange ones. Interestingly, I learned much later that green peppers are hard to digest (the proprietor of an Armenian restaurant told me that, and I’d read it in Annemarie Colbin), but not so in the case of sweet red bell peppers. I went on to put red, yellow, and orange peppers in my pasta sauce, along with green and yellow summer squash, 5 or 6 varieties of lilies (red and yellow onion, garlic, scallion, leek, shallot), and carrots.
It occurred to me years ago that my aversion to nightshades may have been indicative that they did not agree with me. I’ve read that they can aggravate arthritis symptoms in some people. Potatoes are the only ones I really like. Eggplant was a turnoff. I found it bitter, and only later learned that salting it draws out the bitterness prior to making eggplant parmigiana, for instance. It’s only within the last 10-15 years I tried eggplant rollatini at a local place that one of our neighbors raved about. It was great, and not the least bit bitter.
I liked raw cukes when I was little, but only sweet pickles. I used to like cucumber salad, but nowadays the vinegar kills me. At fast food burger joints, I initially eschewed the usual pickles, ketchup (yuck!) and mustard, but eventually got to like dill pickles. To this day, I don’t eat ketchup, aside from the occasional fast food burger. I’ve never put the stuff on French fries or scrambled eggs, nor do I like French or Russian salad dressing, although I’ll eat the special sauce on a Big Mac, which is similar to Thousand Island. I’m inconsistent that way.
– Continued –
bbstl 🧹
November 24, 2018 at 8:50 AM
We have SYNCHRONY!!! No ketchup and no green peppers, esp cooked, esp stuffed – super blecchhh!🤢! I don’t know how they got the reputation as edible when they’re not digestible, seriously? I will drink tomato juice by the quart but hate that sugary ketchup, bleah. 😏 but love Russian and Thousand Island dressings. And Big Macs. And Mayo.
I’ve gotten around some of the sharp vinegar problem by using rice wine vinegar.
I believe you have seen some dang strange vodka sauce, mine is a lovely coral. No wonder you don’t want to try it!
I love nightshades, maybe that’s why I’ve had aggravated arthritis since my teens?
And I am mystified by your stand on provolone, which I consider the most taste- and smell-free of cheeses. St. Louis has a special version called provel which is technically “cheese food”, used on pizza and in salads. I call it White Velveeta. I don’t eat that, either 🤣
PakalanaPikake
November 24, 2018 at 3:34 AM
Part 2 of 2
I couldn’t stomach canned sauerkraut when I was a kid. Vinegar and I don’t get along well nowadays, although back then I liked Mom’s pickled carrots and sweet-and-sour finely shredded cabbage salad with celery seeds. But then I studied in Germany, and discovered the joys of red cabbage, which I can eat like candy. I also learned the secret of prepared kraut: wash it first. That gets rid of the vinegar stench, and it tastes and smells a whole lot better. Champagne kraut (made with white wine) and pineapple kraut are a couple of variations. I like the pineapple version a lot. But the best kraut is the naturally lactofermented kind, a Germanic cousin of kimchi. No need to wash that. The lactic acid is great for the digestion and inhibits the growth of pathogens. Plus all that fiber does wonders for the old GIT.
This week’s episode 7 of DAE JANG-GEUM IS WATCHING featured kimchi making, and it was very interesting to see all the ingredients that can go into it, including fresh oysters and finely minced salted shrimp! I had read that fish was used in North Korea, but fish and shellfish are used in various parts of the ROK as well. I’m allergic to shrimp now, and don’t trust other shellfish, either. Watching the cooking and eating doesn’t bother me because I don’t have to smell it, or risk anaphylaxis. 😉
-30-
bbstl 🧹
November 24, 2018 at 8:58 AM
Yay for the German sweet and sours! I hated all that growing up but finally learned to appreciate the family recipes with maturity. I buy my fermented sauerkraut in the refrigerated section at Trader Joe’s where they once again carry kimchi as well, but mine comes from the Korean grocery. I thought almost all kimchi had some shellfish so I look hard to avoid it, but I think the stuff I get (made in Chicago) is probably modified somewhat for American tastes, maybe. I love that I can get so many varieties like shredded radish, leek, whole radish and more.
PakalanaPikake
November 21, 2018 at 6:23 PM
Not a problem, if you can stand it. 😉