21 Foods We Hate for No Particular Reason
Everyone has a food they just don't like. Yes, even Bon Appétit editors sometimes can't look past their inexplicable hatred of some things, be they benign eggplant, a harmless (if not tacky) tropical fruit, or—believe it or not—burgers. Check out some of the foods and ingredients we can't stand, and make sure to tell us your edible pet peeves in the comments.
1/21"I despise yogurt in its purest form: It tastes like sour, spoiled milk. However, I like when it's combined with savory flavors or used as a condiment." —Melissa Finkelstein, associate developer
2/21"Milk, straight. Ew. Haven't had a glass ever, except for a couple of times when I was little and some cruel friend's mother made me drink one with dinner. Gag!" —Dawn Perry, senior food editor
3/21"There are a few foods I don't like, but they are all for good reasons: green bell peppers, store-bought hummus, kidneys, and worst of all, kiwi." —Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drinks editor
4/21"I have an absolute visceral reaction to lamb and goat cheese. Every time. No matter what. It's as if 'barnyard' has metastasized into my taste buds." —Laura DePalma, research editor
Romulo Yanes5/21"Burgers. With the exception of In-N-Out, I just don't like them. I know, I know. There's too much bun, ALWAYS, and tell me you feel good after you eat a burger. You don't. No one does. Every time I go to a restaurant, someone is like, 'They have a GREAT burger,' and I'm like, 'I don't like burgers.' 'No, but here they're really good.' IRRELEVANT." —Alison Roman, senior associate food editor
6/21"My name is Matt, and I have mayonnaise issues. When I was in elementary school, I read the Judy Blume book Superfudge, in which one character expresses his aversion to mayonnaise: 'It's too gooey,' he says. 'And besides, it can make you sick.' Already averse to gooey things, I was sold—no mayo for me! For decades, I didn't touch the stuff, would throw away fast-food burgers that some mindless dolt had smeared with the gooey, sick-making slime. But then, somewhere along the way, I tasted it…and liked it. Except, I still don't officially like it. I will never consciously choose to put it on anything (except a BLT, of course), but if it's there, hm… this stuff is actually kind good! It's just too bad I Don't Like It™." —Matt Gross, editor, bonappetit.com
7/21"The spaghetti noodle. Maybe it was from years of pre al dente exposure or maybe it was a bad can of Chef Boyardee, but there's something about the precise width of that noodle that makes me gag. Give me linguini or capellini, please." —Cristina Martinez, production director
8/21"I detest liver and lima beans. The former looks like the sad sole of a shoe and has a revolting smell and the latter has a disgusting texture and odor. I also hate banana bread for reasons too numerous to mention." —Chris Penberthy, research director
Hirsheimer & Hamilton9/21"I hate to admit it, but any roast chicken on the bone has been unappealing to me ever since I got pregnant with my first child 6 years ago." —Lauren Epstein, freelance photo editor
©Romulo Yanes10/21"Raw mushrooms. Even the fancy ones are tough for me. They squeak on the teeth like cheese curd (which I like, blame a dairy weakness) and the gills crumble like feathery dirt. No thank you." —Scott DeSimon, deputy editor
11/21"Anything grape flavored, especially grape soda. It tastes like fluoride at the dentist." —Mike Ley, deputy art director
12/21"I don't think it's inexplicable, but I hate capers. They're like little aggressively flavored surprises." —Meryl Rothstein, senior associate editor
Zach DeSart13/21"Chia seeds in drinks.. They swell up like little frog eggs and I'm not a fan of that texture in my mouth." —Brad Leone, test kitchen assistant
Steve Cohen14/21"Bananas. Smelly and mushy. The devil." —Adam Rapoport, editor in chief
Zach DeSart15/21"I have an aversion to the meaty, khaki flesh and bulbous shape of good ol' eggplant. I can't ever shake the notion that it looks like butchered whale meat. Yuck. (Daintier Japanese and Italian eggplant varieties do not have this effect on me.) So unless it's puréed into a fine baba ghanoush (not too smoky, please!) or disguised in a fiery bharta, I say no thanks." —Faye Chiu, assistant managing editor
16/21"I pretty much hate sun-dried tomatoes. I will actually pick them out of a dish, which I never do. They're just so cloying." —Claire Saffitz, assistant food editor
17/21"There are plenty of foods I don't really care for (brazil nuts, avocado, white chocolate), but the only thing I won't eat is eggplant. One terrible encounter when I was 10 years old has turned me off the spongy, bitter nightshade for life." —Joanna Sciarrino, assistant editor
18/21"I find raw spinach to be completely unpalatable. Avoid at all costs. It has this horrible chalky, squeaky texture. Hate." —Amiel Stanek, assistant to the editor in chief
19/21"Truffles. The smell of them makes me gag—if I accidentally eat something with truffle, I can taste it for days. I'm a cheap date…" —Allie Lewis Clapp, food editor
20/21"SHRIMP. I hate, hate, hate, hate shrimp, but not for inexplicable reasons. It's the world's most grotesque texture—like gnawing on somebody's dirty, wet gym sock. Shrimp = the WORST." —Ashlea Halpern, special projects editor
©Romulo Yanes21/21"Eggs, I hate them. I don't know why. I don't even really remember tasting one, but I cannot stand the smell of scrambled eggs. It makes me nauseous. And the texture of scrambled eggs is just awful." —Frederika Brookfield, executive director, public relations
