What vegetable(s) do you wish you liked better?

[73349]

I'm reading Bee Wilson's First Bite. My initial answers are bell pepper (green's probably too much of a stretch, but red/orange/yellow), yellow squash, beets (maybe I can at least get to liking beet chips?), and avocado (which I only like with lime juice and DS doesn't like at all). If it weren't easy to avoid, I'd add asparagus.

How about you?

 

[WildflowerMom]

Celery.   It is so nasty.   But, weirdly enough, I like it juiced.  🤷🏻‍♀️

[73349]

I think celery's a lot better cooked. It's so variable raw--some turns out to be much more strongly flavored than others. But cook it with some carrots, and it's nice and gentle.

[Shoeless]

Not a vegetable, but I wish I liked mushrooms. I can't get past the texture of them. 🤢

[Laura Corin]

Fennel, dill etc. I can't get past the aniseed taste.

[kbutton]

31 minutes ago, Carolina Wren said:

beets (maybe I can at least get to liking beet chips?)

Have you had them fresh from the garden (with good soil)? Straight from garden to pot, they can taste like candy and not at all metallic. Yum! 

I wish I liked more squash. There are other veggies it would be handy to like, but some of them I have intolerances to, so wishing I liked them more wouldn't help. 

Oh, cucumbers. I really like only super crispy pickling cucumbers with the smallest of seeds. Otherwise they're either too slimy, or they taste too much like melons. Our garden seems to be producing only medium to large seeded cukes this year, sadly, though I can tolerate the medium-sized seeds if that's all I have. I love them tossed with a drizzle of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sometimes oregano.

[Pawz4me]

I'd guess I'd have to say beets. That's the only veggie I can think of that I don't like. I just wish my IBS would allow me to eat more of them. 😞 

[prairiewindmomma]

Kale. I can handle it in small bits in some salad mixes, but, nutritionally, I would be better off if I liked more bitter greens.

[Lecka]

I like Harvard beets from a jar.  They are worth a try, maybe.  

[Amethyst]

I’m gonna go with brussel sprouts. Everybody keeps telling me how much they love them. I only had them a handful of times as a kid. I never fed them to my kids and they have discovered them as adults. My one dd says they must have changed since I was a kid! She LOVES them. I lump them in with peas and lima beans (which I have also avoided since I was a kid - I don’t wish I liked them though - I’m happy to continue to hate them). 

[Lecka]

If you only have boiled Brussels sprouts, I have had boiled I like and boiled that were horrible.

They are very different from roasted or lightly cooked Brussels sprouts.  
 

If you have only had canned Brussels sprouts — that could matter, too.  Frozen can have a lot different texture and milder taste.  

[Amethyst]

Try Love Beets - especially the chili flavored ones!! Yum!

Celery needs to be prepared to eat raw. It’s one of my favorite snacks. I cut and peel the entire bunch as soon as I get home. Store in water in fridge. Restores limp celery, or keeps fresh celery fresh. 

[Amethyst]

Just now, Lecka said:

If you have only had canned Brussels sprouts — that could matter, too.  

I can totally see my mom only ever feeding us canned brussel sprouts in the 60’s and 70’s. Yup. That might be the problem. 

[Spryte]

Peas.

[regentrude]

I haven't met a vegetable I didn't like.
Scratch that.  I forget about eggplant. I hate eggplant. I have no desire to want to like eggplant.

Edited August 13, 2021 by regentrude

[regentrude]

8 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

I can totally see my mom only ever feeding us canned brussel sprouts in the 60’s and 70’s. Yup. That might be the problem. 

That has to be disgusting.

[Garga]

I know it’s not a vegetable, but I very, very much wish I liked eggs. 

[marbel]

Hmm, I guess there are a few vegetables I don't particularly like, but since there are plenty of vegetables in the world, I don't feel the need to like them all!

[HomeAgain]

Peas, broccoli, and ghost broccoli.

It seems they're in everything, but I have a hard time with the texture of peas and I just don't like the other two.

Short, funny story.  My husband mentioned to his friend how much he loved asparagus.  The friend was like, "ooooookaaayyy.  Weird, man."  😄  Well, my husband went for a visit to his friend's house, and while there, the friend decided to serve asparagus because my husband liked it so much, even though he was not a fan himself and thought it was disgusting.  So he opened the can...

🤣🤣

There was a major clearing up of the confusion between the two. The next visit down to our house, dh made his friend fresh, roasted asparagus for a side, with a little bit of shaved parm on top and a drizzle of balsamic.  From what I hear, it's now a staple in their house, too.

[history-fan]

Cilantro - tastes like soap I agree with Ina Garten

green beans- to squeaky and fuzzy

parsnips just no

I'm ready to 86 carrots unless they are fresh from farmers market they have no flavor

 

[happi duck]

I wish I like eggplant more because dd likes it a lot. 

I wish I liked pea shoots because we sometimes have them as an option in our CSA box.  They're "our" farmer's favorite and I'd like to understand what he sees in them!

[HomeAgain]

9 minutes ago, happi duck said:

 

I wish I liked pea shoots because we sometimes have them as an option in our CSA box.  They're "our" farmer's favorite and I'd like to understand what he sees in them!

I had never tried these before I accidentally went to a hipster Mexican restaurant.  They used pea shoots in the chimichurri sauce and it was actually quite good!

[SoCal_Bear]

Pretty much we eat every veggie including a wide range of Asian vegetables you would never see in mainstream supermarkets. 

Now things I eat because it shows up in my CSA box, but I'm not really fond of...fennel - it's ok if I roast it with potatoes. Dandelion greens but I have to boil with baking soda first and then sautee it with bacon to make it edible. Spaghetti squash - only cooked with marianara and Italian sausage, brussel sprouts...still don't love it even roasted... I won't waste food, so I will eat it if it shows up. Turnips & kohlrabi aren't favorites either.

Pea shoots is very popular dish in Chinese restuarants. Stirfried with garlic. It goes for $12-$15 in a restaurant. 

[Selkie]

 I eat any kind of vegetables I can get my hands on - love them. I eat a lot of different fruits, too, but am a little pickier about those because I don't like anything that tastes overly sweet.

[Sneezyone]

Not a big fan of beets. They taste like dirt to me. I'm ok with brussels but could live without them. I do not like parsnips and turnips either because they're too bitter. Greens like endive and radicchio are out for the same reason. Pea shoots, radish, arugula, gai lan, bok choy and associates...all good. I can only eat spinach raw or barely heated. Mushy veggies are disgusting to me and spinach wilts too fast.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Sneezyone

[Danae]

Kale and all its friends and relations. Pretty much anything described as "greens" without the word "salad" in front.

[GracieJane]

I have always loved vegetables, even as a kid BUT celery is demon’s fare.

[HomeAgain]

21 minutes ago, Danae said:

Kale and all its friends and relations. Pretty much anything described as "greens" without the word "salad" in front.

See, kale is just on my "it's not food" list.  There's only one way I find it passable.  Anytime we get a recipe that calls for kale we end up substituting a more edible green that doesn't feel like rough plastic.

I'm good with not wishing I liked kale more, lol.

[mathnerd]

I eat every single vegetable there is including asian veggies, home grown microgreens etc. But, when I was younger, I used to feel like throwing up at the odor of celery and parsley. I have since gotten over it and can drink celery juice (mixed with liberal doses of carrot juice to mask the odor but not in any other format) and I can eat parsley if it is inside the falafel mixture.

I read a theory a long time ago that if you have the "opposite of craving" for a food, it could be because your body already has an abundance of certain minerals or vitamins found in that food. That could be the reason that people hate the smell or taste of certain veggies.

[Rosie_0801]

It would be much more convenient to like cilantro, but it is not something I seem able to learn to do.

 

Green bell peppers are delicious mashed with garlic and salt, and eaten with injera bread.

[DeainUSA]

Onions! They are in everything and I hate saying no onions and still getting them half the time.

[Tanaqui]

I won't eat mushrooms, but that's about the only "typical" vegetable in American diets that I don't eat. I long ago taught myself to like green peppers and eggplant, which I had struggled with, simply by making myself eat some every single day. This was in high school - I'd stop by my mother's office after school and then go out to pick up falafel or Indian food, and I just made a rule that every time, I'd get one or the other with it. After a few months, no more dislike.

[rebcoola]

Onions and mushrooms and onions because I hate texture. 

Bell peppers

[Elfknitter.#]

#teambeets

[cjzimmer1]

3 hours ago, kbutton said:

 

Oh, cucumbers. I really like only super crispy pickling cucumbers with the smallest of seeds. Otherwise they're either too slimy, or they taste too much like melons. Our garden seems to be producing only medium to large seeded cukes this year, sadly, though I can tolerate the medium-sized seeds if that's all I have. I love them tossed with a drizzle of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sometimes oregano.

You need to buy Parthenocarpic of cucumbers. These kinds don't require pollination and thus the seeds are pretty much non-existent.  The catch is you can't grow other kinds of cucumbers with it or they will cross pollinate and start developing seeds if you do.  We grow a variety called DIVA (but there are others as well) at the greenhouse and they have become one of our most popular (and the only kind I will grow personally) because yeah not too many people actually like the seeds.

[athena1277]

There’s a lot of veggies I wish I liked.  And some I wish I had the nerve to try.  I really wish I could like ranch dip, since so many people like it as a veggie dip.  I have tried to like it, but nope. 🤢

[Eilonwy]

I like most veggies a lot, but I can’t really get on with fennel.  It’s the liquorice flavour. Roasted, it’s possible to eat it, but hard to enjoy. I wish I liked it because it looks so interesting. 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Eilonwy

[Eilonwy]

4 hours ago, regentrude said:

I haven't met a vegetable I didn't like.
Scratch that.  I forget about eggplant. I hate eggplant. I have no desire to want to like eggplant.

Botanically, isn’t eggplant a fruit? Then it would not count. 

[Spy Car]

I was stumped, as I love almost every potentially polarizing vegetable.

But then I came up with spaghetti squash. Have not dared to re-try it in decades, but the thought of eating one leaves me queasy.

Bill

[Spy Car]

2 hours ago, Seasider too said:

The ones that prep and cook themselves. 😂

I honestly like most vegetables and I don’t know if this would count, but I really hate capers and they are in so many recipes that otherwise sound delicious. So I guess I wish I liked them.

What is your position on green olives?

Bill

[bensonduck]

4 hours ago, Amethyst said:

I’m gonna go with brussel sprouts. Everybody keeps telling me how much they love them. I only had them a handful of times as a kid. I never fed them to my kids and they have discovered them as adults. My one dd says they must have changed since I was a kid! She LOVES them. I lump them in with peas and lima beans (which I have also avoided since I was a kid - I don’t wish I liked them though - I’m happy to continue to hate them). 

They actually have changed since we were younger. Horticulturists have bred out some of the bitterness. 
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/30/773457637/from-culinary-dud-to-stud-how-dutch-plant-breeders-built-our-brussels-sprouts-bo

 

[Danae]

16 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I was stumped, as I love almost every potentially polarizing vegetable.

But then I came up with spaghetti squash. Have not dared to re-try it in decades, but the thought of eating one leaves me queasy.

Bill

I always thought spaghetti squash was gross until I had it cooked in an instant pot.  For some reason that comes out palatable.

[Spy Car]

2 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

Delightful in an olive salad slathered through a muffuletta. Otherwise not my olive of choice. 

In that case,  I might suggest that diced green olives make a very reasonable substitute in recipes that call for capers.

Bill

 

 

[Spy Car]

1 minute ago, Danae said:

I always thought spaghetti squash was gross until I had it cooked in an instant pot.  For some reason that comes out palatable.

Hum. Unfortunately (?) I don't have an InstaPot to try that experiment.

Cellophane noodles and spaghetti squash are the only two food items I can think of where I get "picky." Otherwise I'm an adventurous eater. 

Bill

[kbutton]

2 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

See, kale is just on my "it's not food" list.  There's only one way I find it passable.  Anytime we get a recipe that calls for kale we end up substituting a more edible green that doesn't feel like rough plastic.

I'm good with not wishing I liked kale more, lol.

I thought about adding greens to my list, but the problem is that even the ones I like are too, um, passable. And the rest taste like soap (but cilantro doesn't taste soapy to me, go figure). 

I see no reason to appreciate kale except as compost.

[Spy Car]

Is there an English language word for people who like "bitter?"

Expresso, very dark chocolate, bitter greens, Campari and other bitter aperitifs, and such are right up my alley.

In ancient times I'd have likely won the Darwin Award, as bitter taste is often linked with poison.

So be it.

Bill

 

[Spy Car]

5 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

Oh, I’ll have to try that, thanks!

Cutting out the pits and dicing is a pain (must use whole jarred ones in brine w/ pit vs canned de-pitted olive), but it will sub nicely.

Bill 

[J-rap]

I wish I liked mushrooms, because they're in so many things!  I can't stand them.  I also don't like beets, but that's not a big deal.  I do wish I liked eggplants more, because they're good in vegetarian dishes.  I believe I like (love!) every other vegetable.  I think it's interesting that so many people don't like celery.  To me, they are almost tasteless!  Just a crunchy, watery thing.

[Pam in CT]

I grew up with overcooked vegetables and there were a LOT I didn't like, but once I learned to cook them properly (barely-sauteed, or roasted, or grilled, with some kind of oil / salt / seasoning) I now like pretty much all of them, even the squashes...

except

cauliflower. 

The ONLY way I can stand even a small quantity of cauliflower is raw, in curry dip.

[marbel]

I love celery. I eat it almost every day, plain and sometimes with cheese stuffed in it. 

I don't cook with it though, as my husband can't stand the smell, taste, or texture. For a long time, like years, I just didn't buy it, but one day I said dang it, I want some celery!    I clean and cut it up when he is not around and store it in the back of the fridge. 

I do miss it in some cooked things but after 26 years I'm kinda over that.

(Just to be clear, he did not ask me to deprive myself, I just did it )