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I'm not a big fan of Mexican food but I'm sure it is good somewhere

fusion. i have yet to enjoy anything fusion-y.

Japanese, I have never been a fan, no matter how many times I try it.

I can't think of any cuisine that I really hate, but I'm not the biggest fan of Indonesian, which I think makes rather a poor use of fresh vegetables. It's unfortunate, since I used to live in the Netherlands and still spend several months out of the year there.

I second Indonesian. I spent few summers in Indonesia when I was a teenager. At least in Indonesia (never had Indonesian outside of Indonesia), it seems like they like to fry EVERYTHING. Nothing was fresh. Even if the ingredient was fresh, it would be cooked or altered so it would lose the freshness. I was told that it was because food spoils quickly due to the climate and the lack of refrigeration.

Plus, I haven't found any good Indonesian places in New York to give it another try.

mexican: it is all variations of the same things... a flat starch, cheese, saucy meat, dirty/dustry rice or beans and shredded letttuce. and yes, I have eaten in mexico. its saving grace is guacamole

Sorry Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill is "his" take on the cuisine)but Mexican food is the worst. Been all over Mexico. Oaxaca has excellent fresh seafood and veg but cook it yourself. Some regional salsas are good. Give me Asian & South Asian hot sauces any day. At Thai places I ask for no cilantro or parsley instead. Like you, Dave Farris, cilantro tastes exactly like soap. You're the first person I've heard(so far) who also gets that gross, soapy aftertaste. A Lao cooking intructor said that about 3% of people eating cilantro hate it. Something about sensitive taste buds. Do you have a very sensitive nose, too???

I'm not exactly sure why, but responses to this thread run the gamut from cultural unsophisticatedness to near racism.

GUilty carnivore: your response being the exception to our racist pig-ignorance?

and yes! Soap is the perfect analogy for the awful pugency of cilantro! pine needle soap

if you are referring to my Paula Deen comment, you're right, i'm in the wrong. deep-fried mayo does not constitute a cuisine of any sort.

You are showing your ignorace by your comment about "Mexican" food being laden with cheese and lettuce. This is "American" food. Call out Americans.

Have to agree with Guilty Carnivore.Cilantro rocks.

I've been told by recent chinese immigrants that their countrymen are more attuned to the mouthfeel of a food than we westerners are. That they prefer more gelatinous stuff.

Vegetarian cuisine...specifically the Vegan extremes. Whether its a Cuisine or a lifestyle can be debated. What in my mind cannot be debated is that as culinary form it is limited in the same way that an all meat & potatoes cuisine is limited. Eggs, cheese, butter, fish, meat & even animal skin as in a recent post are all necessary for my needs be it in the kitchen or a restaurant.

As for cilantro....I agree that there is an essence of soap to it...but....what you will find is that the poor quality cilantro is where this is the most offensive. When it goes to seed it gets woody, tough & the flavor goes bitter...like many herbs do when past their prime. Young cilantro has a hint of that soapy, pine flavor, but in a delicate & non offensive way....the key is to use it sparingly & use quality.

Dislike all food except ordinary American!

Pheh! Can't stand cilantro. You're right about the soapy thing -- I could never put my finger quite on what that was!

As for cuisines, I've never been able to do the sushi thing. After many tries, I still can't get a taste for it.

Canadian

I love FOOD! Bring me more FOOD, I shall eat it!
I snarf down cilantro by the handful.
If I perchance find a food I don't like, I battle with it until I can get it into a form that does appeal to me. Then I can usually dig it in other forms too.
But yes, it seems unfortunate to pan an entire cuisine based on a few unsatisfying dishes you have had. There are so many other options within that cuisine you are closing yourself off too! Especially if you are basing opinions of ethnic cuisines on Americanized versions.

i get sad if a cuisine is not to my taste, too! i feel inclined to also say that i love cilantro, and ethiopian food, too. the injera is the best part! it is so unique, and has the wonderful tart quality of sourdough bread--maybe it's not as pretty, but the feeling of using it to eat all the wonderful components instead of utensils is liberating and fun. maybe you should try some bread made with teff (that is the grain used in injera) to develop a taste for the flavor. i don't like any cuisine that uses obscene amounts of mayonnaise (and yes, this includes paula deen)

I love it all, even cilantro..although I haven't yet had Ethiopian. Although for some reason, my husband and I do not ever choose Italian restaurants when we go out.

I'm not a huge fan of Indian and Thai food (the former because garam masala and coriander, used in many dishes, don't appeal to me; the latter because I am not fond of peanuts or coconut used in savory dishes), but I have had both Indian and Thai dishes that I absolutely love. I can't imagine living without Mexican food, though I won't go out for it, for the most part, in NYC...though you won't find me cooking with cilantro, either. I guess it's hard for me to imagine that an entire culture's cuisine is without anything I would enjoy - that doesn't stand to reason - so I usually stick with it. Even the British make a fine toasted cheese sandwich!

I love everything! Though I can't stand fast food hamburgers, but I don't even know if that is real food... ;-)

I am so glad that I'm not the only one who thinks cilantro tastes like soap! I HATE when "mexican" restaurants load piles of it on top of everything as a garnish. I like it just fine when it's mixed in dishes with other ingredients like ginger, onion & garlic.

-Malenky: Interesting fact about the "supertasters". Although I LOVE dark chocolate and have no issues with coffee.

As for me, Thai & Indian cuisine are not my favorites. Curry and I do not get along that well. Enough said :o)

The "soap" thing on cilantro is apparently genetic, just like the ability to be very cognizant of artificial sweeteners. The super-tasters vary in what they can or can't tolerate. I found that after a few experiences with cilantro, I could manage it nicely. When I thought I didn't like Indian food, I eventually figured out that fenugreek that was the specific spice that I didn't like. Now it doesn't bother me as it's snuck its way into a number of dishes I've tried. And I was the kid who was a really, really picky eater....

I have never met a food I couldnt like in some form. There is a way to fix just about everything to make it delicious. However there are those cuisines that make it impossible to enjoy eating the food. Such as Korean, so much can be said about the smell taste and site of rotten cabbage. I do not remember the name for it but that is the only thing I can think of where you can count me out.

I have a tendency to dislike German food. The exception is their desserts!!! Just not a fan of all that sausage and potatoes and creamy stuff.

I can't think of a single cuisine that I can't stand - I always manage to find something I like, no matter where I am, or what sort of restaurant it is. Then again, I'm also part of the cilantro lover's contingent. ;}

I would say, though, that I strongly object to a lot of the Americanization of cultural foods that are passed off as authentic here. It's difficult explaining to friends that Chinese food, or Italian food, or any number of other cuisines, taste completely different in the U.S. than they do in their country of origin.

The only food I don't like is the food I can't eat ;}

Surprised no one has mentioned that the cilantro=soap thing is believed to be the result of an enzyme (not any supertasting abilities). I think it's more than 3%, of the population, but still a minority. I love the stuff.

Then again, shouldn't be surprised to find a lot of soap-tasters in a thread about hating food.

I have a tough time finding something I really want to eat on a German menu. The side dishes are good though.

anything with monkey brain

I didn't mean anything derisive by it. I just wanted to point out (to myself, mostly) that it shouldn't be surprising to find a high proportion of people who are unable to enjoy cilantro (and apparently it's a really foul taste for them) converging in a thread about food aversions.

Ie., if you're genetically predisposed to have a strong distaste for a flavour, and have experienced that distaste featured prominently in popular cuisines (Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, etc), then sure, you may also have an interest in a thread on foods people dont like: you've had a real experience of it.

What's so wrong about that connection?

From what I've heard, this cilantro=soap thing is really strong. It was mystifying to me when I first met people who had this aversion (and I didn't know it had some physiological root). I can't think of another food/taste that, when disliked, is disliked with such intensity.