_____ looks better than it tastes
Are you sucked into buying a bakery pastry or deli prepared entree/sandwich because it looks "perfectly" delicious? Then with one bite, sheer disappointment...I encounter this with those gorgeous looking blueberry muffins or individual slices of carrot layer cake calling my name! What food as successfully deceived you?
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23 Comments:
buttercream pastries. they always look so lovely and taste so gross.
lexophile at 12:28PM on 01/28/08
I am with you JEP. Most any store-bought baked goods or sometimes even the deli items (all in the same general area at my local biggie mart which is the only store less than 30-40 minutes away) look yummy or at least decent, but I am always sooo dissapointed if I succumb to the siren song.
Leaden donuts that the kids have begged for, pre made deli sandwiches, (musta been the little green skirt of leaf lettuce peeking out at me) and carrot muffins that looked to die for (I was so hungry when shopping that day) and were appallingly dry come immediately to mind.
I love to bake, so I should be able to resist, but it's true what they say about eating with our eyes first.
coffeefrappe at 12:34PM on 01/28/08
My partner is diabetic so occasionally I'll pick up some sugar-free bakery items. Some of the packaged products are surprisingly good but the majority of the market-made pies are just about inedible. They tend to be tasteless or overly saccharine-sweet.
RichardCrystal at 12:57PM on 01/28/08
Table bread at some restaurants can look better than it tastes/chews. Such a killjoy when it's stale. I rarely reach for it unless I ordered soup or something saucy that I'd like to sop-up.
Susquehanna at 1:23PM on 01/28/08
lexophile - I agree with you 100% on the buttercream.
Red Delicious apples. They promise way more than they deliver.
Pomegranite Seeds. They are so lovely, aren't they? All ruby and twinkling and gorgeous. It's not that they taste bad, because they don't. But they pretty much scream "I'm incredibly delicious, eat me NOW!", and when you do, you're rewarded with a mild, sort of pleasant tasting thing that if it weren't so pretty, you'd never miss it if it went away forever.
chisai at 1:59PM on 01/28/08
Those fruit tarts with the clear glaze over them. They're never as good as they look.
segalbraith at 2:08PM on 01/28/08
brussel sprouts.....they do look good to me....they just don't taste as good to me!
mepolo at 2:36PM on 01/28/08
rotisserie chicken... it looks and smells so succulent and is almost always soooo dry and flavorless.
mepolo, try cutting the sprouts in half, placing them cut side down on a heavy baking sheet well greased with extra virgin olive oil, and baking them at 350 until they are almost completely black on the bottom, then get back to me.
and chisai, i absolutely love pomegranate seeds! sorry they don't do it for you.
cybercita at 3:46PM on 01/28/08
Pretty much all store-bought cakes and/or desserts.
Salads at a supermarket's salad bar (I bought it once against my better judgment when I broke my rule #1 - "Never go food shopping on an empty stomach". I was SO disappointed. On the plus side, I certainly did not feel like eating anything after that).
My mother-in-law's stuffed cabbage.
Pears.
Green beans. They look so lovely at the farmer's market that I inevitably buy them. I try to love them. I cook they with teriyaki sauce, red peppers and roasted cashews, I do not under- or overcook them, they look gorgeous and everybody loves them and asks for more. To me, they still look much better than they taste.
brooke29 at 4:51PM on 01/28/08
Apples. The ones in the grocery stores can be pretty bland, no matter how nice they look.
I agree with grocery store baked goods. The danishes are always dry!
Yeah, I'd say there's a lot of stuff that looks better than it tastes.
misseditor at 5:01PM on 01/28/08
Beets -- I think they are beautiful. I also think Borscht is beautiful especially with sour cream swirled in. I find the fuschia hue soooo appealing. Unfortunately all I taste is earth (or more specifically mud.) I have tried them numerous times prepared numerous ways.
lakeloverhh at 5:08PM on 01/28/08
Fresh berries in January:(
Tomatoes at the grocery store:(
JEP at 5:20PM on 01/28/08
anything chocolate!
so many things just are nottt good. but that beautiful rich brown color, creamy frosting or icing, decorations, and the delicious sounding names make everything look so tasty!
sigh.
gretchenx5 at 5:36PM on 01/28/08
'Maraschino' cherries. So pretty, and so dreadfully insipid. I keep wanting to get my hands on the authentic, original sort, which are actually preserved in Maraschino liqueur, but I've never seen them and haven't a clue as to how to make them.
And I have to admit that most golden coloured liquor, for example whisky, beer, golden rum, look delicious to me (essence of Golden Syrup!), but I don't care for them at all.
mongoose at 5:47PM on 01/28/08
I have to agree with JEP - it usually involves something I shouldn't be eating at that time of year anyway. You think you've got a "find" and buy tomatoes in the winter and they're cardboard. Berries cost a fortune and they're tasteless. The worst is getting huge artichokes not in season and they're hard as rocks and never cook - and they're also $$$$$.
The worst mistake I ever made was buying a Pomelo. OMG, all skin and no fruit.
I hate it when I think a plum is going to be sweet and it turns my mouth inside out!
chiff0nade at 5:56PM on 01/28/08
Hey, mongoose - I just happen to have a recipe for Maraschino Cherries from our local newspaper food section that was under the heading "Homemade maraschinos worth trouble". It was a reprint from the New York Times News Service by Melissa Clark. I haven't taken the time to make them yet but fully intend to. They sound ridiculously simple.
Time: 20 minutes, plus 2 days macerating
1 cup maraschino liqueur
1 pint sour cherries, stemmed and pitted (or substitute one 24-oz. jar sour cherries in light syrup, drained)
Bring maraschino liqueur to a simmer in a small pot. Turn off heat and add cherries. Let mixture cool, then store in a jar in refrigerator for at least 2 days before using, and up to several months. Yield: about 1 pint
* and the photo looks scrumptious
If you're not into that, check Zingerman's website because they did have the real deal but be prepared to pay the real deal price.
Bon appetit!
frederika at 6:06PM on 01/28/08
Almost all bakery and grocery store baked goods/pastry. I hardly ever buy that kind of thing but every now and then something will look so good I'll break down and get it. Almost always disappointed.
mrsmoosie at 9:44PM on 01/28/08
Blueberry muffins are one of the most disappointing foods around. There are maybe three places I've ever eaten a blueberry muffin on this entire earth that have satisfied my idea of what a blueberry muffin should taste like. Those deceptive little weasels of muffins...
A month or so ago I made the nearly fatal mistake of purchasing cherries waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of season. The bag was a complete joke. I can't wait for spring and summer produce!
kmnola at 12:22AM on 01/29/08
Oh goodess, I was staying in Florence, Italy, for a few days, and kept walking past this bakery with the most beautiful, perfect looking chocolate chip cookie. It was GIGANTIC, and had dozens of chocolate chips studded all over its surface. So on the last day of my stay, I finally broke down and bought one. While on the train out, I shared it with friends and... wow. It was probably the worst chocolate chip cookie I had ever had. So many levels of wrong...
http://cafepeach.wordpress.com/files/2008/01/img_0076.jpg for a picture of said cookie
cafepeach at 1:27AM on 01/29/08
frederika, thank you! It sounds almost too simple to be true, but then again there is a long tradition of preserving fruit very simply in liqueurs, so I'm really looking forward to trying this. I just have to get my hands on some Maraschino, and some cherries... quite a trick, here.
cafepeach, I grew up in Florence, and that thing LOOKS wrong, like the unholy offspring of an American scone and a chocolate chip cookie. I hope you tried the local baked goods, too..? I know that this is serious, childhood-influenced bias, but things like schiacciata alla fiorentina, budinini di riso, and castagnaccio are not just good, they're unique.
mongoose at 3:01AM on 01/29/08
Marzipan. Blech. Tastes like cat sick.
sheeats at 4:54PM on 01/29/08
oh my @mongoose, those are definitely things i have not tried while in Florence (in fact, I think I ate halal kebab food most of the time! i know, i'm a bad person). now i'm going to have to go back soon(!)
cafepeach at 3:59AM on 03/16/08
Pre-made sushi at most grocery stores.
As was said earlier, I can make the stuff, yet when I'm hungry, my stomach suckers me into buying this utter crap...which I end up throwing away in disgust.
Cassaendra at 9:29AM on 03/16/08