It's A Texture Thing....
i got an idea from the "talking textures" post. how many times have we heard some one say "well i would it eat it, but its a texture thing...." ? it happens more often than not.
for me, its peanut butter, and anything creamy. its taken me a long time to like sour cream or dips of any sort, just because i hate the mouthfeel of something creamy. the same for yogurt. i love the taste but i can only eat small bites bc large ones make me gag.
what about you guys? any weird texture problems you have or have heard of?
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47 Comments:
can't do tofu and eggs (yes i know there's different ways of preparing / eating both, but i just can't)
my friend doesn't eat ice cream unless its rock hard, in which case he eats it really fast before it melts
korovka at 6:40PM on 04/27/09
Beef liver. Maybe other kinds of liver too, but I haven't tried them so I can't say for sure. But I couldn't even tell you whether I like the taste of beef liver or not, because if it's in a dish and I feel obligated to eat it for some reason, I swallow it really quickly so I don't notice the texture, and don't really taste it much anyway. Overcooked pasta's texture is kind of gnarly too. I can handle that at least, but it seems like such a waste of pasta.
cycorider at 6:53PM on 04/27/09
It took me years to like mushrooms because of the texture thing. I am very glad I got over it because now I love mushrooms so much! I think it was because I only ate the canned mushrooms when I was younger, and I still think those are nasty.
lo82070 at 6:56PM on 04/27/09
I totally agree with peanut butter, cashew butter, all nut butters. Also I can't get around the texture of Jell-o or marshmallows.
kathyvegas at 7:14PM on 04/27/09
celery, peppers, olives. if the texture is so demolished that I can't detect it's in a dish, then it's fine.
joyyy at 8:13PM on 04/27/09
yogurt i love eating it except it makes me want to gag
Sigilum at 8:25PM on 04/27/09
For me, it's any cooked, dried and candied fruit (including cooked tomatoes) and overcooked pasta. These are definitely the worst offenders, I think I pretty much can handle everything else. Years ago, it also used to be mushrooms and aubergines, but I got over that one (and I'm glad I did).
brooke29 at 8:26PM on 04/27/09
With me I think it's mostly an issue of cooking time more than intrinsic texture. The worst offender I can think of is undercooked eggplant--ew. If eggplant isn't tender it feels, hmm, squeaky.
Conversely, I am really not fond of the vast majority of foods that are gloppy or gooey without the presence of any textural contrast. Pudding, for instance, or yogurt. I like it fine for two bites or so and then it's just boring and baby-foodish.
annatr at 8:36PM on 04/27/09
TAPIOCA .... i hate it. those little balls.... yuck. i absolutely hate tapioca.
pooch at 8:53PM on 04/27/09
One of my sons does not like mashed potatoes--gag reflex there, so I don't serve them to him. He also used to pick out the mashed berries from yogurt when he was a tot and hand them to me. Oh, what a gift for me.
My other son, who is a severe asthmatic, has not liked any sort of melted cheese, or cheese in general, since a severe asthma attack coupled with croup when he was three. He woke up gagging with a barking cough and thought he was choking on the cheeseburger he'd had 8 hours earlier. I think he associates the texture of melted cheese with thick flem/mucus--and there is a correlation with dairy aggravating respiratory problems.
You should see the "pizza" I make for him--basically really good dough with olive oil and sea salt, a ton of red onions and just a sprinkle of mozz and parm to give it a bit of flavor with out any goo--baked until crispy and golden brown.
Myself--no pears, the grainy texture just doesn't appeal to me. Love the flavor though.
dhorst at 9:02PM on 04/27/09
I totally second tapioca - and anything that is creamy and grainy at the same time (rice pudding is just as bad) I don't do risotto either.
I am just now starting to eat egg yolk. I used to have my eggs cooked over hard so I could pop the yolk out in one piece and eat the whites only. Egg white cooked by itself doesn't taste the same as an egg cooked whole to me.
Any sort of canned veggie in any form is yucky.
I can't stand the coat-your-mouth texture of white or milk chocolate. Peanut butter is the same.
Wonderbread is weird. It's like eating a slice of pillow.
I guess I have more food hang-ups than I thought! I could probably list another ten things!
RudieCantFail at 9:06PM on 04/27/09
Natto (fermented soy beans) - it's hard to come up with all the necessary textural yuck adjectives required.
Soft cooked eggs - slimy and deeply, meaningfully, disgusting.
PBJ sandwiches. I love peanut butter. Jelly is okay, I guess, but mixing the two together is gross.
chisai at 9:15PM on 04/27/09
Raw broccoli florets.
I love crisp-tender broccoli; raw broccoli stems and raw cauliflowers are fine. Can't do overcooked broccoli either.
I love everything slimy. natto, okra, shaved kelp, mekabu, grated nagaimo, etc.. but I can see them being disgusting to most people.
hmw0029 at 9:47PM on 04/27/09
@kathyvegas:
I laughed out loud about the jello and marshmallows! Ate them as a kid, but since I've grown up, I found they seriously freak me out!!! I mean, what the hell are those supposed to be!? Although I do like the charred marshmallows on top of my family's holiday sweet potato casserole. Otherwise, I mean it- jello and marshmallows WEIRD ME OUT.
emilytaylor at 10:09PM on 04/27/09
Apples and Peeps are the first two things that come to mind. Brrr
Southern_bella at 10:53PM on 04/27/09
jello, marshmallows that are not in s'mores or melted in hot chocolate, jelly beans, too much yogurt at one time- a little is okay, but i can't eat an entire container (yes, the single portions)
my sister can eat peanut butter and jelly on toast, but not on untoasted bread.
machellebelle at 11:27PM on 04/27/09
I don't like anything gelatinous - aspic (and the head cheese, etc. that involve it), the bright red coating on strawberries in a fresh berry pie, weird jello salads, etc. Aspic is my least favorite, though. I just don't think savory foods should be coated in a gel.
LaurieWendy at 11:36PM on 04/27/09
I don't like tuna or chicken salad sandwiches. The mushy texture is too much for me.
poke87 at 11:57PM on 04/27/09
Hospital food...I think I'm heading there again tomorrow. I will not eat anything they serve and can guarantee a 20 lb weight loss when I'm in. (3 year battle with complications from a hernia surgery..total of 6 months in hospital and 23 surgeries in last 3 years.)
Any meat with fat or gristle...I'm talking the minute it hits my tongue it's projectiled across the room. Sadly, I am a huge carnivore. I love beef, pork..not so hot on chicken.....again because of hospital chicken which makes me gagomoungous.
Soft boiled eggs...nasty liquidy white will make be hurl.
I
lamora at 12:17AM on 04/28/09
okra and jello....that slimy testure of okra makes me want to gag...and jello-it just slides down your throat....yeech..
Italiancupcake at 12:42AM on 04/28/09
Texture doest bother me unless its paired with a bad smell, either alone I can deal with, but together uughh! For example oysters, unagi, or anything like that is fine, as are stinky things like cheeses or some exotic fruits, but something like breadfruit would kill me. As do metallic smelling things like brains! So I guess my answer is no, texture alone doesn't really bother me.
twoojoe at 12:50AM on 04/28/09
I'm with the okra and natto as well. And have you ever had okra mixed in WITH natto? It's sticky and slimy and gives me the heebie jeebies.
And yet, I happen to love the SMELL of natto. Go figure. It smells good to me, but too gooey to touch.
mikaque at 1:37AM on 04/28/09
Liver or anything offal.
Avocados plain, nooooooo, but I do like guacamole.
Raw tomatos, but if it is cooked yum.
Tapioca I loved as a kid with jam on top but now I don't know, won't try.
Oysters, clams, mussels, octopus, squid, sea urchin, geoduck, caviar.
Fresh okra, only like the frozen kind and fried.
pjracz10 at 1:38AM on 04/28/09
Bananas - its like they suck all the moisture out of my mouth and it feels like a mouthful is threatening to swell and choke me.
Oatmeal - its probably a different case with steel cut, but all we have is quick cook. That gluey, gooey but lumpy texture is unappetizing.
fuuchan at 1:53AM on 04/28/09
Oooh, right @fuuchan, I forgot about oatmeal (and cream of wheat, too)! Never, ever, ever, and it doesn't matter it it's steel cut or quick cook.
Also - peach skins. They give me goose bumps, I'm not kidding. I can only eat peaches if they are peeled.
brooke29 at 2:23AM on 04/28/09
@brooke
I think I can handle cream of wheat better, but I haven't had it since I was a kid. I do remember that it had to be pretty thinned out, though or else it was nasty.
I think I'd like oatmeal better if there was more of a distinctive bite to it instead of that reconstituted cardboard texture.
We recently tried some kind of crushed grain from the health food store with most of the outer hull still intact. Less goo, more chew. It was pretty good, I'm going to have to ask my mom exactly what she bought XD I still don't have an idea of what it was.
fuuchan at 2:34AM on 04/28/09
@fuuchan-I wonder if the grain you had were wheatberries..I had this wheatberry salad from Whole Foods, that was really good..slighty nutty in taste with a nice chew to it..It went well with the dried cranberries that were in the salad...(I know this is a little off the point of this thread but I had to stick in my 2 cents)
getting back to texture...I love avocado but do not like it in a sushi roll--tastes way too mushy..
Italiancupcake at 2:49AM on 04/28/09
Flan - tastes good, but that jelly creamy texture drives me nuts. But creme brulee with it's crunchy carmelized top makes it okay.
Oatmeal and it's slime makes it hard to eat for me, so I mix in nuts to give it some crunch.
Slimy okra is bizarre in my mind, but fried okra with it's near crunch coating is okay.
Ribster at 5:09AM on 04/28/09
Oh, I forgot - cooked berries, as in straw, ras and black. Blueberries are fine though. Again, it's the slime.
@fuuchan - I'll bet @Italiancupcake is dead on. Wheatberries have an excellent chew and are nutty and pretty excellent in both texture and taste.
chisai at 6:06AM on 04/28/09
Been racking my brain about what food texture I don't like and mostly it's a food's flavor (like BEETS - UGH) but then I remembered....water chestnuts....it's that weird crunch. It's just not right.
arm1970 at 7:19AM on 04/28/09
I don't have a problem with textures, my husband however has a weird thing about hard boiled eggs and cold boiled potatoes...like in potato salad...
sammie at 8:32AM on 04/28/09
The little white bones in tinned wild salmon - can't stand the idea of actually biting into one, even though I know they "are good for me!"
bareneed at 8:40AM on 04/28/09
I am unfortunately one of the people with "texture issues."
I cannot bear oatmeal or similar hot cereals. Yogurt must be completely smooth, no bits of fruit (fresh fruit on top is OK, as is granola or cereal unless it has had time to get mushy). No cooked fruit in general except possibly lightly grilled - the texture of fresh, raw fruit is so wonderful, why would you want to mess with it? - or completely pureed. Hm, what else? Those are the big three. Oh, and I like dried fruit, but when it is cooked into something it bloats and becomes inedible to me. I have literally said to my husband, "want my bloated raisins?" and he does!!
The texture of tripe isn't my favorite but that's fairly common I think. I will eat Jello but scrape all the gelatin off gefilte fish before eating. Hate flan and custardy things unless they are quite firm. Please do not make me eat overcooked carrots or celery (unless they are tiny, as in bolognese).
Oddly, I love mushrooms, the nice slightly bouncy texture. Okra has never bothered me but being from Boston and living in Toronto, I think I've only had it cooked from frozen or fried.
wellred at 9:18AM on 04/28/09
Ditto on Jello and canned pears (too gritty)! We switched to steel cut oatmeal, which is a totally different product: not cardboard at all!
ocarol at 9:44AM on 04/28/09
I'm with all those who hate raw broccoli (veggies shouldn't have a dry/crumbly/grainy texture), runny eggs (eggs are meant to be cooked, IMO), okra (slimy & firm at the same time? wierd...), and tapioca (there shouldn't be anything chunky in pudding!).
And while I love most nuts, I do not like them in certain things - brownies, fudge, etc. I don't like a hard/crunchy piece of something breaking up the smoothness of the rest of the dessert.
Onions... I like onions, but prefer them either crisp & raw (on a salad, in salsa, etc.), or sauteed/grilled (for Mexican food, burgers, etc.) I do NOT like them in marinara/tomato sauce of any kind. Something about how they're cooked...but not crispy or caramelized in any way. I just think it gives them a wierd texture when they're cooked to just a slightly soft point. Plus it adds nothing taste-wise.
Other thing is fresh cherry or grape tomatoes. Raw slices for a sandwich or burger is fine, even wedges for a salad - not a prob. But to pop a whole grape/cherry tomarto in your mouth, bite down on it, and have it pop open and immediately fill your mouth with tomato goo (plus seeds)....it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it....
kimberlymac at 9:54AM on 04/28/09
cottage cheese...it's squeeky!
mepolo at 10:19AM on 04/28/09
I love the taste of berries, but my back teeth are so deeply grooved, I can't even eat blueberries without ending up with a grill full of seeds. Ugh, drives me nuts. Same with the shells from popcorn kernels.
Kerosena at 11:11AM on 04/28/09
Chopped Liver/ Pate... The savory creamyness of it totally turns me off.
annabanannas at 12:06PM on 04/28/09
@Kerosena - i have the same problem! especially with popcorn kernels... my dentist told me i have the deepest molar grooves he has ever seen, in 20 years of practice. it sucks.
and i love oatmeal, but only when its nice and thick. runny oatmeal makes me gag!
listener at 12:33PM on 04/28/09
FIGS! I flipping HATE figs! Those seedy little bastards make me feel like I'm biting into a bag of bugs, and learning about fig wasps did NOT help.
Stufsocker at 2:52PM on 04/28/09
Water chestnuts and baby corn. I used to have an issue with the slimyness of mango, but I go over it because fresh mango is just too delish to pass up.
Embackus at 2:54PM on 04/28/09
Wow, this is fascinating to me. I have no textural issues that I can think of - I mean, I specifically order things like beef tendon/tripe/bouncy meatball at my favorite pho place. I chew on the fat connected to meat. And while i don't really "enjoy" raw egg white per se, it doesn't bother me all that much. I find jello sort of... non-exciting, but it doesn't bug me either. Huh. I guess I never thought about it before.
BangieB at 3:03PM on 04/28/09
The only texture issue I have is when, for whatever reason, I have to put wood in my mouth. In elementary school, I remember being so sad that I couldn't eat ice cream because all they had to offer us as a utensil for it were those awful wooden 'spoons.' Hubs has major negative issues with some textures. The only one I can think of now is polenta, and probably because I just recently 'accidentally' put some on his plate. Sometimes I like to screw with him...:)
I work with some kids who have oral motor sensitivities, and I always wonder if people with severe concerns/problems with food textures have some type of sensory integration dysfunction. If I weren't so damned lazy, I'd probably spend some time looking more closely into that.
@fuuchan - Are you allergic to bananas? Sure sounds like a possibility...
mollykate678 at 3:35PM on 04/28/09
@mollykate.....YES! Those little wooden ice cream spoons trigger my gag reflex too..and popsicle sticks, toothpicks, tongue depressors and pencils. I just now put the connection together. Thanks I think ;-)
kathyvegas at 7:08PM on 04/28/09
i love certain foods for their chewy textures.... mushrooms, tapioca, squeeky cheese curds, ....
blizcheetah at 7:32PM on 04/28/09
Oatmeal or any hot cereal. Oatmeal cookies, granola, bread or muffins are fine. I just can't take it as hot breakfast cereal or any kind of Cream of Wheat type stuff either. Also can't take rice pudding but eat tons of rice otherwise.
robincat at 7:50PM on 04/28/09
Ripe bananas, I have to eat them when they are still a teeny bit green.
Also, jello (especially when it gets all chopped up), wonderbread and american cheese will ALWAYS make me gag... I guess I have issues with slimy and sticky.
alclyp at 11:40AM on 04/29/09