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Can you teach yourself to like certain food?


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Old 24-02-2012, 08:45
The Wizard
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I've been trying to force myself to like fish and olives recently and while i've got a lot better at being able to tolerate it, I still don't actually like it.

I've been told that if you try something enough times (10 I think) that you'll learn to love it. But i've tried this food as many times already and the only thing I seem to have done is built up a tolerance to it actually making me puke. Other than that I still don't actually like it.

It's such a shame I don't like fish because I feel like i'm missing out on so much but the only fish I cant eat is the stuff that doesn't have any flavour like the stuff you get in the chippy. As for olives they just taste metalic and bitter and leave an aftertaste that reminds me of fertiliser. You know that chemical fertiliser smell you get when the farmers spraying their crops? Well it's like a very faint aftertaste of that. Sorry I know that's gross but that's what I taste when I eat them.
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Old 24-02-2012, 08:47
Earnshaw
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I've been trying to force myself to like fish and olives recently and while i've got a lot better at being able to tolerate it, I still don't actually like it.

I've been told that if you try something enough times (10 I think) that you'll learn to love it. But i've tried this food as many times already and the only thing I seem to have done is built up a tolerance to it actually making me puke. Other than that I still don't actually like it.

It's such a shame I don't like fish because I feel like i'm missing out on so much but the only fish I cant eat is the stuff that doesn't have any flavour like the stuff you get in the chippy. As for olives they just taste metalic and bitter and leave an aftertaste that reminds me of that smell when they're muck spreading the fields. Like a slight manure taste. Sorry I know that's gross but that's how I taste them.
I would get that checked out if I were you, your taste buds sounds odd.
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Old 24-02-2012, 08:51
The Wizard
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I would get that checked out if I were you, your taste buds sounds odd.
I can't really describe it but it's like an earthy, chemicaly taste like they've been treated with something that taster faintly like fertiliser.

As for fish I simply can't stand the smell or the taste. It makes me just gag. The only way I can eat fish is the smother it in garlic or soy sauce.
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Old 24-02-2012, 09:15
sunshine_tube
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I taught myself to like olives. And mushrooms, which I now LOVE. I tried with red wine but that didn't work quite so well. I think I probably only buy bad wine though. But yes, in my experience it's definitely possible.
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Old 24-02-2012, 09:18
Grabid Rannies
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I drank Green Tea to the point where I actually do now genuinely like it and look forward to a cuppa.

I think a lot of it is really down to pre-judgement and entrenched notions rather than what is actually happen in your mouth/body when you taste certain foods. Don't get me wrong I'm not pointing any fingers or trying to be superior - I'm exactly the same way with, for example, certain meats, particularly offal and things like faggots and sausages - I've got no logical reason to say that I categorically don't like them other than that I don't like the look of them, and moreover the thought of putting them in my mouth.
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Old 24-02-2012, 13:39
SHAFT
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I taught myself to appreciate real ale when I was a teenager as it was all my drinking buddies at the time drank and I didn't want to feel left out. Enjoyed drinking it for may years but can't stand the stuff now.
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Old 24-02-2012, 14:11
burton07
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I could never like rice pudding, even if I had to eat it for every meal Same goes for coffee.
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Old 24-02-2012, 14:21
Gooby
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I have tried to like celery. I know it is good for me, very low cal etc but no matter how I try I can't get to like the taste. I can just about handle it cooked so long as it is sparse - eg in a soup.

On the other hand I love celeriac!
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Old 24-02-2012, 16:10
BrunoStreete
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Not sure you can. Some people just don't like certain things, I can eat more or less anything.
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Old 24-02-2012, 16:45
Utopian Girl
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As a child I hated parsnips and beetroot and wasn't brought up on olives but I adore them all now. I guess our taste changes as we mature in most instances. But I will never eat fish/meat or even quorn with lamb flavouring.
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Old 24-02-2012, 16:57
Color of Night
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I have tried to like celery. I know it is good for me, very low cal etc but no matter how I try I can't get to like the taste. I can just about handle it cooked so long as it is sparse - eg in a soup.

On the other hand I love celeriac!
I am the same with celery & cucumber, I have really tried but just can't stand the taste or smell.
My tastebuds have changed over the years, I never like mushrooms & olive, love them now. Couldn't bare to drink tea without sugar but if I accidently pick a cup of tea up now with sugar I hate it. Never liked chilli either but I find myself making chilli con carne hotter & hotter which pleases hubby greatly
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Old 24-02-2012, 17:14
Altheya
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Wizard, I am totally with you on the dislike of fish and olives. Can't tolerate either although more so fish which just the smell of turns my stomach. I'd really like to get over it though because it's so good for you.
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Old 24-02-2012, 18:48
degsyhufc
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I came round to likng fresh corriander. A couple of years ago I couldn't stand it but the meals and recipies I was into always had it listed.

I decided to give it another try and gradually came to really like it. I can now put handfuls of it into my curries.
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Old 24-02-2012, 18:53
Pumping Iron
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I still cant stand the taste of kidney, but as I get older I am enjoying offal a lot more, lambs liver, beef tripe, ox-tail and pigs trotters are some of my faves now.
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Old 24-02-2012, 19:51
The Wizard
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I had a friend who insisted on making me try barbecued liver. I explained that I couldn't stand it and it would make me sick. She insisted that anyone who didn't like liver would still like it barbecued and forced me to try it. I didn't like it. I took one bite and very rudely but uncontrolably puked it back up.

Well I did warn her.
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Old 24-02-2012, 20:17
HollyC
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I had a friend who insisted on making me try barbecued liver. I explained that I couldn't stand it and it would make me sick. She insisted that anyone who didn't like liver would still like it barbecued and forced me to try it. I didn't like it. I took one bite and very rudely but uncontrolably puked it back up.

Well I did warn her.
That made me laugh! I think liver smells quite nice while it's cooking, but I hate the taste (half of that hate is due to the texture, but the other half is due to the fact that it tastes grim!).

I love olives though - when I first tried them (green ones stuffed with pimentos), I couldn't decide whether I liked the taste or not, and ate nearly an entire jar over the course of an afternoon, to try and make my mind up - it was almost as if they were addictive!

As for oily fish, I'm not overly fond, except for mackerel in hot chilli dressing - just empty the can over a salad and mix in. Yum!
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Old 24-02-2012, 20:26
Roni_J
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I'm not sure you can train yourself to like foods but tastes can change so can be worth trying things again.

There's foods I didn't used to like but having tried a couple of years later found I loved. Not happened with olives though but will always try them if somone offers me one.
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Old 24-02-2012, 20:35
pinot_noir
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I've managed to teach myself to like some foods including olives, lamb and smoked salmon. There are other foods including oysters, mango and smoked haddock that I've tried several times and been unable to enjoy them.
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Old 24-02-2012, 20:40
TennisFreak08
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I'm a fussy sod and wish I could train myself to enjoy a wider variety of foods. As others have said, tastes can change over time but I don't believe it can be forced.
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Old 25-02-2012, 17:47
Flying Dagger
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You can't teach yourself to like something but your tastes can change. I never used to like lemon or spinach but now love them (not together mind).
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Old 25-02-2012, 19:13
SHAFT
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I remember my parents saying that the appreciation of olives was someting that came to you with age. I'm in my 40's now and still can stand them!
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Old 25-02-2012, 19:19
whoever,hey
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I have two ingredients/items i couldn't stand, but i really wanted to because i loved food so much i felt like i was missing out. I trained my self to like them.

I had a real texture fear of pasta until a year or so ago. It used to make be gag just tasting the slimy stuff, but i can eat it fine now. I started on small farfellie (sp) pasta in a salad with loads of other ingredients. Now i do actually enjoy some pasta dishes!

I also had a real problem with eggs. I used to gag at the smell. So i couldn't eat pancakes, omelettes or anything. Now i can eat omelettes, and try fried egg and boiled egg, but just dont enjoy them. But i certainly dont gag any more.

This is now my second proper pancake day!

Egg wise i used to just dip my finger in raw egg and taste that, then fry a bit and try that. Its all about desensitising yourself to it.
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Old 25-02-2012, 19:30
Gaditano
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I'm baffled at those who dislike what they call 'fish'. There are so many different types of fish, with different flavours, and you can cook them in hundreds of different ways. So 'fish' is not one taste but many many many. You wouldn't say that beef, partridge, lamb, rabbit and kangaroo all tasted of 'meat'.
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Old 25-02-2012, 22:27
Welsh-lad
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I think you can learn to like falvours.... but not textures.

I have tried and tried to like porridge... but the texture just makes me feel like heaving.
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Old 25-02-2012, 22:59
tinyangel
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I used to hate avocado when I was young but kept trying it,and now I love it. However, one thing I can't see me ever liking is camembert. The smell is so revolting I can't bring myself to put it in my mouth.
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