Aquired tastes

[dr_mabeuse]

Wine: I'm just discovering wine. I don't know anything about it but I can taste, and the difference betwen a decent wine and the swill I usually drink is just amazing. All those wine-tasting terms we like to make fun of--the "nose", the finish, body, flintiness and oakiness or whatever--you really can taste and feel them. There really is a world of difference between good wine and bad, and it has very little to do with the price.

Coffee: I'm a terrible snob. I drink Stewart's, which I think is local to the midwest and is mostly arabica beans rather than the cheaper robusta. French roast tastes like ashes to me and flavored coffees make me gag. Most of those flavors are about as subtle as whore's perfume.

Whiskey: I used to drink single malt until I discovered that I actually don't like the peaty taste of most of them. It tastes like Listerine to me, raw and chemical. Now I drink Irish Whiskey--Jameson's only. Can't stand Bushmill's. Can't drink bourbon either, because it's too sweet and gives me hangovers.

Cigars: Had a Cuban at a wedding once. I'm not a big cigar fan, but this thing was the real deal and made me realize why people love cigars. The smoke in my mouth was like velvet, and the taste was kind of how a bassoon or bass clarinet sounds, rich and woody and not at all bitter. It even smelled good in my hair.

Eggs: This embarrasses me because it seems so new-age, but one day I paid $2.50 for a dozen free-range vegetarian-fed chicken eggs and was astonished. Eggs haven't tasted like that since I was 8 years old. I mean, they actually had flavor.

Fountain Pens: Nice ones are really nice. I mean really, really nice, and worth the hassle. I know I'd only lose them though.

 

[zeb1094]

Barbeque chips ON a ham sandwich (don't laugh til you've tried it).

BBQ Chips on a tuna salad sandwich. mmmm.

 

[a.j.angel]

BBQ Chips on a tuna salad sandwich. mmmm.

BBQ chips on top of tuna bake....

 

[BlackShanglan]

I agree with the Dr. on wine. I'll add that Dom Perignon, while expensive, is wholly, wholly worth it.

 

[hugo_sam]

BBQ chips on top of tuna bake....

Introduced to me when I ran the coffee shop in NY
Sliced Ham samdwich with tuna fish on Rye
Good.

 

[matriarch]

Mat., I love your eloquence.

Perdita

When looking at that list of...*gulp*....foods, that one single word would be my genuine reaction. No kidding.

But the strange thing is, with regards to the sushi, I adore Roll Mop Herrings, which are raw herring fillets which have been marinaded in a special concoction and thinly sliced raw onion, rolled and skewered with a wooden peg. I adore them, but they have a bad effect on my digestive system, so only eat them occasionally.

http://www.foodiesite.com/images/2000-09/rollmop.jpg

 

[zeb1094]

BBQ chips on top of tuna bake....

That too! Yum.

 

[matriarch]

I don't know, but say "biscuits, gravy, and tomatoes" and you'll get the same reaction out of me.

*shudderrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

 

[R. Richard]

Whiskey:[/U] I used to drink single malt until I discovered that I actually don't like the peaty taste of most of them. It tastes like Listerine to me, raw and chemical. Now I drink Irish Whiskey--Jameson's only. Can't stand Bushmill's. Can't drink bourbon either, because it's too sweet and gives me hangovers.

I have read that, up until WW II, Irish whiskey was considered the best. Then Scotch became the best. Irish is like Scotch without the peaty taste. There are also single malt Irish whiskeys that are very good, if lacking the panache of single malt Scotch.

 

[cantdog]

I'm in with the scotch and the Guinness...I also have some palatte for coffee, but in the other thread Starbucks was referred to as "gourmet" and I almost choked...Starbucks is to a good roaster, say Cafe Moto, what Taco Bell is to real mexican food...

Starbucks roasts every last one of their coffees so fuckin goddam dark! Once you've made it black, it no longer signifies what sort of fine coffee it once had been. They all taste the same, once they are burnt. It's the only thing I have against Barnes and Noble, except their odd categories. They tolerate Starbucks in the shop.

There are also single malt Irish whiskeys that are very good, if lacking the panache of single malt Scotch.

I had a whisky from Ireland once only, because it is not exported to the U.S.-- Powers. Specifically, Powers Gold Label Special Reserve. It is not prohibitively expensive, just unavailable. Wonderful whisky. I agree with Mab about scotches. I am slowly (thank goodness) developing a palette for whiskies.

with tomatoes if they are really good tomatoes.

It makes such a difference. I used to just execrate, anathematize, and objurgate raw tomatoes. But there are tomatoes and tomatoes. The pink boxy ones suck farts from dead chickens.

 

[Huckleman2000]

...But there are tomatoes and tomatoes. The pink boxy ones suck farts from dead chickens.

Well, that explains a few things....

Seriously, I never liked tomatoes or broccoli or brussel sprouts or asparagus when I was younger. I've had some really tasty ones of each, though. Tomatoes with fresh basil and mozzerella and a drip of olive oil - heaven!

Mushrooms, I've never been able to develop a taste for. It's partly because of the texture, but mostly because they're fungi. Like athlete's foot. It's a complete mental block.

Like Mab, fine wine is a revelation. I drink so much of the cheap stuff, you'd think I'd be a bit more discriminating.

Hawaiian weed. Back in the day. I don't know what weed is like nowadays, but a couple of times in my heydey I got my mitts on some Maui Wowee, and it was wonderful - an energizing buzz! Enough to make you really think that, if everyone felt this good, there would be world peace!

in the same vein, good cigars. I wish I could tell the difference before I bought one.

Gin. I don't know what the fuck a martini is anymore. Since when is a 'martini bar' not a 'gin joint'? Don't even think of bringing 007 into the picture - if he didn't have to keep his wits about him, he'd toss the vodka into the shark tank at his first opportunity. Fucking communist alcohol! GIN! The cheaper, the better! Fucking single malt hogwash, strained through the panty liners of Scottish virgins, THERE's a damn oxymoron if I've ever heard one! Mix gin with tonic, and you cure fucking malaria! Add a lime, and call it fucking dinner in any of a hundred colonies! The best gin you can buy is still cheaper than a passable dinner wine; and with a decent tonic, I'd defy anyone to tell the difference between expensive gin and cheap. The difference between a 'good' martini and a 'bad' one can be measured by the olive! Fuck the vermouth! If you can taste it, it's too much. Two is not enough and three is too many. Or is it, two is too many and three is not enough?

 

[rgraham666]

For me, gin is like cantaloupe. Just the smell of causes my gag reflex to kick in.

If I taste it the entire length of my intestines purges itself, through the wrong end.

I'll never acquire a taste of it for that reason.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Mmm, that reminds me. I got this Italian mountain gorgonzola for Christmas ... it is simply insanely good. It's the sort of thing one almost cannot eat without giving little exclamations of happiness all of the way through. Powerfully strong stuff, but so extremely good.

Good cheese is a revelation, and you're right--the heavens really do open up and a shaft of light stabs down onto your plate of gorgonzola as it melts on your tongue.

Cheese is one of those things like wine, where the good stuff is not just better--it's an entirely different experience from what we get in the dairy counter. It might be expensive but it's truly worth it.

It's one of those things that Colly was talkng about at the start: things that really worth the extra price. It's not all hype.

 

[dirtylover]

Some people have an aquired taste type of face - they look a bit odd to begin with, but then their features really start to grow on you.

Btw, did you know that people in their forties spend more on food than any other age group?

 

[R. Richard]

Mushrooms, I've never been able to develop a taste for. It's partly because of the texture, but mostly because they're fungi. Like athlete's foot. It's a complete mental block.

My problem with mushrooms is not ths fungi thing. Rather my problem is: "How can they tell for sure?"

 

[Guest]

I have found that you can NOT force an aquired taste.
i so badly want to like wine. i can't. ive tried expensive/local/import/cheap...every single one of them tastes like poison vinegar to me. i wonder if i just dont deal with the chemical breakdown of grapes well.hrm...

scotch. cheap scotch tastes like a batch of listerine gone wrong as had been previously stated...
that being said, my cousin who is very wealthy buys Blue(sp?) scotch at 900 a bottle. he shared a glass with me a year ago and i have to say...it would be easy to fall in love with its smooth warmth.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Good cheese is a revelation, and you're right--the heavens really do open up and a shaft of light stabs down onto your plate of gorgonzola as it melts on your tongue.

Cheese is one of those things like wine, where the good stuff is not just better--it's an entirely different experience from what we get in the dairy counter. It might be expensive but it's truly worth it.

It's one of those things that Colly was talkng about at the start: things that really worth the extra price. It's not all hype.

Amen. And I would add really good chocolate to the list.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Amen. And I would add really good chocolate to the list.

The TOP of the list, please!!

 

[zeb1094]

I have found that you can NOT force an aquired taste.
i so badly want to like wine. i can't. ive tried expensive/local/import/cheap...every single one of them tastes like poison vinegar to me. i wonder if i just dont deal with the chemical breakdown of grapes well.hrm...

scotch. cheap scotch tastes like a batch of listerine gone wrong as had been previously stated...
that being said, my cousin who is very wealthy buys Blue(sp?) scotch at 900 a bottle. he shared a glass with me a year ago and i have to say...it would be easy to fall in love with its smooth warmth.

You should try Red Ripple!

 

[Guest]

You should try Red Ripple!

*grin*
yannow when you were a teenager...well, it was easy to get hands on mad dog 20/20... *GAG*

 

[cloudy]

*grin*
yannow when you were a teenager...well, it was easy to get hands on mad dog 20/20... *GAG*

memories of Boones Farm...............blech.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

My favorite cheap aquired taste is Krystal Burgers. yumm

 

[MissBri]

 

[Munachi]

butter. decided i didn't like it at age 5 or 6 (and no margarine either). only recently, since my dad buys very expensive bio-butter, i sometimes like it.

olives. just the normal for most kids i guess, i disliked them, love them now.

vegetables. until i was 15 i disliked any of them except for green beans and cauliflower. now i love broccoli, spinach, etc.

guinea pig. i found it weird the first time i tried it. i loved it from the second time onwards.

- other things, like strong liquors, caviar, etc. i think i always liked.

 

[MissBri]