Food "Names"

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CreamyGoodness

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My wife and her family, lovely as they all are, have one unfathomable quirk... when it comes to food they are swayed by what it is called.

My wife will not eat "squash".... except when I call it zucchini. WTF?

My wife and her father both made a face that said "stop Im going to yak" when I found a recipe for "mushroom and leak bread pudding"

My mother-in-law made the same face when I suggested she use the fish stock for fish soup. "But mah, I made you fish soup last year and you said you loved it!" "Oh, you mean the bouillabaisse you made? That was really good!" My father-in-law by the way enjoyed the fish soup as well... but he refered to it as "seafood chowder".

Is it just them or is this a thing? Can you be swayed not by how a dish looks or smells but by what it is called to eat or not eat it? I'm flummoxed.

By the way, my wife refused to eat my "slathered beef patties" but didnt mind them when rebranded as "salsbury steak".

sigh. It will pass.
 
Seems odd. Though I'll admit when someone makes that kitty litter dessert, it seems a bit off putting :drunk:
 
I've known people who gag at squid, but love calimari.
Or the opposite from "Funny Girl", "A bit of pate?", causing a worried look till Fanny realizes it is just "chopped liver."
 
I try to instill a sense into my children that it does not matter what is on their plate until they have at least taken a real taste to decide if it is palatable to them or not. If given the opportunity, my eldest son would swear that anything containing onions is pure poison. Despite the fact that onion rings are something he consideres to be damned tastey.
 
So far I have never gone back on my "I'll try anything once" policy but I think that will change if anyone ever presents me with balut or stink flipper, but I digress.

Some things are really good if you can get past what they are. Some are pretty common like:

sashimi
eggs
snake/turtle/frog (some people have big problems with these)
pork rinds
bologna
hot dogs
traditional tamales
braunschweiger

Some of the better uncommon ones are:

brains
bugs. When fried up they are very crunchy and taste like whatever seasoning you put on them. Thailand has bugs as snacks everywhere, quite tasty!
head cheese
chitlins (depending on the seasoning and how well they were cleaned)
tripe

Either way, I prefer to know what I'm eating before I try it. I do think there is something to be said for the name though. Hash on toast sounds a lot better than sh*t on a shingle.

Oh, I forgot a major one. Caviar. I am convinced that this is a sick joke that rich people play on their guests. They know that people will eat it so that they appear "sophisticated" but I've never met a single person who honestly liked it.
 
I love snake,frog,sushi & the like. And braunsweiger with munster cheese & mayo. And I think japanese caviar is better,as it's less salty. And wash it down with Moet & chandon Brute imperial 1962!
But I'm still workin on the bugs & Rocky Mountain Oysters...:drunk:
 
Why is it that I can do rocky mountain oysters no problem but bugs creep me out? lol. But I think its really the NAME of the food that invokes some weird trigger in my wife and co...
 
Why is it that I can do rocky mountain oysters no problem but bugs creep me out? lol. But I think its really the NAME of the food that invokes some weird trigger in my wife and co...

Yeah, my bad, I didn't mean to make a hijack attempt, just got me thinking....

So more on topic, here are some that both sides of my family make but have different names for:

Mud Pie = Chocolate Goodie
Worm Dirt = Oreo Crumble
Toast and Gravy = Sh*t on a Shingle
Polpettone = Meatloaf

The recipes are slightly different but they are obviously the same things, just different names. Maybe it's cause I'm a guy, but honestly I would rather have worm dirt than Oreo Crumble cause it's just more fun! **** on a shingle goes a bit far though.

My dad is a Marine and they have some hilarious names for their food. 5 fingers of death were these little canned weenies. Who's up for some 5 fingers of death? ......... No takers????
 
Why is it that I can do rocky mountain oysters no problem but bugs creep me out? lol. But I think its really the NAME of the food that invokes some weird trigger in my wife and co...

Would you have initially tried those Rocky Mountain Oysters if they'd been called testicles? I'll admit I was rather hesitant (as a kid) to try blood pudding, but once my friend (who loved the stuff) explained that there was also persimmons in it & it was sweet & "not yucky at all," I gave it a try; and he was right.

Once upon a time, I thought of sushi as "bait." I'm so glad my buddy talked me into trying it; it's now my favourite food...
Who knew raw fish could be so delicious!?!
The whole reason we eat crab is because at some point, somebody was hungry & walking along the beach, saw a crab & thought to himself: "Ya know, I'm gonna eat that." It turned out to be tasty & we've been eating it ever since. Face it, Crabs look like really big bugs.

We're all products of our environment & culture, not to mention our parents; so it stands to reason if your parents think something is weird, you will too...
At least at first. We all have the capacity to grow beyond the preconceptions we learn from parents/culture/evironment.

Can you imagine what a failure a sushi restaurant would've been here in the USA during the 1950's? But now, they're not only successful, it's apparently "cool" (at least in some circles) to eat sushi. Just for the record, I don't care if my food is "cool," I care that it's tasty, wholesome & affordable.
Regards, GF.
 
Funny you should ask... thats how they were presented actually. As testicles!

It was at my favorite Egyptian place in Astoria. Ali could come to my table and say "I have rat's ******* fresh today!" and I'd give it a go... thats how good he is.
 
5 fingers of death sounds like those lil cans of vienna sausages to me. Brown'em up in a pan with some bacon fat. Top with caramelized onions & some stone ground mustard on a toasted bun. Goob stoff! Or frog legs in a cast iron pan rolled in seasoned flour in bacon fat. So fresh they sometimes hop out of the pan!
I wish our favorite Japanese sushi chef was still at Heinen's. He was a wizard fer sher...
 
I had frogs legs for a second time last week in Presque Isle. My wife wasnt pleased (she kept saying "you're eating kermit") but I liked them. Nice panko coating, went well with some hot sauce.
 
I've had the frog legs. Did not care for them at all.

Some say they taste like chicken. To me they tasted more like sunfish.
 
We used to go to the upground reservoir in Wellington & catch huge panfish on wax worms. The biggest were 1 1/4lb. Fillet'em up breaded & fried with french fries,lemon,tarter sauce & cole slaw. A cold beer & we had dinner!
 
I like sunfish too. Nice and sweet and moist.

We used to go to the upground reservoir in Wellington & catch huge panfish on wax worms. The biggest were 1 1/4lb. Fillet'em up breaded & fried with french fries,lemon,tarter sauce & cole slaw. A cold beer & we had dinner!

I'd rather drink OPB than eat fish. I've tried all kinds. Have even had the fortune to get Orange Roughy right off the boat and have it prepared on teh pier.

Nasty. I dunno why, but all fish is revolting to me.

I do not care for shrimp (tastes fishy to me), crab (crab legs are okay), mussels (taste muddy to me), or squid (fried calamari is okay). I can eat these but they are not my first choice.

However, I do enjoy Lobster, Clams, and raw Oyster. Yumm.
 
I'd rather drink OPB than eat fish. I've tried all kinds. Have even had the fortune to get Orange Roughy right off the boat and have it prepared on teh pier.

Nasty. I dunno why, but all fish is revolting to me.

I do not care for shrimp (tastes fishy to me), crab (crab legs are okay), mussels (taste muddy to me), or squid (fried calamari is okay). I can eat these but they are not my first choice.

However, I do enjoy Lobster, Clams, and raw Oyster. Yumm.

Raw oysters with hot sauce is CRACK!!!
 
Raw oysters with hot sauce is CRACK!!!

Yes. However, I have had better.

Last year we hit up a spot on 30-A in Florida called Hurricane Oyster Bar. $5 dozen happy hour and choices were;

Southern Traditional– Cocktail, Horseradish & lemon
Mexican– Pico de Gallo & Escabeche
Japanese– Hot & Sour, Seaweed & Ginger
Russian– Horseradish Cream , Scallions, Lemon & Caviar
German– Pickled Red Cabbage & Dill Sauce

All were fantastic but the Japanese and Russian were mind blowing.
 
Yes. However, I have had better.

Last year we hit up a spot on 30-A in Florida called Hurricane Oyster Bar. $5 dozen happy hour and choices were;

Southern Traditional– Cocktail, Horseradish & lemon
Mexican– Pico de Gallo & Escabeche
Japanese– Hot & Sour, Seaweed & Ginger
Russian– Horseradish Cream , Scallions, Lemon & Caviar
German– Pickled Red Cabbage & Dill Sauce

All were fantastic but the Japanese and Russian were mind blowing.

I bet I could eat all 5 dozen; I do love oysters! :mug:
 
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