You've never had....??? (spinoff of EEEWW)

[BabyMama]

Have you (or anyone you know) never consumed some sort of food that's considered by most to be common, everyday, layman food? Like, stuff you could buy at even a convenience store/most places on the planet? (not stuff because of allergies/religious beliefs/dietary habits, etc.) What was the person's (or your own) explanation for it?

The EEEWW thread made me think of this. Our old roommate had never had jam/jelly before. We live in the midwest, where it seems like everyone eats it/cans it, and are fresh out of college--where you'd think PB&Js would be pretty standard fare. Her friends gave her a jar of homemade jam and she was so afraid to try it that she made us try it with her (it was strawberry, I think they called it strawberry daquiri or something b/c it had a little touch of mint or something like that.) It was pretty good, sweet, like homemade jams tend to be. She thought it was "too sweet" (odd coming from the person who adds 10 sugar packets to the frozen margaritas at Applebees!) Her justification for never having it before was that "nobody ever gave her jam/jelly before." Not even as a little kid??

My DH didn't know what regular pork tasted like until he was around 10. His dad's a hunter so they mostly had deer meat (ground was mixed with pork but of course the venison overpowers any pork flavor.)

[Venus193]

My friend Hilda has this phobia about fish, so her son has never eaten any, even Bumble Bee tuna or fish sticks that kids usually like.

Unfortunately, this is a kid who has been picky about vegetables as well.

[platys]

I knew someone in college who had never had a bagel.   Wasn't even sure what one was.   And, she was slow to try it.  I mean, its bread, how bad can it be?

I somehow missed a lot of casserole horrors growing up, so the whole midwestern just add cream of mushroom soup to it! mentality still grosses me out.

[SkylerY]

I was very bad about being a picky eater until college, when over the course of several years, I finally started tasting and and discovering yummy normal everyday things such as deli sandwiches, mayonaisse, mustard, oysters (normal on the coast), broccoli, tomatoes, etc.  I remember being so mad when I "discovered" deli sandwiches, because all through high school I would "lunch" at a deli with my friends regularly, but would refuse to eat anything except dill pickles and sweet tea.  All those yummy sandwiches I could have been eating, argh!!!

Most recent discovery.  I never had cottage cheese.  I grew up with my mother eating it for breakfast on her fruit, and my college roommates ate it all the time.  So it was around me, but I thought it looked disgusting and never even would taste it.

Eventually, DD started eating solids and I tried cottage cheese on her since it was a soft dairy that was approved for babies.  She seemed to enjoy it, so finally out of curiosity, I tentatively tasted it.  Immediately I knew I had wasted way too many years refusing this treat.  Yummy!!!!

I still haven't had a lobster (unless you count lobster bisque.)  It's DH's favorite food and it just blows his mind that I have never had one.  Didn't even get one on those lobster nights on the cruises we've been on.  I don't know why I won't try it, I do enjoy crab legs.

~ Cristen

[MDefarge]

I trained with a guy who had never eaten a bagel.

Unfortunately it was because he was a racist jerk, and didn't want to sully himself with "Jew food" (his words)

Wow, I thought this was going to be a racist bagel joke about Cathy's crazy HOA neighbor....It's disconcerting to realize people really think this sort of stuff in this day and age.  And not only that they THINK it but that they are more than willing to share those viewpoints

[SkylerY]

I knew someone in college who had never had a bagel.   Wasn't even sure what one was.   And, she was slow to try it.  I mean, its bread, how bad can it be?

I somehow missed a lot of casserole horrors growing up, so the whole midwestern just add cream of mushroom soup to it! mentality still grosses me out.

*sheepishly raising hand*  Add to my list that I never had a bagel until later in college.  I finally tried one after numerous mornings of picking up bagels for my co-workers during my internship.  They were smelling soooooooo good.  After tasting one, I was hooked.  Took me just a tad little while longer to taste and appreciate philly cheese on top of it.

~ Cristen

[kherbert05]

The EEEWW thread made me think of this. Our old roommate had never had jam/jelly before. We live in the midwest, where it seems like everyone eats it/cans it, and are fresh out of college--where you'd think PB&Js would be pretty standard fare. Her friends gave her a jar of homemade jam and she was so afraid to try it that she made us try it with her (it was strawberry, I think they called it strawberry daquiri or something b/c it had a little touch of mint or something like that.) It was pretty good, sweet, like homemade jams tend to be. She thought it was "too sweet" (odd coming from the person who adds 10 sugar packets to the frozen margaritas at Applebees!) Her justification for never having it before was that "nobody ever gave her jam/jelly before." Not even as a little kid??

My DH didn't know what regular pork tasted like until he was around 10. His dad's a hunter so they mostly had deer meat (ground was mixed with pork but of course the venison overpowers any pork flavor.)

Was it that he had never had jam or homemade jam? I can see the homemade jams because I doubt  many of my classmates had ever had any, when I was growing up. I can remember arguing with people at school about if you could make pickles.

I was in HS before I went to very many national chain restaurants. Because of my Dad's buisness (beer) we ate out a good deal, but it was always at locally owned restaurants. National chains were going to always buy the big 3 beers, local places would sometimes only have 1 on draft - so they had to be courted. Also my Grandfather was a grocer, and the national chains drove him out of buisness - so Daddy always went local if he could with any buisness.

[Sibby]

I dated a guy (actually an annoyingly picky eatter, I mentioned him in the "ewww..." thread who had never -at the age of 31 when I was dating him - ever tried rice (any kind), corn, grilled chicken, pork other than hotdogs, brewed tea (hot or cold, he had had Snapple, etc but never home brewed with a tea bag, etc) or any green vegetable other than lettuce (which he didn't like).  It was astonding as he grew up in and still lives in Nassau county, which is practically part of NYC - a culinary plethora!

Heving grown up in a [mostly] vegetarian home I did not try pork or lamb until my 20's admittedly.

[T'Mar of Vulcan]

Have you (or anyone you know) never consumed some sort of food that's considered by most to be common, everyday, layman food? ... Her justification for never having it before was that "nobody ever gave her jam/jelly before." Not even as a little kid??
My DH didn't know what regular pork tasted like until he was around 10.

Until I was out of high school I had never eaten prawns before. No reason except my mother hates prawns and thought they were a waste of money when they were so expensive and tasted so horrible (to her). I had some and... wasn't impressed. Then I read that prawns are like pigeons of the sea and now I won't get near them! I have never eaten lobster, crab, anything like that. I just feel bad for the poor things (and I know that's hypocritical because I'll happily eat red meat). I didn't eat calamari until I was in my mid-20s. At first it was because I used to see Admiral Akbar (from SW Ep VI) in my head and felt like a cannibal. I got over that and then a local restaurant served me calamari that gave me a colon infection and now I refuse to eat it ever again. I don't care how nice it is or how well cooked (a local Portuguese restaurant makes the most wonderful calamari).

My father refused point blank to eat jam. (You might call it jelly there - we call all kinds of fruit preserves jam whether they have pieces of fruit in them or not.) This was because as a child his family was poor and he got jam for lunch every single day. It put him off jam for life. I like a bit on toast, but not on plain bread.

As for PB&J, we don't eat that here. We put syrup on the peanut butter - it's yummy! I go one better and put honey on mine. Peanut butter and honey... hmmm...

[kingsrings]

I worked at Dairy Queen way back in high school. Once a woman customer came in and asked what a sundae was. And she was American, not a foreigner from a country that didn't have ice cream.

[BabyMama]

The EEEWW thread made me think of this. Our old roommate had never had jam/jelly before. We live in the midwest, where it seems like everyone eats it/cans it, and are fresh out of college--where you'd think PB&Js would be pretty standard fare. Her friends gave her a jar of homemade jam and she was so afraid to try it that she made us try it with her (it was strawberry, I think they called it strawberry daquiri or something b/c it had a little touch of mint or something like that.) It was pretty good, sweet, like homemade jams tend to be. She thought it was "too sweet" (odd coming from the person who adds 10 sugar packets to the frozen margaritas at Applebees!) Her justification for never having it before was that "nobody ever gave her jam/jelly before." Not even as a little kid??

My DH didn't know what regular pork tasted like until he was around 10. His dad's a hunter so they mostly had deer meat (ground was mixed with pork but of course the venison overpowers any pork flavor.)

Was it that he had never had jam or homemade jam? I can see the homemade jams because I doubt  many of my classmates had ever had any, when I was growing up. I can remember arguing with people at school about if you could make pickles.

Never had jam in general. Not even Smuckers.

[Cz. Burrito]

I was 21 when I tried a bite of steak for the first time. 

[Ferrets]

I've never eaten raw, fresh tomatoes. Or bananas.

And I certainly never intend to, either.

(Call me picky. It's true. I can take it. )

[Visiting Crazy Town]

I have never eaten Lamb or veal < though i love veggies i have never tried brussel sprouts

Shay

[Sophia]

Sour cream.  College maybe.  My parents just both hate it. 

I hate mustard so I ate my deli sandwiches dry until I tried Mayo on it, probably after college.  Also, because my parents hate mayo, except in Deviled eggs.  They still think I am weird for using it.