My least favorite things

Ever since I discovered the joys of spicy foods, my palate has expanded quite a bit. I like to try exotic things, and I often harass the less adventurous people I dine with (particularly my wife) to free their minds. I make fun of people with food peeves as well.

I have come to realize in recent days, though, that even I have some foods that I just don't like. In an effort to balance the scales, let me confess my food peeves.

* Raisins: I can't remember ever liking raisins. They taste nothing like grapes, and I can't stand the texture. My son likes them, though, and will eat them all day.

*Mushrooms: I wish I understood why people like mushrooms. I can sort of get past the taste, as they are kind of subtle, but again, the texture give me the willies. Even on pizza, when there are just a few amongst many other toppings, they ruin my enjoyment of the pie.

* Tomatoes: I love ketchup, I like tomato soup, and I like a slab on my cheeseburger. But I can't eat just a tomato, even the little grape tomatoes. Again, it may be a texture thing.

* Olives: Green or black, I just can't stand the taste and texture. Olive oil is great, though.

* Black Licorice: Just yuck.

* Root Beer: Tastes like licorice to me.

* Fake Cherry: I only like cherries when they're fresh. I don't care for cherry pie or the little canned cherries on top of sundaes. And I really don't like fake cherry flavoring. I think it goes back to this one time as a kid I was coughing in church, and my mom only had a cherry cough drop, and it was nasty, and everything else cherry-flavored just tastes like that to me.

* Cooked celery: I love fresh celery, but when it's cooked in stews it transforms into a squishy, stinky thing that I pick out and set aside.

* Coffee: I like the aroma of good coffee, but every time I try it, I wince. Maybe I could load a cup up with sugar and cream and get through it, but what's the point then? Also, as much as I'd like to be the kind of person who appreciates a Guinness, it tastes too much like coffee for me.

* Hot tea: I have only recently started to enjoy iced tea. Hot tea is still a taste I cannot acquire. Every time I try it, it just tastes like hot water with a weird taste.

* Pickles: I like pickles on their own, but I always pick them off my McDonald's cheeseburger. Some people like that little surprise, but I don't.

* Shellfish: This is different. I LOVE shrimp, lobster, and crab, but around age 30 I developed an allergy that makes me puff up like a blowfish. How unfair! I can still eat it, but then I have to take some Benadryl and sleep it off. That's no fun when the shrimp is the appetizer! It's better just to avoid it.

I can't really figure out any one thing that links all these things. Bitterness may be part of it--a lifetime of drinking Coke may have ruined my potential enjoyment of these kinds of flavors.

I like to think that all the other oddball things I like balance the scales. Any seafood--raw oysters (not allergic to them--yay!), sushi, calamari, clams, swordfish--and just about anything spicy can make my day. As a kid, I was a plentiful eater, but I think a bit picky, so now I'm making up for lost opportunities. I'll even try raisins now and then to see if anything has changed.