I know it’s the holiday season and the whole vibe is supposed to be merry and joyous but I’m going to guess a lot of us are not feeling particularly *merry* at this time. I mean, literally every other person I know has COVID, so many people had to cancel holiday plans, we’re all collectively about to enter into seasonal depression…so in the spirit of leaning in to our feelings, I figured we could have a curmudgeon-y convo about sh*t we hate. So what’s something you hate that everyone else seems to love?
I’ll go first: what is the deal with bell peppers in everything? They are literally *the* worst. A single piece of cooked bell pepper infects all of its surroundings with bell pepperyness. And listen - I know there are instances where peppers make sense (fajitas come to mind) and in those cases, I’m into it. But most of the time, bell peppers are a useless filler vegetable intended to add volume and I’m so over it.
YOUR TURN!
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Ketchup! I’ve hated it all my life…it looks fake, tastes like straight liquid sugar, and people just smother it all over fries. It grosses me out so much
Now that you mention it, cooked bell peppers are trash. I like them raw dipped in hummus (thought what doesn’t taste good dipped in hummus) but they’re either undercooked or overcooked in stir fries.
Dec 28, 2021·edited Dec 28, 2021Liked by Emily Fedner
So-called "Pasta" with the sauce or ragù not mixed, seemingly for aesthetic. Not only is this not pasta, but it forces the eater to either taste too much bare pasta or too much sauce -- which is NOT the intended experience -- and also forces them to do the work of mixing it themselves, which is the work of the chef.
IMHO, this similar to the gimmicks of Boho Chic and new "Industrial Style" interior living spaces. Why should it cost more to look impoverished in poorer quality clothes? Why should you pay more for developers to do LESS developing (i.e. leaving exposed brick, exposed pipes, and bare ceilings)? In essence, we have profiteers making unfinished goods, laziness, and trashy minimalist Nouveau somehow trendy. Similarly, serving the bare pasta and sauce in this more or less modular fashion is a cheap way to cut back on cooking time and serve more customers faster (i.e. increase throughput of restaurant), while making it look intentional and symmetric for all camera angles.
This is disastrous for all cultures, and many Italian chefs know it.
You already know I’m right there with you on the bell peppers! They are my single most hated food on the planet. I can’t even do fajitas. Just the smell alone makes my stomach turn.
I'm with you 100% Emily. I recognized this as a small child. I thought it was just me! BTW, I hope to have lunch at the Sapp Coffee Shop Thursday. I'll be in LA for the Rose Bowl.
The overuse of truffle oil. I hate the smell of truffle fries coming out of a kitchen.
Ketchup! I’ve hated it all my life…it looks fake, tastes like straight liquid sugar, and people just smother it all over fries. It grosses me out so much
Truffles. I don’t understand why people put them on everything.
Fruit on a savory salad. I simply will NEVER understand how berries with dressing and chicken is delicious
You're gonna hate me for this but... Salmon! I love fish and seafood and I've tried salmon many times but we just don't get along🙈
Now that you mention it, cooked bell peppers are trash. I like them raw dipped in hummus (thought what doesn’t taste good dipped in hummus) but they’re either undercooked or overcooked in stir fries.
Onions! And I'm from Mexico, so I'm supposed to really love them bc we use them for almost everything, but I just can't at all!
I hate anything carbonated! Soda, champagne, beer I truly hate it all. It makes trying to order cocktails such a pain.
Always hated red peppers and my daughter is allergic to them and carries an epi pen!
So-called "Pasta" with the sauce or ragù not mixed, seemingly for aesthetic. Not only is this not pasta, but it forces the eater to either taste too much bare pasta or too much sauce -- which is NOT the intended experience -- and also forces them to do the work of mixing it themselves, which is the work of the chef.
IMHO, this similar to the gimmicks of Boho Chic and new "Industrial Style" interior living spaces. Why should it cost more to look impoverished in poorer quality clothes? Why should you pay more for developers to do LESS developing (i.e. leaving exposed brick, exposed pipes, and bare ceilings)? In essence, we have profiteers making unfinished goods, laziness, and trashy minimalist Nouveau somehow trendy. Similarly, serving the bare pasta and sauce in this more or less modular fashion is a cheap way to cut back on cooking time and serve more customers faster (i.e. increase throughput of restaurant), while making it look intentional and symmetric for all camera angles.
This is disastrous for all cultures, and many Italian chefs know it.
End of rant.
You already know I’m right there with you on the bell peppers! They are my single most hated food on the planet. I can’t even do fajitas. Just the smell alone makes my stomach turn.
I'm with you 100% Emily. I recognized this as a small child. I thought it was just me! BTW, I hope to have lunch at the Sapp Coffee Shop Thursday. I'll be in LA for the Rose Bowl.
Oranges 🤢🤢
Potato salad. Yuck.
Mint-chocolate anything. Peppermint mochas, Yorkshire patties, peppermint bark, mint chocolate chip ice cream…all gross.
fruit. I've never liked it. I like berries but not fruit at all. It's the texture. Especially oranges and those skin-like pieces that hang off. ICK
Pickles! Pickled onion or pickled jalapeños are fine, but pickled cucumber is just not for me.