CHAT What was the worst food you had to eat as a kid

[kenny1659]

Brussel sprouts, sardines, and salmon croquets.

 

[Signwatcher]

Hey! I like all of those! I even grow them…but maybe Alaska just makes better veg, lol!

Not sure. I just remember when Mom cooked them they smelled like perfume gone bad...and didn't taste any different than how they smelled. Perhaps Alaska has better veggies. My experiences were in The Mitten State in the 1960s.

I'm glad you like them. I admit to loving Brussel sprouts, if that counts in my favor.

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

I will open a can of salmon, mix in an egg and a bunch of crushed crackers, make patties and fry till crispy. Food of the gods! I like brussel sprouts too, not enough to buy them, though,!

 

[Double_A]

Brussel sprouts, sardines, and salmon croquets.

yum you’ve got an appetizer, main course and a side dish there…yum

 

[rafter]

Mother made us lunches to take to school featuring beef tongue sandwiches. The meat was chewy and covered with taste buds.

Uhh, you are supposed to skin that off. The inside part is awesome!

 

[rafter]

Liver and onions, any kind of liver, tuna casserole. I really can't stand tuna salad either, but could choke it down once in a while.

Back in the day, an old wives tail was that women needed liver every month because it was high in iron, so we had it once a month.

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

My mom made Rice and Raisins, too, and we liked it! Sometimes had it for breakfast. Probably about as healthy as, and a lot cheaper than, any store-bought cereal. (For anyone who has never had it, it's rice cooked with raisins in it, then served like cereal with a little sugar sprinkled on top and milk poured over it. We often had some cinnamon sprinkled on it, too. If you don't like, or don't have, raisins, other fruits can be used, or just plain rice.)

Kathleen

There was no sugar on ours when mom fixed it. would have probably improved it!

 

[subnet]

Avocado

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

Anna,

French toast was/is a New Orleans staple. It's also sometimes called "Lost Bread" because it was a way for families to use stale French bread and turn it into something delicious.

Here's another hint: An old New Orleans treat is what are known as beignets. These are deep fried New Orleans donuts that are liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar. Mmmm. Good stuff! The New Orleans version(s) are thick squares of special dough - each chef has their own recipe - which are deep fried until golden brown. A quick and almost as good substitution is to deep fry canned biscuits (the kind that come in the cardboard tubes). Just pat the dough down a bit and shape them into squares. Cook and when ready, remove them from the oil, place them on a dish covered with paper towels and douse 'em with the powdered sugar!

Oh, these do not keep well in the fridge overnight. They're edible, but you really want to eat them when they are hot and fresh out of the pan.

Best
Doc

Nothing I like better than french toast! Food of the Gods!

 

[Seeker22]

Brussel sprouts, sardines, and salmon croquets.

I miss Luby's salmon croquets. Sometimes I wake up and crave those with tartar sauce. I could make them, but it's nice to pay the bill and let somebody else clean up.

My worst food was Rutabaga squash boiled, no seasonings. A close second was English Peas.
I will say, at least I had food to eat. Some of my friends didn't and were too proud to say so until years later.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I think fried chicken livers are food of the gods....

This^^^ I also love fried turkey livers an duck liver.

 

[packyderms_wife]

at least I had food to eat. Some of my friends didn't and were too proud to say so until years later.

I knew quite a few people growing up that didn't have food to eat, and didn't find out until years later.

 

[Freeholder]

Not sure. I just remember when Mom cooked them they smelled like perfume gone bad...and didn't taste any different than how they smelled. Perhaps Alaska has better veggies. My experiences were in The Mitten State in the 1960s.

I'm glad you like them. I admit to loving Brussel sprouts, if that counts in my favor.

Actually, Alaska DOES grow better vegetables. Something to with the long days, making the plants grow faster, so they taste better. My brothers and I used to pull and eat turnips right out of the garden; they were sweet and juicy. Tried that with a store-bought one -- ick!

I like Brussels sprouts, too, but seldom buy them -- I figure the nutritional value is about the same as broccoli since they are in the same family, and broccoli is cheaper.

Kathleen

 

[Freeholder]

I miss Luby's salmon croquets. Sometimes I wake up and crave those with tartar sauce. I could make them, but it's nice to pay the bill and let somebody else clean up.

My worst food was Rutabaga squash boiled, no seasonings. A close second was English Peas.
I will say, at least I had food to eat. Some of my friends didn't and were too proud to say so until years later.

Not sure whether you are talking about rutabagas or squash there, or both? And yes, they do need some seasonings. Peas are really good fresh out of the garden. Once in a while I'll buy some frozen and those are close to garden-fresh, but canned are awful.

Kathleen

 

[Codeno]

Until we could cook for ourselves, we knew dinner was ready when the smoke detector went off.

That right there was pretty funny.

 

[Doc1]

On canned spinach

Several posts on this thread about "awful" canned spinach and maybe I can help.

I hope I'm not boring you good folks with my New Orleans recipes, but another common NOLA dish uses canned spinach. It's creamed spinach!

There are a lot of ways to make it and I'm not going to give a specific recipe. You can find everything you need to know on YouTube and spices are so idiosyncratic I won't go there, either.

What I will share with you is the most important single ingredient: Heavy whipping cream.

Make your creamed spinach with heavy whipping cream - not milk, not Half & Half, not canned condensed milk, etc. - use real, heavy whipping cream. Do this and I think you'll find that creamed spinach can be absolutely amazing, even if you're a person that can't stand canned spinach. Needless to say, making it with fresh spinach is better but using canned spinach comes in at a close second.

Best
Doc

 

[Codeno]

Canned green peas

Yep, awful s**t - there should be a law.

Don't know what planet those things are from, but they are not at all like the ones we grow here on earth.

 

[Jackpine Savage]

I wasn't required to eat it, but head cheese was something else that I passed on.

 

[SackLunch]

It was called" olive loaf". I liked it. It's even better crisped up in a frypan....

Fried? Mmmm, yes, that would have been much better!

 

[Optimus Prime]

Baked Dish. My dad thought we’d all get healthy. Shredded carrots, cabbage, beets, grated cauliflower and asparagus all baked together. Last knot on my head from him was when I ate the crap while pinching my nose

 

[SackLunch]

Liver and onions, any kind of liver, tuna casserole. I really can't stand tuna salad either, but could choke it down once in a while.

Back in the day, an old wives tail was that women needed liver every month because it was high in iron, so we had it once a month.

I forgot about the liver. Yuck.

And the cod liver oil. Double yuck.

 

[SackLunch]

Avocado

Now there's a food I hated as a kid. Maybe because mom served it with canned grapefruit on cottage cheese.

 

[FollowTruth]

French toast was/is a New Orleans staple. It's also sometimes called "Lost Bread" because it was a way for families to use stale French bread and turn it into something delicious.

Here's another hint: An old New Orleans treat is what are known as beignets. These are deep fried New Orleans donuts that are liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar. Mmmm. Good stuff! The New Orleans version(s) are thick squares of special dough - each chef has their own recipe - which are deep fried until golden brown. A quick and almost as good substitution is to deep fry canned biscuits (the kind that come in the cardboard tubes). Just pat the dough down a bit and shape them into squares. Cook and when ready, remove them from the oil, place them on a dish covered with paper towels and douse 'em with the powdered sugar!

Oh, these do not keep well in the fridge overnight. They're edible, but you really want to eat them when they are hot and fresh out of the pan.

Sounds similar to what we called Dough Gods. The easy way to make them was to use frozen bread dough. Deep fried. Top with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, honey, etc.

The above sounds like what my Gram used to make, we called them dough dodgers. Can be eaten sweet or savory.

From the time my son was a baby he emphatically would NOT eat bananas. After he grew up I asked why he didn't like bananas; he said to him they taste like dirt. Pretty sure genetics also have a role in taste preferences.

​

 

[Millwright]

On canned spinach

Several posts on this thread about "awful" canned spinach and maybe I can help.

I hope I'm not boring you good folks with my New Orleans recipes, but another common NOLA dish uses canned spinach. It's creamed spinach!

There are a lot of ways to make it and I'm not going to give a specific recipe. You can find everything you need to know on YouTube and spices are so idiosyncratic I won't go there, either.

What I will share with you is the most important single ingredient: Heavy whipping cream.

Make your creamed spinach with heavy whipping cream - not milk, not Half & Half, not canned condensed milk, etc. - use real, heavy whipping cream. Do this and I think you'll find that creamed spinach can be absolutely amazing, even if you're a person that can't stand canned spinach. Needless to say, making it with fresh spinach is better but using canned spinach comes in at a close second.

Best
Doc

Had a spinach casserole type dish that was pretty good.

Spinach, cream cheese, mushrooms (maybe cream of mushroom soup too), shrimp, rice cheese & breadcrumb topping. (as I remember it}

 

[Txkstew]

On canned spinach

Several posts on this thread about "awful" canned spinach and maybe I can help.

I hope I'm not boring you good folks with my New Orleans recipes, but another common NOLA dish uses canned spinach. It's creamed spinach!

There are a lot of ways to make it and I'm not going to give a specific recipe. You can find everything you need to know on YouTube and spices are so idiosyncratic I won't go there, either.

What I will share with you is the most important single ingredient: Heavy whipping cream.

Make your creamed spinach with heavy whipping cream - not milk, not Half & Half, not canned condensed milk, etc. - use real, heavy whipping cream. Do this and I think you'll find that creamed spinach can be absolutely amazing, even if you're a person that can't stand canned spinach. Needless to say, making it with fresh spinach is better but using canned spinach comes in at a close second.

Best
Doc

We used to eat at a German restaurant that had a spinach dish like that. It was pureed cooked spinach, with a cream sauce. My Mom used to make it at home, but I think she used sour cream. I should try it with heavy cream.

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

Now there's a food I hated as a kid. Maybe because mom served it with canned grapefruit on cottage cheese.

I have an inherited ability to taste something in grapefruit and it's AWFUL.
I only know that from a high school science class, teacher passed out paper strips and told us all to taste them. I was the only one who went yeechh in the whole class. I do hate grapefruit.

 

[Brubert]

Disgusting eggs, yuk

 

[Txkstew]

Disgusting eggs, yuk

A guy was offered cow tongue. He said "I'm not eating something out of a cows mouth. Give me some eggs".

 

[Seeker22]

Not sure whether you are talking about rutabagas or squash there, or both? And yes, they do need some seasonings. Peas are really good fresh out of the garden. Once in a while I'll buy some frozen and those are close to garden-fresh, but canned are awful.

Kathleen

Mom did a really good Summer (Yellow) squash, but her Rutabagas were awful. I didn't have garden fresh peas until I was a grown woman. The ones in a 1970's Banquet dinner or out of a can were... bad. My little dog, who ate everything I passed her under the table wouldn't eat those two. Smart little red Dachsie, Hilda was.

 

[psychgirl]

Now there's a food I hated as a kid. Maybe because mom served it with canned grapefruit on cottage cheese.

That sounds delicious

 

[packyderms_wife]

I wasn't required to eat it, but head cheese was something else that I passed on.

hated it as a kid, love it as an adult along with pickle loaf.

 

[packyderms_wife]

From the time my son was a baby he emphatically would NOT eat bananas. After he grew up I asked why he didn't like bananas; he said to him they taste like dirt. Pretty sure genetics also have a role in taste preferences.

the green ones do taste like dirt!

 

[Freeholder]

That right there was pretty funny.

We used to know the pork chops (under the broiler) were ready when the smoke alarm went off!

Kathleen

 

[psychgirl]

On canned spinach

Several posts on this thread about "awful" canned spinach and maybe I can help.

I hope I'm not boring you good folks with my New Orleans recipes, but another common NOLA dish uses canned spinach. It's creamed spinach!

There are a lot of ways to make it and I'm not going to give a specific recipe. You can find everything you need to know on YouTube and spices are so idiosyncratic I won't go there, either.

What I will share with you is the most important single ingredient: Heavy whipping cream.

Make your creamed spinach with heavy whipping cream - not milk, not Half & Half, not canned condensed milk, etc. - use real, heavy whipping cream. Do this and I think you'll find that creamed spinach can be absolutely amazing, even if you're a person that can't stand canned spinach. Needless to say, making it with fresh spinach is better but using canned spinach comes in at a close second.

Best
Doc

I have done similar!
Actually, last night I threw a pack of frozen spinach into cream sauce tossed with penne pasta!
Delicious!
It seemed an easy on the stomach , comforting dish DH would like.
We both did, actually

Normally I stay away from heavy/fatty like alfredo but once in awhile.....yummy!

 

[patriotgal]

Babysitter used to feed us burnt lima beans every day.

 

[TammyinWI]

it was liver...no thanks, or onions...and now, re: both? No thanks.

 

[Codeno]

it was liver...no thanks, or onions...and now, re: both? No thanks.

My mom was a fantastic cook, which I really didn't appreciate fully until I was older. She could do authentic Chinese, Mexican, Italian, French, you name it. Never had fried chicken like hers anywhere, I can still taste it from memory.

Anyway (sorry for the rambling), her liver and onions were to die for, mostly because of a gravy that she served it with. Just loved that dish, even as a young boy.

 

[SackLunch]

the green ones do taste like dirt!

Speaking of foods that taste like dirt:
Lentils
Beets

 

[Seeker22]

Speaking of foods that taste like dirt:
Lentils
Beets

In a 2 quart dutch oven:
One cup dried Potatoes
One Pint canned Beets
1 Tbs. Dried Onion or sliced fresh
1 tsp. Corriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup vinegar (to taste)
1 link Polska Kielbasa chopped
2 cups water

Beets just went up another level.

 

[SouthernBellerina]

Hominy.

I get pissed just thinking about it.

Yeah, one time my Grandma sent me to the store, to buy corn & I brought back hominy by mistake! Boy Howdy, was she !