There's more to a great meal than just flavor. And there are plenty of perfectly delicious dishes that are just flat out unpleasant to eat. So Redditor u/nitronik_exe asked, "What's a meal you love the taste of, but hate to eat?" Well, people had a lot of opinions, and here's what they said.
1."Those huge sushi rolls that have like 4 layers of ingredients on top of the rice. Do I attempt to stuff the entire thing into my mouth and hope I don't choke? Do I try to take a bite out of it and have the rest completely fall apart? Fancy sushi adds way too much anxiety in my life."
2."For me, it’s a lobster boil. I grew up in Maine, and the lobster boil is the go-to meal for family reunions and special occasions during the summertime. It's delicious, but holy hell... what a mess. You can only eat it outside on picnic tables that can be easily hosed off. You have buckets for shells at both ends of the table, precarious little bowls of melted butter that inevitably spill and slop everywhere. Plus, the process of cracking open hard shell claws makes the shellfish juice splatter all over everyone. The whole meal is delightfully barbaric."
3."BBQ spare ribs. It's virtually impossible to stay clean while eating them. My personal advice: when going to dinner with your date prom right before prom, don't order the ribs."
4."Fish with bones in it. I love seafood like trout, but I don't eat it because of all the dang bones. I got a tiny trout bone stuck in my throat once and even though it was not life threatening, it was so annoying. I just don't want to risk that again."
5."Pistachios. It's a constant dilemma. Shelled pistachios are a huge pain, but the unshelled ones are simply not as tasty."
6."Big, thick burgers. If it's too big to fit in my mouth and/or it needs to be squished in order for me to get a bite of all the layers, I'm out. There's nothing worse than when the meat and toppings start falling out of the bun"
7."Fuego Takis. I love the taste but I feel like my mouth transforming into a hellish, fiery pit of despair and agony while eating them. Plus my fingers get covered in the Taki dust and it gets everywhere. I still eat them though."
8."Movie theater popcorn and sometimes microwave popcorn. I love the taste, but afterwards I always feel horribly sick. Popcorn I make on the stovetop, however, is totally fine."
9."Pomegranates. Every single little seed brings both pleasure and pain. You get the delicious flavor but also the mental anguish of having to either chew a bitter seed or spit something out."
10."Biryani. I’m Indian and the real biryani experience is eating it with your hands. I don't eat this way when I'm out and other human beings can witness the mess. But when I must have biryani, I take it to go, tie up my hair, put on an old t-shirt and go to town while I slowly transform into a gremlin."
11."Shells on prawns. It's infurating. Why is it the norm to leave the shells on in dishes where the shrimp is covered in sauce or buried in other ingredients!? I hate it so much."
12."Crab legs. They're so frustrating to eat. Like, why won't these legs relent and give me their delicious treats? On more than one occasion I've caused myself to bleed in the process of eating crab legs. But at the same time, the challenge makes it all the more delicious. If you just gave me a big plate of de-shelled crab meat, it would be much less satisfying. I guess my feelings about crabs are complex."
13."Ramen or any other noodle soup. I can't stand those little hot splatters of broth that go everywhere, including on my clothes and face."
14."Seafood linguine, shrimp scampi, or any shellfish pasta. I used to drool over the thought of ordering this dish at an Italian restaurant, but once it arrives at your table you have all this shellfish on top of your pasta and you need to work to de-shell it all."
15."Mussels like moules frites or marinières. I know the mussels open when they're cooked, but you still have to pry them out of their shells one by one. It makes each bite of food take exponentially longer and takes the fun out of eating."
16."Buffalo wings. I absolutely love the taste of them but I hate being covered in that spicy orange sauce that burns whatever it touches."
17."Artichokes. What a pain in the ass. They're so difficult to cook for such a little pay-off. But man, they’re so delicious!"
18.I dislike any food that requires a lot of 'work' to eat, or foods that can't be enjoyed without getting messy. I'm talking chicken wings, ribs, shellfish in the shell, overly saucy burgers, etc. I don't want to deal with bones or shells on my plate, and I certainly don't want to be required to take a shower after enjoying a meal."
19."Corn on the cob. It burns your hands unless you have those corn holders, but even those are usually flimsy and don't work well. So then you end up getting your hands all greasy from butter and corn kernels always gets stuck in your teeth in such a way that you spend the next hour or so trying to work it out. But oh, it's so delicious."
20."This might sound weird, but steak is always a pain to eat. I love the taste of steak and I really enjoy the first few bites, but halfway through the meal my jaw gets too tired to eat more and my mouth starts to hurt."
21."Burritos. In theory, they're so tasty. But in practice, they're a real pain. They're always too wide to fit in my mouth and I can never get a full bite of all the ingredients without ripping open the entire tortilla and having the components fall out."
22."Fresh pineapple. It tastes amazing, but the enzymes in it actively digest the tissue of your mouth while you eat it, which is why you might feel that tingly, burning sensation after a bowl of pineapple."
23."Pizza rolls. There is no such thing as a perfectly warm pizza roll. Either it gives you third degree burns in your mouth or you let it cool and suddenly it's ice cold."
24."Hard tacos. They always break after the first bite and then I spend the rest of my meal deciding how to tilt my face to eat the rest."
25."Any kind of sandwich that falls apart, like chicken salad, pulled pork, or one of those loose veggie burgers that are just mushed up beans and veggies. You take one bite and plop! Oh, there goes half my sandwich onto my plate..."
26."Mango. It takes forever to get around the hard core, figure out what side the pit is on, and to peel the fruit. Plus you never really know if the fruit underneath is going to actually be ripe"
27."Cap'n Crunch and the rest of those very sugary cereals that turn the roof of your mouth into something out of a horror movie."
Is there a food or a dish you love the taste of but can't stand the process of eating it? Tell us in the comments below.
