I sometimes think I may have been called a fussy eater as a child. I love a good mature cheese. I have had shark (disappointingly watery) and surströmming (utterly delicious, would eat every day).
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Shark needs a lot of spices, it can taste a bit flat, or too strong (I guess depends on species). We have a dish in the Canaries made with shark with a chili based salsa.
But for me the no no of food is crustaceans (crab, lobster, prawns or shrimp) as I am mildly allergic to them. Nothing life threatening, but I get mouth ulcers a couple of days after eating them. (Plus they are bugs, let’s be honest, sea bugs, but bugs)
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Is it not like chicken?
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I didn’t even dare trying. By the way, I tend to dislike chicken as a pizza topping as well…
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I’m not at the retching level but I do not like celery at all. My wife keep saying it has amazing flavor, especially in soups and I do not believe her. Haha.
I can’t go as far as saying a good cherry pie is the greatest of all pies (that’s a good pecan pie for me), but you are right in that a good cherry pie is a top-tier pie. Apple pie (and probably peach) are the safe pies to me, even ‘bad’ ones are usually tasty enough. Though outside of dutch apple, neither of them excite me beyond just general love of pies.
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I feel like that wouldn’t help me. Instead I think I would be compelled to just grab the stack of five and eat them all as one bite and count that as one chip.
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Can’t believe Lemon Meringue pie was so low in that list. There is something wrong with you @Marx ! 
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I remembered something I feel I should have mentioned. there is one specific variation of cherry taste that I can tolerate.
I live in fruit country, I mean you all know Black Forest Cake (yuck)… and where there is fruit there are people making schnaps. And “Kirsch” as schnaps is a key ingredient in cheese fondue. I love cheese fondue and it is better with Kirsch than without it.
As for pies… we don’t really do pies here. We do Blechkuchen (examples) which are a base of yeast dough or sponge cake topped with whatever–often fruit. My favorites are plain “Butterkuchen” followed by apple, then various berries. Strawberry will most often be put on a round sponge base and covered with gelee like this. This is as pie as it gets. Strawberry is the best of these. I’t strawberry and asparagus season here. Heaven. (I used to avoid the local white asparagus for 40 years, I only got to tolerate it recently… mostly because I love Hollandaise and learned to make my own)
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There can be quite a big difference in taste between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ varieties of various fruit, not to mention changes in texture/taste/smell depending on ripeness. I remember being out in a relatively remote part of Thailand for fieldwork during my PhD, and been offered an apple to eat, viewed as a fairly exotic fruit there. All the locals loved it, whilst I thought it was probably the worst apple I’ve ever eaten. But the freshly grown common fruit local fruit there (like lychees) were amazing. I think there’s a lot to be said for trying to enjoy the produce from your local geographical region during it’s peak growing season.
I know a few people who can’t stand certain fruit due to association with childhood traumas. One old colleague was very ill as a young child, and given a banana flavoured penicillin medicine by her parents, only to then get violently ill and much more sick. Turns out she is allergic to penicillin, but since then if even the faintest smell of banana makes her retch.
Anyway, back on topic, cherries are great. Raspberries are possibly my favourite berry, although closely challenged by blackberries. In fact, I like pretty much all fruit, with the possible exception of figs - and that dislike is purely texture based, nothing to do with the flavour.
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I’d also add that I like Cherry Coke. Although not any of the other flavoured ones.
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I like fresh cherries, could eat them all day. So expensive though. Never had a cherry pie, but I do like cherry yogurt. But if we’re talking pies, can’t beat lemon meringue.
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Finally some sense!
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I love cheese fondue. I’ve had one every year for my birthday since 1994 broken only by covid lockdowns. I agree, kirsch is a significant ingredient. Sadly my wife can’t eat cheese, which has really hampered my cheese fondue holiday dreams
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Buttermilk pie is the best.
If you have no idea what that is, not you fault. It is very much a regional thing. I just have lived most of my life in that region - the US midwest and south. It’s a custard kind of pie, similar to a chess pie which has a little more spread so you might be familiar with that one, but not as sweet and should have more seasoning (nutmeg or cinnamon most likely).
For other pies - cherry and apple are both great. Blueberry is ok but I’d usually rather have my blueberries is another form. Lemon meringue, key lime, and other tart options are also wonderful. Pecan is great. I prefer mine to be a little heavy on the gooey filling and lighter on the pecans but I’ll take whatever.
I mean, generally speaking, pie is fantastic.
Except pumpkin. That stuff’s nasty.
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Cheese pie for the win.
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There are people who love it. I don’t understand myself, but hey, I’m not one to yuck somebody’s yum.
Fair point! I do love a good lemon meringue, no question, but I find good meringue is really hard to get right. I certainly have never managed it myself (mine is okay).
I just want to mention the Rosemary’s story briefly, if I may: when I worked for the (horrible) R&D company, I had to go on a blitzkrieg trip out to Las Vegas for about 16 hours. I was to fly out, sleep, meet with a Chinese prospective client (big money), and then fly back to Ontario. It was something like 10 hours of flying.
So, I arrive, jetlagged as hell, sleep, meet the client (I can’t describe what a waste of my time it was to be there… our liaison talked to the client the entire time, asked me a grand total of 2 questions, and in the end they didn’t sign), and then have time for one meal before jumping back on the plane. I’m exhausted, I’m frustrated, and I have time for exactly 1 meal.
I stagger into this place, give the waiter the best smile I can manage, and say something along the lines of “I have exactly one meal in town to redeem this trip. Please just give me what you think is the best.”
Friends. He delivered. The meal was spectacular. Between each course the chef sent out little “I heard you were having a bad day” snacks, just little morsels, the main course (pork chops) was fantastic, the salad with shrimp and blue cheese was incredible, the dessert was a set of three little cakes…
Best meal of my life. Finished, tipped as heavily as I could afford (I think I may have legit left a $150USD tip on a $100USD meal), jumped in a taxi and got on a plane.
Second best meal was at a little restaurant in Shanghai called “Grandma’s” or “Grandmother’s” that served a chicken stew in a clay pot, my gods, third was in Beijing at a Mongolian/Uyghur restaurant (the lamb… it was just a massive hunk that they served with a latex glove so you could eat with your hands), fourth best was in Tokyo (sushi served on a belt), and fifth was also in Tokyo (ramen… I know, just basic ramen, but holy hells they do it so well…).
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For the “you probably haven’t heard of it” pie, my nomination goes to Salted Honey Pie. So good!
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As someone who loves cherries, my main problem with black forest gateau is all the cream (and that I’m not a big fan of dark chocolate).
There was a shop we used to visit whenever my mum would drive us home from visiting them after Christmas that sold a delicious “black forest cake”, which was a more standard chocolate sponge with cherry jam all through it. It was delicious and I’m very sad the shop closed down.
As for pies, I’m not a big fan of pastry as I often find it too dry (particularly shortcrust pastry). So as much as I like lemons and meringue, lemon meringue pay is pretty hit or miss for me.
That said, custard slices* are one of the greatest foods ever created.
*This probably means nothing to anyone outside the UK. They are not mille-feuille
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my partner’s favorite ever “cake” is “Kremes” a Hungarian specialty… might be similar?
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It would be a completeness thing for me. Instead of eating 2 or 3 chips, I’d be obligated to eat 5 (or in increments of 5).
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