Foods You're A Late Bloomer On

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

Mine are/were:
1) Oatmeal- Once I took the rolled oats out of the equation, its much better.   I like a mix of pinhead and whole groats.
2) Beets- Still trying
-Ed

[BoyScoutKevin]

Yes.

Escargot, which is the fancy name for snails. Knew about them, never had them, till I went on a cruise, and one evening, when they were the recommended appetizer for dinner, I had them. And they were not that bad. They reminded me alot of garlic mushrooms, which is one of my favorite things to eat. The mushrooms. Not the garlic.

[Mr. DS]

Few more I thought of;

1.) Stuffing - I'm not sure why I never dug this growing up.  Perhaps its the way my mother made it.  My grandmother in law makes a mean stuffing and one year I tried it.  I've been coming back ever since.

2.) Zucchini/Summer Squash - I grew it one year and learned it's abundance gives way to plenty of cooking experiments.  I find there are many way to cook it so it is enjoyable. 

[Paquita]

Hostess Snowballs!  Have you ever touched them?  They're like little coconut covered boobs.. squish squish!  I used to always squeeze them when I saw them at the store, but I never bought them.  My husband got them for me after I squeezed them once and now I'm hooked!  They're so good!  That darn cream filling!!

[AndyC]

Few more I thought of;

1.) Stuffing - I'm not sure why I never dug this growing up.  Perhaps its the way my mother made it.  My grandmother in law makes a mean stuffing and one year I tried it.  I've been coming back ever since.

2.) Zucchini/Summer Squash - I grew it one year and learned it's abundance gives way to plenty of cooking experiments.  I find there are many way to cook it so it is enjoyable. 

Who makes the food can make a big difference. I was never a fan of roasts growing up. But my mom would always get a cheap cut, season it with nothing but a tiny bit of salt and pepper, and roast it at the optimal temperature to cook it through in the least amount of time. The result was tough, dry, flavourless beef with far too much fat and gristle. She did the same thing with beef, pork and ham. The only roasts she prepared to my liking were chicken and turkey. But when I made my own roast beef, I did it low and slow, pan seared it before roasting and made sure it was well seasoned. It was like "Where have you been all my life?"

It's weird to have that sudden adult realization that your mother was merely a competent cook and not an outstanding one. There are a few things I thought I didn't like, but just discovered it was the way she made them. Still, I count myself fortunate, since I had a couple of friends growing up who could not claim to have even a competent cook at home.

Meatloaf is another one. My mom just mixed some hamburger, crackers and tomato soup, threw it in a pan and baked it fast. The result was a giant hamburger patty, which was OK, but I like to experiment, so I did mine low and slow, first baking it in the oven, then braising in broth and making a gravy to go over top. It melts in your mouth. My wife never liked meatloaf until she had mine.

[HappyGilmore]

Salsa- Kinda hard to describe, but a guy I work with, growing up in Mexico, his grandmother taught him a special recipe for it.  Dunno what he puts in it, but damn is it ever good.

Potato Balls- Not really a 'food' that's well known, to my knowledge.  But, I work in a restaurant, and we have a guy who does this wonderful dish that for months I refused to try.  But essentially, he gets something like, 15 potatoes and boils them up whole for 20 minutes or so.  After boiling, he then takes them to the back, mashes them down to a certain degree.  Takes them, adds some seasonings, and in the middle puts Chili.  Then, folds them back up into a ball, and fries them in a deep fryer for 5-10 minutes.  Add some hot sauce and ketchup as a seasoning on top.

[Leah]

Rye Bread. At one point in my life, I refused to eat any bread that wasn't white bread, but then I had a patty melt, and boy did my taste for bread change there.!

[bob]

cooked mushrooms....tried them earlier this year, my goodness there are glorous!!!!!

[Trevor]

At my age, I have still not come around to enjoying veggies and salads. 

[The Burgomaster]

Nothing, really.  I've always enjoyed trying different foods and I seek out "unique" meals whenever possible.  One food I have never been able to conquer, though, is liver.  My mother used to make it occasionally (maybe once or twice a year) when I was a kid.  But she would always make something different for me and my sisters because she knew we didn't like it.  I was always willing to try it though . . . but even now at age 47 I cannot get myself to enjoy it.  If you put a piece in front of me today, I would taste it because I WANT to like it.  It just tastes awful to me.