What are some foods that LOOK awful but TASTE great?

Also curious about things that are the other way around where they look really good but taste awful.

132 points · 260 comments · view on lemmy.world

260 Comments

neidu3@sh.itjust.works · 61 pts · 134d (10 replies)

Rendang

Used to eat it as often as I could when I visited southeast asia

TheReanuKeeves@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 134d (2 replies)

That plating in particular looks like a stainless steel prison toilet

HasturInYellow@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 134d

Its in a wok.

UnspecificGravity@piefed.social · 10 pts · 134d

That's how it's traditionally served.

shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 133d

One of the most delicious dishes I've had as a fan of curry though I've only ever eaten it at a Malaysian restaurant and not homemade.

This is a pretty normal aesthetic for food in South and South East Asia so it looks amazing to me..Seems like the appearance of food is very culturally subjective.

West_of_West@piefed.social · 4 pts · 134d (2 replies)

Is it easy to make?

neidu3@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 134d (1 reply)

I am by no metric an expert, hell I am barely proficient, as I found a recipe online after I got back from Malaysia, but it's somewhat simple. It just takes a lot of time and a lot of ingredients that isn't easy to find where I live.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 133d

That is the problem I find with a lot of more complex Asian dishes. It's impractical to stock a bunch of ingredients for 1 meal that I otherwise won't use for anything else. Obviously got soy sauce and curry powder though.

But I have loads of rosemary and sage as that grows in my garden. Goes nicely with roast potatoes.

RocksArentMinerals@mander.xyz · 1 pts · 128d

Ill trust your opinion on that. haha

troglodyte_mignon@tarte.nuage-libre.fr · 1 pts · 133d

It reminds me a bit of the “mud porridge” that we liked to make in a concave tree stump in the schoolyard when I was in preschool.

RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d

I mean, it looks like any Indian or curry dish, in terrible lighting. I'm sure something could be added to make the color more appealing. And yeah, that plate looks nasty.

toiletobserver@lemmy.world · 60 pts · 134d (11 replies)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_ghanoush

Looks like slop, tastes like a party in your mouth.

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 20 pts · 134d (5 replies)

Babar Ganesh!
So we can add hummus and... probably lots of other sauces / dips as well.

My candidate might be guacamole, which looks like it could almost be toxic ooze at first sight.

gdog05@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 134d (4 replies)

Honestly a lot of Mexican food looks kind of rough. Molé sauce looks like something you'd have to eat during a fraternity hazing. Birria, looks greasy and almost violently red. Nachos even, are not the most appealing food. But they're all amazing. So much flavor. The texture is exquisite despite appearances. Largely we've learned to maybe adapt our visual palates, I feel.

showmeyourkizinti@startrek.website · 7 pts · 133d

I honestly believe that the Mexican cooks invented the burrito because everything inside, especially mushed together, looks fucking gross. But if you wrap it in a tortilla so you don’t have to look at it, it tastes fucking awesome.

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 1 pts · 134d (2 replies)

There's a Mexican place that opened very close to me, and I've been a bit bewildered by the general lack of flavor in their stuff. Examples would be their barbacoa, birria, pastor, chicken tinga, and carnitas. Funnily-enough, they load up the spices in their ground beef, so that's most usually my protein filling. 😕

I really don't know quite what to say in trying to suggest to a Oaxacan-style restaurant that their meats need more spices...

SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Because you don't speak Spanish?

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 3 pts · 134d

Hablo bastante castellano, pero ese no era la problema.

The founders spoke perfectly fine English, but at least one of them seemed sensitive about the issue, so I didn't pursue.

W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 134d (2 replies)

Next up is Steven Babaganoosh!

ramenshaman@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 132d (1 reply)

Right you are, Ken.

W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 129d

Tell them about today’s mystery fluid….

EndOfLine@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 134d

I once threw away baba ghanoush that was intended for dinner because I thought it was discarded remains. I thought I was being helpful, but I was not.

hereiamagain@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 132d

So good!

MurrayL@lemmy.world · 45 pts · 134d (5 replies)

Pretty much all seafood. Shrimp in particular tastes fantastic but looks like something you’d try to flatten with a shoe.

toiletobserver@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Yum, ocean bugs

AstralPath@lemmy.ca · 13 pts · 134d

Shrimps is bugs after all.

Xaphanos@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 134d

Oysters. Snails. Mussels.

RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 133d

Mussels look like tiny brains. I like them, but very often I pass on the brains.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 133d

Usually that is only in their unprocessed state though. You don't put whole prawn and crab in a sandwich

squinky@sh.itjust.works · 44 pts · 133d (5 replies)

I frequently watch videos of people from outside the US trying biscuits and gravy for the first time. Every one starts with “I’m not trying that disgusting slop” and ends with “I want to eat this every day for the rest of my life”

Random pic from the Internet for reference.

Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 132d (1 reply)

This was my experience with poutine before and after visiting Canada. No one truly gets it until they've had it. The real stuff. Not shredded mozzarella over fries.

White cheddar cheese curds/squeakers over fries with piping hot brown gravy poured directly over.

Now I live in Canada and eat it all the time.

prex@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 132d

Got a picture because that sounds awesome.

Edit: NVM I saw the other comment

criscodisco@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 132d (2 replies)

I have not found a better hangover cure than biscuits and gravy.

Well, except moderation of course, but you know... the everything.

DokPsy@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 132d (1 reply)

Hashbrowns covered in chili, cheese, and sausage gravy. Aka the waffle House smothered hashbrowns

cmbabul@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d

Waho is almost cheating, everything there is great hangover and drunk food

Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 37 pts · 133d (11 replies)

Most curries look like vom slop and taste HEAVENLY

shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 133d (10 replies)

Feel the same way about hot dogs and hamburgers. Must depend on what you grow up with.

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 14 pts · 133d (2 replies)

What are you puking up that it comes out looking like a fully formed hamburger or hot dog?

shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 133d (1 reply)

Obviously not in a pedantic sense, just that they also don't look appetizing on their own, it's the flavor that's associated with them that makes it work.

If we're being honest a hamburger looks like a smashed turd and a hot dog looks like fluorescent factory meat.

Now that I think about it a regional American dish that comes to mind is the garbage plate (named aptly for being a hodgepodge of leftovers) which looks like someone unloaded on a tray of french fries part way through their colonoscopy prep and then blew their nose on top of that:

1000047200

Flavor is suprisingly solid.

Another would be oatmeal which can taste quite hearty if done right but looks very much like snot in a bowl:

1000047201

yakko@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 132d

Garbage plate looks like the fucking Kennedy autopsy but I'd crush it

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 133d (4 replies)

That's interesting, and I agree. My parents didn't let me eat hamburgers until i was like 15 or 17 and they reinforced this idea that they were just magically really unhealthy because places like mcdonalds sold them (i also met other people kids who were given the same programming lol).

They therefore looked pretty gross to me, and i remember at 11 y.o. telling my parents in disgust that I saw our neighbour eating a hamburger at lunch. It genuinely symbolised greed and disregsrd of health to me that much. I think that was probably the first time they realised they went overboard with the health programming.

Hotdogs are undeniably quite gross-looking if they're the packet brought plastic-y stuff. But I LOVE THEM.

As for curry - I didn't get offered it until I was 11 and it was a little hard to get past how it looked but luckily I was in the "I'm going to stop being a picky eater!" Phase. Nowadays the smell of food matters way more than the look, and curry is obviously perfect for that.

RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d

I had the same type of programming, that just because you're grilling or pan frying some ground beef and egg, it's somehow unhealthy. It is if you fry it in lard, but it's just a beef sandwich. Don't eat a ton of fries, maybe even leave some, and it's really not very bad, calory-wise. Salt may be a different story.

shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 133d

Agree, hamburgers at least taste good even if at their worst they look like compressed excrement between buns. Hot dogs can often be flavourfully dubious while also appearing as artificial factory processed mystery meat, but there are definitely exceptions!

My guess is many users are American so it will be hard to relate to but at least we can acknowledge that the appearance of food is very culturally coded / subjective.

x3lz@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 132d (1 reply)

Hotdogs are fucking gross. Look and taste

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d

I love em. Favourite food as a kid, the cheap packet ones. As a teenager I realised you can have authentic sausages of that length so I usually get those when I buy hotdogs, nowadays. Try and get a deli hot dog for instance, or bratwurst.

Pat_Riot@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 133d (1 reply)

You can both be right

shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 133d

Absolutely! It's important to remember it's a pretty subjective / lighthearted topic and not to take it too seriously. I can definitely see how curries can be seen that way from a different perspective. There's an interesting history that plays into these cultural perceptions, which may explain why other meat in 'gravy' dishes may not come to mind first for some – such as meatloaf and gravy which can only be described aesthetically as a spurt of diarrhea on top of a sliced turd.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/03/26/394339284/how-snobbery-helped-take-the-spice-out-of-european-cooking

There seemed to be a need for a greater diversity of foods being pointed out here so thought we could broaden the horizons of this discourse, make it a little more inclusive and maybe even learn a little something about how a perspective is, at the end of the day, just an arbitrary amalgamation (kind of like the garbage plate I posted above) of subjective views. Tongue firmly in cheek, of course.

ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 133d (7 replies)

Kebab:

Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 13 pts · 133d

legit looks like a fat greasy turd, not sure I could physically go for it

SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org · 11 pts · 133d

I do t know where you got that, but change place. Doesn't look like kebab at all.

Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone · 7 pts · 133d

Pat_Riot@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 133d (1 reply)

Dude, that's poop... from a butt.

ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d

Open up, here comes the airplane...

MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 133d

Not generally, but this one takes the turd.

mech@feddit.org · 2 pts · 132d

This is a shitpost.

Broadfern@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 134d (7 replies)

A good split pea soup, for sure.

Edit: and macarons look super pretty but taste..meh? Imo. Like if you were to imagine what Barbie food tasted like, it’d be a macaron.

cattywampas@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 134d (1 reply)

I dunno who your macaron guy is but I've had some absolute bangers.

bizarroland@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 134d

Agreed, Barbie is a meringue at best.

Witchfire@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 134d

Dutch Pea Soup is the absolute best. My girlfriend calls it fart juice

sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 132d

Yep, I was gonna post this.

Split pea soup just actually looks like literal vomit or diarrhea, has a very, very weird texture to it visually...

... but if you do it right, it just tastes amazing.

early_riser@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d
[ removed ]
RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 133d (1 reply)

To be clear, you mean the French sandwich cookies, not macaroons, right?

Broadfern@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d

Yes. Coconut macaroons are S-Tier cookies, especially when the bottoms are dipped in chocolate.

MissesAutumnRains@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 25 pts · 134d (26 replies)

I'm gonna catch hate for this, but I don't care. I have a thing that physically looks awful, but also seems conceptually awful.

Sometimes, if I have the money and I wanna get a little treat, I'll buy a block of cheese, Nutella, and bread, and make a Nutella and cheese sandwich. I do not know why or how I got to the point where I ate it, but I did and I love it.

Usually, I'd get like a pecorino romano cheese, cut a couple slices of dark (full grain) bread, and just paste it in place with Nutella, and that would be a little desert for me. If I have a lot of cheese on there, I might add raspberry jam (not too much or it gets waaaaay too sweet).

Salamanderwizard@lemmy.world · 43 pts · 134d (2 replies)

Are you, by chance, a rat who controls a French man and helps him with cooking?

MissesAutumnRains@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 7 pts · 134d (1 reply)

If the position's open, I'm there! But alas, I am a rat for free at this time. :3

Salamanderwizard@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 134d

I'm sure there's a French man to be ridden and controlled around here somewhere.

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 7 pts · 134d (14 replies)

Nutella is swimming in palm oil IIRC. Maybe a cocoa-based version could work?

MissesAutumnRains@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 134d (12 replies)

Is palm oil bad?

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 5 pts · 134d (5 replies)
MissesAutumnRains@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 134d (4 replies)

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding what it's saying about how bad it is, but I get the impression less is just better always? Either way, though, you can for sure swap out Nutella with anything else vaguely in the same ballpark. What makes the sandwich so good is the cheese and vaguely chocolate flavor. If you do try something else out and decide it's good, please let me know!

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 1 pts · 134d (3 replies)
MissesAutumnRains@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 134d (2 replies)

That's where I followed on as well, but it kept seeming like I was finding mixed results on the articles. I don't know enough about which studies are funded by which groups, and I'm pretty sure I'm finding biased stuff. It's okay, though, I'm not asking you to look things up for me, I just was curious if you had some kind of insight into the industry or not.

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 2 pts · 134d

I think if you drill down a bit past the first paragraph citing uncertainty, you'll find there's a pretty consistent body of scientific findings naming various ill-health effects. Maybe follow up on those specific studies, supplementing with ScienceDaily and PubMed material as needed?

I'm not a nutritionist, and haven't spent much time myself researching palm oil studies, but I can tell you as someone who's tried to keep abreast of nutritional news for decades, so far I've only seen negative findings upon palm oil, both as a food and as an ecological agent of destruction.

quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 134d (4 replies)

I don't know, I think the problem was in ethical issues about how it is cultivated.

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 3 pts · 134d (2 replies)

It's got plenty of health issues, too, as per the WP link above.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 133d

It also tastes crap in chocolate, but it is cheaper

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 133d

It's a cheap and tasteless alternative to cocoa butter, it's used in shit tier chocolate.

quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 134d

Maybe, I would try more hazelnut instead.

dkppunk@piefed.social · 4 pts · 134d

I’m not going to hate on this at all. I’d probably eat it myself.

RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 133d

My first thought was the only way this could be good is with sharp parmesan. Pecarino will do better. I'd probably smash this, but it sounds better on crackers.

sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 132d

You know, it had never occured to me to do cheese and nutella, but that actually does sound like exactly the kind of snack that hits a wide range of flavor notes, that I would make.

Like, I've done something kind of comparable, maybe:

An everything bagel, toasted, cream cheese, strawberry jam.

Most people would probably do that on a plain bagel, and find the salty and oniony/garlicy bits and such to be nonconformant with the rest of it being basically smooth and sweet... but i like the whole package of flavors approach, as long as they're well balanced.

hydrashok@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 133d

I do PB and cheese sometimes; it’s awesome. Not a big fan of Nutella, but I imagine it’s the same kind of combo with the sweet and savory mix. Sometimes I’ll add a piece of salami into the mix also, but it’s fine without it, too.

Though, in my opinion, if you want a home run quick sandwich, make a PB&J but then butter the outside and cook it like a grilled cheese. To die for.

Lumidaub@feddit.org · 2 pts · 134d (2 replies)

Made even better by the addition of a slice of salami.

MissesAutumnRains@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Honestly, if you add salami, I would say bump up the jam you put on it, too. The extra umami makes room for more sweet. I bet this absolutely rules.

Apeman42@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 134d

bump up the jam

Not to be confused with the unrelated 1989 Belgian techno anthem.

SlurpingPus@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d

Imo honey works better with cheese. Also can handle some added sausage, as suggested by another commenter — though I prefer parboiled sausage like hotdogs rather than that with globs of fat.

chunes@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 134d (3 replies)

Peanut brittle.

Some may disagree, but I always thought it looks like frozen vomit

alberttcone@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 133d (1 reply)

That’s interesting - it looks quite different to the peanut brittle we get in the UK. That’s peanuts in a hard crack caramel which is a fairly dark brown and translucent. Does your have cream or peanut butter or something in the brittle?

(Attempting to paste in a typical image of the brittle I’m used to…)

chunes@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d

yeah i'm not really sure why the difference, but that does indeed look better

early_riser@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d
[ removed ]
Botzo@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 134d (12 replies)

The tater tot hotdish I grew up with. ... Under the tots at least.

sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz · 8 pts · 134d (6 replies)

Shepard's pie? My mother was obsessed with this. I hate the vegetable water at the bottom

Botzo@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 134d (2 replies)

Pretty close! Swap the mash for tots and the gravy for cream soup.

RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d (1 reply)
[ removed ]
Botzo@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d

Yep, cream of mushroom or cream of celery. A staple for the upper Midwestern hotdish.

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 133d (2 replies)

Not to boast but i've never seen it with water at the bottom like this. Is this perhaps the outcome of layering the top with potato nuggets from the freezer rather than mashed potato?

sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 133d (1 reply)

That would make sense. Maybe this is a much better way of doing it then if it allows vegetables moisture to bake out evenly

RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d

You could probably defrost them first. It's hard to overcook tots. You can also defrost frozen hash browns and then squeeze out all the moisture. It's a handy potato pancake cheat. You'd get a super crispy top, and no water, but you do need to squeeze like it's a stone.

hydrashok@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 133d

Lutheran church basement potluck favorite!

finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 133d

Okay, see what's under the potato gems? Put it on toast and make jaffles. Cold day, hot mince jaffles for lunch.

RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d (2 replies)

Ground beef in gravy? I mean, some might scoff at the frozen veggies, maybe.

Botzo@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d (1 reply)

"gravy" is a stretch. This picture looks way better than the reality. Cream soup and usually some bread crumbs or noodles to stretch it. If there was flavor, it was the salt from the tots.

RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d

That's too bad, all those basic ingredients could make something good.

troglodyte_mignon@tarte.nuage-libre.fr · 22 pts · 133d (6 replies)

In Nice there’s a kind of swisschard gnocchi that’s called merda de can (dog’s shit) because of its appearance.

Judge by yourself (image taken from here).

TYOe8Z1rXqkM2sq.webp

The shape can be different depending on how you make them, but it always looks a bit suspicious.

Soggy@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 133d

I think the dogs in Nice eat too much grass.

Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 2 pts · 133d (1 reply)

Damn that has to be amazing

troglodyte_mignon@tarte.nuage-libre.fr · 2 pts · 132d

If think it’s pretty good! I can’t find any where I live, unfortunately, I’ll have to try to make it myself one of these days. Chard is awesome.

tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 132d (2 replies)

Invented in Nice, called dog shit in Italian.

"We'd never eat French dog shit!"

troglodyte_mignon@tarte.nuage-libre.fr · 5 pts · 132d (1 reply)

It’s not Italian, actually, it’s Nissart.

tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 132d

Oh cool, TIL. Haven't heard of many different French dialects, historic or otherwise.

zipkag@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 133d (7 replies)

Spam. When it comes out of the can, it looks like a disgusting gelatinous blob. But when you cut it thin and pan fry it, it's actually pretty tasty.Pretty much any canned meat. Ever seen a whole canned chicken? Although most canned meat doesn't taste nearly as good as fresh. But there really isn't a "fresh" spam. So I think it fits the question. https://c8.alamy.com/comp/CW0NEJ/luncheon-meat-on-plate-CW0NEJ.jpg

NannerBanner@literature.cafe · 4 pts · 132d (1 reply)

The first time my hawaiian friend fried the spam my mind was blown. No one I knew had ever cooked it, and we all thought it was nasty.

FrChazzz@lemmus.org · 1 pts · 132d

From Hawai'i here. I recently learned a new trick from a Filipino woman in regards to Spam: fry it until it screams. You put a thicker layer of oil in the pan and fry it until either the bottom side takes on a kind of yellow hue or you can hear a little whistle come out of it. This causes the fat to render and brings out the meat flavor in the Spam. Plus it gets crispier. Makes GREAT Spam musubi.

Spam, egg, and rice is a favorite of my kids (and me). Can get it at McDonald's here. Also good on pizza.

chunkystyles@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 133d

Vienna Sausages are similar. I love those things, but you have to rinse the slime off before eating.

Botzo@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d

Fried spam with some cheap yellow mustard was a regular Sunday lunch. Usually with some boxed waffle mix topped with watery mapleine homemade "syrup".

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 133d (1 reply)

Spam is great. Straight up looks and smells like dog food before cooking though lol

Phunter@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 133d

The dog thinks it looks and smells like dog food at any stage of the cooking process.

GreenKnight23@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d

I prefer spam to sausage on my breakfast sandwiches.

it's also amazing fried on white bread and mayo.

NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca · 19 pts · 133d (9 replies)

Poutine tastes a lot better than it looks

Jason@feddit.uk · 13 pts · 133d (5 replies)

I'm sure poutine tastes great but this picture just looks like a bowl of human teeth to me.

captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 132d (1 reply)

I thought it was mixed nuts. Like peanuts and pecans.

Maybe you should see a dentist?

Jason@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 132d

Okay? Its not a bowl of nuts either.

Maybe you should see your nut guy?

Botzo@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 133d

For sure, but good cheese curds are amazing.

NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 132d

I can see how it looks that way. The cheese curds don’t melt the way regular cheese would. If the cheese curds don’t squeak, it’s not done right!

Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d

Do... do you smoke?

Trex202@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 133d

Looks amazing to me

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 133d (1 reply)

Looks somewhat like cheesy chips with gravy

doingthestuff@lemy.lol · 1 pts · 133d

Looks nothing like chips to me, but it does look delicious. I love fries with cheese curds & gravy!

aguasemgas@lemmy.eco.br · 18 pts · 134d

Xinxin de bofe. A brazilian food made (As far as I know) only in Bahia, created by the slaves during imperial time. It's good af, but it was hard to convince me to try the first time.

toomanypancakes@piefed.world · 16 pts · 134d

Looks awful, tastes great? Lots of fried foods are the first things that comes to mind. They look beige and bland more often than not, but can be really good (in moderation, too much makes me sick).

Looks great and tastes awful goes to bananas. They look good and all but my goodness they suck.

Kolanaki@pawb.social · 16 pts · 133d (5 replies)

Refried beans literally look like diarrhea doodoo. Thankfully they taste way better.

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d (2 replies)

I haven't liked them that much when i had them

Noam_Calhoun@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 133d (1 reply)

I live in a part of the US Southwest with a decidely different food culture. I don't know why, but refried beans from certain restaurants just rock. Others not so much. Is it because Sysco is crap and the good ones don't use that? I'm going to ask next time I get a smothered burrito from my favorite hole in the wall place, I seriously don't know.

The same can be said for Spanish rice.

Kolanaki@pawb.social · 1 pts · 132d

Easiest spanish rice I learned from my Mexican friend's mom is to get some chicken and tomato boullion and just put a cube in with the rice as it cooks in a rice cooker.

EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 133d

I definitely favor the thicker refried beans that come out of a can, rather than the softer / more liquid beans typically found at restaurants

FrChazzz@lemmus.org · 1 pts · 132d

I used to avoid refried beans. Until I did a little work at an orphanage in Honduras and refried beans were served as breakfast (with tortillas and sliced avocado and eggs). Completely changed me. These were thicker than what I'm used to seeing, but I'm down for all kinds of refried beans now.

mr_anny@sopuli.xyz · 15 pts · 134d (5 replies)
Broadfern@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 134d (3 replies)

That actually looks really tasty.

mr_anny@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 134d (2 replies)

Check how it looks kn the box without the cream.

Broadfern@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 134d (1 reply)

I might be biased; it looks like a tub of chocolate cake batter to me lol. Not the prettiest presentation, technically, but still appealing.

Evil_Incarnate@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 134d

Tastes like a stout beer. I love it, and make bread with it too, but many people don't care for it.

Pat_Riot@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 133d

I'd eat your mämmi in a heartbeat

sneakypersimmon@lemmy.today · 13 pts · 134d (6 replies)
[ removed ]
thesohoriots@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 134d (1 reply)

My grandma stole the official Air Force recipe back in the 60’s and yeah it absolutely looks like dog puke. Love it though.

sneakypersimmon@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 134d
[ removed ]
dkppunk@piefed.social · 3 pts · 134d (2 replies)

Hell yeah! Throw some scrapple in there and I’m game!

glitch1985@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 134d (1 reply)

When you say "in there" do you mean on the same plate? I've only had it thin sliced and fried.

dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 133d

Yeah, it probably wouldn’t hold together in the gravy. I just grew up with both of those as a common weekend breakfast and it’s where my brain went first.

Now I have to find some scrapple because I’m craving it.

Deconceptualist@leminal.space · 3 pts · 133d

That's a good one. A local bar has Shit on a Shingle on the menu and it's tempting to get every time. But when a friend joins up who has never heard of it, they're like "What the fuck did you just order??". Then a few beers later they get the courage to try it and discover it's one of the best shitty drunk foods ever.

cattywampas@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 134d (2 replies)

Sausage gravy.

magnetosphere@fedia.io · 3 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Probably one of the least visually appealing dishes that’s ever been put in front of me, but it quickly became a favorite!

queerlilhayseed@piefed.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 134d

It looks like a dog ate bird poop and threw up on a biscuit. It's really good though.

A7thStone@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 132d

For the looks good but tastes awful category I'd go with fondant.

sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz · 11 pts · 134d (4 replies)

Thai Pounded Jackfruit

very tasty

HasturInYellow@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 134d

Also thai geng ki leck. A spicy curry of very bitter leaves with sliced ox skin. Strangely delicious.

Maven@piefed.zip · 6 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Honestly this looks fantastic.

sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz · 5 pts · 134d

Give some variation for an internet stock image. IRL it kind of just looked like brown mush in a bread bowl. It really was great though.

EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 133d

While that isn't some Michelin star presentation, it doesn't look bad by any means either.

Witchfire@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Fresh passionfruit. If you've never had it before, literally looks like an alien egg sac

Deconceptualist@leminal.space · 4 pts · 133d

Good pick. The goo inside looks like vibrant chunky snot but tastes amazing.

RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 10 pts · 133d

Almost every single meal that's served as slop. Slop can be very tasty, but it's slop.

Coastal_Explorer@feddit.online · 10 pts · 134d

For the other way around:
Wedding cake looks great but usually tastes awful (compared to other cake). These cakes are usually drier, or are starting to get old by the time they get eaten.

fireweed@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 134d (2 replies)

"Looks great tastes awful" -- fruits that have been bred/engineered for shelf appearance over taste (e.g. certain varieties of supermarket tomatoes and apples), and desserts like cakes that have all manner of pretty and intricate decorations on them, but then taste bland or off.

AstralPath@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Hard disagree on the apples. Royal Gala are a masterpiece.

fireweed@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 134d

I didn't mean all supermarket apples, just certain varieties (such as the so-called "red delicious"), but I'll edit my comment to clarify.

muxika@piefed.muxika.org · 9 pts · 133d

A whole roasted pig. It's horrifying to look at, but so damn yummy.

early_riser@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 133d (1 reply)
[ removed ]
FosterMolasses@leminal.space · 1 pts · 132d

Seconded, vegemite is the superior condiment

Janx@piefed.social · 8 pts · 134d

Japanese curry looks like... the end-result of a stomach issue, but if they make it right it's sooo good, especially on chicken katsu.

CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social · 7 pts · 134d (2 replies)

For the second category: dragonfruit looks amazing, but tastes like you took sugar-water for a hummingbird and solidified it. Basically no flavor apart from mild sweetness, unless I got a dud or something

JayGray91@piefed.social · 2 pts · 133d

Been eating it for years. This checks out, no matter if it's the white one or red one

Deconceptualist@leminal.space · 2 pts · 133d

Supposedly the yellow ones have a little more flavor but I can never find those.

But yeah the best pink dragonfruit I had tasted like water with just the smallest hint of sugar and lawn clippings. So disappointing.

Auli@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 133d

Balute. It actually tasted good but could only try once as it looked disgusting. Tested like eggs and meat together.

shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 133d (1 reply)

My guess is we have a few folks here that didn't grow up with curry which in my humble opinion looks and tastes great (subjective, I know) but if I had to pick one it would be octupus. Something about the suction cups.

CultLeader4Hire@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d

Yeah I didn’t discover Indian food until my 30s and I think a lot of curries are actually beautiful?? Like a deep mustard yellow with melty red or orange flecks and tiny colorful spots all suspended in sauce? It’s like liquid art. Sure not all curries are beautiful but I think most look appetizing at the very least

Programman4233@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 133d (2 replies)

Boiled potatoes with boiled eggs mashed with olive oil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVdnXzeBKzs
The one in the video has too much olive oil though

Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 3 pts · 133d

The one in the video has too much olive oil though

fake news, there's no such thing

hansolo@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 133d

Can confirm. Use good olive oil.

dkppunk@piefed.social · 7 pts · 134d (18 replies)

Uh, I have a pretty good one that y’all will love :)

Peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches. People look at it and are disgusted, but it’s amazing. The tangy mayo goes so well with the sweet pb.

homes@piefed.world · 4 pts · 134d (6 replies)

Oh, I have to disagree with you there. I was trying to make fluffernutter (peanut butter + fluff) when I was drunk, and accidentally made peanut butter with mayo. It took me half an hour to stop vomiting after a single bite.

dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 134d (5 replies)

Do you think that it didn’t sit right with you because the sandwich is bad or because you were drunk?

homes@piefed.world · 3 pts · 134d (4 replies)

well, it wasn't a 'sit right' issue, as I hadn't the chance to swallow it. I had barely begun to chew it before it provoked a response.

under normal circumstances with normal drinkers, probably, but I'm what you might call a... veteran drinker. I'm not one to puke unless... "especially provoked". for example, I don't puke from drinking too much (well, not for decades); I'll certainly pass out first, and that's after a couple of liters of whiskey over 3-5 hours-- after which point my tongue is typically pretty numb, so it takes a lot to break through that.

I will say that the level of my drunkenness it probably why I puked as much as did, but I wouldn't have puked in the first place had it not been for the foulness of what I ate.

tl:dr: the answer is that I don't think so, but it's possible

I will say this was long enough ago that, if I were to have a different reaction today, I'd have to replicate the experiment to find out, and I only have 750ml of bourbon to test it. if I remember, I'll wait till I finish and dab a bit of PB+mayo on my finger and taste it to see what happens ;)

Update: sorry, I fell asleep ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

dkppunk@piefed.social · 1 pts · 133d (3 replies)

lol you should try a bit not drunk. Unless you hate mayo, it’s surprisingly delicious

homes@piefed.world · 1 pts · 133d (2 replies)

Perhaps you’re right. But I’ll never know, because it sounds fucking disgusting and I don’t wanna try it again.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 133d (1 reply)

I’m an adventurous eater, there are very few foods I will not at least try. I believe in trying just about everything because you never know when you will find your new favorite food. But you do you ;)

homes@piefed.world · 2 pts · 133d

I’m an adventurous eater as well. Thing is: I did try it. It did not agree with me, and I am not particularly disposed to try it again.

Edit: I admit that it was under rather precarious circumstances, but I’m just gonna have to take the L on this one

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

zabadoh@ani.social · 2 pts · 134d (5 replies)

Hmm, I've never considered this.

What's the ratio of PB to mayo? One side of a slice each?

dkppunk@piefed.social · 3 pts · 134d (4 replies)

Yep. Each on one slice of bread. It’s an old cheap meal from the US depression, my grandma ate it as a kid and she fed it to her kids, and them to my generation of cousins.

As to ratio, about even maybe. If the pb is too dry, maybe a bit more mayo.

magnetosphere@fedia.io · 2 pts · 134d (1 reply)

It’s an old cheap meal from the US depression…

Makes sense. I’d have to be suffering a major economic crisis to even consider an abomination like a peanut butter and mayo sandwich lol

dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 133d

Like I said, it’s more tasty than you would think, unless you hate mayo or pb already

zabadoh@ani.social · 2 pts · 134d (1 reply)

I just tried it, and it is pretty good! Like a richer version of PB&J

dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 133d

Right? Like it’s not my absolute favorite sandwich, which a blt from my local shop, but it’s a lot better than you would think it should be.

tiredofsametab@fedia.io · 2 pts · 134d (2 replies)

I can see it, but I'd think there'd be a better source of acid/sour that isn't as fatty to pair with the PB.

badlotus@discuss.online · 2 pts · 134d

Peanut butter and pickle sandwiches are great!

dkppunk@piefed.social · 1 pts · 133d

Folks will hate this, but I actually grew up eating it with Miracle Whip more often than mayo, both are good though. I don’t eat it very frequently because it’s so fatty, but if I need a cheap filling something, I’ll grab that every once in a while.

zentigger@anarchist.nexus · 2 pts · 133d (1 reply)

I’ve been eating peanut butter, mayonnaise, and bologna sandwiches since I was a kid, (though now I use a veganaise that I prefer to mayonnaise). So tasty!

Along the same lines: grilled cheese dipped in maple syrup + hot sauce

dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 133d

I’ve never had it with bologna, I’ll have to give it a shot one day.

I would totally chow down on that grilled cheese, that does sound good!

HugeNerd@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 132d (1 reply)

Haggis

jobbies@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 132d
[ removed ]
harambe69@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 133d

Pale mulberries. The green/brown ones that are not tart. They taste of honey and sunshine, but look like caterpillars and worms.

FrChazzz@lemmus.org · 6 pts · 132d (3 replies)

Scrapple.

I first had it at a diner in Philly. I tend to try things I might not get a chance to try elsewhere and so I asked what scrapple was. I was told it was better not to know and just eat it. Delicious.

AllHailTheSheep@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 132d

everyone I know who grew up in that area despises scrapple. I think it's just PR and tourism keeping it around haha.

Crashumbc@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 132d

My sister would buy scrapple and immediately cover the ingredients with black marker.

wet_bones@lemmy.4d2.org · 1 pts · 132d

Scrapple is parts. Sliced thin, fried up crispy, served with maple syrup. Mm mm mm. It's still parts though.

Jumpingspiderman@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 132d (1 reply)

Poutine

rekabis@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 132d

As a Canadian: fuck, no.

Poutine isn’t visually unpalatable in the least. It’s just fries with curds and gravy. Unless the kitchen did a total hash of the dish and fucked it up six ways to Sunday, there ain’t no way it looks bad.

It’s even better with extras in it, like pulled pork, wiggly bacon chunks, or chopped onion greens.

cepelinas@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 133d

Cepelinai, they are basically potatoes with meat (basically all of lithuanian food except for the pink soup) I wouldn't say they look awful but I am definitely biased.

prex@aussie.zone · 6 pts · 132d (2 replies)

From the sublime:


to the ridiculous:


spittingimage@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 131d (1 reply)

There's a pie in that soup, isn't there - digger?

prex@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 131d

Somewhere. Its not the best example.

BagOfHeavyStones@piefed.social · 6 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Butter chicken?

Chunky Trump pieces with maggots.

Actually, any dish with rice once you see the rice as maggots...

CultLeader4Hire@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d

Butter chicken is pretty! At least from my local favorite place it is, we don’t have that weird neon red stuff the UK (and other places?) has

bizarroland@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 134d (1 reply)

I've had some people tell me that pho looks terrible, with it being raw meat on top of boiling hot water and all.

Pho is one of the 10 most tastiest dishes in the world.

ccunning@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 133d

Those people are weird

Taleya@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 133d

Sausages and onion in gravy. Bangers and mash style it looks like turds. Chopped it looks like dogfood.

So delicious though.

olafurp@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 132d (2 replies)

I'm going to say Sviðasulta með rófustöppu. You take sheep head and turn it into whatever this is and serve it with a mashed orange beetroot and it's A+ category food.

ExtremeUnicorn@feddit.org · 7 pts · 132d

Jesuschrist, looks like the texture wasn’t applied correctly.

rekabis@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 132d

Sheep’s head, or sheep’s brain?

The former is fine.

The latter screams spongiform encephalopathy.

FosterMolasses@leminal.space · 4 pts · 132d

Most British food, haggis, black pudding, kidney pie. Also tried marinated intestine once in Shanghai and got addicted to it, so now I'm always on the hunt for authentic Chinese restaurants that serve it.

Basically most offals or paste-like foods.

::: spoiler .


No, I'm not a wendigo lol :::

Simulation6@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 133d (6 replies)

SoS (chipped beef on toast)? Don't know because I have never tried it.

Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 133d (2 replies)

Shit on a Shingle, I though that was beans on toast.

Simulation6@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 133d (1 reply)

I believe it was a wwii army thing and definitely creamed chipped beef. Beans on toast sounds very British so maybe different foods were called that.

Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 132d

I guess the beans on toast was because my mom was Irish and heard of it through my dad and probably never used chipped beef, so did beans instead.

FrChazzz@lemmus.org · 2 pts · 132d (1 reply)

My grandfather (served in WWII and Korea) LOVED this. He'd add soy sauce to the chipped beef, thus explaining his two heart attacks.

Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 132d

He’d add soy sauce to the chipped beef,

Because there wasn't already enough salt in salted dried beef.

ghost_towels@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 132d

Absolutely!! It’s my favourite. Can’t get the beef here in canada so i always bring some back from the states when i visit.

Deconceptualist@leminal.space · 4 pts · 133d

Pretty much same story as curry, but good ol' Texas chili looks pretty unappealing. Of course it's damn good assuming it's made right.

Redvenom@retrolemmy.com · 4 pts · 132d (2 replies)

Escargots

jve@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 132d (1 reply)

Escargot is just a medium for butter.

incompetent@programming.dev · 1 pts · 132d

And garlic. Yum!

rekabis@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 132d

Congee. It’s a Chinese rice dish. It’s not bad tasting, but it has all the looks and texture of regular boiled rice with equal parts runny snot. It even more closely matches the “runny snot” impression if it’s correctly salted.

Pork Shumai. Also Chinese, but actually delish AF. But like so many other Dim Sum foods, it also looks - if made correctly - like it’s dripping with gelatinous snot.

Chicken’s feet. Also Chinese, these are braised in soya sauce until they look like little clawed grave markers of an incompletely-buried avian body. You’re not Chinese if you don’t eat these with absolute gusto. Meanwhile I’m thinking if the barnyard poop indelibly buried in each crevice of that clawed monstrosity.

Sauce: married to ethnic Chinese first-gen for the last twenty years. I’ve been exposed to a lot of Chinese foods, especially those from the Canton region.

spirinolas@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 133d

Papas de Sarrabulho, caralho!

snek_boi@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 134d

Pesto!

hedders@fedia.io · 3 pts · 132d (1 reply)

Ghanaian Shitto sauce. Silly name, looks like the output of extreme gastro-intestinal distress, but is an absolute God-tier condiment.

troglodyte_mignon@tarte.nuage-libre.fr · 1 pts · 132d

looks like the output of extreme gastro-intestinal distress

I love the way you describe it, ha ha. It seems to be pretty spicy, from what I’m reading?

AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 132d (2 replies)

Durian looks like it would be good, but it's awful. The garlic aftertaste is the worst.

tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 132d

I found out after I tried it that there are different varieties. The one I had smelled kinda like rubbing alcohol but tasted somewhat like honeydew

ylph@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d
[ removed ]
Nemo@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 134d

gravy

BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 132d

Hungarian cuisine All of it

HubertManne@piefed.social · 2 pts · 134d

Kanslok

Horsey@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 132d

Papadum with tamarind chutney

lietuva@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 132d

I remember absolutely hating the look of sorrel soup

soup.

Its murky bowl of swamp water

k0e3@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 132d (6 replies)

Monja doesn't fit the criteria 100% because it looks bad but tastes OK at best. Seriously looks like sizzling vomit and I hate the way you're supposed to eat it with that stupid ass spatula. All that for mediocre taste. Monja is my least favourite Japanese food.

tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 132d (5 replies)

Least favorite? You must really like those fermented squid guts

Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 132d (1 reply)

It looks like dead gagh. Gagh isn't supposed to be dead.

tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 131d

Ah, in that case you'll probably want the sannakji or odori-don

k0e3@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 132d (2 replies)

What in the...?

tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 132d (1 reply)

Haha, shiokara is one of my go to counter examples also for when people claim Japanese food is bland. I tend to eat just about everything and actually like that stuff, along with things like shirako, horumon, and kusaya (and natto).

Still, I'm glad the inaka has a lot more foreign options these days. When I first moved to Japan even stuff like Indian curry was rare. It's a good thing Japanese food is really tasty, because having that be the only thing to eat on top of it being terrible would've been a really difficult time.

k0e3@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 131d

Is that what it is??? I don't think I've ever had it since these might not be very common where I live. I actually like shirako, horumon, and natto but I've never even heard of kusaya. It must be a mainland thing that we don't really have here. Gotta try it some day!

Jumpingspiderman@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 90d

You just say that because, as a Canadian you are used to it.

devolution@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 134d (1 reply)

Dorians from what I've heard.

Brkdncr@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 134d

They don’t look that bad. It’s the smell that puts people off.

spittingimage@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 131d

I used to have a tuna casserole recipe that came out of the oven completely grey. Grey fish, grey peas, grey cheese. Very tasty. Quite oily though, so probably best if I don't rediscover the recipe.

tomjuggler@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d (5 replies)

Prickly pear fruit. Looks like an exotic dangerous adventure but after you avoid the spikes and get inside it's actually pretty bad. Recommend eating only if choices are eat this or die of thirst/hunger (eg. if you are lost in the Namib desert.)

RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 133d (1 reply)

I had some at my house and they tasted fine as a kid. Lots of effort though, lots and lots of effort.

tomjuggler@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 133d

It's like the fruit version of preparing a pufferfish!

maya_the_good_apple@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 133d (2 replies)

I think the question was looks bad but tastes good.

tomjuggler@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d (1 reply)

Yes I'm answering the 2nd question if you look

maya_the_good_apple@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 133d

I think we're having a difference of opinion.

green_goglin@thelemmy.club · 1 pts · 133d
[ removed ]
Agent641@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 133d (3 replies)

Biltong looks fucking feral. Literally no way to make biltong that doesn't look horrific.

modus@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 133d (2 replies)

It just looks like strips of dried meat. Or am I missing something?

EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 133d (1 reply)

Just did an image search. Yeah, it's just strips of dried meat. It looks fine to me.

modus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 133d

Reminds me I want to make venison pemmican again. Now I'm hungry. Damnit.