Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Meals Absolutely Traumatized Them As A Kid

child being fed
Tanaphong Toochinda on Unsplash

Reddit user zZoZo- asked: 'What meal traumatized you as a kid ?'

We may have many fond memories of childhood that center around food.

A favorite meal, a special celebration dinner, simple comfort foods, baked goods enjoyed with grandparents or holiday feasts.

But not everyone is blessed with culinary talents. And some cooking impaired are responsible for feeding children.

For those kids, memories of meals might be more trauma than beloved tradition.


Reddit user zZoZo- asked: 

"What meal traumatized you as a kid?"

Asparagus

"My grandma’s asparagus, it traumatized my dad more as it was the only way he had had asparagus until he met my mum."

"We would go out and harvest fresh asparagus when I was a kid, and my mum would grill it, sauté it, or make a salad."

"My grandma only made it for me once. Well my grandma would put it in a pressure cooker on a steam tray and cook it at pressure for 3 minutes."

"It would come out just holding itself together, she would slide it onto the plate, put slices of hard boiled egg on top, salt, and pepper. It was hot mush in a stringy tube with cold egg and no real seasoning or flavor left."

"Just a miserable symphony of textures that would stick in your mouth and teeth."

~ APe28Comococo

asparagus GIFGiphy

Cantaloupe

"My grandma knew I hated cantaloupe but my sister loved it, so so when we would visit my grandma when we were kids she made me eat a piece of cantaloupe for every piece my sister ate."

"To this day I do not know why."

"I f'king hate cantaloupe."

~ SuitableBet2455

Liver

"My father would put raw liver in a juicer and make liver pancakes, no bacon no onion."

~ ThatWomanNow

"Your father seems like the type to have…secrets."

~ Winter-Egg94

"I’m wondering if fava beans and Chianti were involved."

~ 5hrs4hrs3hrs2hrs1mor

The Silence of the Lambs GIFGiphy

Leftover Stew

"Mom had a habit of clearing the fridge of leftovers by tossing everything in a pot and serving it for dinner. Ugh."

"The most...ahem...memorable combination was: some old spaghetti sauce (not a bad start...) some baked beans (kinda weird, but okay...) some leftover tuna-noodle casserole (getting weirder...) some peas (gotta have a vegetable) and, I kid you not, the leftover cherry Jell-O (why, Mom? Why the Jell-O???)."

"I still have NO IDEA why it all had to go in a single pot."

~ candlestick_maker76

Mayonnaise

"I was forced to eat a mayonnaise sandwich at a sleepover once."

"It was so disgusting, and I wasn't allowed to leave the table until I was done."

~ rocky_2277

Mayo GIFGiphy

Bribery or Extortion?

"Not traumatized, just salty. Mom took my brother and me to a restaurant with another one of her mom friends and her kids, that mom was really into making kids try new foods."

"She made me eat a stupid octopus or squid tentacle or something to get dessert, whereas my brother held out until all he had to try was some basically normal piece of cheese."

"Clearly I didn’t know how to be stubborn."

~ never-at-grade

Hidden Veggies

"My mom found some 'hidden veggie' article that called for zucchini in brownies. Two bites in, something tasted off."

"I looked in the brownie and saw the green fibers of vegetable and my mom gleefully told me the secret ingredient. I protested and complained and refused the brownies and she said I wouldn’t even notice."

"Mother, if I wouldn’t notice, then why did I almost immediately notice?"

"Took a long time for me to trust her desserts after that."

"F'k those 'hidden food' recipes. Just learn to cook zucchini in an appetizing way and let me eat the zucchini for dinner and a normal brownie for dessert."

~ FormerLurker3

zucchini GIFGiphy

Salads That Aren't Salads

"Oh God, this 'salad' my mom would make that was literally just frozen peas and cheese chunks coated in mayonnaise. I couldn't even be near it without gagging.

"Whenever she'd make it I'd start crying and hide under the bed (I was around 5 or 6). Thank Christ she eventually stopped making it."

"I still hate mayo. To this day even the smell of it makes me physically sick."

~ immedicable

"With my grandma it was green Jello, grapes, celery, walnuts, shredded cabbage and carrots in a Jello mold."

"When she unmolded it, she would fill the center with Miracle Whip and sprinkle it with paprika."

"Most disgusting side dish ever."

~ RubyNotTawny

Jello salad GIFGiphy

Bland

"Meatloaf. My mom would force me to sit at the table and eat a bland meatloaf with no seasoning whatsoever."

~ VenusSwift

"My grandmother's cooking in general is always bland. Salt and pepper. That's it."

"So when I moved out with my boyfriend. It was a kick to the face cause he actually uses spices and seasoning."

"Love the woman, but damn. And I get it. She lived on a farm with 11 brothers and sisters. So taste wasn't really the point of eating."

~ Xeillan

"At least she uses salt. My MIL doesn't even use that!"

~ boxsterguy

"That's disturbingly common in some regions - especially the Midwest.

"I have family who deliberately don't add any salt as they're cooking, and then offer guests a salt shaker (which they, themselves don't use)."

"Holidays are agony. And the worst part is that I'm not sure if everybody is suffering in silence with me, or if they've all somehow been indoctrinated and just don't even want the salt."

~ The_Law_of_Pizza

salt and pepper GIFGiphy

Oysters

"I went to a wedding as a kid where they served oysters but not fresh ones. They were from a jar and then put back into shells."

Anyway I put it in my mouth and I wanted to spit it out, but my dad gave me one of those looks (death stares) so I had to swallow the snot like thing."

"I love seafood but have never been able to eat a fresh oyster since."

~ Redditor

Not Finger Lickin' Good

"Cow's tongue. I was 8 or 9. I sat at the table until 9 pm, refused to eat it, just sitting there crying as quiet as I could."

"I didn't want to get in more trouble."

"Finally my mother gave up and I got a cheese sandwich and sent to bed."

"I will never, never eat another mammal's tongue. Just typing that out made me gag."

~ crunchygravy

cow tongue GIFGiphy

Potatoes

"I was around 6 at the time. My dad used to season and roast baby potatoes. For some reason as a kid, I just couldn't stomach them."

"They made me want to throw up. After a few of them I would run to the toilet."

"One time, I thought I was clever by hiding them under the cushions of my seat. I got away with it for a few weeks."

"Until my mother was obsessively cleaning because she couldn't get rid of the smell of compost from the dining room."

"Eventually she lifted the cushion to see a heap of mouldy squashed potatoes."

"That day for dinner, my dad made an extra portion just for me. Apparently when I saw the plate I went pale."

~ Slight_Bodybuilder25

LOTR potatoes GIFGiphy

Don't Name Dinner

"It's not at all fun to name and raise a chicken only for it to be served for lunch."

~ OinkMcOink

My Mother was not a good cook because she hated to cook.

She could reheat things from a can or make something from a box, but she had a tendency to add canned peas or cut up hot dogs.

Luckily I loved cooking and took over all family cooking duties as a child.

My only food trauma was a dish my Sister made: Polynesian liver. Yes, it was liver baked with pineapple rings.

None of us could eat more than one bite.

Do you have food trauma? Share your story in the comments.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Matthew Lawrence; Robin Williams
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic via Getty Images; Vera Anderson/WireImage via Getty Images

Matthew Sparks Outrage with AI Robin

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Matthew Lawrence sparked controversy after suggesting that his late co-star and cultural icon Robin Williams should be the next “voice of AI.”

Hey Siri, Matthew Lawrence has a bad idea.

Keep ReadingShow less
Azealia Banks
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Azealia Banks: "No One Is Born Gay"

Controversial rapper and outspoken MAGA supporter Azealia Banks ignited a firestorm online this weekend after posting a series of offensive and inflammatory messages—ranging from defending Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein, to claiming that being gay or transgender isn’t “natural.”

On Sunday, Banks began the day by downplaying Trump’s alleged relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Referencing unsealed court documents that list numerous celebrities and politicians linked to Epstein’s network, Banks brushed off the former president’s alleged involvement in a now-deleted post on X.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Liam Neeson And Pamela Anderson Offer Cagey Response After Being Asked If They're Dating

Since the filming of the Naked Gun reboot, a lot of attention has been focused on the returning Liam Neeson and his fabulous costar, Pamela Anderson, but people have not been able to help but wonder if there's more to it than just good on-screen chemistry.

Throughout the promotional tour for the movie, the actors have been incredibly interactive with each other, telling jokes and making each other laugh, and not so subtly touching, including holding hands, hugging, and kissing each other on the cheek.

Keep ReadingShow less
Matt Groening
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

'Simpsons' Creator Epically 'Predicts' How Kids Will 'Liberate' Their MAGA Parents

If you've lost loved ones to the MAGA cult, fear not: The children are the future.

That's according to creator of The Simpsons Matt Groening, who just issued a prediction of how today's kids will "liberate their Republican parents" from far-right brainwashing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alex Grace; Giovanni Capriglione
@alaskaunicornco/TikTok; WFAA/YouTube

Exotic Dancer Reveals Affair With MAGA Rep. Who Authored Texas Abortion Ban—And Claims He Paid For 'Several' Abortions

Vehemently anti-abortion Texas MAGA Republican state Representative Giovanni Capriglione has admitted to cheating on his wife, but still denies his affair partner's claim he paid for her to have multiple abortions.

Why is this important?

Keep ReadingShow less