This might come as a surprise to some people, but everywhere is not America.
However, these are not those stories. Sometimes a food doesn't taste good because it striaght up isn't good, and no amount of money can ever change that.
Reddit user, u/RD-archived, wanted to know what foods we should avoid off the menu when they asked:
What's a food you will NOT eat even if you were offered money?
Living anywhere else besides America means your food variety can be more expansive. However, sometimes living there doesn't mean you enjoy the local cuisine.
*whispers* It's Fish In A Can
"Even though I never see myself getting anywhere near it since I'm canadian, Swedish Surströmming is something I wouldn't even wish on the people I hate"
"This was my exact first thought as a Canadian...except I had the displeasure of smelling it. I could not would not will never put that in my mouth. It is an actual war crime."
It's A Spoonful Of Unnecessary
"I mean, I'd eat almost anything for the right amount of money."
"But it would have to be a fair amount of money to get me to eat a big spoonful of mayo."
"Mayo is so weird in how it gets grosser with the more there is of it. I gag at the thought of mayo, and I can't pin why exactly."
A Lingering Haunt
"haggis"
"and i'm Scottish. the smell of it around the kitchen table as a child still haunts me to this day."
We certainly eat a large variety of animals throughout the world, but sometimes when that animal gives the perception it's still alive that crosses the line for some people.
Wiggle, Wiggle
"live octopus"
"A lot of the ones that "wiggle on the plate" are doing so due to electrolytes (like soy sauce) being poured on them which causes their nerves to fire even though they're dead."
It's All About The Texture
"Duong Dua, or coconut worms. In some parts of Vietnam, it's apparently pretty popular to eat live beetle larvae. No amount of cash could get me to eat this sh-t."
"In one of the entomology classes I took, the professor liked to gross out the class talking about food. Mostly about how we think our 1st world food is so perfect, but it's really not. He did say the one thing he wouldn't ever eat again was a palm weevil larvae. He said he ate it cooked and the gushing texture was something he could never get over."
Can't Get Rid Of The Scent
"Lutefisk. Horrible."
"I scrolled down for this. Those that know, well we know. I threw up trying it. Then, the house smelled like f-cking lutefisk for the next day or so."
Then there's these foods which, upon further review, yeah.
This would take a lot of money to eat.
It's An Egg...But An Almost Fully Developed Egg
"Balut"
"I'm filipino and been told by relatives that it's delicious, but nah i'm good"
"when i was little, my grandma who has Alzheimer's made me eat it once. i didn't have the heart to say no so i just swallowed it straight up. felt it's little body crack under my teeth. the only liquid she had on her at the time was Milo, a chocolate drink basically. a baby duck and a chocolate drink after is not the best combination."
....yeahbuwha?
"Casu marzu"
"Edit: for those who don't know what it is, it's cheese with maggots inside"
"More than that - it's basically maggot poop."
"It's also illegal and sells for 100USD per pound."
"Anyone who spends that much money on maggot sh*t infested cheese doesn't deserve to have money."
Very Strong Opinions On This One
"Sweet potatoes made with marshmallows."
"My grade school made them when I was a kid in the 80's and I was forced to eat them or I couldn't go to recess. The school was run by people that acted like over-aggressive British schoolmasters. "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat" kind of management. Even though it was a normal grade school in North Dakota."
"I can't swallow those horrific things so I had to miss recess on those days because I will vomit if I try to eat them. They just won't go down."
"I'll eat the most disgusting things you can dream of. I love weird Russian canned fish. I can put down milk that's gone bad. I've eaten bugs. Some are pretty good. Tripe? Love it. You could put raw squid and peaches in a blender and I'll drink it down without a problem (not that I have but it doesn't sound like the worst thing)."
"Sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Who decided that was a good idea? If I try to force it down, it comes right back. Give me liverwurst and monkey's stomach bile first. Hell, I used to actually like eating wood and plastic. Straight up Pica. Just please no sweet potatoes with marshmallows."