DiningBuzz! - Meals you like the idea of more than you like eating them

I may be strange, and no one else gets this! But there are meals I sometimes make that sound really good, and while there is nothing at all wrong with them (ie not burnt, or funny tasting), I just enjoy less than I thought I would.

Spagetti and meatballs (in my case, veggie ones). Love the idea of it, sounds good, tastes good, but when I come to eat it it is all a bit 'menh'.

Waffles - the belgian kind, covered in lovely fresh fruit etc. I dream about them sometimes, yet when I got for brunch / breakfast out, I have stopped ordering them, as I find the actual waffle a disappointing eating experience, even if they are very good.

I have had it two or three times in Osaka. It smells great to me, but I feel a bit ill after eating it. Somehow the combination of Worcestershire, Kewpie mayonnaise, beer (not in the okonomiyaki), and second-hand smoke wreaks havoc with my digestion.

Steak tartar. Because it's so hard to find in the US and the movie Wall Street and my own Father's ramblings had it sounding like the greatest thing since sliced bread I finally tried it last year while in Paris. Sure, it was fun to eat, but it was hard to get past the idea that I had paid over $20 for what is essentially raw hamburger with a raw egg on top.

For me, it would be spinach salad. It sounds good, and is good for you, but I find it very overrated.

BTW, I like Okonomiyaki. When I first started going to Osaka, I thought I would find it in every restaurant - kind of like eggs in the US. It turned out to be not quite as common as a thought but I found and ordered it in a real 'dump' of a place outside of Osaka Station. It was good and I have been eating it ever since.

Any kind of German food. It all sounds good, but I end up eating everything but German food any time I'm in Germany. On the other hand, Hungary, which is right next door, has great food (and the German foods I like the best are all actually Hungarian).

Blue crabs, like in Maryland. I love 'em, but it's so laborious that, part-way through the meal, I always feel like it's more trouble than it's worth to pick out the meat tiny shred by tiny shred.

Ethiopian food. Every once in a while, I'd crave it, mainly because it's veggie-friendly. However, a couple of handfuls into the meal, I'd lose interest, due to the dull colors, dull texture (all purée), dull tastes...

Blue crabs, like in Maryland. I love 'em, but it's so laborious that, part-way through the meal, I always feel like it's more trouble than it's worth to pick out the meat tiny shred by tiny shred.

Noooooo.....steamed crabs are awesome. Crabs, corn, beer. Yes, it is some work, but it is a social event!

I tend to agree, also veggie, it is nice enough but gets boring very soon!

Ethiopian food. Every once in a while, I'd crave it, mainly because it's veggie-friendly. However, a couple of handfuls into the meal, I'd lose interest, due to the dull colors, dull texture (all purée), dull tastes...

most vegetarian meals. most japanese foods. standard korean is just too hot.

Macaroni cheese. I get a craving every couple of years, then.... disappointment.

Starting to feel that way with Spanish bread in Spain, even when it's wood fired (the good stuff is unbelievably elusive)

Odd that okonomiyaki came out. I initially felt that way. Was never hugely impressed in restaurants (London and Japan - and I can include a highly regarded place in Osaka) and all the recipes I tried were vile. But I persisted as I knew I should like okonomiyaki - despite my husband's lack of enthusiasm as he'd never cared for it. Then I came across the recipe on justhungry.com and it all clicked. Love it now and I've converted the hubby to the joys of okonomiyaki too.

Western Chinese food Buffets


I get the craving and then just regret what I've put my body through after eating it... like I actually feel sadness.

Fish and chips are the one that most springs to mind - the smell of hot vinegar makes my mouth water and the first few bites are ambrosia but half way in I'm losing interest and by the end I just feel greasy.

Offal is another one. I very much want to embrace nose to tail eating but offal in general and tripe and kidneys in particular just dont work for me. I like to think it's a texture thing rather than squeamishness but I suspect there's some self delusion in that.

I tried one of Gary Leff's recommendations for "gourmet dining" but found most of it looked like sh**te. Worse yet, some of the dishes tasted that way as well.

Fried chicken. It always sounds good and often looks good but usually a few bites in I'm instantly regretting my choice.

Ethiopian food. Every once in a while, I'd crave it, mainly because it's veggie-friendly. However, a couple of handfuls into the meal, I'd lose interest, due to the dull colors, dull texture (all purée), dull tastes...

LOL. That's because they make up for it in the meat version. But, I agree, as far as Ethiopian vegetables are concerned, there is nothing more bland. ;)

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

whole lobster

Thanksgiving.

Love the day. It's so much more about Family without all the hoopla of Christmas. Hate the actual meal.

whole lobster

Have to agree. What a lot of production for boiled meat.

Have to agree. What a lot of production for boiled meat.

This was going to be my answer. The anticipation is always there for me, but at the end, I'm rarely that thrilled with whole lobster.

Massive 10+ course, 3+ hour tasting menus; even at Michelin starred restaurants. Starts out wonderfully but gets tiresome after awhile. Maybe had I gotten to El Bulli my opinion might be different.

Have to agree. What a lot of production for boiled meat.

+1 ^

Thanksgiving.

Love the day. It's so much more about Family without all the hoopla of Christmas. Hate the actual meal.

I thought I was the only one who felt this way!

One of my biggest disappointments food-wise was roasted chestnuts. All my life I'd had this wonderful image of "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" and when I finally got to try them, blechhh.

And to tie those two things together, the first Thanksgiving meal I had in France (served to a group of American students) included chestnuts. :eek:

I thought I was the only one who felt this way!...

Nope. I actually love to make Thanksgiving dinner a lot more than I enjoy partaking of it.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

Nope. I actually love to make Thanksgiving dinner a lot more than I enjoy partaking of it.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

I'll take care of your leftovers!

I thought I was the only one who felt this way!

One of my biggest disappointments food-wise was roasted chestnuts. All my life I'd had this wonderful image of "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" and when I finally got to try them, blechhh.

Flashback.... drizzly night in London, couple of days before New Year, right next to the London Bridge. Bought a small bag of roasted chestnuts...cough, gag...spit. Depressing memory I hadn't brought to the surface in years. :(

For me, I get a craving for something and spend a lot of time preparing it and usually the anticipation was better than the actual food. Part of it is that i usually nibble on stuff as I am cooking so I am not as hungry as I thought I was.

Chicken Casserole, it sounds good until you get past the first few bites then it's like what is this??? Haven't had it in 5 years and that was because my parents were out of town and my neighbors invited me for dinner. It was bad......

Another vote for Ethiopian: We have several highly regarded Ethiopian restaurants in DC and I find them boring and bland at best...

Fish and chips, fried clams, fried chicken, onion rings--my husband says he should take a picture of my face after I'm about 15% of the way through eating any of those so I'll remember next time not to order them. They sound good, but they make feel sick.