Food Flashbacks: People Share Their Traumatizing Meal Experiences
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Have you ever had a childhood meal that left an indelible mark on your memory? Whether it was a clash of flavors or an unfortunate encounter with a specific dish, these culinary experiences can be quite influential. Let’s delve into the realm of childhood dining as we explore the question: What meal left you traumatized as a child? Prepare yourself for a collection of captivating and possibly cringe-worthy tales from the dinner table!
Mystery Meat Surprise
To start, someone said, “F*****king “hamburger surprise” in the yellow cheap stew pot.”
Another added, “Shepherds pie.”
Vegetable Horror Show
A user replied, “Creamed spinach. I grew up thinking I hated spinach but later realized I just hated my mom’s spinach.”
A second user added, “As a kid, I didn’t like corn. My mom was aware of this and never made me eat it. She’d just cook me green beans or carrots as a vegetable side because I loved those. When I was 9, she started dating this guy who was kind of a d****ck. One day for supper, he saw my plate with no corn, asked my mom why I had no corn, argued with her saying I was just being picky, grabbed my plate, and filled half the plate with corn. I tried taking a few bites, but I couldn’t swallow it, I just did not like it, but I ate everything else on my plate. He refused to let me get up from the table until I had eaten all the corn despite my mom telling him I had eaten my vegetables (she had made my carrots and green beans) and that I didn’t like corn. So I had the two of them yelling back and forth while I was crying, trying to shove corn down my throat. Still, to this day, I can’t eat corn. As soon as it enters my mouth, I gag and spit it out.”
Fishy Nightmares
One gross meal was “Salmon casserole made from canned salmon. My mom left the bones in it frequently, and I dislike fish anyway.”
Another meal was, “My grandma made fried salmon patties from canned salmon. The smell is still permanently burned deep in my brain.”
The Dreaded Liver and Onions
One person remembered, “Liver and onions. I would cry when I would smell it cooking, and we had to eat it, no matter if it took hours before we were allowed to leave the table.”
Unappetizing School Cafeteria Lunches
One person said, “Mac and cheese with hot dogs in it.”
Another person added, “I can’t stand the smell of peanut butter. No trauma just always hated it.”
The Great Brussels Sprouts Debacle
A comment was, “Steamed Brussels sprouts. I love them now roasted.”
Spaghetti Catastrophe
One person said, “Spaghetti. My old church had a cook off, and everyone brought some to see who had the best spaghetti. My mom decided to take six ziplock bags home of it. I ate spaghetti for every meal for weeks. I’ve never been able to eat it since.”
Another person added, “My dad went through a depressive episode when I was around 11 and living full-time with him. We ate spaghetti with just the sauce from a jar and the pasta for so long I can’t even remember exactly how long, but at least weeks, because it felt like months.”
The Tuna Casserole from Hell
A funny comment was, “Tuna noodle casserole. Thanks, Carol.”
Another comment was, “oyster stew.”
Cottage Cheese Experience
One person said, “Cottage cheese was ruined by accidentally drinking old milk.”
A second person replied, “Cottage cheese is the devil. Especially the ones with bits of fruit.”
A third person commented, “Home made cottage cheese. So gross.’
Breakfast Disaster
A popular comment was, “Boiled Eggs. Mom forced 30 boiled Eggs on me in 3 weeks. Haven’t had one since 21 years and don’t plan to.”
Another comment said, “Brother used the last of the milk and convinced me eggnog is the same thing. Eggnog and fruity pebbles do not mix well, lol. Mom made me finish it as “we don’t waste.”
The Curious Case of the Chicken
One user replied, “Chicken legs. My parents divorced when I was young, and my mom was a picky eater, so we never ate any chicken with bones. Biting onto a leg as a child and hitting the bone disgusted and terrified me. Love them now, though, but it took years.”
Scary Seafood
A user commented, “Shrimp. The taste, the texture, the appearance, I found it all extremely disgusting. And having to sit at the dinner table until I ate it or my parents gave up. Sometimes people just genuinely don’t like a particular food. I still hate shrimp. And now, as a parent, if my kids are trying a new food, they have to take at least one bite and try it. If they really don’t like it, I don’t force them to sit there and choke the rest down.”
The Unforgettable Spinach Incident
A person replied, “Spinach. I couldn’t eat it, and my mom made me. But first, put on 4 tablespoons of butter. I vomited. Then she tried to make me eat that by holding my face into it. Yeah, it was a sucky childhood for this boy.”
Another person said, “Catholic school spinach. It smelled and tasted like I imagined dogs****t would taste. Fortunately, my buddy loved it. He would trade his wiener wrap for it.”
The Traumatic Soup Encounter
A user remembered, “Pea soup, it was green I had a pet turtle when I was little, and my dad or uncle, can’t remember, told me it was turtle soup. I’m in my 30s and still don’t eat it. I know it’s not made from turtles, but I think it’s just some deep seeded “nope” in my brain.”
A second user added, “Boiled Okra, onion, and tomato. My parents were born and raised in Birmingham, AL, during the Great Depression. It’s a VERY southern dish, and it makes me vomit. It’s slimy and smelly, and I don’t care if you eat it with cornbread, Mom, it’s gross!!!”
A third user suggested, “Rabbit stew. They wouldn’t tell me what was in until I took a bite. Then I heard “rabbit” and threw up. Like, I didn’t even have time to fully process it mentally. It was just a reflex.”
The Failed Attempt at Potatoes
One person wrote, “Au Gratin potatoes…. I didn’t figure out until my late teens it wasn’t called all rotten potatoes.”
Another person added, “Canned potatoes… I don’t know what it is about them but the smell and texture make me want to gag. I wasn’t allowed to leave the table until finishing everything on my plate, so that was slightly traumatizing, and I haven’t had them since. Love real potatoes, though… some food just shouldn’t be canned.”
Source: Reddit
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