Quote:
Originally Posted by BetterRed
And fresh coriander tastes like Lifebuoy soap. For a long time I thought that was peculiar to me and stemmed from rationing. Like most things soap was in short supply in England during and after WW2. Lifebuoy was the default brand. But, then I met a much younger Kiwi who didn't like fresh coriander because it tasted like hospital disinfectant. Apparently its quite common to perceive its taste as carbolic (phenolic) acid. When I eat Vietnamese or Thai, I ask them to 'hold the fresh coriander' 
BR |
I cannot
abide coriander/cilantro. Yes, yes, before someone leaps in, I know that they're not from the same part of the plant, but...the cilantro craze that started in the 80's has pretty much ruined AmMex for me (how I refer to the particular type of "Mexican food" that's served in the US SW, across Texas-NM-AZ-CA). I used to adore salsa, but now? Can't find it without it, so I'm stuck making it myself, which is fine, but...I never claimed to be a salsa (food) expert. I'm constantly picking the cilantro leaves off of food.
People claim that the coriander is warm flavored, sweet and toasty, but you'd never know it from me. I can't describe the taste of cilantro...licorice, perhaps? But I don't hate licorice. Soap?
Yeah, I'd go with
licorice soap. That's close.
What
does get up my nose is this sort of pervasive foodie snobbishness and condescension about it--"Oh, if you would
just [try it/eat it more/try it in smaller doses] you'd come to love it..."
No. I won't. Believe me, I've tried, trying to solve my Mexican food problem, and even a quarter-pinch ruins a meal for me.
Hitch