Is sushi an acquired taste?

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   snobletposted 12 years ago

   Is sushi an acquired taste?
   
   I have been into sushi for some time now, but those around me find it weird and only many times of eating it did they finally admit to liking it.  I just remember how I like it the first time eating it.

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   Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

   If it is, it's a taste I won't be acquiring.   My thinking is that if I don't like the looks of something (and I REALLY don't like the looks of sushi - it looks like something awful in a lab) I see no point "acquiring" a taste for it.  Well, more accurately, if I hate the looks (and concept) of something, I couldn't possibly ever like it even if I wanted to acquire a taste for it.  The world is full of food that isn't "creepy" and disgusting.  Why even consider finding out what the creepy-and-disgusting variety of food tastes like...
   
   Besides, sushi or any other food, from my experience I've found that if I don't like the looks, smell, concept, and/or taste of a food  the first time I encounter it, I'm not likely to change my mind about it.  I figure, there's a reason we're equipped with instinct to reject food based on its looks, concept, etc.  One can't go too wrong following that instinct.    (lol)

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      One of my friends asked me how can I eat that stuff while he has ate things far worse, like brains from certain animals.  I guess it a preference thing too.  It isn't all to bad though.

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   Gabriel Wilsonposted 12 years ago

   I have tried sushi a few times and it's not really my thing; I'd rather a big lump of fillet steak, but everyone to their own. I think all foods are an acquired taste for some. I mean not everyone enjoys fish, or likes game. In fact when you think about it lots of people have different tastes. I know plenty of people who don't like dairy, or salads and others who don't like the taste of smoked meats and can't stand goats cheese. It's just some foods seem more popular than others depending on your culture and where you live. I mean can you imagine eating deep fried hamster! Now that's what I call an acquired taste.
   
   Oh sorry! I just noticed your profile pic

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      lol yea I was in Peru and they eat guinea pigs there and I felt bad but everyone that ate it had said that it taste good.  I don't think I will ever find out but fish whether its cooked or raw some just don't like it.

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   azahorikposted 12 years ago

   I don't like to say anything's an acquired taste because that implies that somehow it can't possibly be good to eat unless you hold your nose and force yourself to eat it until, somehow, you change your mind about disliking it.
   
   That being said, to those who won't try it, don't close your mind to something just because you get an impression that maybe it might not be good based on how it looks.  Instinct is one thing, but a lot of food preferences have to do with habit and expectation, and the human mind is actually tuned to be suspicious of unfamiliar foods not because they're "bad" but because familiar is safe, and why run the risk?
   
   However, your thinking brain can override that if you're pretty sure a food won't kill you, based on the facts at hand.  Just because it's instinct doesn't mean it's right.
   
   So, yes, sushi is an acquired taste insofar as, in order to enjoy it, you have to ditch any hangups or prejudices you may have and just go ahead and taste it.  If you've already decided that you hate a food, you're going to hate it no matter what.  If you go into it with an open mind, you might be surprised what tastes you'll "acquire" - not because they're somehow inherently weird or bad, but because you've changed your own perceptions.

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I couldn't have agreed more to your comment.  Keeping an open mind to anything is important otherwise anything new would be easily rejected.

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   Cherry Redposted 12 years ago

   I think the majority of people either love it or hate it! A bit like marmite!  I love it, it's healthy, filling and I always feel quite virtuous eating it.  But I get why some people might not like the 'raw' aspect of it.

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Raw is what makes it interesting.  Anything can be gross.  Just like fermenting milk to make cheese which smells nasty.  People just need time to accept new things maybe.  I think of sushi just as you describe it.

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   culinary travelerposted 12 years ago

   I was always anti- sushi and then my sister took me out for it. We only had a few cooked rolls and when I ate them, they were a bit overwhelming for me. I left with my dislike of sushi in-tact. The thing is, when something is extremely new or you don't know how to eat it or have a baseline to compare it to, it can be pretty difficult to wrap your mind and taste buds around.
   
   It took me a year but I tried sushi again. Again, I didn't try raw sushi because the idea of it still bothers me (maybe I will try it some day) but the cooked sushi rolls I tried the second time were actually quite good. I have had sushi on numerous occasions now and continue to like it.
   
   I certainly see that certain foods are an "acquired" taste. Research shows that children need to try a food at least 7-10 times before liking it if it is new. That's why there are so many articles and books about re-presenting foods to them even if they hated them the first time.
   
   As adults, we don't encounter that many foods outside of our previously recorded norm and thus don't have to think about the possibility of having to go through the same process as kids, but we really do. We may not even be as graceful as children about it because no one is whispering in our ear "oh just try it, you may like it!"

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Some people just get scared of eating anything raw.  Someone I know will not eat sushi but will eat a steak cook rare but not eat raw fish.  Just makes me think if its because they rather eat beef than fish.

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   Leroyworldposted 12 years ago

   It did not take me long to acquire a taste for sushi.  One bite in fact.  An eel roll and it was great.  I was trying to impress someone. (It didn't work on her.)  I have liked sushi ever since.  I know some people who refuse to try it.  They refer to it a fish bait.  Maybe there is a cultural bias in play?

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I guess some peoples' view towards sushi is like my view on cheese.  It smells nasty and sometimes the taste is even worse.  Fermenting milk is kinda gross and some might say the same about sushi.

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      Leroyworldposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have been reading the answers and I think I should mention that not all sushi is served raw.  Eel is cooked.   The raw tastes good; but, it's not an absolute sushi rule.

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yep not all the raw stuff is good, some requires more than an acquired taste.  most of the cook stuff seem to be very similar but it might be just me.

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   KenWuposted 12 years ago

   For me, I fell in love with sushi even before I tried it. Seeing people eating them made me somehow must be part of the sushi eating community, well, maybe this is due to that I'm an Asian and we love eating rice. But somehow, I've tried avoiding eating sushi now as I'm cutting down my consumption on meat and sushi, progressing into a vegetarian life.

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yea we do eat rice quite a bit, sushi actually provides a good amount of fish oil for diets.  Eating sushi actually doesn't make you feel full like eating something greasy.  Not sure I can handle being a vegetarian.

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      ChristyWritesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You're right KenWu that the look of sushi is very neat and appetizing!

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   ChristyWritesposted 12 years ago

   Personally I do not find sushi to be an acquired taste. I liked it the first time I tried it as well. There are so many great combos and I have always liked Asian foods.
   
   Perhaps it depends on what food you were used to having growing up and the culture you live in. I heart sushi!

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      snobletposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I really had a hard time the first time I ate sushi, but I was glad I did.  We went fishing and the guide that brought us to our destination said that fish caught fresh in the Arctic can be eaten on the spot and it was real good, and fresh.

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