By Keaton Rahman

Everyone has a least favorite food. Find me someone who likes every single food; it’s impossible. The range of disliking certain foods vary, from, “I would choose to avoid eating this food” to “If I ever am within a five-foot radius of this food, I will combust and die.” 

For me, the food that disgusts me the most falls on the “I will combust and die” side of the spectrum: yogurt. This includes every single kind of yogurt excluding frozen yogurt, which is just not the same thing as regularly refrigerated yogurt. I am not sure where my fear of yogurt began, but the food has haunted me for as long as I can remember. When my friends pack yogurt in their lunches, I have to leave the lunch table until that yogurt container has been placed in the trash can, far away.

Yogurt. Photo credit: flickr user kcakduman.

There is nothing redeeming about yogurt. The texture looks like glorified cottage cheese, (another horrible food). I couldn’t tell you about the taste, because I refuse to try it, but if it’s anything like the smell, I’m quite sure it’s horrible. 

I do not think I’d eat any form of refrigerated yogurt for anything less than a million dollars and my own personal castle. 

My own loathing of yogurt prompted me to wonder: What are everyone else’s least favorite foods? And is it a phobia, or is it just a distaste? In a Match survey sent out to Upper School students on October 4th, 67 students responded with their least-favorite food opinions. The questions were: What is your least favorite food? Why is it your least favorite food? Have you actually tried it? And is there any amount of money that you’d accept to eat it again? How much? 

Relatably, Mackenzie Ferguson (‘22) states her least favorite food is Greek yogurt; a very respectable choice. When asked about her disgust for yogurt, she writes, “Because it smells like metal, as well as its taste. It makes my stomach feel wrong. Not sure how, but it does. Not to mention the fact that it’s jiggly.” If she acquired “three million (dollars) all cash,” only then would Ferguson indulge in some Greek yogurt. 

In 5% of the responses in the survey, tomatoes tied with a condiment as the most popular least favorite food. I also empathize with the distaste for tomatoes, as their unappetizing taste and strange texture cause me to steer clear of the red fruit. Joseph Ferry’s (‘21) states, “They don’t taste good,” and Lauren Brabrand (‘21) writes, “Tomatoes have no redeemable qualities. This wretched fruit has an off-putting, grape-like skin and a spongy interior with one of the worst tastes imaginable. I can not stress enough how much I despise tomatoes.” 

Tomatoes. Photo credit: Softeis.

Tied with tomatoes, ketchup is the other leading least favorite. Tucker Walker (‘22) feels quite strongly on the subject, writing, “The texture is awful, and it smells weird, and the consistency is DISGUSTING, and it’s literally just tomatoes and sugar, and if you think about it, tomatoes and sugar together should be ILLEGAL.” She would never think about eating ketchup on its own, but with a burger it would take at least $10,000. Kate Riopelle (‘22) expressed her fear of ketchup: “I cannot explain why but I truly hate it so much… Just holding a ketchup bottle scares me. I don’t understand how it was ever tomatoes… Also, why is it weirdly sweet?”

A frankly more controversial “least favorite” food is chocolate. I have met very few people in my life who dislike chocolate. With chocolate being one of my favorites, it baffles me how people could be opposed to it. Ryann Zaun (‘22) writes about chocolate: “I never liked it… makes me angry that everyone assumes all people like chocolate.” She also writes that no amount of money would ever lead her to eating chocolate. Caitlin O’Brien (‘24) regards chocolate as “one of nastiest things that I have ever tasted.” Only $10,000,000 later would O’Brien consider eating chocolate. 

Chocolate. Photo credit: pixabay user Nawalescape.

A few honorable mentions for “least favorite” include many different types of vegetables: Beckett Foster (‘21) hates brussel sprouts, Jay Macdonald (‘22) and Jack Callaghan (‘24) both dislike celery, Reynolds Hester (‘22), Zehma Herring (‘22), and TJ Hatchett (‘24) are all opposed to mushrooms, Audrey Flemming (‘22), Ryan Holdych (‘24), and Jack Mcgill (‘24) would all prefer not to eat squash, Peyton Hayes (‘21) is anti-eggplant, and Drew Stanley (‘23) is grossed out by peas.

My personal favorite responses included Aiden Foster’s (‘22) dislike of Kool-Aid, the Ghoul-Aid Jammers – Scary Berry, because, “It is basically [windshield] wiper fluid.” Whit Wallace’s (‘23) disgust toward store hot dogs: “Once a pig has been killed the good cuts of meat like the ham, ribs, pork butt is all cut away. They mash up what’s left and shape it into a hot dog and put it into a plastic bag that has suspicious juice in it.” And Will Robinson (‘21), and his aversion to Kraft singles, because, “They’re Kraft singles.”

I’ve discovered that an odd texture is the number one factor for putting a food on the most-hated list. And because of this survey and reading somewhat graphic descriptions of why people don’t like certain foods, ketchup, store hot dogs, and eggplant will no longer be appearing on my plate anytime soon either. 

Featured image via pixabay.