Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
> A customer comes into the wine and cheese shop and asks for pate. We
> have "tres cornichons" pates. I ask her how much she wants, slice it
> for her, weigh it, etc. Of all the items in the store, I like most of
> them, or, if I don't care for it, one of the other sales clerks does.
> The exception is pate. None of us can stand it. We don't even like the
> smell. We serve it, try not to make nasty faces and wrap it up again
> quick. We wonder how it can be considered a gourmet item when it smells
> like spam.
>
> This got us thinking about other fancy gourmet items. I enjoy many
> types of seafood but not cavier which I think is slimy, salty and fishy.
> I wouldn't go near fois gras. Personally, I don't like olives, but
> others do. I do like saffron which is expensive, and I'm learning about
> wines and slowly starting to think I can tell the difference between the
> good stuff and the cheap stuff. Most of us like the blue cheeses though
> there's a preference for the milder ones as opposed to the strong, wet
> authentic ones from Roquefort.
>
> So what's the deal with fancy French gourmet items? The people who like
> them love them and come into our store just for them and rave about how
> wonderful it is to find a store that carries them. Yuck. Those of you
> who enjoy pate and cavier and fois gras, what is it about the foods that
> you like? Can you describe them in a way that will make the rest of us
> understand?
>
> --Lia

Tastes are so personal don't think it's possible to make someone
understand why a food is liked or disliked.

If the caviare you've eaten was slimy it wasn't good caviare. Shouldn't
be particularly 'fishy' either even though it is sturgeon eggs. Cheaper
caviare is quite salty; the better grades are not so salty.

There are so many pates around, you might want to try a different one.
Naturally if you don't like liver you won't like a lot of classic pates.
Neither will you like foie gras of course But there are other pates
not made with liver you might just like if you like meatloaf.

Probably depends somewhat on what one has grown up with. Personally I
find 'peanut butter and jelly' sandwiches and 'oatmeal cookies' as
revolting as you find 'fancy French gourmet items'.