I live in Northern California. Pretty much known as one of the "foodie" centers of the world. All my friends are really into cooking, eating out in nice restaurants, wine tasting, etc...

For the most part - I hate it. I was just watching a show on the cooking channel and as usual the chef on it was going on and on about the wine to be served with the meal - its complexity, "nose", character, history.

Its soured graqe juice.

Same goes for "extra virgin olive oil". It seems everything is supposed to be drowned in it while cooking. That psycho on the cooking show was pouring it on pineapple sorbet. I hate the taste of it - strong, dirty, funky. Just give me some plain old vegetable oil to cook with.

And don't get me started on Sushi. Everyone I know loves to go to sushi places and brag about all the different kinds they like and how its their favorite food (pretentiously eating with chopsticks they'd never use anywhere else). Outside of the Americanized versions ("California" rolls - of course), its raw fish in cold sticky rice wrapped in seaweed and doused with vinegar. In what alternate universe would that be haute cuisine? I wouldn't give it to a cat.

So there you have it - I'm a barbarian. Give me Chicken Fried Steak and mashed potatoes and gravy with some iced tea to wash it down with. Its hard to believe I was born and raised here - I certainly don't act like it from a food/drink standpoint.

I use pure olive oil which doesn't have the olive taste unless some horrible cook decides to bake with it.

Go eat some dim sum.

I like sushi. Olive oil is healthier, so I prefer it. I'm not a fan of wine either, I only have it very occasionally. Personally, I don't see why people bother themselves with what others like or dislike. Don't like it, don't have it. Simple.

I love sushi, etc. Nothing like a nice fresh halibut sashimi if you ask me. Not for everyone though, that's for sure.

I tend to be a bit more "adventurous" when it comes to food though - ill try anything at least once. And nine times out of ten I've found I actually like it.

Olive oil - Nothing should ever be drowned in olive oil. Besides, clarified butter is better. And what you describe doesn't sound appetizing.

Wine is an acquired taste. I much prefer beer and to pair with beer but a nice wine is hat to beat. There was a study done (Ill see if I can find it) where they took the same wine and put it in two bottles, one from a high class winery and one in a "cheap" wine bottle. Expert Sommeliers were brought in and they unanimously said the "better" bottle was better.

Sushi - I can understand your aversion to raw fish but I personally love it.

I couldn't agree more... Well, I do kinda like wine, the kind that tastes good.

Sushi isn't even fancy, just as pizza isn't fancy. I don't think it's that special. Just another over-prized food amongst many.

I don't care for olive oil XXX quality or wines either.

I like wine.

Saddly I don't---I like rum,whiskey and some fancy drinks but wine, me no likey.

Well, I work in a wine store for a reason lol, I simply adore and worship wine!
and for my personal experience, most people who say wine is "sour graqejuice" haven't tasted proper wine
If you get your hands on a proper bottle, which is 10$ and upward, from a wine cellar(NOT a supermarket) then you can surely get something good!
Imagine a wine that is neither sour nor bitter nor heavy, but simple elegance and has a whole palette of tastes, ranging from raw vanilla, black pepper, wild strawberries to a hint of flint or smoked wood.
It's all about getting the right type of bottle from the right price range. Cycles Gladiator are a good start for low price range wines which are worth their price and a tad more !

Wonder why the one I got free at some place tasted like salted vomit.

Haha well trust me, some wines, even from some winestores, are really REALLY vile and disgusting,
Backhouse Pinot Noir f.x, they are abou 8-10$ a bottle, and some say they are "great" low price range pinots.
However they really are thin and has a weak structure and most of all, the 2010 vintage tasted like sour milk.

I can say this though, look for "DeLoach" if you can, an AMAZING vineyard, and the bottles are like 15-20$ and they are really worth all the money,
can't give em enough credit, I am truly in love with them!

Whiskey tastes like a hell-spawned amalgamation of vomit and liquid fire. Vodka ftw.

Ahhhhhh I forgot the Vodka-----boy that was one hell of a 30th birthday I ever had lol.

There's plenty of things that taste fine with olive oil (Italian and Greek food, for instance).... but none of them are fruit sorbets.

Just because cooking show rockstars keep trying to demonstrate how "cutting edge" they are by doing lunatic things with ingredients, doesn't mean the ingredients themselves are bad.

Same here only reversed. The people in my life love to eat exotic things but nine times out of ten I dislike it.

I'll take my steak without too many added things to frill it up thank you very much.

I like wine but I'm no expert, just try and avoid the ones with added sulphites.
Neutral on sushi, I'll eat it but a sushi restaurant wouldn't be my 1st choice for a meal out.
Olive oil goes well with some foods but most of the time I use raqeseed oil which is just as healthy. Sadly now raqeseed oil is fashionable the price has shot up.

CROWN ROYAL FTW!

omg who hates wine ?????

but then again i live in Lebanon and we make the best wine on the planet XD, not to mention the best food on the planet... and best olive oil, and best yogurt, and I still know where my meat and vegetables come from (next door-ish)

to see me "feast" is ...scary XD

when i travel I stick to sea food and pastas since we don't have those (not fresh sea food and pasta is everywhere )

Correction, France and US makes the best wine on the planet, proven since The Judgement of Paris and every year since matey

I don't like wine either. Maybe I've only ever tried poor or cheap vintages, but it just tastes like sour fruit juice to me.

Then again, I don't like vinegar either. Can't stand the stuff!

Extra virgin olive oil is quite a bit stronger-flavored than regular cooking olive oil: more fruity and pungent. A drizzle on pizza is about all I can stand, but I cook with the latter all the time; it's just like sunflower oil but healthier, and also tastier in pasta sauces.

Sushi depends a lot on the skill of the chef and the freshness of the produce - huge difference between run of the mill sushi and really well-prepared stuff. It's only ever really good in seaside locales, or places with easy access to daily catches. But for a much more filling meal you'd want to go with tempura or sukiyaki anyhow.

yes french wine is number one BUT

we have second place

hehe

Nothing beats a good Steak and chips.

My friend's older sister gave him and I a box of cheap wine last summer that was left over from a party of hers. I never really drank before so I didn't know how much it'd affect me. I tried it and thought, "wow, this is basically just bitter graqe juice, it'll be easy to drink". So I slugged down about 8 glasses in less than an hour, the alcohol hit me all at once like a brick wall, I stood up, calmly stumbled to the trash can, and puked my guts out. I can't even smell wine without feeling sick now

I can't drink red wine, I just can't. I start getting stomach pains if I drink more than a glass. I love me a nice glass or four of white wine though. Don't mind Olive Oil and never have tried Sushi. It's on my list of things to do though. However I have never noticed a different taste in different wines, wine is wine. Maybe I've not tried enough then.