Food that sounds great in books but is disappointing in real life

[BlowDryRat]

As a child I was very into reading the Famous Five and begged my mum to buy me ginger beer. It was a disappointing experience. It tasted horrible!

Ditto cakes made with chestnut flour (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase) and the butterbeer at the Harry Potter studio tour.

I remember reading a book - it might have been an Enid Blyton book of short stories - and it was about a mediocre little boy with no discerning talents who was dreadfully upset that he wasn't the 'best' at anything. I remember one particular line from the book where he 'sobbed into his plate of cooked cheese'. What the hell is cooked cheese? I liked cheddar as a youngster and asked my mother what this dish was, but she was none the wiser. I imagine maybe macaroni and cheese? Thirty odd years later and I remain intrigued.

Tiffin, in Indian or colonial fiction, always sounded appealing. I think it just means elevenses or a snack though?

Fry's Turkish Delight is the only rose one I like. The pistachio stuff is the best though.

I tried anchovy paste inspired by the 'shoe polish' episode in Fifth Form at St Clare's. I liked it (as I like anchovies generally) but how it could ever be confused with shoe polish is beyond me - it was quite a pale colour and not nearly as thick as shoe polish. Of course, anchovy paste and indeed, shoe polish, might have changed in the 70+ years since that scene was written.

@XingMing

Ripe avocado on good sourdough, with salt and pepper, is delicious. Better with bacon.

Most savoury dishes are better with bacon.

@SeaToSki

Pemmican from Swallows and Amazons sounded so exotic. I eventually looked up what it was and dont think I actually want to try it

@SeaToSki Pemmican in S&A was corned beef or spam, just their name for it, same as grog for the cold drinks (normally gingerbeer or lemonade)

Yes to turkish delight.

Guaranteed when someone brings it back from holiday to the office it always lasts ages.

The Famous Five also ate tongue.

@Wildswim

Tiffin, in Indian or colonial fiction, always sounded appealing. I think it just means elevenses or a snack though?

In the Indian/Raj sense, yes just lunch.

In the Scottish sense, lovely fridge cake of fruit and chocolate and biscuit.

Both uses are reasonable old, I think. So it depends on the book.

@Lobsterquadrille2

The Famous Five also ate tongue.

Tongue has mixed literary reviews.

Rowan Marlow (Antonia Forest's series) enthused about tongue, making a point of going to a particular place that was serving it (while Nicola went off to have fish and chips).

Ramona and Beezus Quimby, on the other hand, disliked it to the point of refusing to eat it.

I can take it or leave it myself.

I remember making myself a 'special drink' like in the Fossie Teacake book. I think it was ribena, milk and sprinkles or something it was vile!

My dad always used to make us the bread in hot milk with sugar stirred in when we were ill, he called it sop, it was so soggy!

Mmmm i do love a good rootbeer!

Typo Flossie Teacake

@Madamedelacroix

In an Enid Blyton short story water and sugar made lemonade. It doesn't.

Yes! I think I read the same one, it was water and sherbet and I WASTED an entire sherbet fountain aged 8 and still remember the crushing disappointment!

Disappointment - anything from a Jamie Oliver cookbook. So bland!

Love love love Turkish Delight!

And the Narnia Chronicles promote Christianity so not sure about so peoples interpretations! Aslan depicts Christ - persecuted, died, rose again, the redeemer blah blah blah. Now I want to watch the movies, but when Aslan dies it makes me want to cry!

My great-grand parents always brought a cured tongue and brawn from Lincolnshire to Bristol for family Christmas. As a child I hated both, especially the textures in my mouth, and have never wanted to try either again as an adult. I am prepared to be told that I should try them again at 60.

Twinkies....disgustingly sweet and fake tasting.

@Number3BigCupOfTea

While we're at it Angel Delight

Butterscotch flavour

It's as good as you remember it.

It's the only flavour worth scoffing!

@Pogostemon

Yes, the strange love of condensed milk from boarding school books... but I guess it was a case of anything sweet was a winner, back in the day.

My Dad (born 1934, marked for life by sugar rationing) would eat/drink condensed milk straight from the tin. I use it for flapjacks. Once they're in the oven I scrape out the last bits from the tin and lick the spoon. Gorgeous.

XingMing Definitely not. Enjoying a fresh drinking coconut is always the first thing I do on our way from the airport as soon as I spot a seller at the side of the road. I could drink this all day every day. Absolutely delicious.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

We bought DDs some ginger beer last summer. DH ended up drinking it with whisky (blended, not single malt before he gets accused of heathen behaviour).

Youngest DD has got it into her head she wants to try frogs legs.

They're quite meaty with a texture like chicken, and they taste like a mix of chicken and prawn.

Condensed milk ... not a book reference, but I remember Mrs Van Meyer in 'Tenko' bingeing on condensed milk when their years of semi-starvation finally came to an end, and being very ill afterwards. Put me off the stuff.

I love ginger beer (are you sure you didn't try ginger ale thats not nice except as a mixer) stones ginger beer strong enough to blow the top of your mouth - same affect as strong horseradish or good quality english mustard or dh favourite Barbadian mustard chilly sauce which use to eat its way through the metal top - goodness knows what it did to your inside (goes off on tangent about strong flavours she like probably due to taste buds being ruined by strong pickles etc as a child - home made pickle onions...home made piccalilli)

Omg I forgot about coconut water. Actually made me heave it was that disgusting.

Quorn