Lighthearted: If you're not British, what's the Christmas food that you just can't eat?

[BetsyBobbins]

I've been in the UK 22 years now, but I can't still bring myself to eat some of the traditional British Christmas food. I tried them once and never again. Mind you, this is coming from someone who got used to, and now loves baked beans among other things. But Good Lord, what's up with the Victorian puddings and cakes?

Christmas pudding: Looks like Elephant poo, smells like stale booze and tastes like soil.

Christmas cake: More of the same. Looks horrid, smells weird and has an even worse texture, a mix of soil and sawdust. Plus, how can you trust something that was cooked months in advance? I don’t.

Mince pies: now, that is the worst of all. Looks good, I’ll give them that, but they smell like vomit and have the texture of baby sick.

Tell me the ones you never got used to

I don't think Britain has ever been accused of putting too many spices in things before 😂

I'm English but don't really like ANYTHING about xmas dinner. I'm a vegetarian for a start. I don't like parsnips-too sweet and odd texture, I can't stand half hard half soft things.
Gravy and roast potatoes-meh. I love mashed potatoes but I'd never choose roast ones.
Xmas pudding is okay, but again I don't 'like' it.
Xmas cake is odd.
Brussel's sprouts are the worst thing I've ever tasted in my entire life-honestly feel like vomiting even thinkng about them.

And I can't STAND mince pies!

@BetsyBobbins Loads of Brits hate mince pies and Christmas pudding and sprouts!
I’m English/ Irish and used to hate them all but love them now.

Maybe, but I didn't see "Poor you forrin person growing up without roast dinners" that way.

Anyway, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even condensing ones 😅

Forrins have roasts! We have meat, dumplings (steamed bun things) or potatoes and red or white sauerkraut ❤️

What are you eating for Christmas then OP?

Nobody said 'poor you forrin person'. The poster who said Poor you! made no reference whatsoever to your non-Britishness. There are British people who grow up not used to these traditional foods and not keen on them either. She might easily have said Poor you! to those people too.

Says you 😂 ffs are you a troll? I'm normally good at spotting those!

Really? Sorry but I'm not this precious and petty. It's ok not to like something!

I'm forrin from across the sea, and love mince pies, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, bread sauce if home made and spicy, dates especially if stuffed with marzipan.

I'm not a fan of roast turkey, I prefer beef or pork. Pigs in blankets are a very recent addition to the traditional Christmas dinner, they are a brilliantly successful clever marketing ploy on the part of the supermarkets.

Personally, I wouldn't add Cauliflower Cheese or Yorkshire pudding to a roast turkey dinner, but each to their own, and they are very popular items.

I'm not a fan of cranberry sauce, I prefer redcurrant jelly. Nor do I like apricots or cranberries in cheese, but grapes or raisins with cheese are lovely.

I am British and can't stand any of those foods either

I suppose if you haven't grown up eating roast dinners and then perfecting them to your tastes as an adukt you probably wouldn't get it! Poor you! More mince pies, fruit cake and christmas dinner for me

Poor you eating those ‘cakes’ they are rank.
But I still kindly bake a Christmas cake fir DH and MIL who loves them. Just like I make DH cups if builders tea 🤮🤮

As an aside, I’m very happy with the roasts if my own country. They’ve been perfected to my tastes so are 100x better than the English version. Thankfully I’ve been able to convert DH too (and obviously the dcs have not known anything different)
(Sarcasm - Joke)

Tbh, I think there are a lot of mediocre versions of mince pies, Christmas cake and even turkey. If you've been unfortunate enough to only have tried the mediocre versions then I can see why you wouldn't like them. A really good mince pie or piece of Christmas cake is a thing of beauty! Try the latter with butter and cheese. You do need nice fruits and plenty of booze in them to make them good though.

It could be worse OP - at least we don't eat snails or horses or insects in this country.

I’m British and I can understand the confusion over mince pies, Christmas cake, pudding etc if you haven’t grown up with it. Fruit has been dried here for hundreds of years.

Similarly, stollen, panettone, foie gras, carp or suckling pig don’t rock my boat, but they might have done if I was brought up eating them.

each to their own.

ps I LOVE mince pies, Christmas cake and cheese, Christmas pudding and cream.

@BetsyBobbins
You've been trying some very below par Christmas pudding, mince pies, and cake if the textures and flavours were as described.

I’m British and I utterly detest mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake. The weird thing is that apart from the above, I eat absolutely anything - eg snails, frogs legs, liver, kidneys so it’s not as if I’m a fussy eater. They’re just vile and the irony that they are the three traditional deserts for the best meal of the year doesn’t escape me! (I’d also rate turkey as my least favourite meat. I do eat it but I don’t particularly enjoy it.)

Builders tea is the best! Wouldn't life be boring if we all only liked the same things! I had builders tea and mince pies for breakfast today 😂

I love sprouts!! I love roast potatoes.

I hate Xmas pudding, Christmas cake, bread sauce, cheese and cranberries.

I am English. I used to hate sprouts and pigs in blankets until I hate sprouts that were cooked properly and good quality pigs in blankets that weren’t cheap and full of fat!!

I can't make builder's tea. Apparently any passable tea

Well your taste in memes is top class!

@Chilicabbage are you putting milk in first by any chance?

but I didn't see "Poor you forrin person growing up without roast dinners" that way.

Why? It’s hardly running water or electricity. It’s a food that they like, which they think you dislike because you might not have grown up eating it. So ‘poor you’. Why do you not see that as a joke? Particularly in the context of a thread joking about disliking food?

Quality street 🤢

@Bringonthesunforthewashing no. I just put bag, sugar, water, milk in 😂 never thought basic teabag needs special timings. Apparently it does?

@Titicacacandle thank you kindly 😂

I’m from Ireland so we have a lot of the same foods.

However, pigs in blankets can get in the bin and do seem to be a particularly British thing.