I Don’t Like Cilantro
Posted on | September 10, 2005 at 4:12 pm | 9 Comments
I mean it. I’ve been fooling myself for years, but I’ve just recently come to the conclusion that I don’t like the herb cilantro. There, I’m finally admitting it to myself and everyone else. Since Mexican food (or at least Tex Mex) is pretty popular around here, it ends up getting used a lot. Keep it out of my guacamole, please! It ruins everything it’s in. This is just like my anti-celery realization of a few years ago – the taste of it overpowers anything else in the dish. And it’s not a particularly good taste.
I guess part of me thought that if I just kept eating it and using it in recipes, I’d begin to appreciate it. Well, that didn’t work. It’s Boycott Time! I’m no longer going to buy it, and I’m no longer adding it to recipes. I’m no longer making dishes that have “cilantro” in the title (like cilantro-lime bean dip, although the lime does cut down the cilantro taste a bit). I’m obviously not going to be able to avoid cilantro dishes at restaurants and parties, but I’m going to do my best. And when people ask me why, I am going to speak out against the Devil Herb. I know this is probably not a popular stand to take it, but darn it, someone has to do it. Cilantro, your days are numbered.
Latre.
Comments
9 Responses to “I Don’t Like Cilantro”
September 10th, 2005 @ 6:52 pm
FWIW, Joe doesn’t like cilantro either. I personally love it. Cute illustration, though!
September 10th, 2005 @ 7:53 pm
I don’t really like cilantro either. I grow the damn stuff in my herb garden, because as a bit of a foodie I feel I oughta enjoy it and use it in my recipes. It’s all over Mexican and Vietnamese food, two of my twenty-five favorite cuisines. But I keep cutting parsley to substitute for cilantro, and let the cilantro go to seed (happily, I do enjoy coriander, so it doesn’t go to waste, just to seed). So you got support on this, Rog.
September 10th, 2005 @ 8:41 pm
Yeah Janet, coriander is okay. Strange, since it’s a different form of the same thing. I use it in Indian cooking. And I do like parsley, which is so similar. I think my local Safeway refers to cilantro as aka Chinese Parsley.
September 11th, 2005 @ 8:35 am
I’d always heard that aversion to cilantro was a genetic trait — it either tastes fresh, bright, and slightly citrusy to you or it tastes like Lemon Fresh Joy. After some Sunday morning research, I can’t find any information that goes much beyond conjecture about dislike for the herb stemming (ha!) from genetic predisposition; a few sites posit that it’s a food allergy, though that seems less likely to me.
I’m just grateful that Doug enjoys it as much as I do. I always used to think that I couldn’t be seriously involved with a non-carnivore, but since we’ve been together, I actually think it would be harder to live and cook with someone who hated garlic, onions, mushrooms, cilantro, and the like.
September 11th, 2005 @ 2:36 pm
My stepdad, who loves all kinds of food, also hates cilantro. It tastes like soap to him. Me, I love it! No cilantro late-birthday cake for you, Rog!
September 11th, 2005 @ 2:47 pm
I’ve always said coriander/cilantro tastes like air freshener and should be dangling from your car’s rear view mirror if it has to exist at all. But my wife loves it. In fact, until today I thought “coriander” was just the Aussie word for “cilantro” – but in reading the above comments I finally looked it up and now realize she’s just been using one term for both, and ridiculing Americans who are actually using the terms correctly…. as for a genetic basis, I also happen to be one of those “super tasters” who finds most bitter things difficult to even swallow much less enjoy – this includes coffee and many vegetables.
I’ll also comment here (re: Editrix) that one of the most insightful aphorisms about relationships I’ve ever heard is that it’s not as important that you like the same things, as it is that you HATE the same things…
September 14th, 2005 @ 10:27 pm
Flasshe – Why do you insist on speaking out against me? What have I ever done to you? (Okay, there was that time I caused you to break out in an embarrassing rash right before that hot date – but I was only following orders, and it was my first year on the job.) You know, I’m probably oversensitive here – but dammit, devils have feelings too – and I just don’t like it when people diss them – especially when they call me out by name like that.
September 19th, 2005 @ 10:53 am
I could eat cilantro-laced food daily and never tire of its jaunty taste. But since we already disagree on peanut butter, I’m not surprised at this turn of events.
September 19th, 2005 @ 10:56 am
I believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen “jaunty” used as an adjective for “taste”. Is that from a song?
I do like the term “cilantro-laced” – how appropo.