Disgust-based associations with food

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When I was a kid, there were several foods I felt I couldn't eat because the very thought of them evoked an association or image I found gross. One example is that I couldn't stand celery because its smell reminded me of the smell of urine. This largely went away after I grew up. I don't love celery, but I don't mind eating it. However, I realized recently that it still smells similar to urine. That just doesn't really bother me anymore, the way it did when I was a kid. But I wondered if the smell-perception is based on having some common chemicals, or if it's like the way some people are genetically predisposed to perceive that cilantro tastes like soap (something I also suspect I have--my 23andMe profile indicates I carry the genetic trait, and I have occasionally perceived a soapy taste in certain dishes in restaurants, which at the time I thought meant they weren't rinsing their dishes enough; that said, I haven't really tested it).

I don't know if this is specifically an autistic issue (or perhaps OCD), but I think it falls within the category of hypersensitivity issues which are fairly common among ND people.

When we get older our taste buds and sense of smell aren't as sensitive as when we were kids. That's why so many kids who couldn't take a sip of coffee without cringing are like "Mmmm, coffee!" when they're adults. Lots of people think tolerating or enjoying a food you hated as a kid means you've "matured", but it really has nothing to do with emotional maturity.

Of course, it's not just flavors and smells, there's textures and "mouthfeel" as I hear it being called now. When I was a kid and we had chicken pieces for supper, I would only eat the skin and some of the meat. Then my parents would growl at me for not eating it down to the bone and wasting most of the chicken. But I couldn't stand the gristle and little bones and veins. But now I eat all the chicken down to the bones and like it so much better than McNuggets. But I can barely tolerate celery, because it's stringy, bitter and the way it squeaks is like nails on a chalkboard. If I put peanut butter on it, it's not so bad.

I refuse to eat eggs because the smell of eggs is associated with upset stomach farts.

The only eggs I eat are chocolate eggs.

Rice, cannot look at it without thinking of little maggots.

For years I couldn't eat pudding because of a bad dream where I opened a pudding and it had like an... artery growing in it. It took me a long time to finally get over that and look at pudding the same way again.

oysters because I got sick as a dog for 3 days the last time I had some, back in 1979
gorgonzola cheese for the same reason, back in 2013.
olives, like chewing on grunchy moldering rotten rubber.

Interesting, my mom is the same way—she not only hates rice, she finds the very sight and smell of it revolting, and she has said it reminds her of little insects or larvae. She actually calls this preoccupation a phobia, and she attributes it to an experience in childhood where her grandmother forced her to eat rice.

I happen to love rice, and I suspect part of the reason is that I didn’t eat it much growing up, as a result of my mother’s aversion to it.

I vaguely remember a story about an American POW in Vietnam who developed a hatred of rice due to being constantly fed it during the ordeal. Trauma can sometimes affect our food tastes.

I've always hated the smell of sauerkraut, the odor is vomit inducing, I would have to leave the house anytime my parents cooked the vile slop because the smell was so strong.

Onions because of their crunchy texture

I only like them in caramelized, fried or onion rings forms!! !

I think if one gets sick off something, that likely means they won't want it again. Which is totally understandable.

My mother hates eggs and has refused to eat them since she was young, she's now 78. Sauerkraut is one of those things one either likes or they don't, many are bothered by the smell. I personally like it with Sausage or pork chops. Cilantro I actually like along with Onions

Bananas I cannot eat, they make me gag. Just the texture and taste, it's terrible. I used to hate tomato's, they still are not my favorite, but I can deal with them better now.

I'm a super taster according to DNA test. There were a lot of things that I didn't like when I was little, like carrots and celery. The thing is we lived in a third world country, you ate what's available. I learned to eat everything whether they bothered me or not, bitter, stinky, soap like or whatever. My taste buds didn't like them but my body needed nutrients. Now for things that are more like condiments, like spices, I didn't like them until my 30s.

Same here. I don't like the smell or texture of eggs. Baked goods are fine though.