Do you have any favorite food combinations that others might find weird? Chances are, though, that someone out there shares the same tastes as you do.
For me, it’s fruits and salt. It’s a combination I got from my mom, so I always thought other people ate apples, pears, oranges, and other fruits with some salt sprinkled on it. So, when I started attending school and the kids saw me dabbing salt on my apple slices before taking a bite, I was surprised to learn that it wasn’t actually a common food combination.
And thanks to the internet, more and more people are sharing their weird food combinations online, only to find out that someone may like that exact same combination or something similar. So, whether it’s ketchup on their eggs or Oreos and orange juice, here are a few examples of these combinations.
Pineapples on Pizza
Of course the first thing on our list would definitely have to be the most popular food combination.
Probably the most polarizing food item on the internet is the Hawaiian pizza and whether or not pineapples are an appropriate topping on one of the most popular dishes in the world. It’s such a popular debate that even celebrities are taking sides. On the side of pineapples on pizza, you have Tom Holland, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Paris Hilton, Jeff Goldblum, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But on the other side of naysayers, you have Jimmy Kimmel, Charlie Cox, Chris Hardwick, and Gordon Ramsay (and who’s to doubt the palate of a world-renowned chef?).
Those who are against pineapples on pizza argue that pizza is a savory dish, so having a sweet and sour fruit on it can throw off those looking for a meaty experience. On the other hand, those for Hawaiian pizza argue that the flavor of the pineapple balances out the saltiness of the cheese.
Whatever your preference, I think we can all agree though: fish on pizza is the worst.
Eggs and Ketchup
As a kid, I’ve tried scrambled eggs with ketchup before and I hated it. As an adult who likes ketchup with her hotdogs and isn’t picky about her food touching, I don’t really mind when the ketchup from my hotdog spills onto my eggs when having breakfast.
Eggs and ketchup are an uncommon combination, but I can see why some people would want to pour their ketchup directly on their scrambled or over easy eggs. Eggs are salty, fatty, and (in many cases) a bit oily. Ketchup balances out the flavors with acid and salt. Since ketchup usually has onion and garlic powder in its ingredients, it adds more flavor.
Fries and Ice Cream
This is a combination I’m guilty of. Whether I’m in Wendy’s or McDonald’s with a burger meal with a side of fries and a sundae, I’m more likely to dip my fries into my ice cream than the actual ketchup they provide.
It’s a nice flavor combination that I don’t think a lot of people appreciate. While ketchup and fries are a good combination, the saltiness of the fries and the sweet ice cream make an interesting flavor profile. And unlike a few of the items on this list, it has more likes than haters.
Cheetos and Milk
We’ve all heard cereal milk, and it’s fairly self-explanatory: it’s the leftover milk we drink after our bowls have run out of cereal. Now imagine people replacing cereal with the popular cheesy corn chips, Cheetos. And now imagine people actually marinating Cheetos in milk to drink a jug full of Cheeto-flavored milk. Yes, that is a thing.
Apparently, the argument behind why Cheetos should be an acceptable replacement for traditional cereal is that both Cheetos and several cereals are both made from corn. Also, cheese and milk are both dairy (albeit one is powdered cheese flavor and probably not even remotely dairy), so the idea is that the components of Cheetos (corn and dairy) is the same as your breakfast cereal (also corn and dairy).
Of course, the thought of eating corn chips coated in artificial cheese powder, and milk is enough to repulse people, especially when they think about savory Cheetos immersed in milk. But those who have tried this combination claims that it taste better than it sounds. Do you dare to try it?
Oreos and Orange Juice
Chocolate and orange juice – at least the flavor behind Cheetos and milk was explainable, but chocolate and vanilla cookies dipped in orange juice might sound really gross. But according to this thread in Reddit’s r/unpopularopinion, Oreos dunked in orange juice tastes way better than those dunked in milk. It’s a bold statement, especially since Oreo has been advertising that its product goes best dunked with a glass of milk.
According to user u/throwaway78uqyq, listening to Oreo’s advice and dunking their cookies in milk only makes their cookies soggy without adding much flavor. There’s a sliver of truth to this, since the cookies’ vanilla filling already serves as the cream flavor you taste even without milk. He then goes to say that orange juice adds additional flavor without making the crumbs soft.
I don’t like the idea of orange juice and Oreos, but then I think about the strawberry Oreos I tried a few months back and wonder if a different fruit-flavored Oreo would be just as good. But then I realize chocolate and strawberries have always gone well together, so I’m once more doubtful whether it is a good pairing. I’m not sure. What do you think?
But no matter how weird some of these pairings are, it’s OK to like weird food combinations as long as you know they’re safe to eat. And in all the examples we’ve mentioned, they’re all safe to eat even though some of you may not find them appetizing to imagine. So, go ahead and dip your Oreos in orange juice, put as much ketchup as you want over your egg yolks, and start making your own Cheetos Milk – if you have a weird food preference, there’s no shame in liking what you like!
