Smithsonian.com

I love cilantro! It’s a must in my guacamole and egg-and-cheese omelets on a Saturday morning. Cilantro should be used as an accent to foods (like avocado + cilantro = yummy), and not alone or overpoweringly (cilantro x cilantro = why did I just eat/drink that?). For me, eating mint alone is not desirable, but when added to vanilla ice cream it’s great.

I’m wondering why there isn’t a http://www.ilovecilantro.com, or at least a http://www.ilovecilantrousedsparingly.com, established?

Comment by Charles F. — February 20, 2009 @ 3:10 pm

I like cilantro, but only in moderation. I can’t stand green peppers–they overwhelm any other food they’re near. My brother, meanwhile, won’t touch anything with mustard. (He’ll actually run away if you hold the bottle near him–always a fun joke.) His wife quickly discovered that if they ate out at a restaurant and she wanted to eat the leftovers of her meal, her only option was to order something with mustard. Anything else would be vacuumed up by midnight.

Comment by Sarah Zielinski — February 20, 2009 @ 4:49 pm

I am stunned that there are people who don’t like cilantro. You can’t have real Tex-Mex cuisine without it. That’s crazy. Unimaginable really, and I’m not sure I believe it. Next, you’ll be claiming there are people that don’t like strawberries and chocolate, or babies and puppies.

Comment by Barry — February 20, 2009 @ 11:15 pm

I’m one of the cilantro=soap people. Glad to hear I’m not alone. I also can’t stand the taste of ripe mangoes, which taste like black pepper to me.

Comment by KMK — February 21, 2009 @ 1:16 am

I hate cilantro! I always have. I can stand a little in Mexican cooking, but only sparingly. There is just something about that flavor that turns me off! I don’t dislike many foods but this herb just bothers me. Sorry guys!!

Comment by Aimee S. — February 21, 2009 @ 7:21 am

i love cilantro! i could probably put it on anything and i think the flavor would be enhanced, even ice cream.

the one thing i cant not tolerate whatsoever, no matter how small of a proportion it is in is cream cheese. i can eat any other sort of cheese, but not cream cheese. i suppose it tastes like vomit and death to me. ugh!

Comment by paradigmq — February 21, 2009 @ 10:22 am

I think cilantro is a gift from the gods!! On the other hand, I can’t even get near peanut butter, it’s horrible… can’t stand the smell or taste. I do love peanuts though, and peanut butter cookies are tolerable.
And olives – those little rubbery briny salt pellets – ugh!

Comment by JZ — February 21, 2009 @ 3:04 pm

I’m in the “little bit goes a long way” camp. If it’s kept in the background, I can live with it, but there is definitely a point where it overwhelms a food.

Comment by Andy — February 21, 2009 @ 9:06 pm

the first time i ever had cilantro was my first indian food experience. i really enjoyed this food, but there was just something…off. it was the cilantro! it really turns my stomach, but i have been trying to eat it in small doses. i’m also not a huge fan of fresh tarragon. just those two!

Comment by elena — February 21, 2009 @ 11:30 pm

Avocado. I absolutely loathe it. It tastes like dirt and the texture is just slimy and wrong somehow. It’s like an onion gone bad – no food item should feel like that. I know it’s trendy right now and it seems to be in absolutely everything, but I can’t go there. I can tell it’s in a dish even if the amount is miniscule.

*shudder*

Comment by MessyONE — February 22, 2009 @ 9:51 am

I was unaware of this great debate, but chalk another one for cilantro. I use it regularly in barbecue seasoning. In small doses, it can smooth out the roughest of rubs without sacrificing intensity.

Comment by Shane L. — February 22, 2009 @ 7:43 pm

Cilantro is the food of the devil..it should be against the law to serve it in restaurants…perhaps the worst tasting food of all time, cilantro should be banished from the earth. i would rather eat rat droppings than cilantro

Comment by Cilantro Hater — February 22, 2009 @ 11:32 pm

Cilintro is good for nothing except for making people vomit..it is the absolute worst tasting food..all cilantro plants should be destroyed. DOWN WITH CILANTRO.

Comment by Frank Azar — February 22, 2009 @ 11:34 pm

I’ve got that gene–cilantro tastes like dishsoap licked off of a shoe, and oh how it LINGERS. Dry coriander seed doesn’t set me off but the fresh leaves are dreadful. I love the idea of an antidote that would neutralize the taste, as cilantro tends to pop up in all kinds of unexpected places. I don’t like bitter flavors either, but that’s on an entirely different level.

Comment by Dorothy — February 23, 2009 @ 2:49 am

I seem to be one of those rare people that can either take it or leave it…at least in it’s whole form. I love cilantro chutney and cilantro sauce (pureed) on meats though, so perhaps it just depends on the preparation. I really can’t smoked trout…I’ve tried many a time, but just can’t get there with it.

Comment by Laura — February 23, 2009 @ 11:03 am

I looooove cilantro. I get irritated with people who get all up in arms about hating it. It’s not intrinsically bad – some people just have the wrong form of the gene.

Comment by Helen — February 23, 2009 @ 11:21 am

I don’t know that I was ever aware of the taste of cilantro in any dish I’ve ordered, although I know that it most certainly has been in many dishes I’ve enjoyed over the years. Now green peppers… yuck! Those little suckers overwhelm every and anything they get near…. Even the smell makes me gag.

Comment by Jay — February 23, 2009 @ 2:22 pm

[...] with ancho chilies and fresh cilantro (luckily, the cilantro was subtle enough to keep this avowed cilantro-hater from gacking) and topped with a roasted poblano-tomatillo salsa and tortilla [...]

Pingback by To Bean or Not to Bean at the Chili Cookoff | Food & Think — March 11, 2009 @ 11:35 am

[...] chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, a scoop of jarred salsa, and a cube of cilantro (Lisa’s nemesis) from the freezer. In retrospect, mashing the chickpeas into something like refried beans might [...]

Pingback by A Week Without Groceries: Eating Down the Fridge | Food & Think — March 12, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

It’s disgusting. Smells like a rancid sock; tastes worse.

Comment by Liz — April 25, 2009 @ 6:16 pm

I hate cilantro! The closest thing I can think of to describe the taste is: take a dirty sock that someone has worn continuosly for 2 weeks, boil it in a pot of water until almost no liquid is left and you have cilatntro–or “Killantro” as I call it.

Comment by Grandzon — April 26, 2009 @ 4:26 pm

Unless the flavor is so subtle that I cannot distinguish the flavor, cilantro makes me gag. The first time that I smelled fresh cilantro I was taken aback, especially since many of my friends are cilantro fans; cilantro smells (and probably tastes) exactly like a stink bug. Honestly, find one and compare: stink bugs are to cilantro what skunks are to skunk cabbage.

Comment by Delatea — April 27, 2009 @ 1:42 pm

I disliked cilentro the first time I tasted it. Someone had given me some seeds and I planted them in a pot on my patio. When I tasted the leaves I thought that surely it couldn`t be edible. But I have since learned to love it and use a lot of it. It is an acquired taste. Chili is one of my husband`s favorite dishes which I don`t much care for. But,I find, that when sprinkled with some sharp cheddar and a generous handfull of cilentro, it`s a whole new thing.

Comment by Patricia Sheriff — April 27, 2009 @ 4:17 pm

I dont understand how anybody can like this foul tasting, obnoxious substance. It destroys the taste of to whatever it is applied. There is a product called “Indoor NO”, which is a spray designed to keep cats off furniture and other places they are not desired. It works because of its noxious odor. It smells EXACTLY the same as cilantro.

Comment by Dwight — May 8, 2009 @ 10:32 am

Yes, definitely an acquired taste…I did not like it at all, initially, to me it has a strange, metallic taste…it still does in large doses. But there is something so fresh about it, plus it will grow just about anywhere. Last winter when making salsa and chili out of ho-hum canned ingredients, the flowerpot of cilantro growing in my south window offered me a pinch of summer.

Comment by S. C. DIXON — May 8, 2009 @ 3:46 pm

I am convinced that there is a genetic component to liking or disliking (aka hating) cilantro. I enjoy it and use it to brighten up various foods, but I never serve to two friends to whom it tastes like dirty socks. The food I can’t bear is fresh garlic on anything (no garlic bread for me!!, but cooked garlic is indispensable in many foods. I’m glad to read all these opinions. It really does seem to be a love/hate substance.

Mary Hosler 5/9/09

Comment by mary hosler — May 9, 2009 @ 3:35 pm

Let’s get real, people! All men (and women) are not created equal….it’s called genetics. Our tongues are made up of a whole lot of tasebuds whose receptors detect only certain “tastes”: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty; these are not evenly distributed, even among close relatives (or twins, for that matter). So what you taste in cilantro is not what everyone perceives; my tongue gives an immediate “ugh!”, so I substitute Italian parsley and a touch of chipotle for the (to me, distasteful) cilantro. Other than the fact my tongue and throat also don’t welcome super-hot peppers, I’m a HUGE fan of south of the border foods. BON APPETIT! fellow Smithsonians.

Comment by Louise Thureen — May 12, 2009 @ 12:30 pm

I loved reading these – you know what’s great about food? The PASSION it evokes! For me, cilantro is like flowers and grass and I adore it to the point where I could eat a salad of just cilantro!

Comment by Jen Rose — May 13, 2009 @ 2:06 am

Now, if you want something to hate, try cilantro’s cousin, PARSLEY, this is the most noxious vomit induce plant. Parsley ruins so many dishes…people are crazy saying cilantro is bad, Parsley is infinitely more disgusting!

i can’t stand when people say oh you won’t even notice it! parsley has ruined one too many meals in my life! i aBSolutely hate it!

Comment by ac gallard — May 25, 2009 @ 9:19 pm

I’m a cilantro hater! I’m a Texan and grew up visiting grandparents in San Antonio, Kyle, Austin and all points in between. I have eaten Mexican food that was so good it could make you cry. You will not get that food at a Mexican food chain. There is only one Mexican restaurant in Baton Rouge that offers that kind of food. It’s been around for nearly 50 years as far as I can remember. They have NEVER served cilantro in anything. The first time I remember having it was in Cozumel about 15 years ago when I wondered what the nasty green stuff was on my nachos.

Comment by Betty — May 26, 2009 @ 7:29 pm

I am in the cilantro=soap crowd, and so is my husband. One of the foods that we both agree is just down right nasty! A teeny tiny little bit can be passable but the food will have an off taste to us. And I’ve found that fresh is way worse than dried. Before I met my husband I thought I was alone in my intense dislike of cilantro. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to ruin a perfectly good recipe by putting something that tastes like dish soap in it. The first few times I had cilantro I thought that the dishes had not been adequately rinsed! I also can not stand the taste of tonic water. It makes me gag! My husband feels that way about beets.

Comment by Nicca — May 27, 2009 @ 11:24 am

Just go in the bathroom, unwrap a bar of soap and take a big bite — then you will experience what I do when I get cilantro in my mouth. Or use your vegetable peeler and peel soap shavings over your tamales . . . . you’ll get the idea! I don’t like any dish that the herbs take over the flavor of the dish . . . I thought herbs were enhancers . . not monopolizers.

Comment by Jan Paskiewicz — May 29, 2009 @ 8:40 am

I was an advisor to Vietnamese army units for 2 years & ate a lot of vietnamese food. There was one flavor I never identified but thought was great. After starting to eat mexican food, I found that same flavor was a part of mexican cooking. Yes, cilantro, that great accent to both cuisines.

Comment by al demarest — June 24, 2009 @ 4:00 pm

To me, cilantro tastes/smells like Tom cat pee. People have genes that make certain items taste/no taste. For example, with PTC (Phenylthiocarbamide) paper, 7/10 persons taste bitter, 3/10 taste nothing. (I taste nothing.) I believe a genetic trait like this is involved in the nasty/great taste debate with Cilantro.

Comment by kathy hislop — July 1, 2009 @ 1:54 pm

Tastes like I licked out an ashtray…GAG. When I go to restaurants I tell the servers that I’m allergic to cilantro; they usually respond better to that than “I just don’t like it.”

Comment by jennie grist — July 4, 2009 @ 3:41 pm

I visited my sister who lives right outside DC. She took me to a Thia diner she always goes to. I got what she recommended, but…. after a few bites, as well as as slurp of soup, I asked her how her dinner was. She said it was great, I replied with, maybe my dishes weren’t washed. She laughed, and said, no, it’s the cilantro, you are about 1 in ten who thinks it tastes like soap. She said it’s not the first time she has had friends say about the same thing.

Comment by Bill — July 22, 2009 @ 8:29 pm

Oh, I see that I’m not crazy!! I once ordered a chicken and rice dish in Costa Rica and it came out littered with those little green flecks!! I just set it down on the ground (outdoor beach diner) for the feral cats to eat. …. Tried the ihatecilantro website but came up with a virus warning… would love to see what they have there!

Comment by Tracy — August 16, 2009 @ 7:15 pm

I am a fellow cilantro hater, and I am convinced it’s genetic. I can force myself to eat and tolerate any other food that I dislike, but not cilantro. It is the kryptonite to this foodie. I loved the analogy to the stink bug – it’s perfect! The slightest bit of cilantro in my food will give me the same sensation as if I stuck a 9-volt battery to my tongue. The strange thing is that I love to use freshly ground coriander seeds in my marinades.

Comment by Frickle — August 18, 2009 @ 9:33 am

Cilantro is horrible. HONESTLY thought the cat had peed ((somehow)) onto the leaves that I put into the tacos I made for dinner. Then a friend made a delish salsa and freaked out because she forgot to add the cilantro. Brought it back after “fixing” and the cat pee taste was back! Eureka, realized that cats dont going around peeing on cilantro as a habit but rather the stuff just -tastes- like that. It wasnt until I sat and debated with said friend over it that I realized it was just me tasting the grassy pee.

Comment by Lindsey — August 19, 2009 @ 7:53 am

[...] 1. Stuffed. The latest issue of Bon Appetit has a great recipe for this, which I adapted slightly by adding a layer of Brie cheese at the top and bottom of the scooped-out tomato. It’s delicious, and surprisingly easy. (Of course, we know some of you will want to skip the cilantro!) [...]

Pingback by Five Ways to Eat Tomatoes | Food & Think — September 22, 2009 @ 2:07 pm

Cilantro is abhorrent to me. It tastes of soap, or astringent. Even the tiniest amount can kill my appetite. Sometimes just the smell (which also has a very soapy or astringent aroma) is overpowering.
Mangoes, too, are a flavor I really can’t stand. Which surprises nearly everyone I talk to. No one can believe that I hate mango. But to me, it tastes like pine needles. Or sometimes it tastes like I imagine dirty gym socks would taste. Ew. And even a little bit of mango ruins whatever it’s in. Which is unfortunate, since it’s one of my boyfriend’s favorite flavors.

Comment by Niirah — September 28, 2009 @ 12:46 am

I not only hate the taste of cilantro, but I am allergic to it. So is my mother. While I don’t know it is true or not, I read once that 15% of the world’s population is allergic to cilantro and that those who are think it tastes like soap; those who are not allergic to it think it tastes fresh and clean. May be some link.

Comment by Tony — October 6, 2009 @ 12:50 pm

[...] Australian snack spread Vegemite, a yeasty brown goop, is one of those taste sensations—like cilantro—that inspires either fierce loyalty or [...]

Pingback by The Mighty Fight for Vegemite | Food & Think — October 20, 2009 @ 2:54 pm

CILANTRO: Ahem….

First encounter, It nauseated me, HATED IT !!!!!

NOW… I LOVE THE STUFF… Mmmm Mmmmm One of my favorite flavors….

Comment by VegasDude — November 26, 2009 @ 7:10 pm

Hate cilantro. I know it’s such a traditional ingredient, but it RUINS Mexican food! Another thing that I have recently discovered that I don’t like (again, with the Mexican food) is the taste of chipotle. It isn’t the spiciness that I don’t like, it’s the flavor. It tastes rotten or burnt. Every time I try something that has chipotle, I am momentarily convinced that something about it has gone bad and then I realize that it has chipotle in it. I’m guessing this is not a normal thing

Comment by Stephanie — December 5, 2009 @ 4:16 pm

Cilantro is the only vegetable I hate and I can taste it strongly in even very small quantities. I guess I’m also somewhat allergic to it because if i eat it gives me a horrible hacking cough like i have severe bronchitis or something for about the next 20-30 minutes. So, not only do I get to hate the food I ordered, but I get lots of ugly stares from other people in the restaurant who think I’m trying to infect them with something.

Comment by Rachel — March 16, 2010 @ 4:46 pm

Coriander = stink bugs. Same taste same smell.

Comment by george — April 14, 2010 @ 3:10 pm

I like small quantities of cilantro, so I guess I’m not on the hater list. For me what tastes like musty socks is another herb called epazote. It’s also used in some Mexican cuisine. It also supposedly kills amoebas; and with the taste it has, I’m not surprised it is mildly toxic.

Comment by CilantroLiker — April 16, 2010 @ 6:27 pm

I think it tastes like I licked an ashtray…or metal shavings…just nasty gross…and it stinks too.

I now tell resturants that I have an allergy to cilantro if it pops up in a dish I didn’t expect it in…apparently they are more likely to take that serious that “it tastes like ass”.

Comment by Darcy — May 10, 2010 @ 11:16 am

I noticed other foods people dislike in the comments above…I’m not sure dislike = what cilantro does.

Maybe people have genetic factors that influence the taste of other foods…but cilantro isn’t dislike…it’s beyond dislike. What I taste is not at all what someone who likes it tastes at all.

Comment by Darcy — May 10, 2010 @ 11:24 am

I had bought a package of fresh spring mix and as I was happily munching away on the sweet tender leaves and my homemade dressing all of the sudden it tasted as if one of the leaves had been soaked in laundry detergent! I spit it out and tried to find the source by trying every type of green on the plate individually. I finally found it and begged my boyfriend to try it and see if I was crazy. He refused because he doesnt eat anything green. Im glad to know there are others out there.

Comment by SunmayLo — May 17, 2010 @ 1:32 pm

I wish they would find out why people don’t like cilantro, specifically, and what causes the strange taste. I think it tastes like I would imagine dirty dishes to taste. Anytime it is in a dish, no matter how much is in it, I can smell it. Gag. I don’t consider myself a picky eater, but I just cannot abide cilantro, cumin, fennel, (cooked) broccoli or cauliflower. They all taste and smell like something is rotten or off.

Comment by Mary — June 12, 2010 @ 5:36 pm

Cilantro ≠ Basil.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123446387388578461.html?mod=ITPWSJ_1

Comment by Amy — June 27, 2010 @ 8:24 pm

I love cilantro and cumin. Cilantro has a numbing sensation to it and is very fresh tasting. I substitute it for lettuce in tacos sometimes. Cumin is just plain addictive and goes very well in tacos, vinegarette, and chili. It does not taste spicy to me, it is a very full flavor. I also love broccoli, onions, curry, and recently green peppers. I hated green peppers for 45 years and now I really like them which seems very strange to me. I don’t know if there is a genetic component, but I despise tonic water and have tried and tried to drink it. Asparagus is another taste that I can do without along with fennel, anise and black licorice candy. Genetics or preference?

Comment by Susie — August 13, 2010 @ 2:37 am

I agree with the stinkbug comment. It has always tasted to me like the green shield-shaped stink bugs in my garden. It is V I L E vile. If there was one leaf in a swimming pool of water I could taste it. It is unfortunate that sometimes the sous chefs make a mistake and get one leaf of cilantro mixed into parsley–which I love. Tabouli or guacamole, for instance, with one leaf of cilantro in it can ruin my whole evening. It also does no use to try to explain how it tastes to me to someone who doesn’t taste it this way.

Comment by Ron — August 14, 2010 @ 5:51 pm

the very smell of cilantro makes me nauseous and I’m honestly not exaggerating. The first time I discovered cilantro was at a place called ‘pho king’ and it was also the very first time i tried pho. after that didnt eat pho for a good 3 years until my friends birthday. even then couldnt finish the pho because my head was pounding. My taste buds are also VERY sensitive to eat so if a tiny part of the cilantro leaf were to get into my food it would be the ONLY thing i taste in that bite. I just tell restaurants I’m allergic that way they are very careful, sometimes :p

Comment by christine — August 31, 2010 @ 9:33 pm

Here in Sweden almost everyone hates cilantro (we call both the leaves and seeds “coriander” in European English though).
This is because there is a local stink bug that smells identical to cilantro, and most people in Sweden are pretty much into picking wild fruit and berries so almost everyone has encountered stink bugs, and they are pretty common too.

I agree that it tastes like the stink bug, but I like it anyway in moderation, which makes me kinda unique among ethnic Swedes, almost only thai people in Sweden eat cilantro. Cilantro grows very well here though so I grow it in my garden because they don’t sell it in most food stores except thai food stores because they might scare away customers.

I usually say “it tastes like stink bug but in a good way”.
Things can have a taste that tastes like something bad, but is still pleasant. For example cooked or “shu” Pu’er tea, it tastes like an old barn with horse dung. So people ask me “why do you drink something that tastes like horse dung?”. I say: “It tastes like horse dung in a good way.”

But too much will be overwhelming.

Comment by Johan the swedish forest gnome — September 17, 2010 @ 5:36 pm

Cilantro is the most vile tasting herb ever. I cannot stand it, it is the most unpleasant taste that just gets into your sinus cavaties and camps out there.

One taste of it, and my meal is ruined.

Comment by Robin — October 6, 2010 @ 9:06 am

I say, down with Cilantro. I don’t like it at all. I can taste it in anything, no matter how little is in the dish. For a long time, I thought it tasted like someone grabbed a handful of grass, dirt and all and mixed it in the food. Now, I think the stink bug is a better description. I never taste soap, but it’s definitely gross.

Oh, and mango’s really do taste like dirty socks. I thought that was just me too!

Comment by William — October 10, 2010 @ 5:35 am

I absolutely hate cilantro. There should be a law that makes it illegal to put cilantro into anyone’s food without their expressed permission. There are a lot of ignorant people who can’t seem to understand that for those with the anti-cilantro gene, having just a little or trying to mask it doesn’t work. If someone was deathly allergic to nuts, would masking or adding just “a little” of it make the person any less dead after consuming it?

Comment by John — October 18, 2010 @ 4:03 am

[...] least the little white button ones you get at the supermarket. They rank up there with cilantro on my short list of ingredients I wouldn’t want to meet in a dark restaurant, or a well-lit [...]

Pingback by The Wild Mushrooms of Fall | Food & Think — November 3, 2010 @ 10:31 am

I am a cilantro lover but there is a community of people debating about their impassioned views on cilantro at http://bit.ly/eaBend

Comment by Vijeyta — January 17, 2011 @ 1:55 am

[...] if you like soap flavor. I’m obviously a hater so I leave it [...]

Pingback by Recipe: squeak’s most awesome party salsa! « Hot! Damn! Femme — February 4, 2011 @ 12:33 pm

So glad to discover that I am not the only one who can’t stand cilantro. It physically makes me gag. I don’t know about soap, but the flavor is overwhelming and unbearable for some reason.
I will try anything to eat, but I will pick this out of my food before I eat.
Gross!!!

Comment by Saffronsister — March 2, 2011 @ 12:04 pm

I cannot believe there is a “I hate cilantro” website and facebook page. I can’t get enough cilantro. I smell it in the veg store while I wait on line to pay! It has an incredibly fresh smell and taste to me. Maybe you are being told you are eating cilantro, and they are slipping something else in! Soap?? Stink bugs?? I don’t get it? Where do you people live? How do you make Salsa without cilantro? I always put it in my salsa and guacomole, and when I make chicken fajitas with peppers, onion, cayenne and CILANTRO. Maybe your tastebuds have been destoyed by too much salt or something!

Comment by Rosemary — March 3, 2011 @ 7:33 pm

[...] especially on a hot summer day. But why not at least jazz it up with basil, mint or—though I can’t advocate it—cilantro? It certainly wouldn’t be out of the question to add some vodka to any one of [...]

Pingback by Five Ways to Eat Lemons | Food & Think — March 25, 2011 @ 12:00 pm

I don’t dislike the flavor of cilantro but I avoid it because it gives me the most horrible case of indigestion imaginable. I have spent a number of nights awake because of
cilantro being concealed in Thai or Mexican food.
Living in CA means I have to be vigilant about what I eat as it seems to appear in everything served in local restaurants

Comment by John McNaughton — April 14, 2011 @ 11:04 pm

To me cilantro tastes like soapy dust or dusty soap, or maybe a mixture of dust and that Bitter Yuck stuff you put on things so your dog won’t chew. It also smells like old dust and I can’t stand the smell of it.

I don’t like salsa so that’s no a problem. The only time I have food with cilantro in it is when I go to my favorite Vietnamese place, they put it in the sweet and sour papaya beef salad I like. I can just pick the cilantro pieces out and not eat them though, since it’s a cold salad the flavor hasn’t cooked into the rest of the dish.

Comment by LK — January 29, 2012 @ 8:51 pm

Cilantro is POISON!! Nastiest stuff imaginable. I always ask to have it left out of my pho and Mexican food, but they sometimes sneak a “little” in. So many of us hate it (I am of Nordic heritage – maybe that Swedish gardener has a clue there) that I wonder why servers roll their eyes when I ask to leave it out. It should always be “on the side”.

Comment by LD — February 3, 2012 @ 4:27 pm