Personal food preferences aside, sometimes we just can’t understand why someone could enjoy eating something that smells, looks, or even tastes bad. Sometimes it can just be the fact that they are overpaying for something that just isn’t worth it. A poll in a popular online forum asked users, “What expensive foods do you genuinely not understand how someone could actually enjoy eating?” Here are some of the most popular responses.
1. Gold Leaf

Someone said, “It literally tastes like nothing. People just use it as an excuse to jack up prices, so I’m with you on this!”
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Another person agreed and said, “Especially when you could wrap a whole steak in it for 15 bucks yourself, lol. They literally sell you a 10-dollar steak with 15 dollars of gold on it for 1500 bucks.”
2. Shark Fin Soup

“I don’t care how tasty it is; it’s absolutely cruel to cut off a shark’s fin and drop it back in the ocean,” a user said.
“Gordon Ramsey did a little documentary on it, and when he tasted it, he said it tasted like nothing. The flavor is akin to glass noodles. At least it’s not a common dish and is really only eaten for special occasions like birthdays, but it’s still cruel,” another user added.
3. Kopi Luwak

A user said, “A damn fine cuppa joe, but a weird enough story that I’m not that excited. I believe these can be harvested humanely, however. It’s basically collecting droppings from the animals’ natural feeding cycle.”
4. Fancy Burgers

Someone said, “Any burger on any menu over the price of $14, especially if it doesn’t even come with fries. When did $18 single patty burgers become normal?”
5. Rocky Mountain Oysters

“They’re not really expensive, but rocky mountain oysters. They’re fried bull testicles, and they basically taste like a beef chicken nugget. Not worth the hype, and a strange part to eat,” someone shared.
6. Sea Cucumber

A user shared, “It’s a caterpillar/worm from the ocean that looks like snot on the plate. It tastes as if processed American cheese was left in the sun for the day and then wrapped around soggy tofu. It was served at my wedding and the worst dish of my life, maybe? Super popular in Asia, though.”
7. Anything Salt Bae

One user commented, “I don’t understand how any of the people eating at Salt Bae’s restaurant can enjoy what he is giving them at those prices. Paying thousands of extra dollars just because this guy was in a viral video? Give me a break.”
8. Truffles

One person said, “Truffles. To each their own, but truffles and truffle oil completely overwhelm the flavor of whatever they’re in, and it’s not a taste I care for.”
9. Bird Nest Soup

Someone responded, “Haven’t seen bird nest soup yet. You’re basically eating solidified swiftlet spit used to hold the nests together on the sides of cliffs. For up to $3k per pound as well.”
10. Fermented Fish

“Fermented fish, popular in Sweden, I think? I’ve never tried it, but I was in the room when a can was opened. Cleared that room faster than yelling fire,” someone shared.
11. Crustaceans

“Anything crustacean. To me, they’re like the bugs of the sea. If you can munch on prawns and crabs and such, you should have no problems eating cockroaches and tarantulas, too,” another user pointed out.
12. Caviar

A user shared, “When I visited my friend in France. His dad would literally sit in front of the TV with a huge tub of caviar and eat it by the spoonful.”
13. Kobe Beef

“I don’t get the point of Kobe beef burgers. The whole point of Kobe beef is that it has amazing fat marbleization. With ground beef, you can get any fat percentage and perfect fat distribution. It’s a complete waste of an amazing cut of beef. Yes, the beef has a good flavor, but you might as well just use domestic organic grass-fed beef, in my opinion,” a user said.
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Inspired by this thread – photos for illustrative purposes only.