Young woman looking like she feels ill

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

Eclair with gold leaf on it
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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

Bowl of shark fin soup
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“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

Wall of Kopi luwak expensive coffee
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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

Fancy expensive cheeseburger at a restaurant
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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

Rocky mountain oysters served on a plate
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“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

Sea cucumber in Spain
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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

Salt Bae restaurant in Turkey
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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

Hands holding black truffles
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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

Bowl of Chinese birds nest soup
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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
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“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

Pile of crabs
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“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

Spoonful of caviar
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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

Roasts of Kobe beef being cut
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“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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Woman holding a french fry like a mustache
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The only thing better than free stuff is free food. Restaurants want to earn your business, and they’re offering you free food to get it. These popular restaurant chains are waiting for you to ask them for free food. Check out these ways to score your favorite grub for free.99.

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17 Weird Food Combos That Sound Disgusting, But Are Actually Delicious

Man eating huge burger
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Some people like to get creative in the kitchen, especially when their pantry is bare. Users in a popular online forum shared some creative food combinations that sound completely disgusting but, in reality, taste pretty amazing! Here are some of the top responses. 17 Weird Food Combos That Sound Disgusting, But Are Actually Delicious

17 Iconic Meals Everyone Ate in the 90s

TV dinner with plastic still on
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Growing up in the 90s, we had some iconic dinners. Some of them are relics now, but we fondly look back on them primarily because of the memories associated with them. People shared the dinners they remember from their childhood in a popular online forum – how many of these iconic meals were on your plate? 17 Iconic Meals Everyone Ate in the 90s

15 Food Crimes That Completely Turn People Off

Woman holding a pot looking disgusted
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We all have our favorite foods and opinions on how we prefer food prepared, but sometimes we see others taking things too far with their creative liberties. Someone recently asked the question, “What screams food crime to you?” These are some of the top-voted responses. 15 Food Crimes That Completely Turn People Off

13 Expensive Foods People Don’t Get the Hype About

Fancy expensive cheeseburger at a restaurant
Image Credit: Ezume Images via Shutterstock.

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. We found a thread where people were discussing expensive foods that people couldn’t understand why someone could actually enjoy eating them. 13 Expensive Foods People Don’t Get the Hype About

Inspired by this thread – photos for illustrative purposes only.