Cilantro or Cilant-no?
Is cilantro the bacon of 2009?
That’s what our pal So Good was wondering last week, and he’s got good reason. The world’s most controversial herb has been burning up the blogosphere in 2009, most notably on Fuck Yeah, Cilantro, a new tumblelog with perhaps the most specific food porn focus we’ve ever seen: daily money shots of cilantro-covered foods, from pizza to hot dogs and even drinks. Fuck yeah, indeed!
But not all is well in cilantro-land. Over at I Hate Cilantro, anti-coriander activist Erin has been chronicling her hatred for what she calls “the pubes of Beelzebub itself,” even creating a cilantro-free restaurant guide.
I’ve always been intrigued by the passionate feelings this simple spice elicits. I don’t think there’s any other food quite like it. Half the people seem to think it’s the nectar of the gods; the other half think it tastes like soap. I’ve heard it said this is due to some kind of weird genetic split, but wiki says this has never been proven. Ah, cilantro. You are a mysterious one.
So let’s do a highly scientific survey. What do you think? And why?
[poll id="34"]
(Photo: Chrismar)
Your poll selections are incomplete, you didn’t include “Not only no, but HELL no”.
cilantro is in my fridge at all times. ALWAYS!!!
Time and a place. But I’d rather have it than not.
The passion on both sides of cilantro really made me laugh. This is fascinating in more ways than one.
My friend HATES cilantro with a passion – Iike it offends her. It is funny how people really feel strongly about it! I LOVE IT personally, and felt sooo stupid to just learn that coriander and cilantro are the same plant… did anyone else not know that?
Yes Liza-fruit-hater, it is indeed funny that people feel personally offended by certain types of food!
I used to dislike cilantro (though it didn’t taste like soap) and grew to appreciate it. I’m actually the only person I know to do that though – everyone else I know either loves it or hates it but no one has ever openly admitted to having switched sides to me. (I don’t LOVE it like put it on EVERYTHING, but I do like it on some things.)