4 Holiday Foods That Should Go Away

One of the best things about the holiday season is all the delicious, seasonal foods items that people prepare and that are found in stores. From pumpkin pie to honey glazed ham to apple cider to thumbprint cookies, these items and many more have become staples of family gatherings, holiday parties, and gift exchanges. However, there are always those few foods that have become mandatory holiday staples that you just can’t stand. Many coffee shops and restaurants also introduce special “holiday” food and drinks around this time of year as well, with some hits and some very extreme misses. Though obviously individual tastes are subjective, here are four foods that always pop up during the holidays that deserve be done away with.

Eggnog

On principle, eggnog just sounds gross, but the taste isn’t much better. Though milk, sugar, and eggs are all things I enjoy individually, combining them in a drink is probably one of the worst ideas anyone has come up with. Even booze, which is typically added to the mixture, can’t make it better. Plus, if the taste doesn’t get to you, the texture will. Whether you make it yourself or buy it in the dairy aisle at the grocery store, there really isn’t any redeeming value to eggnog.

Chocolate Oranges

Image Credit: lizcolter at wordpress

Chocolate oranges are fun if you don’t have to eat them. There is something satisfying about cracking them open and having wedges of chocolate that are reminiscent of the wedges of an actual orange, but that’s where the fun stops. Now, I’m not against the combination of fruit and chocolate in general, and it can definitely be done well, but these chocolate oranges are a poor example of both. The orange flavor tastes beyond fake, and you could get better chocolate flavor from a convenience store candy bar. Somehow, these became a staple of the holidays and are sold in abundance at every store, but they really only make a good gift if you don’t expect the person you bought it for to eat them.

Caramel Flavoring

In general I don’t mind caramel flavoring, but it seems to be in everything over the holidays. Every coffee drinks comes with a large swirl of caramel, and every dessert seems to feature it too. For those of us who can only deal with caramel in very small amounts, the holidays can be a tough time to find something that doesn’t use it as a featured ingredient. Though caramel tends to be on menus throughout the year, the holidays tend to have an abundance of salted caramel treats, which somehow taste worse than regular caramel. The mixture of sweet and savory should work in its favor, but it doesn’t, and the result is an overused holiday mess.

Starbucks’ Holiday Spice Flat White

Image Credit: Starbucks.com

At least it looks pretty? This year, Starbucks debuted its holiday spice flat white, and, to put it bluntly, it’s terrible. Though I enjoy many of the other holiday Starbucks drinks and love the original flat white, something about this just doesn’t work. The spice blend on its own wouldn’t be bad when mixed with the flat white, and possibly the citrus flavor by itself would work with it too, but the combination isn’t good. Something about cloves, nutmeg, and tangerine mixed with coffee doesn’t sound like it would taste good, but maybe that’s just me. I do enjoy seeing what new holiday drinks Starbucks will come up with every year, but hopefully this drink will be one and done.

Of course, many people will disagree with me about these choices, and that is fine. No matter how beloved a food is, there will always be people who don’t enjoy it. That is why one of the best things about the holidays is the diversity of seasonal foods, so there is always something for everyone.

Do you have a least favorite beloved holiday food? Share with us in the comments!