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Are Pickles Overrated?

A common sight in nearly every fridge, uneaten pickles
A common sight in nearly every fridge, uneaten pickles
Violet Swanger

The age-old question that has never been answered before: are pickles overrated? After being created around 4,000 years ago, they have become a global statement in many cultures. But opinions for and against them are very strong, and it’s never been settled.

This debate is about pickled cucumbers specifically, with every other pickled vegetable being a different story. There are multiple groups, those who utterly despise them with their entire soul and physical being, those who love them with that same passion, and those who tolerate them (they won’t seek them out, but won’t pick it off their burger in disgust if they get them). And no agreement can be made.

“I feel like people don’t eat them enough,” James Pieniazek said.

People who love pickles often eat them by themselves. When some thought is put to it, they aren’t actually in most foods. On the occasional burger, salad, or cheese platter, but that’s about it. This may be one of the reasons people hate on pickle lovers because they eat them alone. When in reality, sad as it is, they are hard to come by in food. 

“[…]Even though, it’s actually pretty damn healthy.” Said the same student.

There’s no doubt about it, pickles are good for you. They’re vegetables soaked in vegetables and herbs. There’s not much that can be added to pickles to make them taste better and be worse for you like most foods, as that sour dill is hard to replicate with technology, and add-ins like sugar would make it much worse. The fermentation process also beats down heavily on any harmful chemicals like pesticides that may have been in the vegetables. 

“[…] A lot of people despise pickles.” Delta student Evelyn Swanger said.

Hatred for the sour vegetable is just as strong as the love for it. The bitter flavor isn’t for everyone and is not something people seek out often. It’s so unique that nothing else really tastes quite like it, making getting used to and enjoying it difficult. That, and dill isn’t commonly used in anything else. When it is, the food is labeled as pickle-tasting and hated for it. There is also the factor that eating them makes your breath smell weird and that it’s not worth it. There are even tiny factors like turariphobia, the fear of pickles, that turn people against them.

With both sides so passionate, the answer is clear. Everyone is getting caught up in arguing and actual opinions are being lost, it’s just fun to scream about who is right and wrong. In this scenario at least, there isn’t a right or wrong. Pickles are not the scum of the Earth, but they were not bestowed upon us by celestial beings. They are as good and bad a food as any other, but with that being said, in technicality, if the side that states pickles are awful is wrong, then so is the side that says they’re the best food ever. So technically, pickles are in fact, overrated.

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