I'm Asian American and grew up eating and enjoying a ton of weird shit including rotten fish, pork blood, durian, etc, but even I encountered the same feeling o

I'm Asian American and grew up eating and enjoying a ton of weird shit including rotten fish, pork blood, durian, etc, but even I encountered the same feeling of disappointment after tasting my first Turkish delight. Like the OP, I had imagined this amazing treat in my head after reading those books and seeing those movies/cartoons as a child. It's definitely an acquired taste that I eventually learned to like after finally finding a flavor I enjoyed (pistachio). Most of them taste like powdery gummy perfume. You can't simply blame "uncultured Whities". An analogous "weird" flavor in the West is licorice. I just don't get it.