5 Foods in Desperate Need of an Incredibles 2-Style Image Makeover

Patrick Carone
Patrick Carone
Patrick Carone is a writer living in New York City. He's done time at Maxim and Complex, been featured as a pop-culture authority on several TV shows, and yes, he's been shot in the face with a soda gun by Guy Fieri.
published Jul 6, 2018
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(Image credit: Pixar)

The hotly anticipated Incredibles 2 smashed box-office records last month, including being the biggest opening for an animated movie ever. A sequel to the 2004 tale of a family of superheroes with real-world problems, the film finds Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and the rest of the Parrs in a world in which citizens with superpowers are forced to hide their secret identities. Not cool!

In an attempt to reshape their image, Elastigirl participates in a publicity stunt she hopes will show the world how necessary superheroes actually are. (I won’t go into how that works out, but highly recommend checking out the movie.) It did get me thinking, however, about some delicious foods that have gotten bad PR over the years, mostly due to their names.

Here are five tasty dishes all desperately in need of an image makeover, and what we think they should be known as from here on out. Bon appetit!

1. Tripe = Tummy toffee

The idea of eating stomach lining probably won’t make anyone’s mouth water, but what if you stewed some in homemade tomato sauce and gave it a cute alliterative name?

2. Blood sausage = Breakfast tubes

Put the word “blood” in front of just about anything, and you’re going to want it as far from the table as humanly possible. Better to associate the plasma-packed weiners with the most important meal of the day.

3. Head cheese = Meat jelly

Wikipedia describes the least-appetizing combination of two words ever thusly: “Meat jelly made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig.” Hm, what say we leave out the “head flesh” part and call it a day?

4. Oxtail = Steer rear

It is what it sounds like, although these days the meat — which is delightfully tender and flavorful in a braised ragu — comes from a cow of either sex. And if surf and turf is any indication, things that rhyme simply taste better.

5. Chopped liver = Bubbe’s favorite

Even if you’re not Jewish, quality chopped liver will surely remind you of older relatives, most of whom had no problem getting down with organ meat — preferably on top of a piece of fresh rye. Now eat … you’re skin and bones!

Have you seen Incredibles 2 yet?