People shared the things they love but thought totally sucked when they were younger – 21 later life joyful revelations

When we’re children and – especially – teenagers we can be terrible know-it-alls, thinking we’ve got everything sussed and being prepared to die on a variety of idiotic hills for no reason other than stubborness.

However, as we age we tend to mellow, and allow our minds to be changed. They’ve been chatting about this on the CasualUK subreddit after user PearlsSwine posted this:

‘What stuff have you discovered later in life you thought sucked as a younger person? I am 54. I just tried HP Sauce at a caff. I think the last time I tried it I was in my twenties and I thought it was rank.

‘It’s fucking lovely. I’ve been missing out. What food things did you used to think were minging, but later realised are delicious?’

And lots of people chipped in with the things they have delightedly done a 180 on, like these…

1.

‘I used to live in a beautiful seaside town as a teenager. In the winter old people used to park up and just sit staring at the sea with a hot drink from a flask and I used to think ‘What’s the point of that?”. Now I’d love to do that. Just sit in a car with a hot cup of tea or soup from a flask, put some music on and stare at the sea.’
–hairlikebrianmay

2.

‘Food wise, so many vegetables. My family used to boil the life out of them so most of the taste would be gone but when I learned to cook them myself a whole new world opened up.

‘Non-food, it has to be a long walk. Long walks as a kid meant less time playing and as a teen it meant less time drinking in a random shitty park.’
–admh574

3.

‘Doing stuff alone. I remember having a chat at maybe 15 with one of my teachers about him going to the cinema alone and I was like ‘Who the fuck would do that, why would you go to the cinema alone?’

‘I do tonnes of shit just on my own now. Not for shortage of friends. It’s sometimes just really nice to go and do whatever you want to do whenever you want to without getting a second opinion.’
–Banes_Addiction

4.

‘Tea. I was never in the slightest bit bothered about a cuppa, and it was something I only ever had when I was ill.

‘About a month ago, I switched from fizzy stuff that was fucking up my stomach to a cuppa, and now I’m basically inhaling the stuff. Massive massive bag of Yorkshire Tea by the kettle, and I’m buying milk for the first time since the ’90s. Nearly shat myself when I saw the price of a pint, but now I’m getting through a four-pinter a week.

‘Getting through a surprising amount of biscuits with it, too. My special treat is a mini version of the Tim Tam Slam – get some chocolate fingers, bite each end off, use as a straw. Marvellous.’
–-SaC

5.

‘Stilton and other blue cheeses.’
–Bizzlecopter

6.

‘Jigsaw puzzles. Never cared for them, now I’m obsessed, such a nice way to relax and avoid doomscrolling.’
–pumpkinjolie

7.

‘I hadn’t touched or even considered the existence of hummus until I met my wife in my 30’s. I also assumed I didn’t like olives.’
–byjimini

8.

‘Socks as gifts.’
–MildlyImpoverished

9.

‘My brother and I had a slight moment about ten years ago when we silently somehow agreed that, when he came up to stay for the weekend, we’d stop looking for ‘lads lads lads’ things to do and just find some bloody nice National Trust or English Heritage places to wander around. It was very freeing.

‘If you see two blokes in their 40s built like brick shithouses wandering round like extras from a Vinnie Jones film admiring some lovely hedges, that might be us.’
–-SaC

10.

‘Mushrooms. I used to think they were horrible slimy things. My poor late mum used to love them but rarely cooked them because me and dad both felt the same. I can’t pinpoint when it changed but now I can’t get enough of them! So many lost years!’
–AlternativePrior9559

11.

‘Black pudding. Took me until I was 31 to try it and had my ‘holy fuck I wasted my life’ epiphany.’
–sam_p_23

12.

‘Mustard, not the namby-pamby stuff mixed with mayo, the real sinus clearing English stuff. Also, horseradish. I have it on almost everything. Love cheese on toast with the bread ‘buttered’ with it.’
–Arbdew