In 1974, the U.S. Army conducted a survey to understand soldiers' food preferences and created a fictional food called funistrada for this purpose. Surprisingly, this made-up dish received a more favorable ranking in the survey compared to real foods like lima beans and eggplant.
This anecdote highlights the sometimes humorous and arbitrary nature of food preferences. The preference for funistrada over established vegetables like lima beans may reflect soldiers' general aversion to certain foods, illustrating how even a nonexistent option can appeal more than popular choices.