Do bad things taste good when on a diet?

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So yesterday @TheSojourner did a discussion that mentioned cabbage soup. I thought it was an underrated soup until I really thought about it. The majority of the times I have had cabbage soup was when I was a teenager on that terrible “cabbage soup diet”. Perhaps I thought it was good because there weren’t a whole lot of choices. Which made me think of a story my dad told me, of an incident that happened a very long time ago. Both of my parents were trying to lose weight (although why my mom was I don’t know; she was always thin), and they were sticking to it rather well. My mom made a sugar free pie from her healthy recipe list, and they absolutely loved it. Having made such a hit dessert, my mom made an additional pie for a new member of their church. A couple of weeks later, my dad happened to ask the man if he had enjoyed the pie. The man answered honestly, “It was absolutely horrible. I’m sorry, but it was bad.” Surprised, but not offended, time moved on. About four months later, now off the diet, my mom made that pie again. One taste, and they both spit it out. It was horrible, and they both started laughing. I guess when you’re on a strict diet, anything can taste good when you’re deprived! Healthy dessert recipes have come a long way, including sugar substitutes since the 1980s. Do you have any stories you can relate? My mom was a great cook, who normally cooked healthy anyway, but this particular diet was VERY strict. I feel like I should defend her cooking honor.