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by dkonofalski
3426 days ago
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Yeah, that doesn't seem like a very objective way to test this kind of thing. We know, based on all kinds of testing done in the past, that our tastebuds react more sensitively to tastes that we don't know to protect us from potentially eating foods that are poisonous or rotten. It's the reason why you have to develop a taste for things like bleu cheese and cilantro and why they taste bitter or strong at first. We're "programmed" to like foods that we've tasted before and are used to and that we know are safe to eat. When you introduce a flavor for something that we "know" what it's supposed to taste like, we naturally are averse to that taste. It's the same reason that people develop taste aversions to foods that they've gotten sick from or why people can't drink a liquor that they've had a terrible experience with. Your tastebuds "recognize" that this taste or flavor got you sick last time and prepare your body for it. |
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I developed a taste for spicy food after years of avoiding it like the plague for digestive reasons but only found out after I had a strong craving for Indian food and accidentally got something really spicy. I also can't bring myself to order tortas because I ate one too soon after getting really sick from tacos. Reading the word "tortas" makes me feel nauseous but "tacos" does not and I can eat both without any negative response (once the food is in front of me). These examples are orthogonal to yours but I think they're illustrative of just how complex the interactions are. I don't doubt the adaptations you mentioned are there, just how prelevant they are in a modern agricultural society.