Chances are there are foods you love now that you hated as a kid. But how many foods do you still avoid just because you think you don’t like them?
Young palates struggle with things like mustard, onions and
asparagus, and instead prefer more bland, less intense flavors. But as
adults we sometimes cling to these preferences without ever stopping to
question the value or meaning of our opinions. But in reality, what joy is there in being a picky eater?
While it’s true that taste is subjective, I’ve never heard a
convincing argument that it’s better to dislike a food than to like one.
It is certainly more fun to like things, and it is often far more
convenient. Just try getting a serious chef to make a signature dish
without onions. It isn’t easy.
But is it possible to learn to like a food if you don’t like the taste?
It turns out that most of the time we decide what we like before we
bother to experience it, and this prejudice clouds our perception of
what we actually encounter. This effect of perception bias has been
demonstrated repeatedly in psychology experiments
where food color and taste have been manipulated. To see this for
yourself, use food coloring to alter the appearance of several bowls of
lemon Jell-O and have your friends guess what flavors they are tasting.
Very few will say they taste lemon unless the color is still yellow.
The psychology of taste is further complicated by our natural
aversion to things that are new or different from what we are expecting.
Foods with unique textures such as mushrooms and okra often fall victim
to this bias. In these cases the unfamiliarity and strangeness of the
texture makes us slightly uncomfortable, and we interpret this feeling
as a personal dislike. However, this reaction reflects the food’s
uniqueness rather than its true character.
Our tendency to dislike and often hate things that extend beyond our
perceptual comfort zones is explored in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
He argues that we make snap judgments about everything we encounter
based on prior experience. And while this ability can sometimes help us
make wise decisions, it can also explain why pilot testing can’t predict
the success of new concept T.V. shows like Seinfeld.
In other words, sometimes our first impressions are wrong.
Knowing about this bias can help you overcome aversions to foods you
think you don’t like, and even learn to love them. The first step is
deciding that there is value in enjoying a food you currently do not
enjoy. I’m not saying you should develop an appreciation for three courses of frozen Bertolli pasta, but most fresh, natural whole foods are worth rediscovering for both taste and culture.
The second step is dedicating yourself to keep trying the rejected
food until you find it prepared in a way you like. This is not as bad as
it sounds, since there is a good chance that the reason you do not like
a food in the first place is because what you were served as a child
was either canned, frozen or of industrial (low) quality. Since peaches
and plums taste completely different when you get them at the farmers
market, doesn’t it stand to reason that the same is true for green
beans, broccoli and beets? Also, with each venture your taste will
become more acclimated to the flavor and your aversion will dissipate.
Fine dining represents another great opportunity to explore foods you haven’t enjoyed in the past. I was finally won over on Brussels sprouts after a spectacular meal in San Francisco, and now consider them one of my favorite autumn ingredients.
Even if a certain food doesn’t end up on your favorites list,
learning to at least enjoy it in a casual way will enrich your life and
help you develop an appreciation for new and unique experiences. The
Chinese culture pays particular reverence to textures in food, and this
attitude allows them to enjoy a far more diverse and interesting range
of ingredients than any Western culture.
The key word here is “enjoy.” Eating vegetables is undeniably
healthy, but the best reason to eat broccoli is that you absolutely love
it.
What foods do you hate? Are you ready to get over it?
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