What is the advantage to having tastebuds?

Ahnimus

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

Your thread has turned into "what do you like to taste"...lol

I think it's basically anything from a calorie perspective that improves longevity from starvation. Also there's some kind of symbiotic thing like eating tomatoes. Red is usually a sign of poison warning to stay away.

Also...I sure as hell want to know who had the balls to eat the first lobster...

There is also some difference in personal tastes, I wonder what that's about. I know tastes are developed through exposure, but I wonder how that plays into the evolution thingy.

catefrances

Ahnimus wrote:

There is also some difference in personal tastes, I wonder what that's about. I know tastes are developed through exposure, but I wonder how that plays into the evolution thingy.

maybe it doesn't. maybe it is just as you say ryan - an exposure thing.

dr suess' green eggs and ham is all about that.

norm

catefrances wrote:

if we didnt have taste buds we could eat shit and think it was chocolate. and that just ain't right.

well there's your answer......always getting to the heart of the matter cate.....:D:D

Jeanie

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

You just have to manage the not so great tasting stuff most of the time so you can treat yourself to the yummies.

I friggin hate tofu and meat substitutes but I do try to get used to them because it's important to my health and of course, I love the animals. I used to not want to eat tofu at all but this year I've really started to come around.

Oh well I reckon fresh stuff, particularly when herbs and spices are included is pretty yummy. So that's no hardship. And yes treats are also VITAL to a balanced diet!

Abook do you have hard tofu or the silken kind?
I slice up the hard stuff and sprinkle it with Middle Eastern seasoning and lightly fry it in a teeny bit of olive oil and then serve it on a big salad topped with tzatziki. Or it's pretty yummy if you sprinkle it with Thai seasoning and have it on a thai style salad with mint, bean shoots, capsicum, fresh thai basil, roasted peanuts, corriander, whatever fresh salad you like and a lime and chilli dressing.
And I always add the silken tofu to stir fried vegies and flavour it with a little soy sauce. Very yummy with brown rice.

I can't quite give up on eating the animals.:o But I live with a vegetarian so the majority of my meals are vegetarian. But I do have small quantities of meat each week. I was a vegetarian for a while but my taste buds do still like meat.

RolandTD20Kdrummer

Ahnimus wrote:

There is also some difference in personal tastes, I wonder what that's about. I know tastes are developed through exposure, but I wonder how that plays into the evolution thingy.

Actually that's a very good question. Perhaps this is an undesirable trait that we have "selected in" (i.e. hospital incubated premature birth) v.s. natural (nature) selected out birth.

I think some things like fried starchy foods (carbs) is universal, and lightly charred Bar-B-Q fat is to die for tasty.

For some foods, the primal instinct is just too strong to not go "ooga-booga yummy"!

catefrances

cutback wrote:

well there's your answer......always getting to the heart of the matter cate.....:D:D

hi. my name's cate and i'm a chocoholic.

Jeanie

Ahnimus wrote:

There is also some difference in personal tastes, I wonder what that's about. I know tastes are developed through exposure, but I wonder how that plays into the evolution thingy.

Wouldn't that have to do with what food was available?

Humans probably had to try different things available to them in their environment in order to survive? Different things being available in different areas hence differences in tastes?

Ahnimus

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

Actually that's a very good question. Perhaps this is an undesirable trait that we have "selected in" (i.e. hospital incubated premature birth) v.s. natural (nature) selected out birth.

I think some things like fried starchy foods (carbs) is universal, and lightly charred Bar-B-Q fat is to die for tasty.

For some foods, the primal instinct is just too strong to not go "ooga-booga yummy"!

So maybe... what's good for us, does taste good, but... the food industry has capitalized on it with bad foods, like HDL cholestoral vs. LDL cholestoral?

Ahnimus

Jeanie wrote:

Wouldn't that have to do with what food was available?

Humans probably had to try different things available to them in their environment in order to survive? Different things being available in different areas hence differences in tastes?

I can see that, but then... why do I like corn and my brother likes peas, whereas I don't like peas and he doesn't like corn?

Abookamongstthemany

Jeanie wrote:

Oh well I reckon fresh stuff, particularly when herbs and spices are included is pretty yummy. So that's no hardship. And yes treats are also VITAL to a balanced diet!

Abook do you have hard tofu or the silken kind?
I slice up the hard stuff and sprinkle it with Middle Eastern seasoning and lightly fry it in a teeny bit of olive oil and then serve it on a big salad topped with tzatziki. Or it's pretty yummy if you sprinkle it with Thai seasoning and have it on a thai style salad with mint, bean shoots, capsicum, fresh thai basil, roasted peanuts, corriander, whatever fresh salad you like and a lime and chilli dressing.
And I always add the silken tofu to stir fried vegies and flavour it with a little soy sauce. Very yummy with brown rice.

I can't quite give up on eating the animals.:o But I live with a vegetarian so the majority of my meals are vegetarian. But I do have small quantities of meat each week. I was a vegetarian for a while but my taste buds do still like meat.

Either are ok...but I don't really enjoy them still. I'm just better at getting over it now. Your suggestions sound yummy. I live where meat and BBQ are a big deal....so it's definitely a change.

I still haven't given meat up completely either try as I might...I would like to eventually be a full vegan but I've got a lot of work before that ever happens.

RolandTD20Kdrummer

Ahnimus wrote:

I can see that, but then... why do I like corn and my brother likes peas, whereas I don't like peas and he doesn't like corn?

Because God made each person's tongue especially for them.

catefrances

Ahnimus wrote:

I can see that, but then... why do I like corn and my brother likes peas, whereas I don't like peas and he doesn't like corn?

does your brother eat pop corn?

Jeanie

Ahnimus wrote:

I can see that, but then... why do I like corn and my brother likes peas, whereas I don't like peas and he doesn't like corn?

Have any bad experiences as kids with your veggies? That usually cements a persons preferences for life!

It's funny about that. My brother can't stand tomato. And as a child I can remember him retching anytime one was put on his plate, which was a mystery to me because I love them and always have.

But tastes do change as you age. There are lots of things that I wouldn't eat as a kid that I'm happy to taste now. Like red wine for instance. And soft cheeses.
Is it possible that you'll always not like peas? Maybe. Or is it just that you established a long time ago that you don't like them and so don't ever eat them now?
Perhaps some things to do with taste are also to do with emotional response and learned behaviour as well as people having different taste buds.
I mean my taste buds had to be trained to enjoy alcohol. It wasn't something that I naturally enjoyed initially. And I can't be alone there because plenty of people don't drink because they don't like the taste.

I do think your taste buds are linked to your body's need for things. Like when you crave something. And I'm sure that's linked to hormones. So maybe taste buds are also different because of each individuals hormones?

catefrances

Jeanie wrote:

Have any bad experiences as kids with your veggies? That usually cements a persons preferences for life!

It's funny about that. My brother can't stand tomato. And as a child I can remember him retching anytime one was put on his plate, which was a mystery to me because I love them and always have.

But tastes do change as you age. There are lots of things that I wouldn't eat as a kid that I'm happy to taste now. Like red wine for instance. And soft cheeses.
Is it possible that you'll always not like peas? Maybe. Or is it just that you established a long time ago that you don't like them and so don't ever eat them now?
Perhaps some things to do with taste are also to do with emotional response and learned behaviour as well as people having different taste buds.
I mean my taste buds had to be trained to enjoy alcohol. It wasn't something that I naturally enjoyed initially. And I can't be alone there because plenty of people don't drink because they don't like the taste.

I do think your taste buds are linked to your body's need for things. Like when you crave something. And I'm sure that's linked to hormones. So maybe taste buds are also different because of each individuals hormones?

ah yes. i cant tell you the amount of times ive corrected my kids when theyve said they don't eat a particular food. my boy frequently says he doesn't eat tomatoes. he does. he just doesn't know it.

Ahnimus

catefrances wrote:

does your brother eat pop corn?

He likes corn now after eating it in his adult years, but he has always liked pop corn.

Ahnimus

Jeanie wrote:

Have any bad experiences as kids with your veggies? That usually cements a persons preferences for life!

It's funny about that. My brother can't stand tomato. And as a child I can remember him retching anytime one was put on his plate, which was a mystery to me because I love them and always have.

But tastes do change as you age. There are lots of things that I wouldn't eat as a kid that I'm happy to taste now. Like red wine for instance. And soft cheeses.
Is it possible that you'll always not like peas? Maybe. Or is it just that you established a long time ago that you don't like them and so don't ever eat them now?
Perhaps some things to do with taste are also to do with emotional response and learned behaviour as well as people having different taste buds.
I mean my taste buds had to be trained to enjoy alcohol. It wasn't something that I naturally enjoyed initially. And I can't be alone there because plenty of people don't drink because they don't like the taste.

I do think your taste buds are linked to your body's need for things. Like when you crave something. And I'm sure that's linked to hormones. So maybe taste buds are also different because of each individuals hormones?

I ate at a restaurant last week and I got a bunch of peas with my meal, so I started eating them and after a few fork-fulls I had to stop. I've only ever liked sweat peas straight from the pod in the garden as a kid.

Ahnimus

catefrances wrote:

ah yes. i cant tell you the amount of times ive corrected my kids when theyve said they don't eat a particular food. my boy frequently says he doesn't eat tomatoes. he does. he just doesn't know it.

I like tomato soup, ketchup and tomato (pasta) sauce, but I don't like tomatos by themselves, or on hamburgers or chicken burgers or sandwiches..

Jeanie

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

Either are ok...but I don't really enjoy them still. I'm just better at getting over it now. Your suggestions sound yummy. I live where meat and BBQ are a big deal....so it's definitely a change.

I still haven't given meat up completely either try as I might...I would like to eventually be a full vegan but I've got a lot of work before that ever happens.

Yeah, well here in Australia meat is pretty much ingrained in the collective psyche. But I find that I've had to adapt a lot of recipes to vegetarian, so I've got pretty good at learning quick, yummy things to create.

We bbq a lot here too. But we just bbq the vegetarian stuff first so that it's not in contact with the animal products. I bbq eggplant (makes a really nice eggplant parmagiana on the bbq) and mushrooms and of course there's always vegie burgers.

Yeah, becoming a vegan is very hard work if you want to do it properly and not be missing vital nutrients. It takes work to make sure that all your dietary needs are being met. I have a couple of friends that are vegan and they do ok. But then I guess it takes work to make sure your dietary needs are being met regardless of whether you're a vegatarian, vegan or meat eater. Good luck with it abook. I do admire you your stance.

Ahnimus

What do you call someone that doesn't eat vegetables or fruits, one that only eats meat? Dead?

Jeanie

catefrances wrote:

ah yes. i cant tell you the amount of times ive corrected my kids when theyve said they don't eat a particular food. my boy frequently says he doesn't eat tomatoes. he does. he just doesn't know it.

Yes well you can imagine my surprise when I discovered last week that my brother has started eating tomato in his old age! After traumatizing me with his antics to get away from THE DEVIL himself (tomato) at meal times for years, I couldn't believe it when he just sat there and ate it in a salad in front of me. RAW and all!!

It's amazing the things you can get kids to eat when they don't recognize it for what it is!