为什么我们喜欢不同的口味？

为什么有些人喜欢某些口味，而有些人却受不了？在本期《随身英语》中，我们听名厨赫斯顿（Heston Blumenthal）和神经学家查尔斯·朱克（Charles Zucker）对“口味”的分析。他们说，我们的偏好根植于记忆、基因和用餐的环境中，不过口味也会随着时间而改变。

 

What's your favourite flavour? Maybe you like your grub nice and spicy¹? Perhaps you have a sweet tooth? Or are you partial to a salty, savoury snack?

 

By now you're probably imagining something delicious, but take a moment to ponder this: why do some people adore certain flavours while others can't stand them? For example, oysters². They turn my stomach, but some spend lavishly³ on the slippery shellfish.

 

According to celebrity⁴ chef Heston Blumenthal, our taste preferences are strongly linked to our memories. Certain flavours might bring back the sounds and smells of a seaside holiday, or an ice-cream might trigger memories of enjoying a childhood treat. This "positive nostalgia⁵" has a powerful effect on how we experience food.

 

Likewise, our surroundings have an impact on culinary pleasure. The same glass of wine can taste different depending on the background music. Blumenthal believes playing loud music makes people eat more quickly, while classical music makes them spend more money on wine.

 

Alongside memory and ambience, our genetics also have a powerful impact on taste preferences. Neuroscientist Charles Zucker from Columbia University believes all animals are "pre-wired" to prefer sweet tastes over sour. "There are no lions out in the wild drinking tonic⁷ water," he says.

 

On a more individual level, our personal genetic⁶ inherited preferences are significant. "And that is likely to greatly impact how much sugar I want to have in my coffee," says Dr Zucker. "It might be that I need six spoons of sugar to get the same level of satisfaction and reward that you get with only two."

 

Coffee is also an interesting example of how our tastes change over time. Most children don't like the maltiness of beer or the bitterness of strong coffee. But many adults enjoy the social reward – the relaxing effects of alcohol or the stimulation⁸ gained by coffee.

 

These are what we call acquired tastes – things we gradually learn to like - whether it's because our palates become more sophisticated, or because we crave⁹ the social effects of the foods.

 

For me though, I'm yet to see the allure¹⁰ in oysters, whether social or epicurean!

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