Supertasters

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--Jolie Myers

I've always hated cilantro. Let's just get that out of the way.

But I take great pride in being an evolved diner -- I open mindedly toss back haggis (sheep guts) and will happily munch on raw octopus tentacles.

So there is shame in despising cilantro, a foundation food of Latin American and Southeast Asian cuisine.

This is why I listened with great enthusiasm to producer Josh Kurz' piece today on "supertasters" -- people whose heightened sense of taste ruins certain foods for them, namely cilantro.

Could my secret loathing of cilantro be a good thing, a sign of my superior taste buds?

The test for supertasters involves chewing on a chemical soaked piece of paper. If it tastes like paper, you're of plebian palate. If it tastes like skunk spray marinated in vomit, you're a supertaster.

One chewed up piece of paper and the lingering taste of road kill confirm that I, Jolie Myers, am a supertaster.

Sweet victory in the war on cilantro? I'm not so sure. I can't help but feel, despite the advanced state of my tongue's relationship with food, that I'm actually missing out on one of the finer things. That cilantro lovers are the ones who win.

Now about my hatred of raw tomatoes...

Tags: cilantro | food | personal discovery | supertaster

4:01 PM ET | 12-26-2008 | permalink

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