An acquired taste is an appreciation for something unlikely to be enjoyed by a person who has not had substantial exposure to it. It is the opposite of innate taste which is appreciation for things that are obviously enjoyable by most persons without prior exposure to them. In case of food and drink, the difficulty of enjoying the product may be due to a strong odor (such as certain types of cheese, durian, hákarl, black salt, nattō, asafoetida, surströmming, or stinky tofu), taste (alcoholic beverages, coffee, Vegemite or Marmite, bitter teas, liquorice/salty liquorice, malt bread, unsweetened chocolate, garnatálg, rakfisk, soused herring, haggis), mouthfeel (such as sashimi and sushi featuring uncooked seafood), appearance, or association (such as eating insects or organ meat).

Wikipedia

In short, something that we do not like when we first experience it, and tend to like it better over time with constant exposure to it, is an acquired taste. I have a list of things that fall in to this category of acquired tastes.

Firstly, why do we have an aversion to some food?
There are many reasons that are cited for this and it includes: unfamiliarity, perceived negative qualities, previous bad experiences, strong overpowering taste, odor or texture, etc etc.

Now, why do we try to like some food although it is not our innate taste?
People do this for various reasons and it includes: Health benefits, abundant availability of certain food items in the localities that they live in, for social acceptance, to expand their food options or just to be adventurous with regard to food. Whatever the reason, people all over the world have acquired tastes and innate tastes. Coffee, alcohol, cheese, cilantro etc are acquired tastes for so many people.

I like the concept of acquired taste for two reasons:

1. Something that falls in my list of acquired taste category was innate to someone else. It just proves that- it is not about the item, it is about my approach or perspective towards it. There was nothing wrong with the Item.

2. Our acquired taste speaks of our mold-ability. It shows that, with persistence, we can mold our tastes – literally and otherwise.

Now, let us extend this philosophy of acquired taste outside the food arena. Let us think of the people, places, habits, circumstances and things that are our acquired tastes. That person, who we never thought we would befriend, that place, which did not look likable and later became our home, that morning routine we never thought we would enjoy, and that gadget we never thought we would use. The list can go on and on for each of us.

We are so much more adaptable than we think we are. We are way beyond the initial perspectives that we have about things. We just need a strong reason and persistent effort to think beyond our limitations of initial likes and dislikes.

If we have successfully acquired tastes for so many things in the past, I am sure we will learn to do the same for whatever circumstances the future brings. And, that is a good note to end this blog with. 🙂

Take Care and Stay Safe.

Image by zoli gy from Pixabay

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