Try it, you might like it

On a holiday last year, we discovered that the three of us have completely different attitudes to trying new foods. Anna and I look at something new and scary and think 'Goodness me no. Someone bring me something I recognise'. But while we're casting around for the familiar, Anne's eyes will have lit up and she'll be saying 'Oo I've not seen this before. It looks bizarre. I'll bet it's delicious.' She'll then make us try it - whether it's parma violet ice-cream or scary street-stall stir-fry and 9 times out of 10 she'll love it and we'll not be quite so sure.

But a new piece of research out suggests that in being so unadventurous we are setting ourselves up to not enjoy whatever morsel Anne is offering. If you think something's going to taste yukky, it will. Conversely, if you're convinced that something unpleasant isn't all that bad, your experience will match your expectations.  We've known for a while that factors other than purely objective taste can affect how you experience a flavour. But we thought the other factors included things like aroma and colour, rather than expectations. Moral of the story? Keep an open mind and you'll enjoy your food more. Particularly when you're abroad and the food is unfamiliar. Otherwise you'll end up in McDonalds. And that would be a shame.

Link to the story in SciAm.

(PS This pic is relevant because I used to think I hated avocados. Turned out I'd always been avoiding eating them thinking they were disgusting. I ate them once by mistake and really liked them...)

Comments

[Anne]

I'm sorry but that purple yam ice cream was well worth tasting. But I do regret that we didn't get the mashed potatoes out of the slurpee dispenser. I know in my heart of hearts we missed out. And those wasabi peas and prawn crackers still call out to meeeee.

[Karmen]

I remember ordering a basketful of fried goodies with my kid brother, who detests mushrooms. He picked up a piece, ate it, and said "this onion ball is really good!" When we told him it was a mushroom, he spit it out, suddenly horrified and disgusted. I've always wondered if we had said nothing, if he would like mushrooms today. This supports my theory... thanks :)

[Enigmania]

My little brother once threw up when my mom told him he'd just eaten tongue.

I think it works for household chores too. Doing them is kind of fun if you think about technique and stuff.

[Hazel]

I love your avocado comment and I love your site - it makes me laugh and it's informative!

[Ken]

I was put off mushrooms at an early age after reading about fungi in my Disney Wonderful World of Knowledge children's encyclopedia. The other day I tucked into an egg and bacon breakfast panini in Starbucks. As I munched, I thought, "Mmm, I didn't expect this to contain tomato but I'm glad it does." I carried on, enjoying the panini until I looked at what I was eating, instead of at the newspaper, and discovered I'd been eating mushrooms. After the triggering of my gag reflex (apologies to anyone sitting near me) my anger at being conned into eating unbilled mushrooms turned to determination that at some stage this year, I will conquer my fear of eating them.

[Anne]

What is up with mushrooms? I detested them as a child. Maybe it's because they're grey and slimy - like brains.

[Karmen]

Ok, my brother wasn't the only one who didn't like mushrooms. I tend to think they taste and feel like solidified blobs of dirt. Also, living in Colorado, we have a few species of highly poisonous mushrooms. Why take the risk? I'd rather eat something with less dangerous associations... like schezuan chili peppers.

[Katie]

If y'all think you don't like mushrooms you can't have tried Delia Smith's Wild Mushroom and Madeira Risotto. Mm. I highly recommend it...

[dd]

I know someone who hates mushrooms they pretend they are 'allergic'. We ordered a takeaway and it had mushrooms in it and they thought it was chicken. They loved it.

[dd]

It's so weird how people are really picky sometimes.