In a classic case of overconfidence, much like Captain Smith calling the Titanic unsinkable, I immediately proclaimed myself a supertaster. The scientific basis for this conclusion was that I think about food constantly, and for some reason most of my friends seemed willing to buy that explanation. Where I went wrong was actually conducting an experiment trying to prove my tongue’s superiority.
The test was simple: swab some blue food coloring on your tongue, slap on a .25 inch reinforcement ring, and use a magnifying lens to count the number of bumps, or papilla, inside the circumference of the ring. Then, when you’re unsatisfied with your count, check for aberrations in your mirror, try placing the ring on different parts of your tongue, and then just look dejectedly for a while at your own reflection.
Loser Who Cares Bad Ass
Courtesy of BBC
My "normal" papilla
As you may have guessed, I discovered that I am not a supertaster. You need to tally 35 or more papilla to qualify, and I could only find 24. That meant I was only an “average” taster. I hear Tom Colicchio has 856.
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At least I could still look down on the pathetic non-tasters, but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. That is, until I did some research, which has led me to seriously question the appropriateness of the term “supertaster.”
What’s so super about supertasters? Taste scientists believe people evolved extra papilla for detecting bitter tastes, which helped us avoid poisonous plants. That was nice hundreds of years ago, but it only comes in handy these days if you choose to spend your free-time snacking on randomly chosen jungle flowers. And these superb tongues carry some super burdens. Because they have thousands of extra tastebuds, supertasters are easily overwhelmed by sweet, sour, and bitter flavors. For example, they find themselves avoiding vegetables and missing out on cancer-fighting flavanoids and other nutrients.
See? The way it's used now, “supertaster” is a total misnomer. (I assumed the term must have been skewed by the originator's world view, but the former Yale professor who coined it, Linda Bartoshuk, happens to be a non-taster.) A real supertaster is one whose tastebuds afford maximum food enjoyment. The true gustatory giant combines the ability to accept a wide range of flavors, even the strong ones, and enough sensory acuity to be able to appreciate them.
I believe the perfect balance of these qualities is only achieved by a very small percentage of so-called normal tasters. You know, the ones with exactly 24 papilla.
I agree, I bet that supertasters are the most conservative eaters of all. There's no way they would be able to tolerate a hot phaal curry! That said, I realize the benefits of a good rationalization.
ReplyDeleteI think a supertaster would croak after one bite of phaal!
ReplyDeleteHow does Tom C. feel about spicy food?
ReplyDeleteGood question. If he really does have 856 papilla, he finds hot peppers intensely painful. But based on his judging on Top Chef, I would guess he's not a supertaster because he doesn't seem too keen on salt (http://bit.ly/cvjMh0).
ReplyDeleteI've read (http://bit.ly/c7W8HC, http://bit.ly/9GzOW) that supertasters make the best chefs and critics because they pick up on subtleties that non-supertasters miss. This article entertains the argument that supertasters only make good food critics if they take a special gustatory training that teaches them to distinguish personal and critical tastes: http://bit.ly/9QF2N0. Others say that chefs are typically "normal" tasters because they tend to be more enthusiastic about food than super- or non-tasters (http://bit.ly/4w43gT). I've also seen the suggestion that critics should label whether they're supertasters (http://bit.ly/9QMaM9); as geneticist Danielle Reed points out, though, we don't ask music critics to take hearing tests (http://bit.ly/9HVBsT).
I am a supertaster and it is the bane of my existence. The number and type of foods I can actually stand to eat are few, so my diet suffers from lack of fruits and vegetables, among other things. You may not realize how much social life revolves around food, so I miss out on a lot just by not being able to go out to dinner with friends because of a choice of restaurant. My choices in food are so limited, it's not fair to request accommodating me all the time.
ReplyDeleteAt get-togethers, I always have to bring my own food, as it is almost a guarantee that the host will not have something I can eat. It's become a joke between my friends and I, but it is actually very difficult to live with, and I'm very jealous of your 24 papilla! I don't know my number, but the tip of my tongue is jam-packed (but not with actual jam - gross!). Being a supertaster plays a huge, and annoying, part in my daily life.
My brother, however, seems to be a nontaster, as evidenced by the amount of hot sauce he puts on his chicken wings!
Excellent, really appreciate your supertaster perspective. I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties involved, though - it sounds frustrating! I wonder if supertasters tend to seek out other supertasters as dining companions? Btw I think your brother and I have some things in common!
ReplyDeleteI am now curiuos as to what a supertaster eats. Please let us know! Plain pasta? Lettuce? The food items the rest of us think are pretty tasteless? Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks AshBags .... I wrote a few more posts on this topic that might help answer your questions -
ReplyDeletehttp://fuchsfoodie.blogspot.com/search/label/supertaster
I believe I am a supertaster and it actually kind of SUCKS. The list of foods I will actually eat is much much shorter than the list of foods I won't eat. I won't even get started on that but in reply to AshBags, lettuce is so disgusting to me as are most leafy greens. It is quite a challenge to eat everything I should and even more of a challenge socially. Anywhere I go I fear they won't have something I like, and I hate being the picky eater.
ReplyDelete