#50933: Jonathan Badger — 11/28  at  09:38 AM
The proposed link between impaired ability to taste bitterness and alcoholism is interesting, but makes the perhaps unsupported assumption that people naturally dislike bitterness. While certainly some people may dislike it, I for one *like* bitter things. I love the bitter taste of strong, black coffee and my favorite beers are things like India Pale Ales that have lots of bitter hops. It isn't the case that I can't taste the bitterness; I simply enjoy it.

#50942: Mithras — 11/28  at  09:58 AM
But maybe "bitter" things produce a different sensation in you than in other people?

#50948: — 11/28  at  10:18 AM
The proposed link between impaired ability to taste bitterness and alcoholism is interesting, but makes the perhaps unsupported assumption that people naturally dislike bitterness.

I know that there's some evidence that babies naturally dislike bitterness, where they put a bitter taste on a baby's tongue and watch for the reaction. So it may be fair to say that a taste for bitterness is an acquired taste.

I'm not sure about the whole "alcohol tastes less bitter, so they drink more of it" theory, though. From what I've heard, populations that are prone to alcoholism (such as African-Americans and Native Americans) tended historically not to brew their own alcohol like Europeans did, so they have less resistance.

However, discovering that there are multiple factors that feed into a human behavior would be par for the course. I don't think there's a single instance where they've found a 1:1 correlation for something us humans do.

#50979: Kagehi — 11/28  at  12:56 PM
You do realize that strong 'bitter' coffee is the result of American industries cutting costs over time by introducing more and more or a cheaper, but inferior, Asian coffee into their brands, not what the coffee first introduced to the world *really* tasted like right, Jonathan? ;) That BTW is apparently one reason Starbuck's tends to be more expensive, they only use the original variety, which interesting enough all subsequent plants in that original strain came from the same single plant.

#50997: Jonathan Badger — 11/28  at  03:07 PM
"But maybe "bitter" things produce a different sensation in you than in other people?"

Well, I can't disprove that they don't, I suppose. Did you ever have those philosophical conversations with your roomate in college "Like, man, what if, like, what I see as red, you see as yellow, and vice versa? How would we ever know? Freaky!"

"You do realize that strong 'bitter' coffee is the result of American industries cutting costs over time by introducing more and more or a cheaper, but inferior, Asian coffee into their brands, not what the coffee first introduced to the world *really* tasted like right, Jonathan? ;)"

Yeah, yeah, well, I lack a sophisticated palate, I guess. I also like spicy Tex-Mex style foods while my colleages prefer authentically bland Mexican food.