Acquired Taste

Just a couple of days ago, I made myself a salad of mixed greens with a predominance of arugula and hearts of romaine, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, croutons and crumbled bleu cheese over bleu cheese dressing.

I twitted about it and someone sent me a one word text message: YUCK! The people I live with (in a boardinghouse) refused to even taste it because according to one of them, it smells funny.

This has been an ongoing issue for quite some time. Friends react negatively when I mention that I love bleu cheese. The gamut of emotions shown makes me wonder why they detest something that I find so delicious.

A former colleague tells me that bleu cheese is an acquired taste.

It is?

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, defines “acquired taste” as a liking for something that is at first considered unpleasant. The online thefreedictionary.com goes a bit further by saying that is means one that is unpleasant on immediate experience or is likeable only after being experienced repeatedly. Collins English Dictionary defines it as a preference that is only acquired after considerable experience.

I never thought bleu cheese was anything but scrumptious. I loved it the first time I tasted it. I did not acquire a taste for bleu cheese, I acquired more of it.

There was a time when I was between apartments and had to stay with a friend for a couple of days. I bought some bleu cheese and stashed it in his fridge. Armed with a baguette, I went home the following day to have another gustatory experience. I could not find my bleu cheese. The house help told me she threw it away because it was moldy. The garbage bin was empty! (And yes, in response to that question in your mind, I would have: no ifs, no buts.)

For some people, acquired taste means that the food’s perceived negative qualities are ignored in order to enjoy its benefits. But what about food that apparently are just enjoyed for the taste experience per se and not necessarily because there are benefits to it.

As a case in point, I love eating ampalaya (Momordica Charantia or bitter melon). The Department of Health of the Republic of the Philippines recognizes ampalaya as one of the best phytomedicines or botanical medicines but persists in classifying it as a mere nutritional supplement instead of medicine, particularly for diabetes.

Come to think of it, some of the foods I particularly like are indeed unpopular, albeit reprehensible. Some people even find them outright offensive and disgusting, like durian. But I love durian. The creamy pulp is best eaten as is or made into milkshakes, ice cream, candies or even cakes. Unfortunately, durian has high sugar content, and I am a diabetic.

Someone once described eating raw oysters as snoot straight out of a rock. But then again, I love my oysters raw. No boiling, not even scalding, and if possible I want to shuck them myself. No lemon juice, no hot sauce, no nothing. Raw, plain, delicious! If you were to accuse me of loving this for its alleged aphrodisiacal power, then perhaps I could have opted to have it baked or broiled or boiled. I like it raw, so sue me.

I love olives, especially black olives, the Kalamata variety in particular. I also like stuffed olives, especially when capers are used as stuffing. I love them both as an ingredient in Spanish/Mediterranean dishes and as appetizers, especially when offered as a tapenade, that delicious though pungent paste made from black olives, olive oil, capers, anchovies and lemon juice. There are some bistros and delis that offer olive tapenade.

I must admit that there are some things that I got to taste and never liked. I will never ever try them again. On top of this very short list is haggis, a traditional Scottish food with internal organs such as the heart, liver and lungs mixed with a couple of other ingredients and cooked in a sheep’s stomach. Now let me tell you, I do not care a whit about acquiring a taste for it.