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This is an article about beer with a small addendum about taste. The author's analogy is based on a false premise of bitterness being universally repulsive as

This is an article about beer with a small addendum about taste. The author's analogy is based on a false premise of bitterness being universally repulsive as a flavour. Within the group of those with heightened tastebuds that can more accurately taste it, disdain for bitter is not uniform. I.e. I've a much keener than average sense of taste and smell. I hate beer because I dislike the basic essence, regardless of ingredient/flavour variation, which is due to my dislike of bitters as a flavour group. However, I know others who may be considered "supertasters" that like bitter flavours and go out of their way to consume certain foods of peculiar/distinct bitterness. Likewise, some "supertasters" prefer sourness as their top choices, etc. Edit: Similarly, "normal tasters" can like or dislike bitter (in varying combinations and intensities) but dislike doesn't automatically equate to stronger sense of taste/smell.

criley2 9y ago
Bitterness is a naturally evolved reaction to unpalatable and dangerous foods. It's not a false premise, it's merely the biological premise behind the development of bitter receptors in the first place. We developed bitter receptors to help us identify dangerous plantlife. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_taste_evolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_taste_evolution (Or for the biologists out there, random development of bitter reception was naturally selected for as a trait which improve fitness). However some two million to half a million years ago, we stopped depending on bitter reception for survival as much because of meat eating and cooking. So it's not expressed as strongly in people anymore. So sure, some people enjoy bitter. But people do bad things. Alcohol is a poison through and through and we as a species love it. Doesn't mean it's not a poison! i.e. just because someone enjoys bitter doesn't invalidate the fact that bitter is unpleasant and our natural instinctual reaction to it is avoidance.
- Nursie 9y ago
  If someone enjoys bitter then to them it's not unpleasant, surely, by definition?
- colechristensen 9y ago
  The error here is attributing a linear cause and effect or purpose to evolution. There might be evolutionary pressure towards developing detection of certain things as bitter and an aversion to the flavor, but it's just one pressure among many. The fact that so many people enjoy bitter things so much means that clearly the traits you talk about aren't universal or complete.
- Geekette 9y ago
  "just because someone enjoys bitter doesn't invalidate the fact that bitter is unpleasant" If they enjoy the taste then it cannot be deemed unpleasant. Taste is subjective, therefore, not universal. You also can't deem evolutionary usage that ceased millions of years ago as basis for usage today and citing analogies employed around function/after-effect to an argument about preference is weak.
  - jcelerier 9y ago
    > If they enjoy the taste then it cannot be deemed unpleasant why ? a lot of people have no problem enjoying unpleasant things, it doesn't makes them less unpleasant

criley2 9y ago

Bitterness is a naturally evolved reaction to unpalatable and dangerous foods. It's not a false premise, it's merely the biological premise behind the development of bitter receptors in the first place. We developed bitter receptors to help us identify dangerous plantlife. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_taste_evolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_taste_evolution (Or for the biologists out there, random development of bitter reception was naturally selected for as a trait which improve fitness). However some two million to half a million years ago, we stopped depending on bitter reception for survival as much because of meat eating and cooking. So it's not expressed as strongly in people anymore. So sure, some people enjoy bitter. But people do bad things. Alcohol is a poison through and through and we as a species love it. Doesn't mean it's not a poison! i.e. just because someone enjoys bitter doesn't invalidate the fact that bitter is unpleasant and our natural instinctual reaction to it is avoidance.

Nursie 9y ago
If someone enjoys bitter then to them it's not unpleasant, surely, by definition?
colechristensen 9y ago
The error here is attributing a linear cause and effect or purpose to evolution. There might be evolutionary pressure towards developing detection of certain things as bitter and an aversion to the flavor, but it's just one pressure among many. The fact that so many people enjoy bitter things so much means that clearly the traits you talk about aren't universal or complete.
Geekette 9y ago
"just because someone enjoys bitter doesn't invalidate the fact that bitter is unpleasant" If they enjoy the taste then it cannot be deemed unpleasant. Taste is subjective, therefore, not universal. You also can't deem evolutionary usage that ceased millions of years ago as basis for usage today and citing analogies employed around function/after-effect to an argument about preference is weak.
- jcelerier 9y ago
  > If they enjoy the taste then it cannot be deemed unpleasant why ? a lot of people have no problem enjoying unpleasant things, it doesn't makes them less unpleasant