I'm a proficient home cook and baker, on occasion I bring baked goods to work. Invariably, people tell me this thing that I've brought is Delicious! Because it

I'm a proficient home cook and baker, on occasion I bring baked goods to work. Invariably, people tell me this thing that I've brought is Delicious! Because it's not TOO sweet! There's a weird disconnect between the commercial manufacturer and the consumer, there's no signalling mechanism; since all manufacturers ratchet up the sugar in everything, consumers don't have a valid choice for something less sweet. The "reduced" label -- I frequently see "reduced salt" or "30% less sodium" on things like bacon, canned beans. The "reduced sugar" I typically see on Weight Watcher or "diet" products. The normal stuff is tooth-achingly sweet, and covered with additional sugar drizzle or sprinkles. People (and even sadder, little kids) are now conditioned to respond to these ridiculous excess with delight, as if it were a special reward. A while ago I went one month without any added sugar, I cut out dried fruits and reduced fruit intake. On the weekends I allowed myself one tablespoon of fruit jam. After the first week, the jam tasted incredibly sweet, but delicious. When I went back to normal eating, everything tasted incredibly sweet to me, and I thought two tablespoons of jam was unnecessary, and that was just one month! We just celebrated Halloween here in the US. I think it was more special when cane sugar was more scarce and candy was really a special non-daily treat. No kid needs a tenth of the candy haul I see them carry around, and my office is in a glut of candies that were bought by the adults but not given away.