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I just don't get how people are content to consume this stuff This may be pedantic or overly literal but: do some folks not understand that the same food subs

I just don't get how people are content to consume this stuff This may be pedantic or overly literal but: do some folks not understand that the same food substance may taste wildly different to different people? I'm with you, by the way. Alternative sweeteners taste like absolute poison to me. Like I've accidentally sipped some industrial cleaning chemicals or something. But I'm also one of those people that likes cilantro. To some people, it is incredibly nasty and it "tastes like soap." My impression is that some people think us cilantro-enjoyers actually enjoy the soapy taste as opposed to simply not experiencing the soapy taste at all. The difference in experience is not because I enjoy the taste of soap. Cilantro just simply does not taste like soap to me! Based on all available anecdotal evidence that is why some people enjoy the taste of artificial sweeteners: it actually does taste like sugar (or close enough) to them and not like they are chugging cleaning fluids. (edit: softened wording, clarified)

spiderice 3y ago
I can completely relate to both of you, as I’ve never even been able to finish diet sodas because they tasted so bad to me. Then one day I had a Dr. Pepper zero and actually enjoyed it. Now I can enjoy most Zero sodas. Like most things, you can learn to enjoy artificial sweeteners. Whether or not that is a good thing probably depends on your current diet.
- abathur 3y ago
  I find saccharine and stevia both ~bitter. I don't love aspartame, but it's tolerable in a pinch. Edit: I went to look and guess I'm mistaken below on Sucralose in zero-branded sodas. It sounds like most of these do have aspartame. I guess I just assumed they were doing the same thing as zero-sugar energy drinks since I feel like they started coming to market in roughly the same time frame and used similar zero-sugar marketing. Sucralose, which is AFAIK what you're getting in most modern zero-branded sodas and 0-20ish calorie energy drinks, is... ~good (to me). I keep liquid concentrate of it at home for coffee and will take a travel bottle with me if I know I'm going somewhere ~crunchy that insists on only raw sugar and stevia.
- nucleardog 3y ago
  Same experience. Aspartame and every other artificial sweetener tasted disgusting to me. I’d find where it was hidden in all sorts of things because the taste stood out so much. Found I could tolerate Sprite Zero. Drank enough of that when it was all that was available that it didn’t taste disgusting anymore, then tried some Coke Zero and it didn’t taste so bad anymore. From there pretty much everything was on the table.
detritus 3y ago
Yeah, I get that, hence the 'to me'.. but the flavour is SO distinct, and nasty. Where coriander is concerned I on occasion get that soapy taste, but like once a decade and it weirds me out, otherwise it just tastes like it should :)
- JohnBooty 3y ago
  Interesting! I didn't realize that coriander/cilantro's taste could flip back and forth for some people!
  - EvanAnderson 3y ago
    Absolutely. I love it in some salsas, where I think the acidity of the other ingredients blunts the “soapiness”. OTOH, cilantro rice tastes like “soapy rice” to me. Mostly I’m fine if I don’t think about it, but if I do I really notice the taste.
- causality0 3y ago
  They don't all taste the same, though. For example, I find stevia disgusting but quite like saccharine.
vGPU 3y ago
I enjoy the taste of Diet Coke. Regular coke feels too sweet to me now. Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi is weird. I hate sugar alcohols. I dislike most foods with fake sugars. But Diet Coke for some reason is just addictive.
- maskedinvader 3y ago
  Same here, it’s super weird. I hate the artificial sweeteners of all kinds in almost everything except when it comes to soda, and Diet Coke especially somehow masks that nastiness for me and I’m totally addicted to it, maybe it’s the other ingredients in there that is able to overcome the artificial sweeteners. I wish it was not the case as I hate myself for not being able to resist Diet Coke.
- chrisco255 3y ago
  I'm the opposite, I prefer the Zero sodas, but both diet Coke and Coke zero use aspartame, which surprised me.
_cenw 3y ago
I found that at least one of the big 3 artificial sweeteners tastes bad / bitter to everyone, but which one is not consistent. This is the reason a lot of foods now use a blend in an effort to "normalize" the aftertaste.
- syntheweave 3y ago
  Since at least one of the artificial sweeteners gives me cramping if consumed more than once in a 48-hour period, blending just makes me reject all of them. I don't actually mind how they taste, but post-consumption regret has driven my behavior here.
  - bemusedthrow75 3y ago
    Xylitol, perhaps? It’s in sugar-free sweets. For me it is a potent laxative with side effects not unlike the ones I experience when I consume lactose, though I assume it’s coincidental. Bloating, nausea and worse.
the_70x 3y ago
Aquiered taste plays a role
solarkraft 3y ago
Can confirm; I'm just fine with artificial sweeteners but cilantro tastes like soap to me.
bradknowles 3y ago
My best friend in high school turned out to be one of the rare people who could taste phenylketones, even in extremely small quantities. We discovered this because our biology teacher had everyone in the class take a test, as part of what he was teaching that day. My friend knew he hated the artificial sweeteners at the time, but that's when we learned why he hated them. Soon after I met the woman who later became my wife, I was introduced to her family, including her brother and sister, and her cousins. As soon as I found out her cousin Wayne ran the website nocilantro.com, I knew this was going to be a good family to be associated with. I've considered myself a subscriber to nocilantro.com ever since.
ciwolsey 3y ago
The bitterness of artificial sweeteners relates to your DNA.

spiderice 3y ago

I can completely relate to both of you, as I’ve never even been able to finish diet sodas because they tasted so bad to me. Then one day I had a Dr. Pepper zero and actually enjoyed it. Now I can enjoy most Zero sodas. Like most things, you can learn to enjoy artificial sweeteners. Whether or not that is a good thing probably depends on your current diet.

abathur 3y ago
I find saccharine and stevia both ~bitter. I don't love aspartame, but it's tolerable in a pinch. Edit: I went to look and guess I'm mistaken below on Sucralose in zero-branded sodas. It sounds like most of these do have aspartame. I guess I just assumed they were doing the same thing as zero-sugar energy drinks since I feel like they started coming to market in roughly the same time frame and used similar zero-sugar marketing. Sucralose, which is AFAIK what you're getting in most modern zero-branded sodas and 0-20ish calorie energy drinks, is... ~good (to me). I keep liquid concentrate of it at home for coffee and will take a travel bottle with me if I know I'm going somewhere ~crunchy that insists on only raw sugar and stevia.
nucleardog 3y ago
Same experience. Aspartame and every other artificial sweetener tasted disgusting to me. I’d find where it was hidden in all sorts of things because the taste stood out so much. Found I could tolerate Sprite Zero. Drank enough of that when it was all that was available that it didn’t taste disgusting anymore, then tried some Coke Zero and it didn’t taste so bad anymore. From there pretty much everything was on the table.

detritus 3y ago

Yeah, I get that, hence the 'to me'.. but the flavour is SO distinct, and nasty. Where coriander is concerned I on occasion get that soapy taste, but like once a decade and it weirds me out, otherwise it just tastes like it should :)

JohnBooty 3y ago
Interesting! I didn't realize that coriander/cilantro's taste could flip back and forth for some people!
- EvanAnderson 3y ago
  Absolutely. I love it in some salsas, where I think the acidity of the other ingredients blunts the “soapiness”. OTOH, cilantro rice tastes like “soapy rice” to me. Mostly I’m fine if I don’t think about it, but if I do I really notice the taste.
causality0 3y ago
They don't all taste the same, though. For example, I find stevia disgusting but quite like saccharine.

vGPU 3y ago

I enjoy the taste of Diet Coke. Regular coke feels too sweet to me now. Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi is weird. I hate sugar alcohols. I dislike most foods with fake sugars. But Diet Coke for some reason is just addictive.

maskedinvader 3y ago
Same here, it’s super weird. I hate the artificial sweeteners of all kinds in almost everything except when it comes to soda, and Diet Coke especially somehow masks that nastiness for me and I’m totally addicted to it, maybe it’s the other ingredients in there that is able to overcome the artificial sweeteners. I wish it was not the case as I hate myself for not being able to resist Diet Coke.
chrisco255 3y ago
I'm the opposite, I prefer the Zero sodas, but both diet Coke and Coke zero use aspartame, which surprised me.

_cenw 3y ago

I found that at least one of the big 3 artificial sweeteners tastes bad / bitter to everyone, but which one is not consistent. This is the reason a lot of foods now use a blend in an effort to "normalize" the aftertaste.

syntheweave 3y ago
Since at least one of the artificial sweeteners gives me cramping if consumed more than once in a 48-hour period, blending just makes me reject all of them. I don't actually mind how they taste, but post-consumption regret has driven my behavior here.
- bemusedthrow75 3y ago
  Xylitol, perhaps? It’s in sugar-free sweets. For me it is a potent laxative with side effects not unlike the ones I experience when I consume lactose, though I assume it’s coincidental. Bloating, nausea and worse.

the_70x 3y ago

Aquiered taste plays a role

solarkraft 3y ago

Can confirm; I'm just fine with artificial sweeteners but cilantro tastes like soap to me.

bradknowles 3y ago

My best friend in high school turned out to be one of the rare people who could taste phenylketones, even in extremely small quantities. We discovered this because our biology teacher had everyone in the class take a test, as part of what he was teaching that day. My friend knew he hated the artificial sweeteners at the time, but that's when we learned why he hated them. Soon after I met the woman who later became my wife, I was introduced to her family, including her brother and sister, and her cousins. As soon as I found out her cousin Wayne ran the website nocilantro.com, I knew this was going to be a good family to be associated with. I've considered myself a subscriber to nocilantro.com ever since.

ciwolsey 3y ago

The bitterness of artificial sweeteners relates to your DNA.