We just completed this year's Christmas holiday during which we celebrated two birthdays (Jeff and Kit), enjoyed our Christmas surprises, saw the new Star War's movie - didn't that sucker seem REALLY familiar? - as well as ate our way through several of Austin's really great restaurants. (Can anyone say, 'Tacodeli'?) We shopped, drank wine, watched football, and we played our traditional table game, Scatagories, as well as we learned a new one called Hanabi, which is a Japanese game based on cooperation. Sarah faithfully did her yoga routines - she and Jay begin every work day with a yoga routine. The rest of us just admired her dedication while we drank another cup of coffee. Poor Jay was slammed with Austin allergies which really caught him off guard; he's had zero symptoms in NYC. His suffering was the only downer of the holiday.
Kit, Sarah, and I are each responsible for one meal over the holiday, and I think Sarah, and her sou chef, Jay, won this year hands down: Home made spicy Italian sausage lasagna, Caesar salad with home made Caesar dressing and hot fresh bread. Kit was the runner-up with this wonderful salmon she baked. I came in a distant third, as expected. I threatened beans and cornbread for my meal this year, and everyone (except Drake) thought I should have just plugged in my crock pot and gone to bean town. Instead I made turkey, gravy, and a bunch of sides with yeast rolls. Next year, folks, no matter what Drake thinks, I'm making 15 beans and all the cornbread you can eat.
So, we were sitting around one evening after dinner chit chatting when Kit announced she was a supertaster. We were all intrigued. Apparently, she and Jeff attended a dinner party during which the 'party' game was laying a slip of paper on your tongue. If you are a supertaster, the strip will taste incredibly bitter. Naturally, all of us were bouncing up and down on our chairs totally ready to taste our paper slip.
Kit handed them out, and everyone was like, "So, what's the deal, this tastes like a piece of typing paper." Except for me: I was making faces and saying, "Gag me, yuck. You can't taste this? It's so totally bitter. Water, water, I need water!" Yep, I'M A SUPERTASTER!
This actually started me understanding why I find most red wines bitter as well as certain coffee brands. I can tell instantly if Drake is palming Safeway brand coffee off on me because to me it has this perfectly bitter finish. Sarah postulated the reason I never met a sweet I didn't like is because the sugar in desserts leaveneds bitterness in the other ingredients. I think it's also why I drink my coffee with both sugar and cream.
Next, I wondered if there was any science behind this supertaster business. According to Scientific American, supertasters actually have more taste buds and experience flavors more intensely. We live in a 'neon tasting world' while for the rest of you, taste is pastel. Approximately 15% of Americans are supertasters. The Wall Street Journal interviewed a psychology professor, Linda Bartoshuk, at the University of Florida who has pioneered studies in smell and taste. In her experiments, she discovered a group of people who could perceive bitterness others couldn't. The professor named these people 'supertasters'. She also found more women than men, more Asian-Americans and African-Americans than Caucasians are supertasters. It's sort of a no-brainer a big percentage of professional chefs are supertasters.
On the downside, supertasters have a higher risk of colon cancer because those green, leafy veggies which fight off that disease are often our last food choice. We also tend to eat too much salt which blocks bitterness. I'm just glad I still find dark chocolate (up to a point) palatable. Many supertasters dislike it along with hard liquor, and citrus (too sour). Never hand me a Starbucks coffee because it's always bitter to me. On the other hand, Dunkin Donuts or Tim Horton coffee each have a smooth finish on my palate.
You too can take a supertaster test. The hard way is to dye your tongue blue with food coloring. Then, lay one of those paper reinforcement rings on it and count the 'pink' bumps - each of those bumps contain hundreds of actual tastebuds. Ordinary people have around 15 or so 'bumps' inside the ring. Supertasters have over 30. Less than 15? You're the polar opposite of a supertaster - most food is very bland and unexciting to you. The easy test involves sending off for taster strips you lay on your tongue. Fortunately, Kit had tester strips, so we didn't have to break out the blue food coloring.There's some interesting scientific studies happening which seem to indicate that supertasters are able to ward off upper respiratory infections, like sinus infections, more readily. Another theory is some humans developed this high sensitivity to bitterness as a check against consuming poisonous plants which are often bitter. I'll bet those pre-historic nomadic tribes which roamed around gathering edible plants all had a supertaster who helped sort out what was safe to eat, and what was not.
With Kit and I both being supertasters, our family is way above average in supertaster numbers. The jury is still out as to whether of not supertasting is genetic. However, neither of our children are supertasters, but then, neither are their fathers. Who knows? Nobody, apparently. On the upside, we supertasters don't just perceive bitterness in foods, but we also have a heightened appreciation of the 'good' tastes too. Armed with my new self knowledge, it explains my love affair with food, and why I like to try new foods.
Finally, Sarah turned to me at the conclusion of our supertaster test and said, "You're going to be insufferable about this, aren't you?" I just smiled and said, "You bet. I'm a supertaster, and you're not!"
