Monday, June 25, 2007

The answers - are you a supertaster?

Remember, take the quiz (previous post) first.....





ok, all done - don't cheat!






If your answers are (in order) no, no, yes, and yes, that indicates you are either a very sensitive taster or a supertaster. (BTW, those are indeed my answers, which may help explain my persnickety oenophilia). The test is not foolproof, and a biological and chemical test is available to determine for certain - see the excellent Slate article for a fuller explanation and much more -
http://www.slate.com/id/2168768/

4 comments:

Psych Pundit said...

Guess I'm relatively tasteless, as I answered yes, yes, yes, and no.

By the way, you might consider trying out the easy-to-use Blogger link function for that Slate link (and other relevant links in your posts).

Dan said...

Alas, I was yes, no, yes and no, although I have become a more prodigious salter of foods in recent years (I still prefer to taste the food rather than the accompanying salt). Perhaps the scotch test is akin to a colleague of mine, who once told me, "I used to think I didn't like scotch, but then I realized I had been drinking cheap scotch, and when I tasted good scotch I decided I actually did like it!"

And also, oenophilic persnicketyness is relative...one man's swill is Parker's idyll.

Keith said...

Well, as the 'supertaster' gene seems to make one attuned to bitterness that others miss (that's why I gotta have cream in the coffee), and a bit less desirous of sweet tastes (not a big candy fan) - well, a lot of people would think that's a burden, not a blessing. It may also help explain one's attitude towards cabernets vs others, etc. Anyway, at least one of the scientists in the article indicates that the range of 'taster' differences makes the whole Parker 'rating' thing into nonsense, as different palates will like radically different wine tastes. That jibes with my anecdotal evidence, so .. to each their own. Reviews and ratings are more important as far as finding out what YOU reliably like, rather than worrying about what some "authority" likes.

Kathi Petersen said...

I got yes, no, yes, no, but it is interesting because I took one of those supertaster strip tests a couple of days ago and it said that I am a supertaster ... I love scotch though, and espresso, and I don't heavily salt my food. I can't STAND sweets ...