第1469期:Why do we like different tastes?

What's your favourite flavour? Maybe you like your grub nice and spicy? 

你最喜欢的味道是什么？也许你喜欢你的食物又香又辣？

Perhaps you have a sweet tooth? Or are you partial to a salty, savoury snack?

也许你爱吃甜食？还是您偏爱咸味可口的小吃？

By now you're probably imagining something delicious, but take a moment to ponder this: why do some people adore certain flavours while others can't stand them? For example, oysters. 

到现在为止，您可能正在想象一些美味的东西，但请花点时间思考一下：为什么有些人喜欢某些口味，而另一些人则无法忍受？例如，牡蛎。

They turn my stomach, but some spend lavishly on the slippery shellfish.

他们让我反胃，但有些人在滑溜溜的贝类上大手大脚。

According to celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, our taste preferences are strongly linked to our memories.

根据名厨 Heston Blumenthal 的说法，我们的口味偏好与我们的记忆密切相关。 

Certain flavours might bring back the sounds and smells of a seaside holiday, or an ice-cream might trigger memories of enjoying a childhood treat. This "positive nostalgia" has a powerful effect on how we experience food.

某些口味可能会带回海边度假的声音和气味，或者冰淇淋可能会引发享受童年时光的回忆。这种“积极的怀旧”对我们体验食物的方式产生了强大的影响。

Likewise, our surroundings have an impact on culinary pleasure. The same glass of wine can taste different depending on the background music.

同样，我们的环境也会影响烹饪乐趣。同一杯酒会因背景音乐而有所不同。 

Blumenthal believes playing loud music makes people eat more quickly, while classical music makes them spend more money on wine.

布卢门撒尔认为，播放响亮的音乐可以让人们吃得更快，而古典音乐让他们在酒上花更多的钱。

Alongside memory and ambience, our genetics also have a powerful impact on taste preferences. 

除了记忆和环境，我们的基因对口味偏好也有很大的影响。

Neuroscientist Charles Zucker from Columbia University believes all animals are "pre-wired" to prefer sweet tastes over sour.

来自哥伦比亚大学的神经科学家查尔斯·扎克认为，所有动物都“预先决定”喜欢甜味而不是酸味。 

"There are no lions out in the wild drinking tonic water," he says.

“野外没有狮子在喝汤力水，”他说。

On a more individual level, our personal genetic inherited preferences are significant. 

在更个人的层面上，我们个人的遗传偏好很重要。

"And that is likely to greatly impact how much sugar I want to have in my coffee," says Dr Zucker. 

“这可能会极大地影响我想要在咖啡中加入多少糖，”祖克博士说。

"It might be that I need six spoons of sugar to get the same level of satisfaction and reward that you get with only two."

“可能我需要六勺糖才能获得与仅两勺糖相同的满足感和回报。”

Coffee is also an interesting example of how our tastes change over time. Most children don't like the maltiness of beer or the bitterness of strong coffee.

咖啡也是我们的口味如何随时间变化的一个有趣例子。大多数孩子不喜欢啤酒的麦芽味或浓咖啡的苦味。 

But many adults enjoy the social reward – the relaxing effects of alcohol or the stimulation gained by coffee.

但许多成年人享受社会奖励——酒精的放松效果或咖啡带来的刺激。

These are what we call acquired tastes – things we gradually learn to like - whether it's because our palates become more sophisticated, or because we crave the social effects of the foods.

这些就是我们所说的后天口味——我们逐渐学会喜欢的东西——无论是因为我们的味觉变得更加复杂，还是因为我们渴望食物的社会影响。

For me though, I'm yet to see the allure in oysters, whether social or epicurean!

不过对我来说，我还没有看到牡蛎的魅力，无论是社交还是美食！

词汇表

grub （俚语）吃的，食物
(to have) a sweet tooth 吃甜食的嗜好
(to be) partial (to) 偏爱
savoury 咸的
to ponder 仔细思考，衡量
to turn someone’s stomach 让人恶心
lavishly 极其大方地
slippery 滑溜溜的
to bring back 带回来
to trigger 触发
nostalgia 对往事的依恋
culinary 烹饪的
ambience （地点、环境的）气氛
tonic water 汤利水
genetic 基因的
maltiness 有麦芽的感觉
bitterness 苦味
acquired taste 后天培养的品味
palate 口味，味觉
epicurean 美食的