Quote:
Originally Posted by kyle19125
Through lifelong observation it appears that those who discovered an early affinity for sweet things (lots of sodas for instance) seemingly don't find anything with a taste of alcohol appealing. Perhaps there's a developmental taste bud issue with too many sweet items that stunts other taste buds from developing?
|
Just saw an interesting segment on Nova Science on PBS last night, which confirmed my own observation, namely that all kids have an affinity to sweet tastes and an aversion to bitter tastes, and this is a survival trait. Breast milk is sweet, so infants are drawn to breast milk because it is sweet. And bitterness in nature is frequently associated with things that are toxic or poisonous, so infants will tend not to want them in their mouth.
Alcohol is bitter tasting, and is a poison in large quantities... The hops in beer makes it bitter, as does the quinine in tonic, etc. Kids don't feel these appealing.
But for most people as they reach adulthood their taste for sweets begins to lessen a bit, and the appreciation for other tastes begins to grow, more as a matter of growing one's taste palate to a more sophisticated level than because of the growth of any different taste buds. But in an echo of earlier stages of life, beginning drinkers tend to favor sweeter drinks and less bitter beers than people do when they get older and acquire some sophistication.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
