Taste verschiebungen

If you study German you will learn about the three laut Vershiebungen in the German language's evolution.   I don't remember any examples off hand,  but there are some words in the English language that came from German,  but the pronunciation has changed after the languages split.

What a Vershiebungen is is a shift.   And in my short life a number of taste shifts have occurred.   One very recently.

I heard Dr.  Dean Edell (sp?)  talk about eating habits.   This was universal across all cultures and it was found that about 25% of the population will only eat food that they "like"  and will not try new things.   I understand if you have kids,  you've seen this in action.   There is also about 25% who will eat anything.   The other 50% tend to be careful until they are about 25, then they start to eat more widely.  

The good Dr.  Thought that there was a useful survival trait in these eat / don't eat deal.   If your tribe is wandering around,  the bulk of folks will not eat new things.   There is protection in that.   Eating new stuff can kill you,  think mushrooms for example.

But,  if the weather / climate changes (too many SUVs?) and your normal stuff is not around,  then having some folks out there that will test the food for the rest of the tribe is very valuable.   So if change is thrust upon your tribe,  you will survive that too.

Mr.  Hume,  get to the point!   I hear you say...  

In my youth I didn't like olives.   Yet one can't argue with the form factor and every 5 years or so,  I would take a nibble.   When I hit 40, I finally found then tasty!   Now they are high on my like to eat list.

Tomatoes also fell into that group of foods - -  not eaten until 40, now I like them on burgers and some sandwiches.   I'm still a bit put off on the texture, but the flavors are no longer an issue.   I've also got understanding as to the spectrum of flavors that one can find in this noble fruit.

Now,  I thought that my acquired foods had hit a wall a number of decades ago,  but I've added a food that while I always liked the smell,  I never cared for the flavor.   Of course,  I'm talking of bacon.

I had 5 strips of bacon on white bread with some mayo - -  damn near heaven.   It was after golf and it was 2 pm and I'd not had breakfast or lunch and I ate it with a beer,  but salty,  crunchy and warming to the tummy -  it was all there.

Welcome to the larder, bacon.