this post was submitted on 28 May 2024
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Science Memes

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Ant smell (mander.xyz)
submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 175 points 5 months ago (4 children)

"Genetic quirk", you say?

[–] [email protected] 72 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

“What’s your mutation? Teleportation? Laser Eyes? Weaponized Tornadoes?”

“…I… I can smell ants... how about yours?”

“Oh… well… my mutation is that cilantro tastes like chalk to me.”

[–] Dasus 27 points 5 months ago

I was born with 2.5 kidneys, an extra ureter and 4 of my permanent teeth never showed up. Also mild colour vision deficiency.

I was talking about it with our first lieutenant in the army and he went "Corporal, you're a mutant!". "Yes, sir, I am sir."

[–] blanketswithsmallpox 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

God soap cilantro just sucks. I really wish people knew it tastes like gross to like 3-21% of the world population.

I just wish it wasn't automatically in anything Mexican. I just want to taste what other people taste. :(

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

The weirdest thing happened when I was recovering from covid. I couldn't really taste much, but cilantro suddenly had a perfume-like scent. It eventually went back to normal after I recovered, but I definitely have a healthy level of sympathy for people who taste soapy cilantro now

[–] inefficient_electron 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Exposure therapy works for this. You can still detect the chemical that made it taste that way, but the brain can rewire to perceive it as pleasant. If you’re serious about fixing the problem, start by adding small amounts to dishes and work your way up as your tolerance changes.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Yes it works! I can eat soap now

[–] blanketswithsmallpox 3 points 5 months ago (3 children)

That just sounds like brainwashing yourself to make something taste 'good' when it's not. See Alcohol, black coffee, etc.

[–] Cocodapuf 6 points 5 months ago

Right, but I legitimately love the taste of coffee now. Am I wrong? I know I didn't like it as a kid, but does that mean I was correct to not like it then or correct to like it now?

I don't know, but my instinct is that being able to enjoy the flavor of coffee is a real benefit. For instance, I can taste the nuance of coffee flavor in tiramisu. Without gaining an appreciation for coffee flavor, many foods that use that flavor would just taste bad.

[–] inefficient_electron 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

There are no inherently good or bad flavours, it’s all just how our brains are wired to perceive them. Sometimes the wiring gets it wrong and warns us about a food that is harmless. I see no reason not to try fixing that.

[–] blanketswithsmallpox 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

There are no inherently good or bad flavours

X is in the eye of the beholders are the worst.

You can fool yourself into thinking shit tastes like sugar all you want but subjective reality and the reality your brain perceives should not be conflated lol.

[–] inefficient_electron 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Shit should taste bad though, given that it is bad for you to eat. This is not the case for cilantro, so why not retrain your brain to like it?

All I was offering is a strategy that has worked for me, and many other people. I used to hate cilantro and despised its omnipresence in certain cuisines. I can now enjoy these things and you possibly can as well, if you choose to do the work. If you’d prefer to whine instead of attempting to solve the problem you said you have, that’s on you.

[–] blanketswithsmallpox 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

If you’d prefer to whine instead of attempting to solve the problem

Do you genuinely believe people who eat cilantro regularly haven't already naturally done what you've said... or did you genuinely think offering up exposure therapy to someone on Lemmy memeing about how shit cilantro tastes would be good genuine advice... then clutch your pearls despite everything I've typed so far lol?

[–] blanketswithsmallpox 1 points 5 months ago

That was you mate. It was why I quoted it lol.

[–] inefficient_electron 0 points 5 months ago

I hadn’t tried exposure therapy and it worked for me. Naturally I want to share that. If you’ve really tried it and it didn’t work, that’s unfortunate, but that doesn’t invalidate the approach for everyone.

Nobody’s clutching their pearls, I was just pointing out that I was trying to help and you’ve chosen to attack me. I’m sure you’ll continue to do so.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Those are more like your eyes adjusting to brightness/darkness. You're not tricking yourself into thinking the alcohol taste or coffee bitterness are good, you're desensitizing yourself to them, which lets you sense other flavors.

Sometimes there's no other strong flavors so you get "Huh, this cold brew concentrate tastes like water, I didn't even add ice, try it" "wtf that is so bitter!!"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

How do you know that cilantro tastes like soap and not soap tastes like cilantro.

All I’m saying is that cilantro doesn’t taste that good and some soaps smell amazing.

[–] aeronmelon 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The mortality ratio of that school gives me pause.

Also, so many old white guys hanging on the wall.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

What the hey? Let them down!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

What is this.. Xavier's school for ANTS?!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

My anime head sees „quirk” think MHA lmao