Is it true that different people taste different things differently?

I don’t know the science behind it but I know that the effect is true. Some people can taste the bitter aftertaste of aspartame (the artificial sweetner) and some can’t. I’m one that can.

Yes. It is true.

There are so many factors as to why. Here are some:
*Age
*General health/well being
*Medications
*Smoking
*Drug usage
*Treatments for cancer
*Zinc Deficiency
*Sinus/nasal passage issues

This list goes on.

Wether or not a person can taste PTC is genetic. Most traits are universal in humans due to natural selection; however, when there are no selective pressures on a gene, there can be variety between people. Hair and eye color are very obvious examples of this. A person’s eye color does not contribute to or detract from a person’s ability to pass their genes on to the next generation. If people with red hair lived longer, evolution would make everyone have red hair. If red hair causes early death, no one would have red hair. But since it doesn’t do either, some people have red hair, and some people don’t.

PTC is another case of this. Bitter taste is usually an indicater that the food has gone bad / is poisonous. Animals evolved to taste a variety of bitter chemicals to detect this. Plants took advantage of this by creating their own bitter tastes to deter herbivores. Some otherwise edible plants chose to produce PTC. Herbivores then evolved to ignore PTC, and thus lost their taste of it, to be able to eat these plants. In humans, tasting PTC does not give any benifit. Tasting it or not tasting makes no difference. About 70% of people have the gene that allows tasting, the other 30% have the gene that does not allow tasting. I cannot taste it, but from what I have heard (and seen) it tastes pretty terrible.

I suspect that there are other cases where there is a genetic difference. I know that the PTC gene also controls some other bitter tastes, with “tasters” being able to taste bitterness of other things more easily. I know that most of what @SpatzieLover listed off are some causes for abnormal taste perception (not tasting ptc, as well as tasting it, is in no way considered abnormal). But since I think that the question is mostly referring to differences in the normal taste perception of people, I am willing to say that genetics is the main cause of these differences.

@PhiNotPi Actually, I listed age, because children tend to taste more than the elderly.

Genetics plays a role, as does the amount of taste buds per section of the tongue.

A very interesting concept. Suppose to one person vanilla tasted like chocolate and vice versa. How would that person ever know that to another person vanilla tasted like vanilla. You can’t really describe a taste, just like you can’t really describe a color to a blind person. Maybe we all taste things not just subtly different, but decidedly different. That would explain how some people could not like coconut – or lobster.

As far as why, there are a million reasons. One would be that one persons sensitivity to sweet (or sour or bitter) is more acute than another. Another is that some people have more sweet (or sour or bitter) receptors in their taste buds.

Also, I think when you get older, your taste buds are less sensitive.

@SpatzieLover There, I fixed it. (admitting defeat) I agree, age is not abnormal.

I’m a Supertaster.
I found out two years ago.

It is my understanding that astronauts in space (the International Space Station for example) tend to prefer spicy foods.

Some people love curry? what’s all that about? I can’t cope with anything, even slightly spicy! :-/
I must be missing out??

@PhiNotPi
It is interesting because I knew that PTC paper was genetics, but didn’t know if genetics pertained to every different taste. We did the PTC paper experiment in my bio class last year during the genetics chapter and how one was dominant and one was recessive, etc.
@Skaggfacemutt
That is one of the reasons that I fabricated this question. There are certain foods that I just hate, and don’t understand how people can actually enjoy the certain taste of those particular foods. Why eat them if they taste so disgusting—is it really worth it? exactly, @Scooby who just posted as I was writing this I then wondered if maybe I was unique in the way I taste things, and maybe I was in fact tasting something differently.
@downtide
I am not exactly sure of the taste that you are talking about (because it is hard to explain as previously discussed by @Skaggfacemutt) but I do taste this off-taste after-taste whenever I drink diet soda. I don’t get this taste when I drink regular soda (given that I don’t even like soda). I wouldn’t really consider it bitter, but just off-tasting.

I can just about manage a korma, how sad is that!?? :-/

@Scooby

Don’t feel bad. I really can’t tolerate any degree of spiciness at all whether it’s in curry or any other type of pepper.

Whenever I eat out, I have to remember to specify ZERO pepper on my food (and be certain to emphasize it sufficiently to penetrate the often thick skull of the server enough to convince him to get it across to the chef)

Most places have a fairly standard salt/pepper mix which they automatically put on grilled meat or fish. It’s usually way too much for me even tho it seems to be fine for the rest of the population. For me the burning sensation just ruins the entire meal for me. I can’t imagine how I would have survived if I’d been born into a culture where peppery food predominates (India, Jamaica etc.)

I’ve come to the conclusion that I must be a supertaster since I normally add only the tiniest amount of salt when I cook and sometimes none at all.

Trying to find anything at a fast food place is practically impossible as they typically add tons of salt. It’s like lapping from a salt lick. Ugh.

The first time I ever had Sushi, I had absolutely no idea what that green stuff (wasabi) was. The first piece I ate had a thin strip of it wrapped up in it. I just about died on the spot after the first bite. No exaggeration. I’ve never been that trusting ever again.

However, there is at least one chef who is similar to us.

I was so delighted the first time I watched Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. Anne Burrell says she never uses pepper in her cooking.

And she’s usually Mario Battali’s exec. chef on Iron Chef America as well as head of her own successful NYC restaurant so that’s not too shabby. Obviously she has many ways to create flavor.

So at least we’re not the only ones. :)

Cilantro tastes like soap to some people. :)

Some of it might have to do with individual body chemistry. Fragrances applied to the skin of different people smell differently as they react with body chemistry over time. Sometimes you can’t even tell that two people have on the same fragrance because it changes so much just because of the way their bodies react with the chemicals in the fragrance. Taste, and the chemical reactions in the way your body interacts with food, could be similar.

Just one thing… what is PCT?

I don’t see how anyone could drink diet soda, it tastes absolutely awful to me. If there is any artificial sweetener in any foods that I eat, I can taste it immediately. Dry wine also tastes bitter to me. I must have an acute sensitivity to bitter.

@Buttonstc I love pepper! I put it on corn on the cob by the ton, and on cottage cheese, everything. I love peri-peri prawns. I have to order peri-peri on-line because they don’t have it here. Yes, I would say that your taste buds must be super-sensitive, or mine are mellow.

@downtide Wiki has a page on PTC

You can get the paper On Ebay to try it for yourself.

@Buttonstc

Thanks for that, I still think I’m missing out… some Asian foods look really nice, I’d just love to be able to try them…. I took a friend out to celebrate her birthday a couple of years ago…. My treat, she chose an Indian restaurant! :-/
Fortunately for me, they had an English menu.. The look on her face when I ordered steak & chips……not to mention the waiters.. Just being there made my eyes water & I felt like my nasal passage had been turned inside out… :-/
I’m the same with salt too as you, very little… maybe I’m a superstar too ;-)

I think it’s primarily the cuisine of Southern India which is so very spicy (as it generally is in most countries below the Equator with tropical climates.

I’ve enjoyed many vegetarian dishes in Indian restaurants which were quite mild and delicious. But I’m always cautious and ask first. :)

It never even occurred to me to try the Vegetarian dishes, still I’m useless inside an Indian restaurant, just the odour of spice & pepper in the atmosphere makes me want to run a mile
:-/
I really have been in some states :-/ Lol….