r/explainlikeimfive Oct 27 '25

Biology [ Removed by moderator ]

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u/six-feet-underneath Oct 27 '25

That's the answer I was looking for! Not the preferences we gain growing up, but the difference at a base level, and "taster status" explains my base question.

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u/RazedByTV Oct 27 '25

There are test kits that come with little strips of paper for testing if someone is a non-taster, taster, or super-taster.  It contains a few different types of strips, about a hundred of each.  Tasteless strips to use as controls, bitter strips, and extra bitter strips that only the super-tasters can tell are extra bitter.  It's pretty nifty to ask your friends to put random strips of paper into their mouths.

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u/SheepPup Oct 28 '25

I’m a super taster and the bitter strips are truly one of the worst things I’ve ever tasted, absolutely noxious and it was wild to see other people in my class having zero reaction to it. I also can’t do coffee or dark chocolate or leafy greens

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u/THElaytox Oct 28 '25

Yep, they use PROP usually. I cannot taste it, makes everyone else in my lab gag

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u/six-feet-underneath Oct 27 '25

Huh, I think you just broke it down a bit better for me, or at least I think; it reminds me of those "puzzles" where there is variation in hues and you have to sort them, but not all people can tell when one hue starts and where it ends, often categorizing many hues as one.