Food, Glorious Food.

   I am a foodie. I love food and all of its flavors. From a young age, my family had exposed me to different tastes and it had often left me wanting to go out and keep trying new foods. Often when I try something new, I want to share the same experience with others. It seems most logical right? But it never fails to shock me how close minded my friends can be. Non-materially speaking, why wouldn't you want to try something new and different? The worst thing that could happen is that you don't like the food in which case you don't have to continue to eat it. But that also doesn't mean that you should never try a new food again and stick to what you know. All food and things are new to us at one point or another.
    Rachel Herz from the Wall Street Journal pointed out that within the last few years, there has been a huge interest in research on disgust.

   "Most children get their first lessons in disgust around the time that they are potty trained. After that, the triggers of disgust are quickly acquired from the responses and rules of parents, peers and, most importantly, the wider culture. One of the best places to look for the vast differences in what is or is not considered disgusting in different parts of the globe is food, especially distinctive foods, like every culture's favorite fermented dish.
    Take cheese, considered by Westerners to be anything from a comfort food to a luxurious delicacy. A good taleggio, Gorgonzola or Brie might be described as sweaty or slimy. Cheese also has its fair share of aromatic obstacles and, depending on the circumstances, may be confused with vomit, stinky feet or a garbage spill. Many Asians regard all cheese, from processed American slices to Stilton, as utterly disgusting—the equivalent of cow excrement."

  So maybe that's it, that while I'm not afraid to try something new, other people may be afraid to try it because they think it's disgusting? That it all depends on where you come from and where you grew up.

Link to article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204661604577186843056231170.html