Design evidence # 231: taste buds

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Originally posted by sonnikke:
The purpose of taste buds is to provide pleasure when eating and drinking, which is something "natural selection" could "care" less about.

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Ever consider that taste is functional? It gives clues to what is nutritious and to what is poisonous.------------------
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Originally posted by Percipient:
My cat's taste buds are so exacting and demanding that she'll only eat the very best (Fancy Feast), and even only four of the flavors are good enough. God must really like cats!

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--Percy

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I had a Spaniel-mix who grew up eating cat food. ( She died a couple of years ago at the age of 21. ) Her favorite food had two parts -- a red kibble and a tan kibble. She would sit and pick out the red ones and leave the tan ones. It was quite interesting to watch.------------------
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Originally posted by sonnikke:
Yes, I did consider that, however, considering the percentage of the time our taste buds are utilized for this function compared to the every day function of pleasure, the most reasonable conclusion is that of a Creator, who not only gave us something for pleasure but also as a tool to protect us.

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You are missing the point. Taste buds are always used for this function. Everytime you eat something you are picking up chemical clues as to its contents. 'Pleasurable' is calibrated towards nutricious while 'distasteful' is calibated towards dangerous. All of this, of course, works on average and isn't absolutely reliable. Still, it only has to work more more times than not to be beneficial.------------------
No webpage found at provided URL: www.hells-handmaiden.com[This message has been edited by John, 01-20-2003]

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I would say that you aren't eating the right strawberries.

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I need some of those strawberries. I don't know where you live but I can't find any good ones here.------------------
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Like brussel sprouts you mean ?

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Brussel sprouts contain a chemical which some people taste and others don't. It is a quirk of genetics like tongue rolling. For the people who taste this chemical, brussel sprouts taste horrible-- or so I have been told. I don't taste it.------------------
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No. That was Satan.------------------
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Satan is the Creator too?

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Sure, makes sense. ------------------
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Taste in general, though, is psychological surely?

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Meaning what? That our brains process chemical signals associated with the stuff we eat? And that our brains further associate those chemical signals with stuff we have eaten in the past that did or did not make us sick, throwing in the cultural components to make those associations streatch back many generations?------------------
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It's a rare person who just goes on munching and saying 'Hmmm ... tastes good anyhow.'

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ah....Would you really call that taste though? Seems like that while the mystery-dish is still a mystery the taste buds are doing their jobs properly, and when the host tells them that they are eating sea slug a different component of the brain takes over. It is a fine line, as these things are all inter-related.Lets say, many millions of years ago and long before we resembled humans, our taste mechanisms worked essentially on trial and error. Eventually a slight cultural element came into play. Bears, for example, to a certain extent teach their cubs what to eat, where to find food, etc. This cultural component became stronger in primates. In our case, it can overwhelm the taste-buds-- so to speak. The cultural component has become strong enough to backfire.I suppose I am thinking of taste in a more restricted way than are you. I mean, Americans eat cow on a daily basis but will react with horror if they are asked to eat horse. The two meats must produce very similar taste bud responses.------------------
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I can add a feature that would allow you to acknowledge the "Yes" and make it go away without sending a message - it wouldn't be very difficult. But I'm already pretty busy, and so I'll only do so if at least two other members express a desire for this feature.

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I'd like to see this feature added.------------------
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