I Was Thinking... A Matter of Taste

Last week St. John’s held their traditional lutefisk dinner. While all the sittings were sold out, not everyone was there for the main course. Some can’t seem to get enough lutefisk, while others won’t touch it. Stories abound about the fragrant cod that some call a delicacy and others relate it to something close to toxic waste. As one pundit put it, “Lutefisk, the piece of cod that passes all understanding.” Seldom can those who relish this staple of a fall Norwegian dinner convince nonparticipants to partake. Apparently, it is all a matter of taste.
A couple of weeks ago, I examined the loyalty of pie versus cake lovers. But food preferences extend to all kinds of choices. Sometimes it is as simple as preferring sweet instead of sour. While some think a cola is a cola, a diehard Coke drinker thinks Pepsi is NOT the same and no one can convince them to change. Lutefisk lovers and haters will probably never compromise or agree. So why are we so adamant about our tastes?
Individual taste buds could explain some of the individual preferences. Food that are bitter, sweet, salty, spicy, or sour, can affect individuals differently. But sometimes it could also be cultural or regional. If you grew up Italian, Irish, Chinese, French, Mexican, or Norwegian, your food experiences are bound to be different. Those that lived in Hawaii, Louisiana, Tennessee, or Minnesota inevitably would have meals that would have been different.
Growing up in Wisconsin, I’ve never developed a taste for grits, poi, or blackened catfish. But corn on the cob, meatloaf, fried chicken, and mashed potatoes were staples. My dad had a sensitive stomach, so we didn’t have anything spicey. The spiciest things in our house were salt and ketchup. To my Hispanic reared son-in-law, all of my food is bland and whatever he prepares is usually too “hot” for me.
But I did grow up on a farm where we butchered our own chickens, occasionally a steer, and maybe even a rabbit. My dad was a hunter so venison, rabbit, pheasant, or even a pigeon might be served at our table. It seemed normal because that is how we grew up. My sister, who ended up being a better shot than me, even provided an occasional squirrel. To those that only have seen meat wrapped in plastic in a grocery store, some of our entrees might seem revolting. But it is a matter of taste and experience.
One item that raised concern with some cousins raised in Chicago was cow’s tongue. While it was never served to them, when I told them we had eaten it after we had butchered a beef, they were aghast. When they said, “How could you eat something that came out of a cow’s mouth?” my father replied, “Well you eat eggs, don’t you?” I guess it is a matter of perspective.
Lutefisk seems to get a bad rap. It is really just white cod but maybe needs a better name. Most people wouldn’t eat snails but when you call it escargot it is more palatable. Caviar sounds better than fish eggs. Foie gras sounds exotic and fancy but is just duck or geese liver. Truffles sound better than mushrooms dug out by pigs. Sushi is very fashionable in many places, but it is raw fish. Asked what they called sushi in northern Minnesota, a native said, “Bait.”
Did You Ever Wonder? — What do the French call French fries?