What's your favourite flavour? Maybe you like your grub nice and spicy? Perhaps you have a sweet tooth? Or are you partial to a salty,savoury snack?
你喜欢的食物是什么？也许你喜欢吃辣的食物？也许你爱吃甜食？也许你偏爱咸的辣的零食？
By now you're probably imagining something delicious, but take a moment to ponder this: why do some people adore certain flavours while others can't stand them? For example, oysters. They turn my stomach, but some spend lavishly on the slippery shellfish.
到现在你可能在想象某些美味的食物，但是请花点时间思考一下：为什么有些人特别喜欢某种口味，而另外一些却无法忍受，例如，牡蛎，它让我觉得很恶心，但是有些人却极其大方的享用这些滑溜溜的贝壳。
According to celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, our taste preferences are strongly linked to our memories. Certain flavours might bring back the sounds and smells of a seaside holiday, or an ice-cream might trigger memories of enjoying a childhood treat. This "positive nostalgia" has a powerful effect on how we experience food.
根据名厨Heston Blumenthal 所述，我们的味觉与我们的记忆相连，某些味道会带来海边度假的声音和气味，或者一根冰淇淋可能会触发我们享受童年待遇的记忆。这种“被动怀旧”对我们体验食物有很大的影响。
Likewise, our surroundings have an impact on culinary pleasure. The same glass of wine can taste different depending on the background music. Blumenthal believes playing loud music makes people eat more quickly, while classical music makes them spend more money on wine.
同样，我们的环境对我们食物的乐趣也有影响，同样一杯酒根据背景音乐不同品尝方法不同，布卢门撒尔认为演奏糟杂音乐时吃的更快，而演奏古典音乐时人们会花更多的酒钱。
Alongside memory and ambience, our genetics also have a powerful impact on taste preferences. Neuroscientist Charles Zucker from Columbia University believes all animals are "pre-wired" to prefer sweet tastes over sour. "There are no lions out in the wild drinking tonic water," he says.
除了记忆和氛围外，我们的基因也对口味有很大影响，来自哥伦比亚大学神经专家Charles Zucker认为所有动物都偏爱甜食和过酸的食物，他说“在野外没有狮子喜欢饮用滋补水”。
On a more individual level, our personal genetic inherited preferences are significant. "And that is likely to greatly impact how much sugar I want to have in my coffee," says Dr Zucker. "It might be that I need six spoons of sugar to get the same level of satisfaction and reward that you get with only two."
在更个人的层面上，我们的个人遗传因素是很显著的，Zucker博士说,“这很可能影响到我在我咖啡里加多少糖，也可能我需要六匙糖而你达到相同的满意程度只需要两匙糖”。
Coffee is also an interesting example of how our tastes change over time. Most children don't like the maltinessof beer or the bitterness of strong coffee. But many adults enjoy the social reward – the relaxing effects of alcohol or the stimulation gained by coffee.
咖啡也是一种有趣的例子，口味随着时间变化而变化的，大部分孩子不喜欢啤酒的麦芽味或者浓咖啡的苦涩。但是很多成年人享受这种社会奖励——酒精的放松效果或者从咖啡里得到的刺激效果。
These are what we call acquired tastes– things we gradually learn to like - whether it's because our palates become more sophisticated, or because we crave the social effects of the foods.
这些我们称为后天培养出来的品味——我们逐渐学会喜欢这些事情 -是否是因为我们的口味变得越来越复杂还是因为我们渴望食物的社会效应。
For me though, I'm yet to see the allure in oysters, whether social or epicurean!
对我来说，我还没有看到牡蛎上的诱惑，无论在社交上还是美食上！
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