Yuck!

What better time to try a new food than after a fast..right?

So every year after Tisha B'av I break my fast on something I usually don't like.
Last year it was Olives. I could never eat olives..but after the fast..the smell actually made my mouth water.
Two years ago it was Mushrooms.

This year it didn't work. I tried...I really tried..but I was ready to continue fasting rather than eat...Eggplant.

Eggplant

Chatzilim..

I can't even look at it.

Why is that? Why do we harbor such intense likes and dislikes?

Well..before you go running to Google..I did all the work for you.
It seems that it's a combination of genes, facial structure, environment and what we see eaten at home.
Talk about a safe theory...gee what else could it be?

A big part of what we like and dislike is determined by more than our tastebuds...it's smell and sight that play a big role.
We've known since we're small children that if you close your nose you can't taste.
As a matter of fact the Kli Yakar says that the word Mun, as in the biblical food Manna, hints to the miracle of it having all tastes. The Mem and the Nun are the only 2 letters that cannot be said with your nose closed...and the nose is what controls what we taste.

I read recently about this restaurant in Paris that serves you in a completely dark room. You cannot see a thing.
Supposedly your lack of one sense awakens your other senses and the food is supposed to taste awesome.

Hmm maybe next year I'll try the eggplant in the dark.