Dull Your Taste Buds

Plenty of people find themselves in situations where they'll need to eat or drink something that just doesn't taste good. Whether it's a polite situation with food you can't decline, or acrid medicine you can't stand to swallow, the bad taste might be unavoidable. Fortunately taste is like all the other senses and can be dulled or diminished. Equally fortunate is that this is as simple as controlling your breath or reaching for the salt.

Steps

Altering your Taste

  1. Plug your nostrils. Your taste buds only recognize six tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and savory ("Umami"). The rest is in the nose. If you can avoid smelling the food, you'll avoid a large part of the flavor. Pinch your nose as you eat or drink anything to neutralize a significant portion of the taste involved.[1]
    • When the taste is truly to be avoided, take a sip of a drink before un-pinching your nose to avoid any taste left on the tongue. Slosh the liquid around your mouth for good measure.
    • If you're eating in public or anywhere where you can't politely pinch your nose, exhale immediately before taking a bit/drink to avoid the taste. Be sure to take a small bite if doing this to avoid choking when trying to breathe again.
  2. Dry out your mouth. Your taste is all about saliva. You taste different things depending on how that food reacts with the saliva in your mouth. Take a paper towel and complete dry out your mouth and tongue; this will eliminate nearly all of the taste. But remember, the saliva in your mouth is replenished every few seconds, so eat quickly after drying your mouth.[2]
    • Cotton swabs such as Q-Tips are a discreet alternative to a paper towel, though you'll most likely need more than one.
    • If you know just when you'll need to eat something unpleasant, try to refrain from having any water beforehand during the day. Drink caffeinated drinks like soda or coffee to dehydrate yourself; your mouth should be reasonably dry come time to eat.
  3. Drink cold water. You might have noticed that any food might taste a little different depending on it's temperature. Why is that? It's the same food, after all. The fact is that generally, cooling numbs your palate, toning down flavors. If you can drink a glass of cold water right before eating or drinking something unpleasant, you'll be better off. If you can chill the unpleasant food or drink, that's even better.[3]
    • For a more uncomfortable alternative (though preferable perhaps if you have teeth which are sensitive to cold), you can scald your tongue with a hot drink like tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. The heat will make your taste buds much less sensitive in the moments after sipping something really hot.
  4. Drink a strong alcoholic drink. A drink with a high alcohol concentration (such as whiskey) has the effect of a mild anesthetic on your taste centers in your mouth and nose. Try to eat or drink whatever is unpleasant quickly after drinking the alcohol for the best possible effect.[4]
    • If you're underage or have no access to hard alcohol, try a hygienic mouthwash which contains disinfecting alcohol such as Listerine. This too will help to numb your taste as well as distract with (usually) a strong mint flavor.

Being Proactive

  1. Over-salt your food. If possible, salt whatever unpleasant food you have to eat to excess. Once you've added enough, it should only be salt you taste when you have to take a bite. Avoid adding so much, however, that the excessive saltiness becomes just as unpleasant.[4]
    • In theory, you can do this with any spice (sugar included), though salt is usually always at hand and salting to excess rarely draws any attention.
  2. Make a peppermint mouthwash. Pour a bottle of peppermint extract into a small cap (like you'd find on a 24oz soda bottle). Toss the capful into your mouth. Swish it around as you would mouthwash. Spit out the extract and rinse your mouth with cold water. Your taste should be slightly numb for a number of minutes due to the menthol quality of the peppermint extract.
    • Spearmint extract will have the same menthol quality as peppermint and is an adequate replacement.
    • If you have no extracts of the mint variety, you can also reach for over-powering tastes such as almond or chocolate extract. Coat your mouth in the same way (using only a capful) and whatever you eat next will take on the flavor of the extract.
  3. Use a straw. If the flavors you're trying to avoid are in a liquid, use a straw so that you can bypass your tongue. Aim to have it land at the very back of your tongue so that it may go straight down your throat so as to avoid any contact with the taste buds on your tongue.
    • This is same logic can be used with food. Push whatever you're eating to the sides of your mouth and chew alongside your cheek so that the food cannot reach your tongue.
    • Try and keep your head tilted back slightly to encourage your food/drink to leave your tongue quickly and continue down your throat.
  4. Have better food on hand. With food or drink you do not want to taste, try eating it beforehand with food you like and following it with more. Try eating it quickly, but be careful not to choke or hurt yourself. The less time you allow whatever taste you're attempting to avoid to mingle with your taste buds, the less vulnerable you'll be to the unpleasant taste.

Avoiding Repeat Bad Tastes

  1. See a doctor. If you find things are beginning to take on an unpleasant taste, or if food you have enjoyed in the past is no longer desirable, this may be indicative of a larger problem. There's a long list of causes for a lingering bad taste, from the side of effects from over-the-counter medication to use of tobacco products and so on. If you find yourself looking to dull bad tastes often, consider an appointment with a physician.[5]
  2. Start tongue-scraping. A good, well-kept hygiene regimen is crucial to having your taste buds at their best. However, normal brushing and flossing won't always remove every last lingering bacteria which might cause consistent foul tastes. Tongue scrapers are inexpensive and using them is an easy addition to your morning and night routines.[6]
    • Many toothbrushes today include their own tongue scrapers on the reverse side of the brush head. Look for these for an economic option.
  3. Expand your palate. Many unpleasant tastes might be the unfortunate consequence of perception or circumstance. Maybe something you ate or drank prior made something taste poorly, or perhaps whatever you're eating might not have been made as best it could. In any case, don't be afraid to revisit things that have put you off in the past.
    • If there's a particular cuisine you avoid, consider it again at a restaurant you've never patronized. One which is well-recommended online or by friends. Never let one bad experience turn you away from something entirely.
    • If there's a particular dish which you've found middling or inconsistent, try looking up recipes online and learning to cook it yourself. When you cook for yourself you'll have ample opportunity to alter the dish to your taste.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/questions/question/2687/
  2. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12002816
  3. ↑ http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/Food-temperature-affects-taste-reveal-scientists
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.bonappetit.com/trends/article/toques-and-smokes
  5. ↑ http://www.medicinenet.com/bad_taste_in_the_mouth/symptoms.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12028/5-reasons-why-everyone-needs-a-tongue-scraper.html
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