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Science Memes @mander.xyz

fossilesque @mander.xyz

1d ago

cilanto 🌿

39 comments

To me, it tastes like what it was cooked in was never rinsed after washing. So much Thai takeout wasted even after I requested no cilantro.

Oh yes, coriander. Yuck. I was so relieved to discover it was a genetic thing that I was scraping this disgusting weed off my food while everyone else was saying how delicious it was.

If you want to know more about this (because in reality it is a bit more complicated) MinuteFood explains it pretty well in this video.

Pic looks like AI BS
- That's the joke haha.
  
  Ah shit I’m too tired haha

In other words, not liking cilantro is a genetic defect
- People with this mutation are commonly known as super tasters!

Yeah, I'm one of those people. AMA?
It's weird - sometimes I can kinda understand why people love cilantro so much... It's like, I can kinda pick out the "good" flavors in it even though the overwhelming flavor that registers with me is soap. It's a real bummer, because I love food and feel like I'm missing it on some really unique flavor profiles.
It's always awkward having to ask for "no cilantro" in restaurants, and then explaining that it's not an allergy. It just doesn't taste good to me.
- I'm the opposite, overall I like cilantro (to a point, too much cilantro is definitely a thing), but I do detect a little bit of that soapiness that people talk about. Luckily not too much though, it's mostly minty to me.
- Ok, completely irrelevant, but some older and cheaply made chocolates taste like soap, have you ever tasted it?
  
  Nope. I try to avoid cheap chocolate though. Life is too short for that. Lol
  It's hard to describe what cheap chocolate tastes like, but it's day the best description is "waxy"
- Weirdly, I'm similar from the opposite side. I can see how it tastes soapy to people, I kinda detect the soapyness too. But it doesn't ruin it for me, I like cilantro.
  Candied ginger tastes like soap to me though. Fresh or powdered ginger doesn't.
  
  Huh. I have no problem with candied ginger (or fresh) at all. I'm not crazy about it, but it certainly doesn't taste like soap.

Finally got an excuse 😁

Those poor, poor people.
- I am one of those people. An entire burrito can be ruined for me with just a few pieces throughout. I always feel so bad when someone gives me food with cilantro.
  
  That sucks. I just made some enchiladas with diced cilantro stem last night (more flavor in the stem). Don't feel bad, I'm sure they don't mind when they realise it tastes bad to you. Now I'm just sad you don't get to enjoy the true taste of cilantro.
- Must suck to be a such freak of nature that even God turns his head from them.
- I have a mild variant of this. It's funny when it hits you in completely unsuspicious food.
  
  Yeah, it's used in a lot of different cultures' foods. Like it you eat Indian or Vietnamese food, theres a decent chance it could be there, not just Mexican, which is what I think a lot of people think of when cilantro is used in cooking.

Ever been in a public bathroom that has that pink soap. Cilantro tastes like that smells.
- Seriously? Man I feel bad for you.

My partner and I both have this, it's awful.
- It doesn't taste like soap to me, but it's intense. So much so that it ruins an entire meal. If I cut the amount to basically nothing it can be pleasant.
  
  Huh. It's just another herb for me. Not much different than Parsley. No strong opinions about it either way.
  
  That aligns with some things I've heard about flowers. For instance, a flower might contain skatole in its aroma. In very small amounts, it's pleasant. In large amounts, it smells like what it's named for, scat. At a low level, it makes jasmine and orange blossoms better. At a high level, you have a shit smelling stink bomb.
  
  I compare it to the smell of stinkbugs rather than the taste of soap.

It sucks. I love Mexican (texmex here mostly) food and almost all of it is shoved full of cilantro and then I'm just sad. Delicious food, ruined by soap.
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OR6A2
  It's likely linked to OR6A2.
  I had a coworker who had this gene and TAS2R38, the one that makes people taste bitter stronger.
  We ended up on several multi-country business trips together every year. So we were eating all sorts of local cuisine.
  I always tried to sit where I could see her face during any meal. It was comedy gold at times.
  
  I have both, but I also have ADHD and prioritize the novel over the good. I find cilantro and bitter foods to be more interesting, and don't mind them at all.

I have the opposite -- almost all vegetation has a taste and it's quite good.
Basil? Yes. Garlic.. Cabbage Spinach Asparagus Broccoli Carrots! Peppers! Beets!
I just made a huge pot of Borscht last night with beets, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, basil and olive oil - it's going to feed me for days!
Feel bad for the people missing out on how tasty Earth plants are
- I dislike grapefruit and durian. Otherwise, I’ve never met a plant I don’t like.

My father was a farmer for pretty much all of his life (since he could work until he couldn't) and had a crop of cilantro at one time. I never knew nor heard about somebody saying that cilantro tastes like soap, never even imagined it was a thing. It was only until a few years ago when I started to get my nose into Reddit when I read about people saying that.

I would characterize it more like a floral perfume.

39 comments