Men\'s Health Singapore - June 2017

NUTRITION

Ultimately, our flavour choices
come down to a risk-reward
calculation. Despite the risk of
death, we actually come out
ahead if we’re open to certain
quantities of bitterness and
certain types of stench.
Some foods – including kimchi
and my nemesis, natto – are
memorable culinary symphonies
of both bitterness and stink,
and that’s what makes them
especially potent.
“Why don’t people want to
eat food that smells like old gym
socks?” Prof Breslin asks. “I think
that has to do with what you’re
exposed to.” Perhaps my problem
with natto wasn’t natto. Maybe
the problem was me.

HOW TO LOVE FOODS
YOU HATE
While some of your taste
preferences may be genetically
inherited or formed in utero (if
Mum loves kimchi, Baby is more
likely to love it too), you can still
acquire a taste for a new food as
an adult.
“Baby steps,” says Emma
Beckett, a postdoctoral
researcher at the University of
Newcastle School of Medicine
and Public Health in Australia.
“You can’t go straight from a
Big Mac diet to cruciferous
vegetables. But it’s not
impossible for anyone to learn to
like a particular taste.”
At the German Institute of
Human Nutrition, researchers
investigate the ways repulsed
adults can acclimate to strong
flavours. A professor at the
institute, Wolfgang Meyerhof,
walked me through the cultural,
psychological and biological
variables that can sway you. As

KIMCHI EGGS WITH AVOCADO

fWHAT YOU’LL NEED

5 EGGS

1 TSP BUTTER

1 TSP SUNFLOWER

OR CANOLA OIL

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with a splash of water and a

little salt and pepper. In a large pan on medium heat, add the

butter and oil. Heat the kimchi for 30 seconds. Add the eggs and

cook for two to four minutes, until firm. Using a spatula, flip the

entire disk. Cook for around a minute, until set. Plate and top with

avocado, sesame seeds and watercress. Feeds 2.

• 330 calories•18g protein•7g carbohydrate (5g fibre)•27g fat

2 TBSP KIMCHI

1 AVOCADO, THINLY

SLICED SESAME SEEDS

AND WATER-CRESS,

FOR GARNISH

1

2

1 So what the heck is kimchi?
It’s a fermented cabbage
condiment, popular in Korean
kitchens, that’s tangy,
pungent and often spicy.

2 Kimchi reinforces the
flavourful foundation of this
pancake-style, egg-based
breakfast.

1

2

we move through life, flavours

are paired with “post-ingestive

experiences,” Prof Meyerhof says.

Bad experiences (vomiting,

punishment by parents, horrible

dates) can ruin a taste or smell.

Good ones (not vomiting,

encouragement by peers,

amazing dates) can help us

develop a fondness for foods we

once found too bitter or stinky.

The key to success is to

separate “hedonic assessment”

from the “qualitative description

of what is in your mouth,”

Prof Meyerhof says. Set aside

that impulse to love or hate.

Instead, like a scientist, try to

acknowledge what the flavour is.

For help with my own post-

ingestive experiences, I sought

out chef Richard McCormick.

46 JUNE 2017 MENSHEALTH.COM.SG