While browsing tasks to do as a group, we happened upon this. In our group of friends, there is quite a bit of discussion and debate about taste - musical taste, taste in people and films, taste in everything. A task based on the examination of literal taste seemed a natural choice. Plus, this kind of forced empathy would be interesting to attempt. The four of us took a while and found three things that each of us loved and the other players hated.

Each of us rated these items on a 1-10 scale of (dis)like. One star is a rating of "Oh my God, oh my God, I am going to throw up make it stop." Ten stars is "THIS IS SO AMAZING I WANT TO EAT IT EVERY DAY."

Star ratings rarely went up or down after extensive discussion, but many of us recognized the merits of each others' descriptions.

Casey loves, and Jonny hates, coffee.

Casey says,
"As the hot, sultry liquid slides onto my tongue, I note the dark, rich flavors of coffee and chocolate. It tastes like the color brown, like the warmth of settling into a well-worn chair. The flavor lingers for a few seconds on the back of my palate and I taste a few sharper, more bitter notes. Mostly, the coffee is dark, warm, comforting. Wonderful! Rating: 8 stars"

Jonny says,
"The stench attacks my nose with its sweaty musk of man-bean. Thankfully this particular coffee has chocolate and whipped cream, so as the initial onslaught of this unquestionably NON-sultry invades my mouth-quarters I get hints of sweetness to mask (albeit poorly) the ashy death that is the dying breath of the coffee beans. The husky, wood-burning taste lingers for what feels like entirely too long on my tongue as I scratch it against my teeth to remove the taint. Rating: 2 stars"

Jonny loves, and Casey hates, bitter tea.

Jonny says,
"The heat ignites my senses! I feel my tongue swelling, my palate feels vapory and grassy. As I exhale I feel the taste move back and up, reaching my nose as it intensifies to its bitterest so I can taste, smell, and feel it bitterly singeing the top of my palate at the same time in one beautiful sigh. Rating: 7 stars"

Casey says,
"As the INCREDIBLY BITTER liquid hits my tongue with the force of a train, it feels as if every one of my taste buds are being smacked around for all they are worth. I involuntarily make a genuine face of disgust. The tea is turning my taste buds upside down and shaking them by their feel to empty their pockets. It tastes like licking a sweaty, diseased foot. It tastes like poison. Like licking the back of a poisonous frog in the depths of a tropical jungle. It tastes like and assault. Rating: 2 stars."

Casey loves, and Alpha hates, Ranch dressing.

Casey says,
"The creamy, smooth sauce slips into my mouth and immediately puts a blissful smile on my face. This magical accompaniment to vegetables is just as delicious on its own. Notes of salt rest gently on my tongue and the taste of this saucy delight brings me back to childhood days of Ranch-drenched carrots, pizza, salad. Ranch is uplifting and fun, a joy to eat. Rating 7 1/2 stars"

Alpha says,
"Looking at this gelatinous, alien creature, every moment I with something could happen to divert attention away so I can dispose of it. As it came closer to eating it, I had to close my eyes. The slime travels down my throat; unable to stop it, I taste and unnatural warmth, a sickening sweetness that tries to ease the horror I am feeling but only adds to it. I though finishing would mean the end, but alas an aftertaste haunts me for what seems like an eternity. Rating: 2 stars."

Alpha loves, and Casey hates, PMS (Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Sausage) Pizza.

Alpha says,
"Pizza is a canvas for artists to work on. Otheer than for the unfortunate name, PMS pizza, it would get 10. This pizza is the renaissance of pizza classic and beautiful. The meat is balanced by the muchrooms, adding texturea nd grace to the pizza. The Masters of beyond can all agree this pizza in the party food of the gods. Rating: 9 stars"

Casey says,
"This is one of the most terrible experiences of my life. My first bite, thankfully, contains merely a trace of the most horrid food imaginable - mushroom. WHO EATS FUNGUS?? WHO DOES THAT?? For science, I decide to just eat a mushroom on its own. Big mistake. It smells like dirt. It tastes like what it is... disgusting fungus. It taste like it grows in fecal matter. Outside of taste, the mushroom's rubbery, burnt texture makes me gag in horror. For full seconds I hold it in my mouth, unable to swallow. Finall I force down the curses object, barely chewed. I have to suspend my gag reflex to do so. So... so awful. Rating: 1 star"

Jenna loves, and Jonny hates, mayonnaise.

Jenna says,
"The mayonnaise is creamy, thick, and slightly tart, It compliments the bland, salty, and starchy taste of french fries perfectly. Yes, and what is that tart little aftertaste that makes mayo so wonderful? Mayo itself has a bland, gelatinous taste, weird to some, but to me it's great. And then there's a sour, tart kick at the end that makes it so memorable. Perfect with french fried. Godlike with asparagus. Mayo. The King of Condiments. Rating: 11 stars"

Jonny says,
"Creamy and oily and disgusting! Seeing a french fry RUINED by this spoiled-milk-based crud! Warm and slippery and pungent. It burns the back of my throat and I want to run away. Rating: -1 star"

Jonny loves, and Jenna hates, hot wings.

Jonny says,
"My whole mouth tingles with heat and joy at the same time, a feeling which stays to long after I'm done. Not spicy enough for my liking, but good enough for now. It burns my lips and tongue with flavor! I am pleased. Rating: 7 stars"

Jenna says,
"The burning like acid in my throat and lips distracts me from the pleasant chicken taste. It tastes good, the chicken and sauce, but after a second, and strong burning follows that makes me flinch in pain and my nose gets runny. I am displeased. Rating: 4 stars"

Alpha loves, and Jonny hates, Hawaiian Punch Slurpee.

Alpha says,
"To start with, Slurpees are in my tom 3 of chilled beverages and Hawaiian punch flavor is the best. It starts with impact of flavor, a citrus watermelon of some sort. The strawberry/cherry fight for dominance over which will rule. The last flavor in this fight is orange who is the true king of the Slurpee. In the end, no lessons are learned but a fun time is had. Rating: 10 stars"

Jonny says,
"MY TEETH HURT! The sweetness overwhelms and the ice melts too fast leaving only the syrup, the terrible, terrible syrup. It's astonishing how something so sweet can leave an almost bitter aftertaste. There is no hint of fruit or punch or Hawaii (all things I love), only sugary-sweet syrup and bitter aftertaste. Rating: 1 star"

Jonny loves, and Alpha hates, red hots.

Jonny says,
"CINNAMON! It warms my tongue as I such on it, as I bite into its outer shell and swish the bits around, spreading the flavor to every corner of my mouth. My saliva becomes a warm and pleasant slurry of hot joy. ORGASMIC! Rating: 11 stars"

Alpha says,
"Red hots and all cinnamon flavored candies ruin that pert of the candy spectrum. I know my hatred runs deep but fortunately for me its outward appearance and lack of smell lill me into a false state of calm. My first attempt, taking the red hots as medicine, bypasses taste, so that was a success. My second attempt was to actually eat the red hots. As I put them in my mouth a slight burn started but nothing I couldn't handle. Confident in my conquering of the red hots I bit into them. HUGE MISTAKE!!! I entered a world of pain, what agony I thought as what level of hell must I be in. Luckily, its aftertaste doesn't last for long. Rating: 2 stars."

Jenna loves, and Casey hates, avocado.

Jenna says,
"Cool, refreshing, just plain delicious. I add a bit of salt to bring forth the magnificent juices. It's squishy, I like to swirl it in my mouth and smash it with my tongue. The taste is subtle to me. Reawakens my taste buds, makes them sing and dance a merry tune. Rating: 8 stars"

Casey says,
"This was the most psychologically difficult food for me to eat. It is not a matter of taste with avocado - it is purely texture. It's green and slimy and alien and disgusting. I closed my eyes and shoved a piece into my mouth. The first thing that hit me was the salt Jenna sprinkled on the alien substance. My teeth sank into the slippery, sickeningly soft mush. The slime slid down my throat, the most disgusting, green, gooey, gross substance I could imagine. Who eats this? How does this even look edible? Gross gross gross. Rating: 1 star"

Casey loves, and Jenna hates, Amaretto.

Casey says,
"Amaretto is my favorite alcohol. The sweet, almond liqueur fills my mouth, tasting slightly of syrup with a sharp, tangy feeling in my throat. The sweetness lingers on my lips, and I lick them for a little extra treat. Its warmth flows down my throat to my stomach where I feel my heart warm with its magic juices. Delicious!"

Jenna says,
"Just the thought of drinking sets butterflies of anxiety fluttering in my tummy. I smell: strong, pungent scent, makes me want to hurl. Syrupy. It touches my lips and there is an instant burning sensation. Smells nutty. A second sip. The strong alcoholic taste, powerful, cruel, and heely. It makes me want to puke. Literally. I literally begin to gag and try to hold back the powerful, extreme sensation to explode with vomit. This wasn't the worst alcohol. Rating: 1 star"

Alpha loves, and Jenna hates, gin and tonics.

Alpha says,
"I love Gin & tonic. Nothing is better than Gin & tonic. To list my top 3 alcoholic drinks would be Gin & tonic, Gin & tonic, Gin & tonic. It tastes like classiness and stars. It is moondust distilled into magic - to say that there is a definitive taste would be slander the craftsmen of this magical elixir. Imported from the far off lands of England, the noble drink, this god amongst lesser liquids, is beyond description. Of what can be said negatively of Gin & tonic, no words have ever been recorded by Man. Rating: 11 stars"

Jenna says,
"I have never tried a gin & tonic. It has little to no odor which melts away my fears. The initial taste is that of tonic water, and then comes the chemical taste. Then the bitterness hits. More and more bitter it becomes. Makjes my lips want to pucker and my tongue contorts, Alcohol tastes linger in my mouth like the stinging that continues after a cut has been made in the flesh! :( Better than Amaretto. Rating: 2 stars"

Jenna loves, and Alpha hates, octopus

Stay tuned for their comments in the next few days!