Taste

I find that my preference for certain food changes from time to time. Growing up in Korea, I grew up eating spicy, fermented products. When I immigrated to the USA, I remember how sick I got when I tasted meat and dairy products for the first time. But this reaction soon changed--I got used to it after a few months and grew to love both of those foods and more. I find the same thing with sweets--as a child, I craved sweets of all kinds. I just could not get enough of it. I agree that Asian sweet is different than American/European sweet. The taste just hits at a different part of the mouth. The same thing goes for Asian mayo vs. American ones. They are different in taste and text. It's interesting how each culture defines a sense--although it is under the same name, the interpretation is different from one place to another.

I grew up in a Chinese American family and there was a BIG difference in what the kids and adults wanted in terms of dessert at most family dinners. The adults preferred the milder "blander" tastes from the Chinese bakeries. I wanted CHOCOLATE and anything that they thought was way too sweet. I just assumed as a kid that it was a adult - child thing. I wouldnt eat what most of my nieces and nephews eat now. However, when I go out with my friends to Chinese restaurants now, we never order dessert. They just dont compare to European inspired desserts. I want a piece of chocolate cake not a couple of slices of oranges and some hot semi sweet soupy tapioca pearl coconut drink. Where's the sugar?