Adrian Wellock lost his sense of taste after a bad cold. He first noticed a metallic taste in his mouth, and when it disappeared, so did his ability to taste food. He could still smell perfectly, which made it harder to realize that taste was missing. For Adrian, eating now feels like chewing a piece of flavorless rubber — there is no pleasure in food anymore.
To adapt, he chooses foods that spend little time in the mouth, such as salads or rice, because there is no point in chewing for flavor. He also uses herbs and spices to make eating more enjoyable. Adrian explains that spice is not something you taste but something you feel as a burning or tingling sensation. His eating habits have become unusual — for example, putting chili on cereal or mustard on many meals. Even after three years, doctors don’t know why he lost his sense of taste or how to recover it.
Vocabulary:
• flavor (noun): the taste of food or drink.
• rubber (noun): a soft elastic material, like chewing gum.
• metallic (adj): tasting or smelling like metal.
• extract (verb): to take something out or bring it out.
• herb (noun): a plant used for flavoring food.
• spice (noun): a strong plant ingredient that adds heat or flavor.
• tingle (noun): a slight stinging or burning feeling.
• peculiar (adj): strange or unusual.
• pattern (noun): a repeated or regular way of doing things.
• none the wiser (expression): still not understanding or knowing the reason for something.