Kombucha is a fermented drink that is all the rage in my corner of the world. You can buy several brands in several flavors in our local food coop (e.g., mango, chia, original). My kid has been making her own homemade Kombucha for the past year...making her own yeast producing "mother" and combining it with black tea and other ingredients. At first I was turned off by it's vinegeray after-taste but I'm becoming hooked on its strong and refreshing taste. It's kinda yummy.
Growing up in and around New York I was exposed to a range of foods and tastes. My mother had learned, for example, to make curry dishes from her Indian roomate in graduate school so leftovers were usually "curried" for the next meal (note: I made up the word "curried"). And in the city we ate lots of different things, some of which I liked and some that I didn't care for. But the big point is that not only did I try everything, I learned that over time I might "learn to like it" after repeated attempts.
Individuals with strong taste aversions experience initial dislikes of foods as highly punishing and immediately decide not to eat them ever again. And so, they end up living their food lives within narrow borders, which is really too bad. As kids get older it's important to talk about this and explain that one's "upper brain" can talk to your "lower brain" and force a kind of exposure therapy to disliked foods. And, repeated attempts to eat aversive foods might just produce new results (e.g., "Hey that's kinda good!").
So, when we talk about "accomodation" (versus change) of individuals with sensory aversions it's important not to assume that "going with" is always the best path. First we can try, gently and systematically, to "go against" by introducing aversive sensory stimuli. Exposure to our worst fears is usually a good, not a bad thing. In the end, it helps people to live within greater rather than smaller boundaries.
I'm going for more Kombucha.
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