Acquired Tastes

tl;dr: Sometimes people aren’t going to like it the first time they try it. That’s fine. You’re not for everyone.

My guess is that pretty much everyone who has tried kombucha didn’t love it the first time they sampled it.

It’s almost universally recognized as an acquired taste.

The same can be said of many things, like Capsaicin hits.

The question is: when someone tells you “try this, but you should know that most people think it’s an acquired taste,” how do you respond?

There are some who won’t even try, out of fear.

Most go in with apprehension, priming their brains to reject the foreign or the new.

Some go in and say “what the heck, I am (most likely) not going to die from this.”

Even people can be “acquired tastes.”

I was introduced to someone a few months ago by a mutual friend. The friend said to the other person,

“you’ll really like Jeremy, but you should know he’s very much an acquired taste.”

At first, I was taken aback. I felt mildly offended as if I somehow was “not ok.”

It still feels weird, but then I began to accept that statement. Not as true or false itself, but the perception.

Now, I’m working on embracing it.

You’re right, I am an acquired taste.

For those who are patient and open-minded and willing to deal with a bit of the unusual taste, like kombucha, it can be a rewarding and refreshing experience.

Others may not like kombucha or me…and that’s ok.

No product is perfect for every customer. No person fits perfectly with every other.

Each of us is an acquired taste in our own ways.

Let’s not worry about those that don’t appreciate it, focus on those that do.