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The Subjectivity of Taste

An engineer I used to work with told me this...We are a society of people who now rely on information to make our everyday decision. No longer to do we focus on having any knowledge. No more learning from experience or doing it the right way by testing out the wrong way first...nothing. We have everything at our hand the instant we want it, and we just rely on what Joe Schmoe on some internet blog has to say about Product/Technique X and we believe every word of it and spew it out word for word to others, in a vain attempt at looking intelligent! We have no idea if it really is good, or if he's been handed some amount of money to fake it! We can only really reach these decisions by relying on our own instincts and skills, or tastes; and NOT influenced by brand names or flashy labels or attributes that only detract from an honest deduction of truth/quality.

I think that blind tasting has its merits, for sure. Our opinions are just too easily influenced by outside factors other than the direct quality of a certian product, and blind tasting eliminates that factor as best as possible, while also eliminating the fakes who think they are intelligent or special. Yet we, as a society, continue to buy into the bullsh*t that because "they" are "experts", then their opinion is automatically the right one in every sense of the word. This does not apply to everyone, but as a majority, it is an increasing problem. Some will spout off just about anything to fit into a certain genre of the mainstream...
 
B.HOBS said:
An engineer I used to work with told me this...We are a society of people who now rely on information to make our everyday decision. No longer to do we focus on having any knowledge. No more learning from experience or doing it the right way by testing out the wrong way first...nothing. We have everything at our hand the instant we want it, and we just rely on what Joe Schmoe on some internet blog has to say about Product/Technique X and we believe every word of it and spew it out word for word to others, in a vain attempt at looking intelligent! We have no idea if it really is good, or if he's been handed some amount of money to fake it! We can only really reach these decisions by relying on our own instincts and skills, or tastes; and NOT influenced by brand names or flashy labels or attributes that only detract from an honest deduction of truth/quality.

I think that blind tasting has its merits, for sure. Our opinions are just too easily influenced by outside factors other than the direct quality of a certian product, and blind tasting eliminates that factor as best as possible, while also eliminating the fakes who think they are intelligent or special. Yet we, as a society, continue to buy into the bullsh*t that because "they" are "experts", then their opinion is automatically the right one in every sense of the word. This does not apply to everyone, but as a majority, it is an increasing problem. Some will spout off just about anything to fit into a certain genre of the mainstream...
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Aren't you doing the same thing, citing an engineer you used to work with as your expert? :)
 
Well, I really didn't really think that it was a statement that required expertise or that it expressed any critique of a product as in this topic's context. Merely an observation on his part that I felt related well...

But yes - touche, my friend, touche! :laugh:
 
I'd like to try that wine tasting trick on a couple of people that I know to see if the experts can truely be fooled so obviously and easily.
 
There are a few rare people in the world that can discern what they are eating/drinking/smoking to the nth degree. These people are highly coveted and make tons of money in their respective fields. Poor slugs like us think we can taste/smell to that degree, but we are only kidding ourselves. YMMV
 
All I know is that my cigars taste sooo much better when smoked with other BOTLs than alone.
 
tone-ny said:
There are a few rare people in the world that can discern what they are eating/drinking/smoking to the nth degree. These people are highly coveted and make tons of money in their respective fields. Poor slugs like us think we can taste/smell to that degree, but we are only kidding ourselves. YMMV
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True that Anthony! What I do every year before making my major wine purchases is to hit the tasting circuit and try all of my usual favorites current releases. If I don't like it that particular year I simply purchase less but still enough to stay on the mailing list. Then I try new wineries or others that have a buzz about them to see what all the hype is about. If I don't like it, I don't buy it.

Unfortunatley, the experts like Robert Parker and Wine Spectator control many peoples buying habits. It's amazing how many times I've had people bring me a bottle of wine and tell me how good it is ...... then I ask them if "they" like it ...... LOL.


:cool:
 
Strayvector said:
All I know is that my cigars taste sooo much better when smoked with other BOTLs than alone.
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I have found this to be true myself. I don't like hanging out in the backyard smoking alone. I'd much rather be playing poker with my friends or hanging out at a local plaza watching the pretty girls while smoking.
 
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