Okay, let me tell you how this crazy idea for today’s post even started. Sitting around yesterday, watching some zombie movie marathon, right? And this character just casually asks, “Wonder what humans actually taste like?” Boom. Weird thought pops into my head. Like, seriously, what would we taste like? Not literally eating people, obviously, but from a pure science angle? My brain wouldn’t let it go.
Getting Real Weird In The Kitchen
So, fueled by way too much coffee and pure curiosity, I raided my kitchen. Started pulling out stuff that seemed vaguely… human-adjacent. Sounds nuts, I know. Grabbed some chicken breast (figured it’s meat, kinda similar tissue?), beef liver (rich in iron, like blood?), and then just stared at my veggies feeling lost. Ended up throwing random things together:
- Attempt #1: The Raw Chicken Experiment. Plopped a piece of chicken straight onto my tongue. Yeah, I know, food safety lecture coming later. Tasted… well, like cold, wet chicken. Not bloody, not metallic. Just bland and kinda weird. So much for that theory.
- Attempt #2: Liver Surprise. Cooked up the beef liver quick. Took a tiny bite. Whoa. Intense. Metallic, sure, coppery even, but also super minerally. Felt stronger than I imagine a little blood taste would be. Wasn’t horrible, but definitely not “human.” Just tasted like iron overload.
- Attempt #3: Feeling Lost & Grabbing Jelly. Seriously. Reached for a spoonful of strawberry jelly. It hit me then. What we taste isn’t just the thing itself, right? Brain does a lot of work. So I kinda just sat there, licking jelly off the spoon, realizing my tastebuds weren’t getting me anywhere close to an answer.
Hitting The Books… Well, The Internet
Alright, kitchen antics failed spectacularly. Time for the real deal. Started digging. Read articles, scientific papers (the bits I could understand, anyway), forums… even some weird anthropology stuff. Slowly, things clicked. Not about tasting actual flesh, but about the perception and the idea.
Secret #1: Blood Isn’t the Flavor King.
Turns out, everyone thinks blood must taste super strong and coppery. But that strong taste? Probably from the iron in the liver, not just blood. Actual blood – like the liquid – has iron too, but in smaller amounts than I thought. It’s salty and a little metallic, but less intense than my liver experience. Our brains might amplify that “blood taste” because it’s tied to survival.
Secret #2: Our Brains Are Sneaky Chefs.
This blew my mind. My jelly moment actually touched on something. Scientists hook people up to brain scanners and show them pictures of food. If they think something is supposed to taste disgusting (like labeled “primate meat”), their brain screams “DISGUST!” even if it tastes neutral. The expectation changes the flavor completely. It’s not just the tongue; it’s the whole head show.
Secret #3: Fat & Muscle – The Basic Setup.
Zooming down to pure biology. Humans, as mammals, are basically muscle tissue (like lean meat) plus fat deposits, surrounded by skin. Stripped of the psychology, the core physical components would taste similar to other mammals: relatively mild muscle with varying levels of fatty richness. That’s boring science talking, not me advocating anything! But it makes sense biologically.
Wrapping Up My Weird Wednesday
So yeah, didn’t literally lick my arm to find out (smart move). Went from failing with raw chicken and liver to finally understanding it’s a super layered question. The pure biological taste would probably be mild and fatty. But the real flavor bomb? It’s in our heads. Fear, expectation, culture – they’re the secret ingredients that make the idea taste like anything from nothing to pure horror. Science is wild, man. And my stomach is officially done with experimental eating for the week.