I came out as a 'normal taster' but the test was odd - if I go to the kind of restaurant I prefer ( small , not overly decorated) , I am probably paying money - and I want to trust the chef. But if I am going to a bigger/more chain or volumetric food place - I tend to be pickier. I taste the bitter in most things, but I like it- however that is how I decide good coffee from bad - good coffee should hint at bitterness, but not over whelm it. and though I occasionally eat olives, they are not my favorite

tonight's dinner

shrimp and asparagus tossed over pasta with lemon butter and fresh tomatoes. I think I'll find some basil too

I'm working with a bad translation. Anyone have an idea for an expression that would convey "human clearings" in the sense of getting the homeless off the street?

Except for beer. Beer is ooky, and I don't understand why people drink it.

In heaven there is no beer. That's why we drink it here.

Then blow them out and splash everybody with hot scalding soup!

Soup goes in people's hair. Be sure to splash some there.

I've heard the term round-up or running out of town, but (duh) usually in a perjorative sense. Um...

It's okay if it's perjorative, it's in a literary text about a government official whose job is to clear the streets. No, not Giuliani.

I was actually thinking you might look for articles about Giuliani and see how they put it. Round-up of the homeless? Edit: Der, no wonder that sounded familiar! It's from sarameg's post!

These activists use "street sweeps."

The only problem is that round-up is used a few lines down for another word. And I'm looking for something that would convey the clearing of the streets, rather than what is happening to the people. If that makes sense.

Here's a recent article on displacement: [link]

That seems to be the term most used, though I think that's conflating people displaced by construction, etc., and the systematic jailing and/or relocation of the homeless during an event.

Dinner tonight: savory, hearty beef stew.

I stand with the supertasters in the "you really think that tastes good?" corner. I'm put off by almost all the foods mentioned. I can eat grapefruit if I smother it in sugar and ignore the burning pain in my jaws until they finally lock up and refuse to swallow anymore. Green olives give me the locked-jaw reaction if I eat too many, but perversely I like them. Coffee and green tea, I can drink if I cover the taste with another flavor. Beer, a bad idea for many reasons. Vegetables, nearly all too bitter without butter or cheese or a flavorful sauce to drown them in. Mouthfeel issues kick in with things that are squirty/juicy and also have a crumbly or crunchy texture - like the insides of those little tomatoes, eeeyugh

That test was odd. Eating in restaurants isn't the best way to test my relationship with food. Papillae test - mine are totally visible without the blue food dye.

I'd really like to be food-adventurous and enjoy lots of exotic new foods, but it rarely turns out well. I end up either sick or hungry.

Those who think every dish needs "a little heat" and dump peppers in everything! Damn it

Oh yeah. That, and people who think that everything needs "a little crunch!" Tuna should not crunch, damn it, I wish the lunchmakers of the world would stop putting big hunks of celery in it.

Allyson, don't worry about "expectations"! Nobody has any goals you're expected to meet - everyone's just pushing options, excited to see how far you and your bouncing baby book can go. No matter what happens from here, it'll still be awesome. Because you're published!

Jilli, tell eBay to search for your lipstick every day for you! I've found so many things I thought I'd never find that way. They just show up in your inbox; "here, here are the boots you wanted six months ago and couldn't find!"