By Chris Cosci

When somebody really enjoys a particular type of food, they always ask you to try it. Occasionally, you try this new delicacy only to feel like you just ate one of the most inedible items on the face of the planet. Every time this happens, you always get the same response: "it's an acquired taste."

Why does anything have to be an acquired taste? It didn't take me months to develop a liking for ice cream. I didn't spend years refining my palate to enjoy pasta. I didn't have to train my taste buds to fully appreciate the savory essence of chocolate cake. I enjoyed these foods from the start - no acquirement necessary.

In fact, there are lots of foods that I have always enjoyed eating. And I am always willing to try new foods, often discovering something else I enjoy. Once in a while, I come across something I don't like. In those cases, I do something completely radical: I stop eating it. For example, I don't like feta cheese. I have tried it a couple of times, and every time I find myself dissatisfied with the taste. Now, I just don't eat it.

But people who love feta cheese will try to convince me how great it is. "How can you not like feta cheese? It tastes so good in an omelet or on a salad. You know what you should do - try eating it in small doses. Mix it in with other foods you like, and it will blend right in." No, it doesn't. When I put feta cheese in my mouth, my taste buds send a signal to my brain that says, "hey - how many time do we have to tell you this stuff is repugnant?"

I don't feel like I need to trick myself into eating something my body has already decided it doesn't like. I do not need feta cheese to survive. No doctor ever told me, "you'd be in much better shape if you just ate more feta cheese." If I was trapped on a deserted island and the only thing to eat on the entire island was a fifty-pound block of feta cheese, maybe I'd consider acquiring a taste. But while I still have the options of cheddar, mozzarella and muenster, I'm going to stick with those.

One food that people frequently claim you need to acquire a taste for is caviar. Very few people try caviar for the first time and say, "wow, this is the most delicious stuff I've ever had - I must have more!" More often, the reaction is along the lines of "it tastes kind of fishy" or "I think I'm going to be sick."

Caviar enthusiasts will talk about how wonderful caviar is, and how easily you can develop a taste for it. The question is, why should I do this? I have already decided I don't like the taste - can't I just stop there? What do I gain by acquiring a taste? Does this make me a better person?

Perhaps people feel that by acquiring a taste for caviar, they reach a certain status level. They are now among the elite group of people who have put forth the effort into properly enjoying caviar. They will be admired and surrounded with stares that say, "you like caviar? You must be important." It seems like there are some people who value your cultural status by the cost of your food.

Look, I don't mind spending a little bit extra for a high-quality meal and I can appreciate the taste of a well-prepared filet mignon. I also know that Burger King isn't what you would call haute cuisine. But does the fact that I enjoy the occasional fast-food burger make me less cultured? I don't think so. And if you tell me I just need to acquire a taste for fancier foods, you can just keep your caviar and pass me the ketchup for my fries.