Taste

[lillibet]

Lately I've been getting frustrated with an attitude that annoys me. For the record: what you like is not good because you enjoy it; what you do not like is not crap because you do not enjoy it. People who don't share your tastes are not morons. There are plenty of categories of things that I believe are objectively good, but do not care for myself--and things that I enjoy immensely, but believe to actually be fairly awful. Finally, is extremely impolite to point at another person's food (or music, or literature, or anything else) and say "Ewww! How can you eat that?!" If you feel that you must make a comment, something along the lines of "I'm surprised you like that--I've never managed to develop a taste for it" is acceptable. So is silence on the subject. Frankly, I don't care if anyone I know likes mushrooms or Jane Austen--all the more for me!

Comments

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Amen.

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

:-) I know, objectively, that my taste in popular music stinks.

Doesn't keep me from liking it.

And yes, criticizing someone else's taste is, well, in bad taste.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

God, I could have written that post! Thank you for doing so.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

something along the lines of "I'm surprised you like that--I've never managed to develop a taste for it" is acceptable

This is only true if you can do so in a manner which you are certain won't be perceived as condescending or dismissive. A light-hearted shudder with a "ooooh, that's not for me!" accompanied by a smile still goes much further in my book than a cool, removed, shrug, "Well, if you can enjoy that sort of trite simplistic dreck, I'm very happy for you."
I think it's all in the delivery, and the delivery all comes from the intent.

Which is not to say that brutal, callous honesty wins out over manners *ever,* but simply that truly good manners come from the heart.

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

Sure--it was the sentiment, rather than the wording that's important there. I've just had/witnessed too many "all stew is gross" conversations lately.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, mushrooms and Jane Austen. :)

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

Dinner and a movie?

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

We should totally do that sometime. :)

[schmoomom.livejournal.com]

Very good phrasing. I wholeheartedly agree. I was once confronted about baby corn (BABY CORN, for goddess' sake) and how on earth can I like them? Actually, I got pretty pissed about it. If someone likes something I don't, I try to find out what it is they like about it, or if it's a food, find out more about the flavor, etc. There are learning opportunities all around us :-)

[scholargipsy.livejournal.com]

While I'd take mushrooms and a Bronte over mushrooms and an Austen (not that there are as many of the latter to choose from), I like 'em both lots. Darling!