Tasteless Journal (The Time I Lost All Sense Of Taste)

 

I lost all sense of taste, while the Covid tests came up negative, I hear they're not totally accurate. I had the symptoms, including the one I feared the most, I lost my sense of taste. I had read that in most cases the sense of taste returns, however the word "most" lingered in my brain. As you would imagine, a person who reviews candy would need their sense of taste, it made me contemplate this site, and even messed with my other senses. I started to feel a little paranoid and even learned just how much I depend on my sense of smell for so many other things. Below is the journal I decided to keep, just in case this was to be my last post on this blog.

Part 1 the first 7 Days

I have no taste… literally. About 7 days ago I started coming down with the flu. I figured it was the flu (and not Covid) because several days before Allison was very sick with the flu and we checked her for Covid and it was negative. She was just on the upswing of her flu when I started getting symptoms. Then it hit me like a freight train and I was out. About 3 days into my flu I started to lose the ability to smell and taste things. By the 4th day I was completely tasteless.

The flu started to clear up, which was good because we had a flight out of town on a trip. I wasn’t perfect, but I was beyond the stages of being contagious. The one thing that had not recovered however was my ability to taste or smell anything. By this point I was hungry, but unable to enjoy the flavours. It’s been 7 days now and the ability to taste has not really returned. 

It should be understood, I’ve lost my ability to smell and taste only sort of. My tongue still works perfectly, so I can sense sour, sweet, salty and bitter, and spicy. I just don’t get that extra kick that you get with your olfactory senses in your nose. Food flavour is very basic for me, and I’m extremely sensitive to texture. I’ll be honest, while I’m fairly sure it will return, I’m very worried that it might not. As you might imagine, taste is very important for a person who reviews candy. Fortunately I actually have several months worth of reviews lined up, so there is no immediate problem.

Psychologically it is taking a bit of a toll on me. I’m not as interested in eating at all, I’m never really hungry. When Allison and I pick a place to eat, I really don’t care at all. I do think about texture a bit when I choose foods, but there’s no particular type of food that I crave. When I do eat, I feel a little down that I can’t totally enjoy it. 

I have given more thought about texture, and realized even more the collaboration taste and texture have together. Certain textures work well on their own, however some textures need certain flavours to be satisfying. I’ve been a little experimental with texture and discovered the following things:

Pickled jalapeños - Crunchier than I thought, still burns but without the flavour.

Bread - Very satisfying to chew.

Hamburgers - All condiments are for people who can taste, otherwise just makes a hamburger into a squishy gross mess.

Gummies - Not as gross as I thought they would be, still satisfying to chew.

Meat - Tough meat is actually kind of satisfying.

Chips - Very satisfying. 

Ice water - Excellent, my current favourite thing.

Day 8

We went to the mall today and I think my sense of smell might be returning gradually. Extremely smelly places at the mall smelled like something. I’d never been so happy to walk by a Lush store. The smells are still faint enough that it’s hard to identify them, but I smell something. I’m not convinced that it’s real, or if I mentally just want to smell anything again. Every time we walk near something and I think I smell something I ask Allison if it’s real and try to identify it. A few times we’ve walked by stores and I’d turn to her to ask if she smelled anything and I’d see her choking, I’m looking at you Lush.

I think I’m also starting to taste a little too. Most notably I think I can taste my most nasty of burps. I thought I tasted my Wendy’s Bacon Mushroom Melt today, but I’m not sure. In the evening we went for a walk and smelled something kind of like garlic, I turned to Allison and asked if there was a smell and she mentioned that it was a fairly rank garbage smell. So maybe the base smell in rotting food isn’t bad, but the layers on top are not.

I experimented with a few more foods today:

Salty fries - They're better crispy than soft, temperature means less so cold is fine.

Grapes - Less satisfying than before when I could taste them, but not bad.

Day 9

Allison made bacon and eggs this morning, and I think I can smell the bacon. I’m wondering if it’s actually the fat in the air hitting my tastebuds on my tongue or if my olfactory is picking it up. I’m optimistic about it being positive, so the smell feels positive, but when I objectively think about it, this fatty smell isn’t great. 

Went to another mall this afternoon and the smells became more regular. I could only really smell strong odours like perfume shops, but it became somewhat regular. I even managed to smell waffle cones being made at an ice cream shop. I had a chicken Caesar salad for lunch and I could kind of taste the dressing and even the chicken on its own. I also got a slice of cheesecake, I went for key lime as I figured the sourness would work no matter what. It worked and I might have even had a hint of actual lime flavour too.

In general I’m feeling optimistic that I’ll regain my sense of smell and taste, but I really don’t know how long it’s going to take. At one point today we went into a fancy store and they offered us some chocolates to sample. I took the chocolates, but stuffed them discreetly in my bag in hopes of sampling them later when my taste comes back. After all, chocolate is almost completely olfactory in its flavour profile.

In my dreams I was hoping that my sense of smell and taste would just pop back instantly. Like one minute I couldn’t taste anything, then suddenly I’m back to normal. I’m now convinced it’s going to be a slower process. This is going to make it difficult to know when I should go back to writing candy reviews. For now however, the plan is to continue collecting things I want to review in the future. Maybe I’ll feel confident one day and I’ll get back to the reviews.

Day 10

I’ve decided that I’m going to blow my nose several times today, even if I don’t feel the urge. I feel like somewhere in my head there’s a backup, and maybe it will relieve the problem. This morning I had a bun that had no flavour, however I blew my nose and then brushed my teeth and I could taste the mint. I’m not sure if the bun is just not as flavourful, but I figure it can’t hurt to clear things out of the sinuses anyways.

As the day went on, things are starting to get better. I ate a Big Mac and I could taste the sauce. I actually ate two hamburgers and I finally felt like flavour was more important than texture. The sauce didn’t just make my food wet, it gave it flavour. I also ate a few chocolate treats and could tell the difference between the hazelnut nut flavoured chocolate and the regular milk chocolate.

I can safely say that my sense of flavour has returned, but it’s not at 100%. I can now enjoy food again, but I don’t feel comfortable writing reviews again. I feel like the flavour details are still missing. This makes me wonder about my tasting skills before. I know that I’ve been writing about food for many years, and I would always try and get as much information about flavour at every bite, but maybe the reason I enjoy doing this is because I have an ability to taste that is heightened.

I don’t feel like my entire ability to break down ingredients, or to find out why a candy is good or not is back yet. At this point it feels like chocolate and other flavours are just good to me. I’m not sure I could pick out better or worse chocolate, or tell the difference between Kit Kat bars manufactured in different countries. While I’m now much more optimistic, I’m not back to normal yet.

Day 11

Today I find that I’m drifting between tasting things and not. I find that when I first bite into something with a fairly strong flavour I taste it, but after a few bites my taste buds either fail, or I lose interest. I’m not sure if this is psychological or my olfactory is having some kind of endurance problems. I feel like it’s an improvement, but I’m not sure.

I really discovered during this entire ordeal how much I use smell all the time. Most notably I can’t really seem to keep flavours/smells long enough to analyze them in my brain. I just get a whiff and that’s it. I don’t know if other people break down flavours to their components like I do, but considering the reaction I’m getting the answer is no. People seem to think if I can basically taste things that’s good enough.

I’m also finding it odd when I walk around. I feel like I use smell often as a sense of direction and placing things around me. I not only smell food, but flowers, machinery and sometimes people (not really in the creepy way). I find that I can predict things that I might be approaching with smell, and right now it’s not really working. Again, I’m not sure if others do this, in fact I wasn’t even really aware that I did it until losing this sense. 

I’m still blowing my nose more regularly in hopes that it’s helping with clearing this up. While I hope this gets back to normal, I wonder if I’m going to be more cognisant of it in the future because of this.

Day 12

I'm still rejoicing when I taste something, and annoying Allison in the process. I really think that I rely on my sense of smell more than most people. I'm not at 100%, but I feel like it's coming back. The slight whiffs of smell are staying a bit longer, and the bites of food are pleasurable again. Each day it's getting better, and now it's only waiting for the flavours to come back enough that I feel confident that I can review candy again.

Epilogue

After day 12 I stopped writing in the journal, at about day 15 or 16 I felt confident enough that my sense of taste was back, I still waited a few weeks to write a review, and at that point I was able to pick out small details of flavour. I admit that I was afraid, but more than that I was sad and a little confused. Losing my sense of taste made me feel a lot less excited about food, and also made me less interested in eating. It actually became slightly dangerous at one point as I just didn't have an appetite and didn't eat as much as I should have (almost passed out 3 times). 

I also felt confused because I didn't realise how much I use my sense of smell to navigate me through my day to day. I became lost with only my sense of sight to guide me, and it turns out my sense of sight is not that reliable.

In hindsight I'm not sure if we had Covid, and just didn't test positive, but fortunately we took precautions anyways and didn't leave the house until after our initial symptoms were gone. For those of you out there feeling Covid in the long term, and those who fall on the bad side of "sense of taste returns to most", I feel for you.

CC

Best Variety - Lay's

All this month we've been looking  at treats  that offer huge varieties.  These varieties are all about taking the original treat, often a classic, and changing it slightly, or dramatically, to create something similar but with a twist.  So far we've covered, M&Ms, Kit Kat, Pocky, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, for our last installment we're going a little bit out of the box, in fact we're heading into a bag, a bag of Lay's Chips.

This installment might be a bit of a cheat, for two reasons.  First of all many people get on my case for reviewing chips on a site called Candy Critic, I have no honest justification for this, but I won't change it either.  Secondly, almost all of the varieties of Lay's chips has something to do with geography. Almost all of these chips are flavoured with common spices and flavours found in the  countries where they are sold.  There is one exception to this  rule, and that's Canada (my home and native land). This is because of a strange history that Canada has with potato chip flavours.

Canadians are very proud of the fact that we're crazy about crazy flavours of chips.  Most countries, as I said above, are tolerant of flavours, but only if they're based on common savory foods that they enjoy.  Canada on the other hand makes chip flavours for just about anything, and it doesn't even have to be savory.  While a few of these flavours do disappear and are only really gimmicks, several "strange" flavours have stuck around, and one in particular, Dill Pickle, remains a classic popular flavour in Canada today.

This might be why I appreciate tasting local chip flavours whenever I'm traveling.  From Spanish "Sabor Jamon Presunto", to Asia Nori Seaweed, to Pakistani street food, there are so many local flavours that can be found spicing potato chips.   Lay's is probably the largest maker of potato chips in the world, and I've seen their logo in just about every country I've ever visited.  While they always have a simple salt variety, there's inevitably a few other flavours worth trying as well.

I've tried 14 different flavour of Lay's potato chips, and the  diversity is pretty amazing.  The strangest flavour would have to be Cinnamon Bun, out of Canada.  Some flavours however are common in many countries.  Cheese, Onion, and Vinegar are very common flavours used in chips.  In just about every place I've visited there is one variety that will contain at least one of these three ingredients.  One of the other interesting features of chip varieties is the heat, or spiciness of the chips.  As you might imagine, in many Asian countries like India or Pakistan, the flavours are often very spicy, while in places like Greece or France it's more about subtle herbs.

The variety of Lay's chips available around the world are a great example of cuisines from around the world.  While being a simple snack, chips reflect a culture a lot more than most people would  think about.  This is likely because the potato gives you a blank canvas where you can add just about any flavour you'd like.  They can even be really strange flavours, like I find at home.

CC

Best Variety - M&Ms

All this month we're looking at some different treats that offer interesting variations.  Last week we looked at Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, and before that we looked at Pocky and Kit Kats.  Today we're looking at a fairly unique treat, that's been around so long we might forget how unique it is, M&Ms.  Unfortunately M&Ms are a copycat candy, they likely were inspired by the British Smarties.  Smarties are a candy coated chocolate that was created several years before the M&M.  The real difference in the two candies is the choice of colours (although with custom M&Ms this might not be true), thickness of the shell, and in some cases the flavour.  M&Ms have also branched out a lot more than Smarties.

Smarties have really only come out with one variety, and that's putting their popular candy into a chocolate bar.  M&Ms on the other hand have branched out a great deal.  M&M's might also be considered one of the first candy companies to produce a variation.  M&Ms peanut came out in 1954, just under 15 years after the original "plain" M&Ms came out.  This variety proved to be very popular, and today is considered just as original as the milk chocolate filled variety.  While M&Ms diversified fairly early on, they didn't get extremely experimental till much more recently.

In the last 15 or 20 years there has been a renaissance in the M&Ms variety world.  It started with adding a few different nuts to the center, and has expanded ever since. Similar to the Kit Kat, M&Ms have two different kinds of variations, long term and limited edition.  Since starting out with variations M&Ms have introduced a few varieties that have stuck around.  Peanut butter, Almond, and crispy M&Ms are still around, and are likely not going anywhere soon.  There have also been a few varieties that are limited edition, and many that seem to be tied in with movies.  Some of  these movie tie-ins make sense, like Ogre sized M&Ms that tie in with the movie Shrek.  However a few of the limited edition movie tie-ins are not so clear, like Peanut Butter and Jam M&Ms tied in with Transformers, and mint crisp M&Ms tied in with Indian Jones.

So far I've tasted 11 different variety of M&Ms, and the one thing I can say about almost all of them is that they've never really deviated from their original format.  With some of the other treats I've discussed in this series there have been some variety that are almost so different that you might have a hard time saying they're a variant as opposed to being a completely different treat all together.  M&Ms variants seem to stick to the format, a small candy coated candy, often with chocolate involved.  With this limitation, it's surprising not only the number of variations, but in the diversity of each of these variations.  There are different textures and flavours in most of these treats, and you'd likely have no problem telling them apart in a blind taste test.

In fact that would be really fun.  Take a bag of every variety of M&M ever made and put them in one bowl.  Then spend the night randomly picking out M&Ms and guessing what variety they are.

CC

Best Variety - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Every week this month we're featuring treats that have special varieties.  The last two weeks we've looked at Kit Kat and Pocky.  While Kit Kat is a western candy bar, invented in England, and very popular all over the world, most of its varieties have come out of Asia.  Pocky, is truly an Asian creation and has only come to North America recently, and in limited flavours.  This week's candy on the other hand is truly an a North American treat, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  In fact all of the varieties of this treat have been released in North America, and few have ever left.

For those in North America the Peanut Butter Cup is a real classic, but outside of North America it's really a niche treat. In most countries, if you can find Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, you'll find them in airports and candy specialty shops.  The reason they're not so popular all over the world? Peanut butter.  Peanut butter is a very divisive product, some cultures love it, many can't stand it. For those cultures that can't stand it, combining it with chocolate is about the silliest thing in the world. I've been told "why would you put peanut butter with chocolate, it just ruins the chocolate".

Because of this, the variations  in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are all North American.  In fact, I can't say that I've ever seen a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup variation that isn't strictly American.  The varieties of this bar are a clear indication of that.  For the most part, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup varieties are based in changing up the size or ratio of the chocolate and peanut butter in the cup.  Some have more peanut butter, some have less, some are huge, some are tiny.  There's also the variety of the size of the peanut pieces in these cups.  Some of the peanut butter is smooth, some is chunky, and there's even a few with full peanuts inside. The other common difference is shape of the cup.  In some cases we can't really call them cups, but instead you have chocolate bunnies or bells filled with the same peanut butter you'd find in the classic cups.

I would say that there's only been one slightly "out there" Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ever made, and that's the special edition Elvis commemorative peanut butter and banana cream cup.  Other than that most of the cups have simply been playing around with the same ingredients.  It's not to say that these variations are any less than Kit Kat or Pocky, there's just a different take on change.

Of the approximately 18 Reese's Peanut Butter Cup variations I've tried, I've been really impressed with many of them.  This is because Reese's makes something good, and they stick to it.  Some might say that this is a prime example of American cuisine next to Asian cuisine.  America takes what they know and stick to it because it's what they like.  Asian cuisine likes to challenge itself, and often they go too far.  It's not better or worse, it's just different.

CC

Best Variety - Pocky

Each week we're looking at some candies that have spawned many variations.  Last week we  looked at Kit Kat bars, this week we're looking at Japanese classic that's gone nuts with the varieties, Pocky.  Most people consider Pocky to be a fairly new candy on the shelves, however Pocky started in Japan in 1966.  These cookie sticks dipped in chocolate are as tasty as they are simple, but that doesn't mean they can't be complicated.

For most North Americans the classic Pocky with vanilla cookie center dipped in milk chocolate is about all you have.  Step outside of North America and this changes dramatically.  In many Asian countries Pocky varieties are vast, and if you include Pocky's salty cousin Pretz, then it's even more enormous.  It's strange to have such variety with a candy that is so simple, however this might prove the idea that the simplest of treats have the most potential for variation.

As of the writing of this article I've sampled 8 different varieties of Pocky, and two varieties of Pretz.  This is a small sampling of the varieties available, but since I've only visited (or lived  briefly) in countries that specialize in Pocky variety, it's difficult to sample every flavour.  This is true because while Kit Kat seems to focus their varieties in Japan, Pocky has expanded to other Asian countries.  Places like Thailand and China have their own flavours that are exclusive to these places.  Pocky has also had fewer "strange" flavours, and instead seem to focus on simple flavour combinations.

Probably the strangest Pocky flavour that I've ever seen is Pocky for Men.  This flavour is simple in design, dark chocolate with vanilla cookie sticks, but the idea of marketing it as a candy for men is strange, particularly from a North American standpoint.  Most of the other flavours I've sampled or seen are just cookie sticks, either vanilla or chocolate, with some kind of flavoured icing, instead of chocolate.  A few have broken bits of things, such as cookies, glued onto the sticks with the various flavours of icing.  These are generally considered the higher end of Pocky treats, and are marketed as such.

Pretz, also made by Glico, maker of the Pocky, is a salty version with a similar concept.  These are often flavoured with savory spices instead  of sweet. I'm assuming that the word "Pretz" is a play on the word "pretzel". These don't have the variety that I've seen in Pocky, or the following, but are still fairly popular.  These, much like Pocky, also don't come in many "strange" flavours.  Most of them are based on popular savory spice and food combinations.

I'm not certain that  we'll ever see the variety of Pocky in North America that there is in Asia, particularly since Pocky is a fairly new treat in these areas.  In some cases you can find varieties of Pocky at specialty stores, and I've even seen Pretz at grocery stores. I just don't know if they'll ever become a classic treat, like they are in Asia.

CC
 

Best Variety - Kit Kat

All this month we're going to look  at candy varieties. Varieties happen when candy companies decide to change their classic bars with alternative flavours and textures.  Some of these variations are very complicated, while others are very simple.  Sometimes the change to the bar is more about texture, but most of the time it's about a change of flavour.  This kind of change doesn't alter  the  original  treat, instead it's about releasing a second treat with a slight variation.  Sometimes these variations stick, but most often they're temporary.

For our first installment we're going to look at the Kit Kat Bar.  This  is probably the most famous variation bar in the world right now.  This is not only because this bar is known  in almost every country in the world, but also because they've released so many different varieties.  Japan is probably the center of the variation craze for Kit Kat right now.  In Japan they release a new special edition Kit Kat flavour monthly, and to this date they've released  dozens, maybe even hundreds of flavours so far.

Interestingly though,  Japan wasn't the  first place to start this trend.  Kit Kat varieties started  in the UK and Canada first.  Simple variations included the Kit Kat Chunky (1999) and Kit Kat Orange (1996).  Both of these variations have remained very popular since their release. Japan can however be credited with creating the most, as well as the strangest, flavour variations.

As of writing the review, I've sampled approximately 26 different varieties of  Kit Kat.  Some were fairly basic, like Kit Kat Chunky, Kit Kat Dark, and Kit Kat Caramel.  Some were a little stranger like Kit Kat Mango Pudding, Kit Kat Apple Vinegar, and Kit Kat Azuki (red bean).  More interesting is how some of these varieties are presented.  With some flavours you get the standard small Kit Kat 4 or 2 fingers, however a few of the varieties come in the Kit Kat Chunky style.

This says a lot about one particular variety of Kit Kat, the Chunky.  This is probably the most successful of any Kit Kat variety, in fact the Chunky might be the most successful of any variety ever.  This bar came out in 1999 and has been with us since, and this bar has spawned varieties itself. While I'm sure the Kit Kat Chunky is not outselling the classic Kit Kat, it's safe to say that at this point the Kit Kat Chunky has turned into a classic unto itself.  This is a very rare case where a variation on a bar has become so successful.

I'm sure at some point Kit Kat will give up on their massive collection of variations, until then I'm willing to  try and them all, but I'm pretty sure that none of them will ever outsell the  original.  Hopefully the only variety to make it out of this trend will be the Kit Kat Chunky, and the rest will be bars that we'll look back on with fond memories.

CC

Bad Candy Ideas? - Part 5 - Banana Candy... All of it

Everyday this week I'm posting about one of the worst ideas in the candy world that I've ever come across.  Of all of the candy flavours in the world, I would have to say that the one I hate most is fake banana.  Watermelon comes a close second, but I've had a few treats in my time that were watermelon flavoured that kind of worked.  Banana on the other hand is pretty much batting zero.  It's not that I haven't tried to change this, at every oportunity I sample new banana flavoured treats, but inevetiably I'm disapointed.

The biggest problem I have with "banana" flavoured treats is the fact that they never taste like a real banana.  Banana's have a smooth creamy sweet flavour, but for some reason every candy company seems to give banana candies a strong perfumy flavour.  Have you ever eaten a banana candy right after eating a real banana, they're nothing alike at all.  One could argue that many flavours don't match their original fruit counterpart, but for some reason fake banana just doesn't work for me.  I can't ever remember liking this horrible flavour, and I think it may stay that way for ever.  Unless someone can match the true flavour of banana, but I'm not sure it's possible.

Click here to read about one bad banana candy.

CC

Bad Candy Ideas? - Part 4 - Fish Flavoured Anything

Everyday this week I'm posting about one of the worst ideas in the candy world that I've ever come across.  When it comes to salty snacks, I consider myself to have a pretty wide pallet as far as what I like.  I'm not a huge fan of spicy things, but generally I enjoy the taste, but not the burning sensation.  The one exception to this is anything that tastes like fish.  From prawn crackers to fish flavoured potato chips, I have never had a fish snack that I've enjoyed.

I think the biggest problem with fish flavoured treats is the fact that fish itself is a very subtle flavour.  Often when you're eating a strong flavoured fish, it's gone bad.  Fish flavoured snacks are always really strongly flavoured in order to compete with the potato, peanut, or cracker that it's flavouring.  So every time I bite into a fish themed snack it feels like I'm eating rotten fish.  I'm not saying that a fish flavoured snack is impossible, it just takes a great deal of care with flavour balance to get it right, and I don't think anyone has accomplished this yet.

Click here to read about one such horrible fish treat.

CC