Losing Your Taste

When you get older, you lose your tastes. I'm already in Mom Jeans. A friend of mine said that we are in "that age," kind of like between childhood and adolescence, when we didn't quite know what to wear. There are stores, such as Chico's (this is not an ad), that cater to grown-up women who have not given up (I swear the Mom Jeans look better than the alternative).

My 95-year-old father's done something kind of funny. All by accident. All because he's never been one to notice fashion. He's lost so much weight his clothes don't fit, so he got Saint Ike to take him clothes shopping. (Taking a man on oxygen who's supposed to be in a wheelchair shopping is more difficult than going shopping with six toddlers. He could fall anytime in any direction.) Ike helped him find blue jeans, which are definitely not Mom Jeans. Or Dad Jeans. My father called to report. "You need to see these new jeans. I'm not quite sure what I think of them. They've got pockets and chains and things all over them -- I don't know what anybody needs with all these pockets and things -- I won't remember where I put stuff -- but they fit real good."

My 95-year-old father is wearing Gangsta Jeans. With a belt, though they might just fall down anyway he's so skinny.

So I'm in Mom Jeans and my father is in Gangsta Jeans. That ought to even out into something in the Great Jeans Cosmos.

But that's not the taste I meant to write about. Did you know that as you age you lose your ability to taste? (I don't recommend this link, because it's too depressing.) By age 70 it's possible that you've lost 30 percent of your taste buds. My father has lost his taste for chocolate. Nothing tastes right, and being the kind of guy he is, that means there's something wrong with the food.

His doctor told him that you lose I forget how many of your taste buds as you age, but the sweet ones are the last to go. His doctor said it's not the food that's the problem -- it's his ability to taste.

This may be the cruelest cut of all: outliving your taste buds.

When someone you love can't do the things they love, it's hard. You figure they ought to at least enjoy the little treats you cook up for them, or buy them (as is more likely in my case). But nothing tastes quite right. He asks me to buy him pickles, for instance. He's really into pickles (maybe the salt, which he's not supposed to have?). I bought him the kind Mama bought all those years. He told me there is something wrong with those now, and to get another kind. So I did. Those aren't right either.

He's nice about it, just disappointed. And the candy and goodies people bring him pile up until they topple over into the trash can.

I wonder if we can keep our taste buds tasting away by keeping them constantly stimulated? Like those brain exercises to keep you sharp, only these would be eating exercises? I have to have this brownie. My tongue is in training.

The other thing is that is seems that food tastes really unbalanced. He can't taste the pickles, so I get him stronger pickles. Those don't work because one flavor is shouting out and not balanced by the flavors that can't be tasted. Kind of like going to a symphony and only being able to hear the second violins. Just what kind of music are they playing? The main notes aren't sounding (or rather, can't be heard).

I'll keep buying pickles. He lives on hope, and there are still lots of pickle brands left to try.

Comments

[Lori]

did you try the Wickles?

[joey]

what a great blog