Well, I am. I have synesthesia. It's not a serious or debilitating condition for me fortunately, just a little quirk I have to deal with occasionally.
Synesthesia is a condition where your senses get a little mixed up. Music might cause a person to see colors. With me, certain textures cause me to experience taste. Yep, touch and taste get a little mixed up.
I don't taste everything I touch. Usually rough surfaces provoke the response. Sandpaper has a range of tastes. Rough sandpaper tastes different than relatively smooth sand paper. Cardboard nail files are the worst tasting thing I have ever touched...they get me a little nauseous (it tastes extremely bitter). Tools with rubber handles frequently provoke a taste response. So do car tires, especially if I run my fingers over the tread. My cell phone case tastes rather pleasant fortunately! Fortunately most everyday objects do not provoke a taste (or it could be that I am used to them).
Estimates are that a few percent of the population experiences some form of synesthesia. Anyone else here ever get their senses mixed up?
You must have been on the road, hale.
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I can't imagine tasting things I touch. What does touching tires taste like? Ever since I was a kid, I've liked the smell of new tires. The old Mid West Auto Stores stunk of new tires.
ReplyDeleteI was traveling at that time (Photonics West). Looks like at least one other person experiences a form of it as well.
ReplyDeleteTire tread is kind of salty. Fortunately, I don't taste most things I touch...that would be really distracting!
Oh man... I'm thinking Gourmet cook for folks afflicted. Each course comes with a different texture napkin. Rough muslin, fine silk, raspy paper, and a nice cloth for nuances of taste. The crystal goblets would be hand cut with different textures on their sides, and maybe even special silverware for each course.
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