> This raises the question: should those of us
> who are parents be forcing our kids to eat
> foods they do not like? We could, without
> realizing it, have spawned one of these
> "supertasters," and in some cases, wouldn't
> forcing them to "clean their plates" be akin to
> torture?

Yup. Got one of each, myself. My daughter (who takes after my husband), loves all things strong-tasting: hot curry, pickles, seasoned olives, blue cheese, etc. She's seven. How odd is it to have a seven-year old plead for some of those "really smelly olives" in her lunch instead of cookies?

My son, (chip off the old teach), is much more discriminating, and only has five or six things he really likes. He will eat other stuff, but an adventurous eater, he is not. From my childhood experience, I know it's likely he'll expand his horizons, but in the interim, we don't bother fighting it. As long as he sees that other people enjoy things (as his sister and father slurp down Greek salads replete with onions, olives, and chickpeas - shudder), he'll probably try them eventually. As long as a relatively balanced diet is being consumed, I don't worry too much.

Pick your battles has always been a parenting mantra for me :-)

> Gri"and why isn't there a comic book about
> Supertaster yet?"shny

te "It's a bird, it's a plate of saurkraut . . . " ach