Taste Mode is legit the only reason I’m not still eating the same three meals on repeat like a broke college kid. Seriously, I flipped into full taste mode last month when I moved to this random suburb outside Atlanta and realized every strip mall here has at least one spot slinging food I can’t even pronounce. Like, I’m sitting here right now in my sweatpants on December 30, 2025, snow flurrying outside my window (Georgia, what even are you?), eating leftover Thai curry that’s so spicy it’s making my nose run, and honestly? I’m obsessed. Wait, it’s actually not snowing hard, just a light dusting, but whatever.
Ube Ice Cream (Purple Yam Ice Cream)
Why I Even Bothered Switching to Taste Mode
Look, I was basic. Embarrassingly basic. My idea of discovering new flavors used to be switching from mild to medium salsa at Chipotle. Then one night I’m doom-scrolling TikTok—don’t judge—and this lady is demolishing durian in a parking lot like it’s the best thing ever. I’m watching, horrified but weirdly curious, and something clicks. I’m 32, stuck in the same food rut since high school, and suddenly I’m like… nah. Time to activate taste mode or whatever. (Side note: durian still scares me, haven’t tried it yet.)
So I did the dumbest thing: walked into the huge Asian supermarket near me with zero plan. Just grabbed random stuff that looked scary. Ended up with a basket full of jackfruit chips, fermented black beans, and something labeled “spicy crayfish flavor” instant noodles. Got home, cooked it all at once because why not, and nearly cried from the smell. But also… kept eating. That’s taste mode, y’all—it’s not always pleasant at first, but you push through.
My Biggest Taste Mode Fails (So You Don’t Repeat Them)
I’ve had some disasters, okay? Full transparency, and yeah I repeated a couple anyway:
- Tried making kimchi fried rice with way too much gochujang. Like, the jar was half gone. My smoke alarm went off, my dog hid under the bed, and I still ate two bowls because taste mode don’t quit.
- Thought natto (those slimy fermented soybeans) would be “fine” on toast for breakfast. Spoiler: it’s like eating stringy snot that smells like old gym socks. I gagged, laughed at myself in the mirror, then chased it with coffee and tried again the next day because apparently I hate myself.
- Ordered “extra authentic” stinky tofu from a food truck. Dude warned me. I didn’t listen. Spent the rest of the night questioning every life choice while my apartment smelled like a dumpster fire.
19+ Thousand Messy Kitchen Cooking Royalty-Free Images, Stock …
[That sauce splatter vibe is exactly what my kitchen looked like after the gochujang incident—total mess, zero regrets.]
But here’s the thing—every single fail taught me something. Like, now I know I love fermented funk in small doses, and spice is my love language. Also, always open windows when experimenting.
How I’m Discovering New Flavors Now Without Dying
These are my actual rules I follow in taste mode these days (mostly):
- Start small. One weird ingredient per grocery run, not ten. (I still break this sometimes.)
- Gas stations and international markets are gold mines. I found lychee gummies and chili-lime plantain chips at a Shell station last week—mind blown.
- Pair the scary new thing with something familiar. Like, put that hot honey on vanilla ice cream instead of straight chugging it (learned that the hard way).
- Document it. I’ve got a notes app full of voice memos like “Dec 15: balut egg—texture 2/10, bravery 10/10.” Haven’t done balut yet, but it’s on the list.
Eater Boston Heatmap Archive | Eater Boston
[Gas station snacks hitting different in taste mode—imagine kimchi chips with a slushie under neon lights, pure America.]
There’s this great article on Serious Eats about training your palate that basically confirmed I’m not totally insane for doing this (check it out here: https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-train-your-palate). And this flavor wheel from the Specialty Coffee Association helped me describe stuff better instead of just saying “it tastes weird” (link: https://sca.coffee/research/coffee-tasters-flavor-wheel). Super useful when you’re rambling to friends about your latest obsession.
Guardian of the Firefly Grove – Unfocussed Photography & Art
(Okay, not exactly fireflies over ice cream, but that whimsical glow? That’s the magic feeling when a new flavor clicks.)
Wrapping This Ramble Up
Anyway, taste mode isn’t about becoming some fancy foodie who only eats artisanal whatever. For me it’s just… not being bored with food anymore. It’s laughing at myself when I hate something, high-fiving myself when I find a new obsession (current fave: anything with msg and lime, fight me). And yeah, sometimes I mess up the portions or buy stuff that’ll sit in my pantry forever, but that’s human, right?
So yeah, if you’re reading this on whatever random day, just grab one thing you’ve never tried next time you’re at the store. Activate your own taste mode. Worst case? You hate it and have a story. Best case? You find your new favorite flavor and wonder how you ever lived without it. (Or you spit it out dramatically like I did with that first natto bite.)