This food personality test is disgusting

That’s the (slightly misguided) point                   [View on web]( The Food Disgust Test's lack of context just makes it annoying Discourse fodder. | Shutterstock Welcome to Eater’s Weekend Special, an inside look at what our staff was buzzing about this week It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single person with access to the internet must be in want of a random test through which they can determine their personality. We have Myers-Briggs and love languages and the zodiac. But now, a new player has emerged across some strains of social media. Welcome, [Food Disgust Test](. The Food Disgust Test, supposedly developed by Christina Hartmann and Michael Siegrist at the Technical University of Zurich, promises to map out eight distinct categories of “food disgust,” so that we might learn more about individual triggers. Now, all over my Twitter feed, people are posting random percentages and graphs that apparently say they’re more easily disgusted by vegetables than moldy marmalade. The problem, as with basically every internet test, is the 32-question quiz leaves out a lot of context. For instance, it asks whether blue cheese is part of one’s diet, without asking if someone may be vegan or lactose intolerant. Or it asks you to agree or disagree with the statement, “Seeing a hair in my soup does not really bother me,” without clarifying whether this might be your own hair in soup you cooked for yourself, or at a restaurant. Taking the test, I found myself arguing with it more than anything. Seeing the statement, “I do not eat potatoes or carrots whose skin has shrunk a bit from aging,” I thought I wouldn’t eat the carrot raw, but it’s still perfectly fine to roast or eat in soup. Same with bananas covered in brown spots — not good for eating plain, perfect for banana bread. Bendy cucumbers could be crisped in cold water, [or stir-fried](. And moldy bread might not be a matter of individual disgust [but one of basic food safety](. The test itself says that, while it’s based on a clinically used Food Sensitivity Test, the online version is for educational and entertainment purposes. But removed from a clinical setting, where one might be trying to address specific sensory issues or anxieties, the test is just annoying Discourse fodder. I should have known better than to think a viral quiz would prompt nuanced conversation. It’s found on IDRlabs.com, which hosts such other academically rigorous tests as the “Drama Test,” the Kinsey Scale Test, and the “Hot/Crazy Test.” It’s the equivalent of [those Sparks quizzes]( you’d take late at night to figure out how much of a “slut” you were. It’s giving putting “59% pure >:-)” in your AIM profile. Maybe you hate the idea of brown avocados or soiled utensils, or maybe you have no problem scraping the mold off a piece of cheese. Sometimes it’s interesting to think about why. But please, do not make this your whole personality. I’d much rather know how hot/crazy you are. — Jaya Saxena Your weekend reading: - [A new generation of cookbooks]( may teach us to use up all those soft carrots and waste less food. - Eric Kim says you should “[live life on the edge of the menu](” to get the best meal. - If you’re disgusted by raw shrimp, [perhaps a shrimp burger]( could be a gateway. If you like this email, please forward it to a friend. If you aren't signed up for this newsletter, you can [do so right here](.   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=today). View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 11, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.