Do you picture what you're reading?

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by ekbell

As far as I can tell I don't taste bitter more acutely but rather have the ability to taste a bitter that most can't. My amateur google-fu indicates that there is a wide variability in 'bitter taste receptor genes'.

Similar with the sense of smell, I guess. I have a good sense of smell, but I can't smell the blue spruce at the front of our property. That is, I can faintly smell it when I crush its needles under my nose, but to other people it's just as strong as you would expect it to be.

I can smell other blue spruces normally, as well as plenty of other conifers, just not that particular tree.

As for bitter, I enjoy the bitterness of coffee and beer, but not anything seriously bitter that puts a clamp on the back of the tongue.

[Sirtel]

I can't consume bitter anything and never have. I drink my coffee with a large amount of milk and never dark roast, only medium. And I can't drink any alcoholic beverages at all. Even the mildest of them is too bitter for me, so I'm a teetotaller not by principle, but purely by preference.

OTOH I'm not a big fan of sweet either. I do eat moderate amounts of chocolate (milk chocolate only), but not cakes or desserts, and very rarely icecream. I don't put any sugar in my coffee. In fact, I don't even keep any sugar in my home.

[BanditoB]

I just stumbled on this thread and thought that I’d add my experience.

When I read, I become fully immersed in what is happening in the story. I see the environment, the characters, everything. As a matter of fact, if someone interrupts me, it can take a few seconds for me to re-orient to the real world. That’s how deeply I get into reading. It’s like my very own experience that completely envelops me and takes me away from whatever my current situation is.

That’s why I love to read so much. It is such a rich experience that I can actually experience what the writer is laying out for me. Plus, there is always something to learn, even in fiction. You can learn a lot about other people’s viewpoints and experiences as well as human nature.

[Kindleing]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

I have a good sense of smell, but I can't smell the blue spruce at the front of our property. That is, I can faintly smell it when I crush its needles under my nose, but to other people it's just as strong as you would expect it to be.

I can smell other blue spruces normally, as well as plenty of other conifers, just not that particular tree.

Since the tree is on your property, maybe it is a case of acclimation? You might be so used to it you don't notice it.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

Similar with the sense of smell, I guess. I have a good sense of smell, but I can't smell the blue spruce at the front of our property. That is, I can faintly smell it when I crush its needles under my nose, but to other people it's just as strong as you would expect it to be.

I can smell other blue spruces normally, as well as plenty of other conifers, just not that particular tree.

As for bitter, I enjoy the bitterness of coffee and beer, but not anything seriously bitter that puts a clamp on the back of the tongue.

My sense of smell is just OK. My wife's sense of smell, on the other hand, is very strong. She can smell things that I am not even aware of. She hates this as strong smells can be extremely distracting utterly horrible to her.
Apache

[gmw]

My sense of smell and taste has gone awry in recent times. eg: most nuts taste wrong in various different ways, although strangely, while Peanut Butter smells wrong it still tastes okay.

But while I'm reading, everything in the book still tastes and smells like it should, so that's okay.

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by Kindleing

Since the tree is on your property, maybe it is a case of acclimation? You might be so used to it you don't notice it.

No. I can smell the tree right next to it.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by gmw

My sense of smell and taste has gone awry in recent times. eg: most nuts taste wrong in various different ways, although strangely, while Peanut Butter smells wrong it still tastes okay.

If this isn't just since COVID or since a new medication known to cause it, you might want a medical checkup.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by meeera

If this isn't just since COVID or since a new medication known to cause it, you might want a medical checkup.

As far as I know I have not had COVID. When I first started smelling smoke (when there was none about) I did go to my GP. Nothing very definite came from that and thankfully the worst of it has faded - most of the time, at least - but some things still smell wrong. I hadn't thought about mentioning the changes in taste that have developed, I assumed it was probably related.