February Response (4-2) -- Why We Like What We Like

Article: Why We Like What We Like
By Alva Noë

Central Argument: The author compares food to sex in a metaphorical sense. As a blind test would prove that food tastes the same but we interpret the taste depending on what it seems physically. This is related to sexual partner by the physical attributes in that person, rather than the sex itself.

                   In her talk regarding science and culture on the National Public Radio, Alva Noë addresses the topic of discrimination. Not to sound too extreme, but she argues that we, as humans, are the ones that make change things from their physical appearance; we tend to react according to what we see. Her two examples are food and sexual partners; they both hold a similar idea that things will taste different only after you’ve seen their physical appearance. As Noë states as well, food is a perfect example to describe this fact. I agree with the author because of two major reasons: Authors Ken Kesey and Markus Zusak in their novels One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Book Thief, respectively, would explain why judging someone or something from physical appearances could possibly be good or bad, depending on their situations.

                   Ken Kesey explains in his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, that the patients are required to be “fixed” based on the perspective that society looks at them from. Society considers them as outcasts based upon their actions, the way society view them. It’s a bad way of looking at someone who is mentally disabled and pointing out that we’re the correct form. After all, who are we to judge?

Similarly, Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, narrates the story of a young girl who trusted her foster parents from the very beginning, but her trust led to apathy of the fact that they would support her completely. This book is narrated from a reaper, or even death as if it were a person. In this book, one of the morals is not to judge a book by its cover; The setting is set in Nazi Germany. Liesel Meminger, a young Jewish girl whose parents were taken into concentration camps, assumes that her foster parents that took her in are trust-worthy. They later choose to turn her in as a method to avoid getting into trouble. This supports Alva Noë’s argument that we shouldn’t judge people or things based on their appearances.

                   The author provides the example regarding the experiment carried out with the blind test between paté and dog food. This experiment proved that both dishes will taste familiar, if not almost the same, showing that it’s upon the human’s views that change their actions. When I, or should apply to anyone, go to a restaurant, the setting and theme of the place definitely affects how good the food will turn out. My mouth waters easily when I go to an expensive and well known restaurant. This affects the way I look at the food, and quite often it’s changes my perspective on the quality of the food as well.

                   Markus Zasak, and Australian author, and Ken Kesey to support her argument, I agree with  Alva Noë’s article upon the fact that judging from physical appearances is bad, but yet – as humans – we continue to do so. She provides simple day to day example like the food we eat or from sexual partners (day-to-day may still apply).