I have loved the taste of marmite for as long as I can remember. I know that it is a polarising flavour — people either love it or hate it — and I love it. Or at least, I did. Recently my tastes seem to have changed, and my morning toast and Marmite has become dust in my mouth. It turns out that this is a well-known symptom of the chemotherapy. Joan frequently comments on the metallic taste of her food at particular points in the cycle. See the third paragraph of this post, for example.
Marmite isn’t the only food whose taste has lost savour. Steak and chips are fairly dusty too now, even when carefully cooked. And I need about three times as much vinegar in order to taste it at all.
On the other hand, I appreciate sweet and bitter flavours a lot more, so it’s hello again to the marmalade jar at breakfast time. I can heartily recommend Wilkin and Son‘s ‘Tiptree’ Orange marmalade. Old-fashioned cloudy lemonade is good too.
Cancer, and its treatment, does other strange things to one’s body. But that’s a story for another day, if I remember to tell it…
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Love the photo of the Marmite baby!
The Australian equivalent is Vegemite – and I have never been a great fan of that. But I can still taste it because it is so salty. Sweet and salty are the only flavours that lift food from blah for me.
I know about Vegemite, but it tastes different from Marmite, and I prefer(red) Marmite, I’m afraid.
Interesting that salty works for you, when it is dust for me.
I think it sounds like a good excuse to explore a variety of new dishes :o)
BTW …stay away from fish stir-fry…just about recovering from that :o/
I like the way you think. So does Gillian. We’re always looking for new dishes to cook. This is just another good reason to find yet more.
Hmmm. Fish stir-fry. Sounds interesting … if dangerous 😉
Christopher & Gillian,
Hello from upstate NY. I’ll send you a proper email, but wanted say hi – and let you guys know I’m thinking about you. Speaking of sweet… here it’s maple syrup season – and I’ve made a couple small batches so far. I’ll get a jar in the mail for you. Talk to you soon, Ben
Ben, how nice to hear from you! Hope things are doing well at the house. The maple syrup sounds good, we’ll definitely look forward to it. Come and visit next time you’re in the UK, and I’ll cook you pancakes to go with it.
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[…] are changing me. I was moved to write about all the changes when I wrote recently about how my sense of taste has changed. My body seems to be changing all the time, and so does my mind to some extent. It’s quite […]