The purpose of this thesis is to explore how taste is constructed at the micro-social level of a community of practice and to investigate the dynamics that underlie the process of taste-making. An ethnographic research was conducted in the context of an arts cooperative focusing on how members maintain status boundaries from dissimilar others (inter-group dynamics) and how they negotiate intra-group taste heterogeneity (internal dynamics). The findings indicate that the community symbolically demarcates itself from outgroups in an “us versus them” fashion by continuously juxtaposing its practices to those of competitive actors through “sayings” as well as “doings”. They also begin to mark out the appropriation processes through which members employ distaste to resignify and internalise meaning to their practices (a) by exhibiting tastes of outsiders if they can successfully negotiate their intent (recontextualising exo-cultural elements), (b) by negating tastes that are prevalent in the field in order to criticise subtly outgroup practices (appropriating practice through conspicuous absence) and (c) by negotiating the ‘tastefulness’ of objects that are not valued for their aesthetics by outsiders in order to provoke (resignifying prevailing aesthetics). Finally, the study conceptualises taste-making within the community as an ongoing dialogical process amongst members with heterogeneous views about “tastefulness”. Depending on their status, members employ strategies that help them either to actualise tastes that they favour in the context of the community or to deal with the exhibition of tastes that they are not in accordance with. The thesis makes a theoretical contribution to three areas; First, to literature on taste formation by accounting for the holistic outlook of community-based taste-making practices; Second, to our understanding of negative symbolic consumption by exhibiting the appropriation processes through which distaste endows meaning to practices; Third, to the stream of works on marketplace cultures by proposing a new conceptualisation of intra-group heterogeneity.

Signals for each of the five tastes have previously been shown to be processed by distinct labeled lines from taste receptor cells (TRCs) on the tongue to the ganglion neurons that innervate them. Furthermore, different tastes have been shown to be represented by distinct neurons in the taste cortex. We recorded calcium activity using fiber photometry from genetically defined populations in the mouse rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNST), the first brain station receiving taste signals from the tongue. We found that Somatostatin- (Sst) expressing cells respond exclusively to bitter chemicals while Calretinin- (Calb2) expressing cells respond exclusively to sweet chemicals. Immunostaining and viral strategies demonstrated that Sst and Calb2 mark distinct neuronal populations in the rNST. We then showed that optogenetic activation of Sst and Calb2 cells elicits prototypical bitter and sweet behaviors, respectively and demonstrate that ablation of these cells strongly impairs aversion to bitter tastants and attraction to sweet tastants, respectively. These findings reveal how taste information is propagated into the brain.

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Very little research has been conducted on the development of taste perception in humans. Therefore there is a lack of knowledge, first, about how children perceive taste, especially when compared to what is known about how adults experience taste, and second, about the functioning and development of the gustatory system, including when the system is fully mature and functioning in an adult-like manner. The aims of this thesis were (i) to investigate the growth pattern of the tongue throughout childhood / adolescence, and (ii) to determine the state of maturity of some of the aspects of the sense of taste in mid-childhood. Overall, the data in this thesis indicate that children respond similarly to adults with regard to single-point measures of sensitivity and perceived intensity, but there are some differences in the overall temporal experience of taste, from onset of perception through to extinction, and the way in which it is perceived by adults and 8-9 year old children. The latter / Master of Science (Hons)

In two parts, this thesis examined retronasal perception of single odours, binary odour mixtures and odour-taste mixtures. Part 1, aimed to determine if perceived retronasal temporal order differs to that order perceived via the orthonasal pathway and if retronasal temporal order is a function of an odorant’s water solubility or nasal mucus solubility slowing the odorants progression to the olfactory epithelium via the longer retronasal route. Part 1 established that retronasal temporal perception of binary odour mixtures differs from orthonasal temporal perception and that nasal mucus solubility and the “stickiness”, mediated by volatility, are the factors determining the perceived retronasal order. It was further concluded that nasal mucus and not water was the most appropriate approximation to the composition of nasopharyngeal mucus. Part 2, aimed to determine if correct retronasal odour identification is a function of learned taste-associations and if correct retronasal odour identification is a function of the modality through which the odour is learned. Part 2, established that in simple binary odour-taste mixtures correct retronasal odour identification is not a function of learned taste-associations, nor do tastants suppress odours. However, it was concluded that mouth-learning experience does provide odours with an identification advantage retronasally, over odours that are not learned through the mouth. Overall, the Thesis demonstrated that differences exist between retronasal and orthonasal perception. Specifically, the perceived temporal order of components in binary odours mixtures is determined retronasally by an odour’s nasal mucus solubility and “stickiness”. The exploration of this mechanism in future research may provide a greater understanding of temporal odour perception and the means to increase odour mixture component identification beyond the current limit of three. Furthermore, retronasal odour and taste processing seem to occur independently of each other, as learned-associations between taste and odours do not impact on the accuracy of mixture component identification or intensity. It may be that it is mouth-learning experience or a relationship to food that is important to retronasal odour perception rather than any component congruency. Future research should aim to determine if it is mouth experience or the contribution of other stimuli such as tactile cues that contribute to the increase in retronasal identification accuracy. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Background: Chemotherapy has side effects that may interfere with food intake. Children suffering from a malignant disease are subjected to treatment with chemotherapy. They may therefore become at risk of undernutrition during the period of treatment. This in turn may increase the risk of infections, delayed therapy and influence the outcome of treatment. Few studies have investigated how children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer perceive food and eating. Attempts to improve food intake and the nutritional status require an understand-ing of how eating patterns are altered during chemotherapy in children. Study design: Dietary information and anthropometric data were collected after the initiation of chemotherapy in 14 children, consecutively admitted to the Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Unit at Umeå University Hospital. This initial study resulted in the establishment of more flexible mealtime routines on the ward. A follow-up study was conducted with another group of 11 children. Interviews were performed with a third group of 21 consecutively ad-mitted children, their parents and attending nurses. The focus was on the children’s own per-ception of and their parents’ and nurses’ attitudes to their food intake during hospitalisation. Recognition thresholds for the basic tastes were determined with 10 of the oldest of these children and 10 healthy controls. Results: Before introduction of new mealtime routines, the average daily oral energy intake during hospitalisation was 58% of the Swedish Nutrition Recommendations, SNR. The chil-dren had a significant weight loss up to three months after onset of chemotherapy. After the introduction of new mealtime routines, the average daily oral intake on hospital days was 61% of SNR and thus still lower than recommended despite efforts to serve palatable food on the ward. When enteral and parenteral nutrition was included, the energy intake came close to that recommended for healthy children, 91% of SNR. Both children and parents perceived that altered taste was an important cause of the children’s eating problems. The children also viewed food aversions, nausea and vomiting and pain as important causes, while the parents perceived nausea, food aversions and altered smell as significant factors. The nurses on the other hand, viewed nausea, the ward environment, and food rejection as a way of gaining some influence over the situation as important factors. The patients had significantly higher thresholds for bitter taste and significantly more patients made mistakes in taste recognition compared with controls. Conclusion and clinical implication: There seem to be changes both in the sense of taste as well as in the perception of food in children undergoing chemotherapy for malignant disease. Thus, single solutions such as providing a variety of “tasty food” in the hospital setting in order to improve food intake does not suffice for many paediatric cancer patients. The indi-vidual’s food preferences and aversions should be considered and combinations of oral, en-teral and parenteral nutrition support should be provided.

This dissertation examines whether a nonconscious goal can change preferences between binary options, one favoring a conscious goal (e.g., undiluted but non-healthy iced tea) and the other a nonconscious goal (e.g., diluted but healthy iced tea). Across four laboratory experiments, we demonstrate that when participants are only given a conscious goal (e.g., to choose the tastier drink), the majority of them seek the alternative that is more instrumental to this goal. However, when a nonconscious goal is also primed (e.g., to be healthy), their preferences can shift to the alternative that is perceived to be instrumental to this goal but is inferior from the conscious goal standpoint. We propose a two-stage model to explain these findings. In the first stage, when a nonconscious goal is primed, individuals attend to goal-relevant cues (e.g., health-signaling label) and automatically form a positive evaluation toward the option that facilitates the nonconscious goal relative to the option that does not satisfy the goal. In the second stage, the positive automatic evaluation is then used to distort perceptions of the option’s conscious goal instrumentality such that the option is perceived as having a more favorable taste compared to when the goal is not primed. While the positive automatic evaluation influences the option’s taste, it does not affect the evaluation of the option’s other attributes (e.g., scent, color). By manipulating the timing of nonconscious goal activation and by adopting an evaluative conditioning task, we find support for our conceptual model while ruling out alternative explanations and identifying a boundary condition of task difficulty. The findings of the experiments contribute to the literature on nonconscious goals 1) by showing that these goals can play a central role in decision making when choice options pit them against conscious goals, and 2) by identifying a mechanism (i.e., attribute distortion) that can resolve goal competition in choice.

This dissertation examines whether a nonconscious goal can change preferences between binary options, one favoring a conscious goal (e.g., undiluted but non-healthy iced tea) and the other a nonconscious goal (e.g., diluted but healthy iced tea). Across four laboratory experiments, we demonstrate that when participants are only given a conscious goal (e.g., to choose the tastier drink), the majority of them seek the alternative that is more instrumental to this goal. However, when a nonconscious goal is also primed (e.g., to be healthy), their preferences can shift to the alternative that is perceived to be instrumental to this goal but is inferior from the conscious goal standpoint. We propose a two-stage model to explain these findings. In the first stage, when a nonconscious goal is primed, individuals attend to goal-relevant cues (e.g., health-signaling label) and automatically form a positive evaluation toward the option that facilitates the nonconscious goal relative to the option that does not satisfy the goal. In the second stage, the positive automatic evaluation is then used to distort perceptions of the option’s conscious goal instrumentality such that the option is perceived as having a more favorable taste compared to when the goal is not primed. While the positive automatic evaluation influences the option’s taste, it does not affect the evaluation of the option’s other attributes (e.g., scent, color). By manipulating the timing of nonconscious goal activation and by adopting an evaluative conditioning task, we find support for our conceptual model while ruling out alternative explanations and identifying a boundary condition of task difficulty. The findings of the experiments contribute to the literature on nonconscious goals 1) by showing that these goals can play a central role in decision making when choice options pit them against conscious goals, and 2) by identifying a mechanism (i.e., attribute distortion) that can resolve goal competition in choice.

The Japanese cuisine is the largest number of exotic dishes in Taiwan. The past researches of Japanese that ignoring the evolution of variety of types of Japanese cuisine see cuisine as a single cuisine type. The purpose of this study is to investigate the Japanese cuisine taste differentiation patterns and social significance. I used Bourdieu¡¦s taste segmentation theory to analysis. Using depth interviews and historical documents to make a thorough inquiry. I classified Japanese cuisine into family-style, kaiseki ryori , buffet style all you can eat as well as chain stores, and pointed out the different types of stores will develop different taste.I found that except for the chain and buffet style all you can eat, other types of Japanese cuisine will emphasize ingredients imported from Japan, the chef's cooking skills, and a fresh source. Kaiseki ryori emphasized orthodoxy, relatively inexpensive family cuisine stressed Taiwanese taste to prefer popularity. And cultural performance , the atmosphere of the the traditional family-style Japanese will tend to show Japanese culture, highlighting the cuisine of different countries with it. Kaiseki ryori or chain is modern style, with different family-style. The study found that different types of Japanese cuisine in the process to create taste have distinction between others and showed their class status.

Using a phenomenological account of perception drawn largely from the work of Merleau-Ponty (1962) and Gibson (1966; 1974), this thesis explores how perceptual experience is created and modified through practices and discourses. The project examines how a specific perceptual experience--the taste of beer--is formed through the practices and discourses of production. It investigates how both the nuanced taste experiences of brewmasters and the less precise taste experiences of their customers are cultivated in relation to a set of production concerns surrounding the manufacture of a consistent brand. Ultimately, it is argued that the production of brands--the urge to produce products which are identical to themselves--is a characteristic of consumer-oriented late capitalism which illustrates how mechanical reproduction influences the formation of contemporary sensory experiences and lifeworlds.