It's natural to feel a little put off or lose one's appetite when the food we are presented with doesn't smell particularly appealing or fresh. Although not as finicky, our ancestors did the same and used smell to determine whether food was safe and suitable for consumption. If it doesn't smell rotten—then it's good to go. No rocket science here.
The smell and look of food helps us decide what's safe to put in our mouths and what's not. However, food is not the only area where scent matters. And as we've come to realize, some in more brutal ways than others, not all that smells good tastes accordingly. And many of the good-smelling things are not even edible. Many have heard the riddle asking what tastes better than it smells (FYI, the answer is tongue), but what about things that smell good but taste bad? That's a different spin on the riddle! However, it's not so much of a mystery when you realize how many things that smell nice taste rather awful. In fact, they shouldn't be put in one's mouth at all. Interested in what smells better than it tastes, user Muntszy of the AskReddit community asked fellow Redditors to name more things that smell good but taste—not so. Unsurprisingly, many of the things people listed were not supposed to be eaten (at least not by humans).
Below, we've compiled some of the most spot-on or simply funny replies people left in the thread. As always, we invite you to upvote the entries you liked or can agree with. Also, do you know of more things that smell better than they taste which haven't been mentioned? If so, let us know in the comments!
#1
m00kiiprinxess said:
"Vanilla extract."
"Vanilla extract."
Sailor_Chibi replied:
"So glad this is near the top. I once made the mistake of giving into temptation and tasted vanilla extract. That’s a mistake you only make once."
"So glad this is near the top. I once made the mistake of giving into temptation and tasted vanilla extract. That’s a mistake you only make once."
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39points
#3
PmMeYourTattoo said:
"Cocoa powder."
"Cocoa powder."
ClutchingMyTinkle replied:
"Unsweetened cocoa powder."
"Unsweetened cocoa powder."
guy_who_likes_coffee replied:
"I distinctly remember my older sister begging my mom to let her eat some of the (still unsweetened) chocolate stuff my mom was making... and then I remember my sister washing her mouth out under the sink cuz it turned out mom was right and she very much did not like it."
"I distinctly remember my older sister begging my mom to let her eat some of the (still unsweetened) chocolate stuff my mom was making... and then I remember my sister washing her mouth out under the sink cuz it turned out mom was right and she very much did not like it."
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30points
#4
Sighwtfman said:
"Coffee.
"Coffee.
I know billions and billions of people like the stuff.
If it tasted the way it smells I would too. Love the smell.
The taste? Awful. Unless I put enough cream and sugar that it's basically a milkshake."
TheShoot141 replied:
"I like drinking coffee. It smells way better than it tastes."
"I like drinking coffee. It smells way better than it tastes."
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23points
#5
dash47 said:
"Perfume."
"Perfume."
User No 2 replied:
"When I was little, I saw Pepé Le Pew spray something that looked like a fancy perfume into his mouth tryna get a smooch for that foxy cat or whatever he was always after. My mother had a similar-looking bottle and so I obviously had to try it.
"When I was little, I saw Pepé Le Pew spray something that looked like a fancy perfume into his mouth tryna get a smooch for that foxy cat or whatever he was always after. My mother had a similar-looking bottle and so I obviously had to try it.
Sometimes making a mistake once is enough."
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21points
#6
"Scotch. Always smells delicious. Often tastes like bandaids."
bbear122 replied:
"Bandaids is a new one. I usually think of old carpet or books when I drink scotch."
"Bandaids is a new one. I usually think of old carpet or books when I drink scotch."
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20points
#7
"The rotisserie chickens are sold in the front of supermarkets. They taste fine, but they smell amazing. I'm not sure anything tastes as good as those things smell."
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20points
#9
"Uncooked minced garlic."
EclipsaLuna replied:
"Fun story, my sister realized she had Covid one morning when she woke up and couldn’t smell or taste her coffee. So she decided to try out items in her spice cabinet and see how far she could take it. For the final test, she ate a whole tablespoon of raw minced garlic. Nothing.
"Fun story, my sister realized she had Covid one morning when she woke up and couldn’t smell or taste her coffee. So she decided to try out items in her spice cabinet and see how far she could take it. For the final test, she ate a whole tablespoon of raw minced garlic. Nothing.
She then got to tell the story when the doctor asked her why she thought she might have Covid. The doctor had a good laugh."
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19points
#10
Melisandre-Sedai said:
"Dragonfruit. They smell heavenly, then taste like a solidified La Croix."
"Dragonfruit. They smell heavenly, then taste like a solidified La Croix."
Jmersh replied:
"They really are a very mild flavor, but if you've had them in the US, you have probably eaten a not-quite-ripe and not-freshly-picked fruit. They don't travel well once they're really ripe.
"They really are a very mild flavor, but if you've had them in the US, you have probably eaten a not-quite-ripe and not-freshly-picked fruit. They don't travel well once they're really ripe.
When they're fully ripe and just picked off the cactus, they are sweeter and/or more sour. I think they taste like a ripe pear with a little sourness like kiwi fruit. If you can find them in Central America or Mexico, I'd recommend it. Very good, but the further you get North, the worse quality you'll find."
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19points
#11
oohanonymousperson said:
"My strawberry shortcake doll that I had when I was a kid. Turns out her hair doesn’t actually taste like strawberry. Just plastic…"
"My strawberry shortcake doll that I had when I was a kid. Turns out her hair doesn’t actually taste like strawberry. Just plastic…"
geegeeallin replied:
"I wish I had one of those old strawberry shortcake dolls to smell right now. The memories would be intense."
"I wish I had one of those old strawberry shortcake dolls to smell right now. The memories would be intense."
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18points
#12
FriskyKittenPaws said:
"Snazzy flavored herbal teas."
"Snazzy flavored herbal teas."
pamwhit replied:
"Every time. “Oh, I bet this one will taste good!” Nope."
"Every time. “Oh, I bet this one will taste good!” Nope."
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18points
#13
silksalmon said:
"Every grocery store bakery's chocolate chip cookies."
"Every grocery store bakery's chocolate chip cookies."
Fragrant_Penalty_ replied:
"They’re always too doughy and sweet, it’s an insult to cookie connoisseurs."
"They’re always too doughy and sweet, it’s an insult to cookie connoisseurs."
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18points
#15
paulfromatlanta said:
"Scented markers."
"Scented markers."
BTW_The_Names_Marcus replied:
"I don’t know, that grape marker looks pretty tasty…"
"I don’t know, that grape marker looks pretty tasty…"
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17points
#16
2kRandy said:
"Roses."
"Roses."
earthdweller11 replied:
"I love rose tea. Taste like nothing but hot water but there IS a mild floral nice taste. Basically, I just love the heavenly smell mostly though. Also love jasmine green tea for the same reason."
"I love rose tea. Taste like nothing but hot water but there IS a mild floral nice taste. Basically, I just love the heavenly smell mostly though. Also love jasmine green tea for the same reason."
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17points
#17
Maso_TGN said:
"Old books."
"Old books."
nicetriangle replied:
"Supposedly one of the chemicals produced by books/paper aging is in the same neighborhood as one of the main compounds in vanilla."
"Supposedly one of the chemicals produced by books/paper aging is in the same neighborhood as one of the main compounds in vanilla."
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16points
#18
"Movie theatre popcorn."
Impossible_Town984 replied:
"I eat handfuls of it hoping it will taste as good as it smells. It never does."
"I eat handfuls of it hoping it will taste as good as it smells. It never does."
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16points
#19
Prank_Owl said:
"Cinnamon."
"Cinnamon."
sonic_silence replied:
"The cinnamon really is only pleasant as an odor. The taste is actually bitter but is paired with other flavors to work with the scent. Such as sugar."
"The cinnamon really is only pleasant as an odor. The taste is actually bitter but is paired with other flavors to work with the scent. Such as sugar."
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16points
#20
no-more-mr-nice-guy said:
"Cucumbers! They lure me in with that wonderful smell and then reward me with the taste of stale water. Why do you hurt me so?"
"Cucumbers! They lure me in with that wonderful smell and then reward me with the taste of stale water. Why do you hurt me so?"
Sapphire580 replied:
"The first time I had cucumbers I knew I had tasted them before, but then I realized they taste like a bit of watermelon at the rind. With no red in the bite."
"The first time I had cucumbers I knew I had tasted them before, but then I realized they taste like a bit of watermelon at the rind. With no red in the bite."
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15points