Rowan Rupakus

Understanding the Forces Behind Our Likes and Dislikes

I had matcha for the first time since I last tried it a few years ago, where I was completely repulsed by it… and this time I actually liked it? What is happening to me? Does this mean I might start liking raw tomatoes too? Probably not, but now I’m wondering why I ever disliked it to begin with. I most definitely wanted to feel superior to the rest of society, who were so quick to jump on the bandwagon without any hesitation. I mean, when I first tried it, it tasted like a mud puddle, so I was convinced that the people who did like it were also trying to feel superior to the people who didn’t have their same “exquisite taste.”

At the suggestion of a friend, I gave matcha another chance, and it honestly changed the whole way I viewed the drink. It was delicious! It was sweet, but not overly done, and it most definitely did not taste like a mud puddle. It tasted like connecting my mind to the earth with a hint of sugar. I loved it so much that I actually went against my normal order of an English Breakfast tea or a drip coffee the other day to have another one. This one was called Strawberry Fields, which I had to try because that Beatles song is my favorite and also the inspiration for my first tattoo. It was on this coffee shop’s new drink menu, and I think I was the first lucky customer to order it because it was the thickest drink I’ve ever had in my life. There was a clear overestimation of how much matcha powder to put into the drink. Normally, I would’ve just shot down matcha again based on this experience and been like, “Yup. I was right. Matcha is overrated,” but this time I just knew it was because they were new to making the drink. I didn’t shame it away! Again… what is happening to me?

I feel like my matcha experience changed my outlook on how I view a lot of things I don’t like. What is the deciding factor between things that we enjoy and things that we don’t? Is it just the first initial experience that we have of it that we will always look back on? Do we need to give things a 2nd chance, or a 3rd, or even a 4th, for us to change our mind? How much of our decisions are decided by societal expectations and opinions of strangers? Or even what our parents like or dislike. For example, my parents hate seafood, so they never introduced it to me (while ironically making me work the community fish fry every Friday during Lent for almost 10 years even though we don’t even practice Lent). Do I not like seafood because we never ate it at my house or because I connect it with my experience of picking up dirty plates at the fish fry? One part of society loves matcha, but the other part hates it. Who is right? There is no correct answer to individual opinions. In this case, I feel like I was sucked into the “matcha sucks” party, and I had dug myself out of it when I gave it a second try and even that third try. I don’t hate it anymore, but am I starting to like it? I’m still not sure I can give up my English Breakfast tea for it quite yet, but I can safely say that I will continue to give it a go.

I wonder how much of the things I like or dislike were truly decided by myself. I know for sure that I decided on my own that I hate raw tomatoes. I have given it PLENTY of chances, and it has yet to sway my opinion. However, what about my music taste? Do I really like that song, or does my friend, whom I care about and trust with my whole heart, love it so much that I love it in retrospect? Did I really want to read that smut book, or was I a victim of the opinions of strangers on social media? I’m still not convinced people actually enjoy reading those books. They’re clearly written at a middle school reading level, but with rated R content. I feel like it is just the result of the loneliest epidemic that was caused by the rise of social media and the forced isolation of COVID, but that is a conversation for another time.

In a way, it is beautiful that we can choose what to like or dislike based on the opinions of those we surround ourselves with, as they broaden our minds and expand our interests. However, we must be cautious about whose opinions we allow to influence us while ensuring we remain true to our own ideals. So… am I starting to like matcha?