What is an acquired taste? It is an appreciation for something unlikely to be enjoyed by a person
who has not had substantial exposure to it. It is the opposite of innate taste or natural taste,
which is the appreciation for things that are enjoyable by most persons without prior exposure
to them. If there is something you don't like but over time as you're exposed to it more and more,
you start acquiring a taste for it.
To acquire a taste for something means to begin to like something because you've tried it over
and over again. You can acquire a taste not only for certain types of food like
blue cheese or raw oysters, but also for music, theatre, opera, certain types of movies, etc.
Just a few weeks ago our son Ezra, he's very maquilite, and there was some vinegar on the
table and he ended up getting some in his mouth and he's crying and he hated it. And here's the
thing, when we were kids we wouldn't have liked vinegar, we wouldn't have liked spicy food,
we want the candy, right? We don't want something that's sour or bitter, but then as you get older
your body starts to acquire the taste for other foods. An example for myself, the first time my
favorite food in the Philippines, if not my favorite food overall, is sinigang. I love sinigang,
but I did not like sinigang the first time I tried it. I mean I've never taken a bite and I'm just
like, you know, what is this? It's so sour. It's like I've never had anything like this before,
right? I mean if you're going to have somebody from, you know, another place try a food,
pick adobo because every single person in the world likes adobo. But with sinigang the reason
why you might be like, wow, because it's such a shock to the system because it's different,
right? But now over time, you know, sinigang became my favorite food because I acquired
that taste. Or for example, let me give you a food that I have never acquired the taste for
and I try it every two months faithfully for the last six years, kimchi. Everyone says it's an
acquired taste. I don't like kimchi. It's not for me. I tried it many times and in this room
this is a church split sort of topic. Some people here love kimchi. It's one of those foods. It's
like foods like durian, wasabi, kimchi. It's like you either love it or hate it. There's no in
between, right? I'm on the anti-kimchi side but if you're going to quit the church over that,
it's like my wife's favorite food. So there you go. You can stick in here, okay? But I never
acquired the taste for and certain foods you're just never going to acquire the taste because
your taste buds are just not made that way. We're designed differently by God and certain things
you're just never going to acquire the taste for. Now what I'm doing is using this as an example
for our church because our church is an acquired taste. It doesn't come naturally to people because
we're not the natural man. We don't preach the things of the world and so it's something that
it takes people time to acquire the taste to enjoy which they might not first enjoy when they come.
Now here's the thing. Our church, some people will never acquire the taste for because they
just don't want to live for God. They don't want the truth.