The online "Food Disgust Sensitivity Test" by IDRlabs has gone viral on Twitter, inadvertently shedding light on our perceptions of others' culinary practices rather than our own sensitivities.
Portions of the test have been critiqued by folks whose cultures greatly rely on the consumption of fish, pork or even insects, with one Twitter user saying, "This 'Food Disgust Test' is pretty racist? Or at least American white-centric."
Prompts like "It is gross to eat raw fish like sushi" and "My mouth waters when I see a whole pig on a skewer" seem targeted at Japanese, Polynesian and other cuisines these foods are deeply associated with.
The phrasing of "I would never eat those new snacks and dishes that are made from bugs" (emphasis ours), for one, is inaccurate, considering that Mexican chapulines, deep-fried grasshoppers seasoned with chile and lime, have been around since the 16th century.
Personally, as a Haitian American, the question, "It is nauseating to have a whole fish, including its head, served to me on my plate," felt especially pointed. As someone who enjoyed pwason fris, a whole fried red snapper, head and all, throughout my childhood, the word "nauseated" gave me a little bit of pause.
