Flavor Profile

Childhood tastes
like sweet and cream,
candy and chocolate
but also
that icky stuff:
spice and bitterness,
that in adulthood
become appealing.
The sour
becomes piquant
with that same
spice and bitterness
mixed with
a soupçon of sweet
and judicious salt
with tangy juices.
But even
spice and bitterness
are made more tolerable
early on
with earthy grains;
yet syrupy fizzy drinks
unfortunately emphasize
spice and bitterness
rather than alleviating
my negative reaction.
My flavor profile expands
to include the savory and salty
eventually including
spice and bitterness
in moderation, as seasoning.
Growing old brings love
of the oily and herbal,
floral and nutty,
and I start to pursue
spice and bitterness
for their own merit.
Fungal, fishy, fatty,
even smoky and pungent;
maturity in my mouth
goes best with
spice and bitterness.