DiscoverScience on Player FMWhy Some Foods Gross Us Out - Science Quickly
Why Some Foods Gross Us Out - Science Quickly

Why Some Foods Gross Us Out - Science Quickly

Update: 2025-11-10
Share

Description

In this episode of Science Quickly, Rachel Feltman introduces interim host Kendra Pierre-Louis, a climate journalist with a strong aversion to mayonnaise—and a knack for turning that disgust into fascinating science reporting. Pierre-Louis shares insights into the psychology of taste, the cultural language of food textures and the way that categories of such textures, including creamy foods such as mayo, can trigger visceral reactions.




Recommended Reading


Mayonnaise Is Disgusting, and Science Agrees,” by Kendra Pierre-Louis, in Popular Science. Published online October 31, 2017


Texture Is the Final Frontier of Food Science,” by Kendra Pierre-Louis, in Popular Science. Published online February 13, 2021


Kendra Pierre-Louis’s website. 




E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!


Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.




Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comments 
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Why Some Foods Gross Us Out - Science Quickly

Why Some Foods Gross Us Out - Science Quickly