Taste Aversion

Conditioned taste aversion is a phenomenon in which one would associate a certain taste with an uncomfortable symptom such as nausea, dizziness, sickness, or vomiting. One ingesting a certain substance that causes symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and other sicknesses, which then an individual learns to avoid, usually causes taste aversion. Dr. Garcia whom is a researcher that had realized rats had associated their sickness from the radiation to the food they had ingested prior to the treatment rather than the light causing radiation brought this phenomenon to attention (McKay 2015).
In recent years I had developed a conditioned taste aversion to squid due to an experience that I had undergone after ingesting the exotic dish. I had travelled to Srilanka with my grandma, and we were invited to her sister’s house for dinner in which she served squid curry. Due to the fact that I am from a South Asian family, I am accustomed to eating numerous curry dishes which includes a variety of seafood which is why I had no hesitation of consuming the squid curry. The next day when I woke up I had this weird sensation in my throat which stimulated my gag reflex that ultimately lead me to vomiting. The week that followed included me experiencing nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and a fever. My symptoms along with the climate of the country added to my uncomfortable physical state. Being across the ocean in another country away from my home had not helped my comfort level when experiencing these symptoms. I spent a week on a single bed that was made out of straw with a bowl by my side. When my family members had asked me what I ingested last, as it could have been what I ate, I automatically assumed it was the squid that I had eaten last at the dinner party. The doctor that was called to the house had concluded it was a stomach virus but till this very my mind has been rewired to assume that the squid had caused me to contract food poisoning. Till this day whenever I encounter