Flavor or Flight

Yesterday, while having lunch with three of my favorite people in the world, in a quaint little Parisian style cafe in downtown Portland, OR, the topic of conversation, which always crosses all genres and planes, took  my mind and imagination to an interesting place.

The question was simple, but the more you think about it the more complex it becomes.

Would you give up your sense of taste for the ability to fly?

Immediately, while enjoying the flavor of a savory Croque Monsieur with Pomme Frittes and a lovely light garlic aoli, I said no, absolutely not.  I find great joy in life through my exploration of flavors found in wonderful foods and spices. I can't imagine a life of no taste. 

But then came another revelation....without taste, we would have no smell, because the two are symbiotic. You can't have one without the other.  Have you ever had a nasty cold that was so bad you literally had no desire to eat because you couldn't taste anything anyway?

So I had to think. And as I pondered the idea of never again having to smell the unwashed man sitting across from me on the Max train, or the hipster who refuses to use any body odor deterrent in the middle of summer, or the gases that emit from my children and pets on occasion (yes the smell is so powerful at times, you CAN taste it). No more sewage smell on Davis Street, no more vomit, no more wet dog, oh what bliss....The Euphoria was making my head spin.  But wait, that would also mean no more fresh laundry, or garlic, or onion, or fresh paint. No more coconut, or chocolate, no more vanilla cupcakes, or hair perm (yes, that is in the positives...don't judge me for it. )

And after all the pondering, and weighing of my options, I still came to the same conclusion,  giving up taste for flight would be an absolutely unlimited and without regret, NO THANK YOU!.  The positive far outweighs the bad, and I can always plug my nose if I don't like the smell of something, or spit it out if I don't like the taste of something. But the percentage of  things I love and appreciate, are too great to sacrifice.

There is of course the novelty that if all food was about sustenance only, then obesity would never be a problem. There would be no such thing as cravings. I would eat and drink for fuel only, not for the joy or the social experience of it. This reminds of a diet I was on once in which all the food was flavorless and the equality of cardboard. If I want flavorless food I'll order nutri-system or eat rice cakes.  Been there, done that, not worth the sacrifice. :)

In the end, my resolved answer remains the same as my gut instinct instance response.

Flavor or Flight,  I want flavor.  I didn't even take the time to consider the pros and cons of flight, Flavor was my deciding factor.  Besides, I harbor a deep rooted fear of heights, and fear of falling (I fall down enough from 5'2" just standing on the ground, we don't need to add any height to the equation).

What would you do?