Human-octopus barter

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Quick googling leads to studies showing rather marked differences in what does and does not taste bitter to cats. Saccharine doesn't taste bitter to them, not sweet either, but not bitter like it does to us.

I have heard they have an unfortunate taste for glycol, but I'm not sure whether the modern practice of adding bittering agents to antifreeze is for their benefit or ours.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2

I actually question that. Maybe they don't taste it the way we do, but I've seen my tomcat lick the grass for a long time after someone spilled some sweet salad dressing, for ex. He licked up every drop of it. I once caught my she-cat licking at a spot on my shirt where some candy had stained it, too.

Maybe the mechanism is different, but I'm not at all sure cats can't enjoy sweet tastes at all.

Cats love fats, and chocolate and salad dressing both involve fats (particularly milk chocolate)

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

I have heard they have an unfortunate taste for glycol, but I'm not sure whether the modern practice of adding bittering agents to antifreeze is for their benefit or ours.

"Yes", it's for the benefit of humans and other mammals - dogs are particularly prone to drinking it, like children.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Cats love fats, and chocolate and salad dressing both involve fats (particularly milk chocolate)

Like people, they can have weird individual tastes.
I had a cat that was named Pepper for his insane loves of peppers and hot sauce, even if they'd never touched meat. His sister loved prunes.

Of course humans have complex cultures and propensities to fad foods and unique tastes.
Maybe a food/item sells really well to one octopus tribe, but the next village loathes it.

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Like people, they can have weird individual tastes.
I had a cat that was named Pepper for his insane loves of peppers and hot sauce, even if they'd never touched meat. His sister loved prunes.

Years ago, my family had a black lab. One time, my dad wrapped some ground beef up in some tortilla rolls and gave it to him. Well, he definitely enjoyed it, but he would unwrap each one to eat the bread first. That dog just loved bread, even better than meat, though he certainly liked meat.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Like people, they can have weird individual tastes.

Oh sure, but they're based on things they have chemo-receptors for (or mechanical sensors, if they like the mouthfeel). My cat loves the oreo icing[1] and ice cream, but she physically can't have a sweet tooth. Which is OK, because what she actually likes is creamy and fatty things with a smooth texture. She also likes Danish blue cheese, but not any other kind of cheese (not even other kinds of blue cheese, so that one isn't a texture/fattyness thing).


[1] Oreo icing is pretty much nothing but vegetable shortening (a fat with a lot of animal-lard-like properties), sugar (which she can't taste), and some flavoring agents and preservation agents (which she might or might not be able to taste or smell).
When I was a kid, there was a competing brand of cookies in Australia that still made the icing with lard instead of vegetable shortening. Oreo used to use lard too, but switched it up for various reasons (cost, health concerns, and religious prohibitions). The lard icing absolutely tasted better, had better mouthfeel, and made the dog go bonkers.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Bruno

When I was a kid, there was a competing brand of cookies in Australia that still made the icing with lard instead of vegetable shortening. Oreo used to use lard too, but switched it up for various reasons (cost, health concerns, and religious prohibitions). The lard icing absolutely tasted better, had better mouthfeel, and made the dog go bonkers.

Arnott's delta creams? They are still better than oreos.

[Luke Bunyip]

Originally Posted by Bruno

...When I was a kid, there was a competing brand of cookies in Australia that still made the icing with lard instead of vegetable shortening...

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Arnott's delta creams? They are still better than oreos.

The power of lard. That explains why I always feel underwhelmed by Oreos.

[Daigoro]

Wait till they discover Tim Tams.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip

The power of lard. That explains why I always feel underwhelmed by Oreos.

Even back when I ate mammals, lard always smelled like rotting navel sweat.
And I'm known for drinking liquid chicken fat.

Such ingredients could lead to octopus loving knock off trade foods more than quality versions.