There is perhaps nothing in the sensual realm so idiosyncratic and so curious as our sense of taste.

We don't know how our sense of taste develops, or even why it changes with time. (Why do most kids hate broccoli while so many adults love it?) We don't know why some tastes are sensual (the lush smell and texture of a mango, banana, or ripe strawberry) while others are merely functional. (I've never heard anyone suggest that asparagus has a sexy side.) What we do know is that some tastes make us swoon and others make us gag. And that one person's delight may be distasteful to another.

The tastes of sex also fit this model. Body sweat, vaginal secretions, and semen all have advocates as well as detractors. Some people avoid oral sex unless the tastes are masked--and even then may find the tastes of arousal and orgasm unpleasant, if not repulsive.

Then there are those who can't get earthy enough. It's said, for example, that Napoleon sent a note to Josephine from the battlefield, advising (in rough translation), "I'll be home in a few days. Do not bathe." Napoleon had strong opinions about many things, and lovemaking was apparently no exception.

Experiencing tastes with your lover--from the sharing of a ripe pear to licking the salt off one another's bodies--can be incredibly intimate but may require some caution because of how powerfully individual the sense of taste can be. Men will say that some women taste good and that others taste awful. Likewise, women will love one man's semen and loathe another's. Aware that taste matters to their lover, some people watch their diet--knowing, for example, that certain foods produce an acidic taste or that semen from a vegetarian tastes different from that of a meat-eater.

Taste is a sense to be taken seriously. It's a powerful aspect of sexual compatibility.