Ever wondered why some of us are diehard sweet tooths and others are savoury to the bone?
asserted
others → wonder → bone
We sat down with Benjamin Cooper, executive chef of Chin Chin, to find out what influences our individual palettes, and how to open ourselves up to exciting new flavour experiences.
asserted
what → sit → experiences
When Melbourne foodie institution Chin Chin was invited to create a sit-down ‘Feed me’ menu for punters at the 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival, Ben and his team knew they had to get the selection just right.
asserted
selection → invite → Carnival
Leave off their famous Kingfish Sashimi and diners would be up in arms; make the curry too spicy and some racegoers would be miserable.
asserted
racegoers → leave → arms
The menu had to be authentically Chin Chin while catering for a crowd that’s likely excitable; and Cooper and his colleagues knew the key to nailing the menu and the dining experience was to consider all the senses.
asserted
key → have → senses
“The Chin Chin menu is built around four flavour components – sweet, sour, salty and spicy,” he says.
asserted
he → build → components
“Melbourne Cup is very celebratory and exciting; it’s the return to life for Melbourne out of the depths of winter – the spring flowers are out and it’s a party atmosphere.
asserted
it → ’ → winter
You want your menu to represent that – it’s got to be delicious, tasty, vibrant and colourful.”
asserted
it → want → that
Ultimately the goal was to craft a menu that’s as tasty as it is visually appealing, to match the popping aesthetic of the race that stops the nation, while ensuring that individual taste preferences are catered to, so nobody goes hungry – and science played a role in getting it right.
asserted
it → craft → role
Understanding what influences our taste preferences
Researchers say around 20-25 per cent of humans are natural “supertasters” who are genetically more sensitive to taste – and tend to loathe the bitterness of Brussels sprouts.
asserted
who → understand → sprouts
“Taste is influenced by the interplay between genetic and environmental factors,” says Dr Daniel Hwang of the University of Queensland.
asserted
Hwang → influence → Queensland
“While it is inherited from our parents, it can still be dramatically changed by environmental influences – your culture, your exposure to a food, an illness causing loss of smell – many things can change your perception.”
asserted
things → inherit → perception
While Cooper naturally puts a lot of time and effort into perfecting the taste of a dish, he’s keenly aware that sound, smell, sight and touch also play an important role when it comes to humans determining the foods we like.
asserted
we → put → foods
“Colour and sight influence our taste – you eat with your eyes first,” Cooper explains.
asserted
Cooper → influence → eyes
“Aromas [are important too] – that harks back to the days when we were foraging and hunting – your sense of smell allowed you to have an insight into whether something was going to be good for you or not.
asserted
something → hark → you
Pleasant aromas denoted safety, and [that’s now] intrinsically coded into our DNA.”
asserted
that → denote → DNA
Cooper tries to be empathetic to diners who may not have tried certain flavours before or may have a biologically driven dislike.
uncertain
who → try → dislike
“All of our palettes differ, especially when it comes to ingredients like coriander – it tastes like soap to some people,” he says.
asserted
he → differ → people
When it comes to spice, some of us like it hot, others can’t stand the heat, and Cooper says that largely comes down to upbringing and exposure – the more spicy food we eat, the more we can tolerate it and start to actually be able to taste the flavours hiding beneath the spice.
asserted
we → come → spice
“There’s an exposure component to liking flavours and spices – all of the chefs at Chin Chin eat chillies all the time to heighten their spice tolerance so that they can season the food properly,” he says.
asserted
he → ’ → food
Curiosity is key
Cooper lives by the motto “eternally curious” and he encourages Australians to open up to new flavours and food experiences, whether you’re a supertaster or not.
asserted
you → live → flavours
“I am constantly granting myself the opportunity to be astounded and overwhelmed by the things around me because that’s the [kind of] life I want to live,” he says.
asserted
he → grant → life
It’s such a fun journey to discover what you like – you might not like [the idea] of raw fish but have a tiny bit of sashimi and, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to go back.
uncertain
you → ’ → it
But if you do like it, you are unlocking the door to discovering things that become a wonderful part of your life.
asserted
that → like → life
Chin Chin is taking up residence on the Club Lawn for the 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
asserted
Chin → take → Carnival
The Aporia
