Sweet-Tart/pH and opinion qualifiers (was Re: Southern Sweet Tooths (was Re: SC - Miracle Whip OOP (was Re: Sweet and Savory)))

[Catherine Deville]

> I'd be curious about a pH measurement of each product, to see if MW is
> significantly more acidic. It actually seems unlikely, given that a
> proportion of it is water. I think perhaps it _seems_ more tangy because
> of the sugar. Note that you've qualified your opinion above, on MW, as
> your opinion, while your opinion on mayo is given as a value judgement,
> an implicit statement of factual worth.

actually, the qualification was intended to apply to the entire sentance,
not simply to the clause which it followed and grammatically I would
consider saying it twice as simply repetitious.

(just incidentially... a little bit about me and my communication style...
I'm one of those folks who considers having to qualify such things as
opinion as being unnecssarily redundent in any case, as *all* statements of
taste are opinion, as are most statements which people present as "fact".
it really goes without saying that a person's statement of how something
"tastes" to them is personal opinion.  as heinlein said, if it can't be
reduced to mathmatical proof it's not fact, it's opinion.  so if i'm not
drawing a logical proof or making a statement supported by documentation,
it's not intended as a statement of "fact", implicit or otherwise.)

as to the scientific "whys" behind the fact that it tastes sweet-tart to
me, I look forward to your pH analysis of the product.  it's readily
available in most stores (at least in the states) if you wish to conduct
such research.  but looking at the ingredients i'd suspect that it has
something to do with the inclusion of vinegar, (which is listed before
sugar on the ingredients list), mustard flour, "spice" (whichever they are)
and paprika... and possibly would also include whatever the "natural
flavor" is that is the last inclusion.  it also *smells* "tangy" to me as
well (whereas mayo doesn't really have a perceptable scent to it *to me*
(just so that you recognize the qualification both times <s>.))

I remain, in service to Meridies,
Lady Celia des L'archier