Nerd Church - The Book Eater

Confession time: to me the term 'book eater' isn't exactly a metaphor.

Don't panic! I do not, in fact, actually chew, swallow, and consume books. There is no paper in my stomach (as far as I'm aware!)

But I taste books.

Not just books - words, sentences, paragraphs. All of them roll around on my tongue with their various flavours.

And for a long time, I figured everyone else was the same. It's only in recent years that the sneaking suspicion has crept in - other people don't taste words.

To be fair, how was I supposed to know that other people don't know the taste of words?

When people use phrases like 'the words tasted sour in my mouth,' when they talk about eating books and 'delicious' prose...?

Dudes, how was I supposed to know you were all being metaphorical?

via Giphy

It's a form of synaesthesia, called lexical-gustatory synaesthesia

Yup, on top of all my other uniqueness, my wiring upstairs apparently makes me a synaesthete.

I may also have a form of musical/sound synaesthesia relating to a blue-ish colour and shape/texture/layers... I'm still trying to figure that one out to explain it to people.

Some songs I can only hear one layer of at a time - and some songs I can hear all of the layers as they weave (oddly enough, I prefer those ones.)

My music teacher used to try to get us to identify instruments in music pieces, and then get irritated with me when I could identify the voice and one or two instruments.

Synaesthesia is a 'blending' of senses that apparently you non-synnies don't have.

It's a form of neurodiversity, and is often considered to be a disorder or disability.

But... like the more famous types of neurodiversity, such as autism, it both is and isn't a disability.

Put simply, it's a difference in perception; the way I experience the world is different to the way most of you do.

To me, the way words bind together in sentences makes them taste differently.

Sometimes they combine in one big flavour, sometimes all of the words and their syntax (order) in a sentence will affect the taste of the words around them.

Sometimes the way the words are used - whether they're being yelled or whispered, whether they're in anger or happiness - also affects their flavour.

The word 'Milan' (and the Italian 'Milano') is glorious; it's the freshest, most mouth-watering bread you've ever eaten. I really don't... you don't taste that...? Really...?

That's so weird to me. That you guys can't taste the word Milan.

Of course, some words aren't so pleasant.

For me, the word 'spiritual' *shudders* - ugh! IT TASTES SOOOO BAD!!! Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Urgh!

Oddly enough, I don't use those words that often! Lol.








I hope you guys realise that I essentially just licked a metal pole drizzled in vinegar just to give you an example.

#JustSaying. Don't say I don't care about you! 👅









So, there's clearly a lot going on in my brain...

...what with the depression/anxiety, the migraines and enhanced photo-sensitivity (technically light sensitivity or photophobia, but if you say that people think you're scared of cameras) and the dyscalculia!

*laughs awkwardly*









Honestly, though, the synaesthesia is just... me.

It's just one of the things that make me who I am - and honestly, as far as I'm concerned, it's not a negative thing. It's a gift.








After all, I get to eat books! 😉😋



Any synnies among you my nerdlets? Let me know! :)























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Previous Nerd Church posts:

• Nerd Church - Recovery...?

• Nerd Church - On Presumed Innocence, Believing Victims, and Keeping the Legal Balance

• Nerd Church - Kids and Gender Equality