{"id":50679,"date":"2015-01-21T12:51:04","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T17:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?p=50679"},"modified":"2015-01-21T16:27:44","modified_gmt":"2015-01-21T21:27:44","slug":"toronto-subway-tastes-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/","title":{"rendered":"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like"},"content":{"rendered":"

Union Station tastes like fried onions.<\/p>\n

James Wannerton knows this because he tastes words. Due to a rare and unusual neurological condition called synesthesia, written and spoken language triggers powerful phantom tastes and textures in his mouth. Some good, some really awful.<\/p>\n

Runnymede, for example, tastes like mud. The mere mention of it makes him audibly recoil over the phone from his home in Blackpool, England.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019m eating something all day long,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s what it\u2019s like \u2026 I know that sounds weird. I know I\u2019m not eating anything. I\u2019m a perfectly rational person, but it does feel like I\u2019m eating something.\u201d Wannerton says that, unlike in other people, the parts of his brain that interpret language, taste, and sensation are linked. \u201cIt\u2019s more than just a simple taste, there\u2019s texture involved, sort of a real mouth-feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2013, Wannerton put together a map of the London Undergound<\/a> in which he replaced the names of\u00a0stations with tastes. Oxford Circus became Oxtail Soup, Waterloo was translated into Fizzy Water, and poor Kilburn High Road came out as Rancid Meat.<\/p>\n

TO VIEW A LARGE VERSION OF THIS MAP CLICK HERE<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"TasteMAP-WEST-small\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"TasteMAP-EAST-small\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wannerton started assembling\u00a0his map of the TTC while in Toronto for a conference in 2013. As president of the UK Synesthesia Association, he\u2019s visited Toronto twice. He says overall the flavours of the subway were pleasant ones.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The stations] were just so nice and so mild \u2026 that\u2019s what struck me about the system. It does make a difference because it makes you like the city, it really does. You like moving around in it. Some of the stations are awful, but the actual taste of them is quite nice, which makes them nice to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear from Wannerton\u2019s work that has a predilection for sweet flavours. He thinks many of the tastes he frequently experiences are linked to the food he ate as a child in London.<\/p>\n

Growing up, it was hard to convince skeptical physicians that his condition was real. The family doctor dismissed it as an overactive imagination. It wasn\u2019t until the 1980s that Wannerton was inspired to find out more about synesthesia. MRI scanners have since allowed neurologists to probe deep into his brain and learn important lessons about how the senses interact and affect human behaviour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a bit like having an eye dropper of taste drop on your tongue. Drip, drip as each thing comes in. It\u2019s on different parts of your tongue. The sweet and sour tend to be the ones on the edges, left and right, and theres other stuff in the middle \u2026 it\u2019s just this continuous drip. But also very important is the intensity of it. The best analogy to mix that with would be like a fluorescent light. When you turn it on it flashes\u2014bang\u2014and when you turn it off it fades away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being a synesthete has had a significant effect on Wannerton\u2019s life. He tends to shy away from social interactions and his job in IT allows him to have a minimal amount of spoken interaction. Reading is particularly challenging, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheres no way I\u2019d have it taken away, even though it is distracting \u2026 I just couldn\u2019t imagine life without it. It\u2019s a bit like saying, \u2018well, some of the things I smell are awful, so I want my entire sense of smell taken away.\u2019 You just wouldn\u2019t do it, would you. You\u2019d just put up with the bad bits. That\u2019s probably why I can put up with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

TO VIEW A LARGE VERSION OF THIS MAP CLICK HERE<\/a><\/h2>\n

Map design by Julie Fish<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Union Station tastes like fried onions. James Wannerton knows this because he tastes words. Due to a rare and unusual neurological condition called synesthesia, written and spoken language triggers powerful phantom tastes and textures in his mouth. Some good, some really awful. Runnymede, for example, tastes like mud. The mere mention of it makes himContinue reading “This is what the Toronto subway tastes like”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8234,"featured_media":50704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,170,8],"tags":[22009,359,22008,19,889],"class_list":["post-50679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curiosities","category-maps","category-transit","tag-james-wannerton","tag-london","tag-taste-map","tag-toronto","tag-ttc"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThis is what the Toronto subway tastes like - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Union Station tastes like fried onions. James Wannerton knows this because he tastes words. Due to a rare and unusual neurological condition called synesthesia, written and spoken language triggers powerful phantom tastes and textures in his mouth. Some good, some really awful. Runnymede, for example, tastes like mud. The mere mention of it makes himContinue reading "This is what the Toronto subway tastes like"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-01-21T17:51:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-01-21T21:27:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/TasteMAP-DETAIL.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1923\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"911\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Bateman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Spacing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Spacing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris Bateman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/\",\"name\":\"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like - Spacing Toronto\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/TasteMAP-DETAIL.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-01-21T17:51:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-01-21T21:27:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#\/schema\/person\/76eb8d2829230c3809681dd1d54d75ab\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/TasteMAP-DETAIL.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/TasteMAP-DETAIL.jpg\",\"width\":1923,\"height\":911},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/\",\"name\":\"Spacing Toronto\",\"description\":\"Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | Toronto Architecture, Urban Design, Public Transit, City Hall, Parks, Walking, Bikes, Streetscape, History, Waterfront, Maps, Public Spaces\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#\/schema\/person\/76eb8d2829230c3809681dd1d54d75ab\",\"name\":\"Chris Bateman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33536c8378a8d7a5852588844135dd82?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33536c8378a8d7a5852588844135dd82?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chris Bateman\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/author\/chrisbateman\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like - Spacing Toronto","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like - Spacing Toronto","og_description":"Union Station tastes like fried onions. James Wannerton knows this because he tastes words. Due to a rare and unusual neurological condition called synesthesia, written and spoken language triggers powerful phantom tastes and textures in his mouth. Some good, some really awful. Runnymede, for example, tastes like mud. The mere mention of it makes himContinue reading \"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like\"","og_url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/","og_site_name":"Spacing Toronto","article_published_time":"2015-01-21T17:51:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-01-21T21:27:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1923,"height":911,"url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/TasteMAP-DETAIL.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Chris Bateman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Spacing","twitter_site":"@Spacing","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chris Bateman","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/","name":"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like - Spacing Toronto","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/TasteMAP-DETAIL.jpg","datePublished":"2015-01-21T17:51:04+00:00","dateModified":"2015-01-21T21:27:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#\/schema\/person\/76eb8d2829230c3809681dd1d54d75ab"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/TasteMAP-DETAIL.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/TasteMAP-DETAIL.jpg","width":1923,"height":911},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/01\/21\/toronto-subway-tastes-like\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"This is what the Toronto subway tastes like"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/","name":"Spacing Toronto","description":"Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | Toronto Architecture, Urban Design, Public Transit, City Hall, Parks, Walking, Bikes, Streetscape, History, Waterfront, Maps, Public Spaces","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#\/schema\/person\/76eb8d2829230c3809681dd1d54d75ab","name":"Chris Bateman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33536c8378a8d7a5852588844135dd82?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33536c8378a8d7a5852588844135dd82?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Chris Bateman"},"url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/author\/chrisbateman\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8234"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50679"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50705,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50679\/revisions\/50705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}