Personal vs. Market Values

Yes there is real truffle oil and there is fake truffle oil. And yes white truffles are absolutely amazing especially with scrambled eggs or anything with eggs really.

Personal taste is just that...personal.  I am one of the estimated 25 percent of the population that cannot taste truffles due to an inability to smell androstenone.  Discovered this in cooking school when the rest of the class was swooning over a truffle dish, and try as I might I could not taste it.

It’s  the same with stereo equipment:  some of us can hear better than others.  My hearing has certainly changed over the years, not only gotten worse but my music preferences have moved on from rock to bebop jazz.  Even if I were willing to spend any amount of money for the perfect system, that system purchased in my 20s would probably not sound very good to me now.  

So to to your point about happiness and charlatans, I completely agree.  Someone is always there to sell you something they say will make you happier.  I never felt I needed to spend a lot of money on stereo equipment to enjoy music; right now I have a Linn Axis turntable I bought second hand 20 years ago, an AT95 cartridge, an NAD 7020 I bought off eBay and had refurbished and a pair of Paradigm Atom V.2 speakers I just refoamed.  And I buy most of my records at flea markets.  But I did recently invest in a Pro-Ject RCM and am looking at a pair of Elac Debut series speakers for Christmas.  

If someone wants to spend more money on their music hobby, and can afford it, then more power to them.  Not my taste, but neither are truffles. 😁

Most “truffle oil” is crap. Made from inferior species, left over remnants, or from a perfumeries laboratory. 
Might one care not to spend money on fresh truffles, they might get better results with more modestly ( compared to high quality fresh ) priced products labeled truffle butter.

Most “truffle oil” is crap. Made from inferior species, left over remnants, or from a perfumeries laboratory.
Might one care not to spend money on fresh truffles, they might get better results with more modestly ( compared to high quality fresh ) priced products labeled truffle butter.

There are clear analogies between this and the audio industry. :) The difference between a great technology executed well and a great technology executed poorly is everywhere.

E

16f4, good points. There are also people who get a soapy unpleasant taste from cilantro. However, in the case of cilantro and truffles these folks don't necessarily have a "better" sense of taste. They may be "deficient" in other areas. So how they respond to one or two other things is not a measure of their discriminatory capabilities across the board.

I suspect the same could be said among audiophiles. In my brief time as an "audiophile" I have found that some tweaks, recordings, systems make a big difference just as described by other audiophiles while others make no difference whatsoever. I have no way of knowing if that is just inexperience or how my perception is wired.....and we all have to remember, hearing is not just an acuity issue. There is no 'hearing' without processing in the brain.

There is an extreme visual analogy of this:

 Certain types of brain pathology can lead to someone with normal eyes not being able to see. In this specific condition they are essentially blind because the eye is not connected to the visual centers of the brain even though the eye itself is perfect. Sometimes, however, a reflex tract will be preserved. When this is the case, the person is blind but if you throw something at them they will duck.