London man with synaesthesia tastes food as he hears words

A 29-year-old man suffers from a bizarre condition that causes him to taste different foods every time he hears words.

Dave Evans, from Willesden Green in London, tastes cornflakes whenever someone says ‘east’ and crunchy pork crackling when he hears ‘bristle’.

And whenever Mr Evans, who is single, hears the name of his boss, Alice, the flavour of fruity lollipops floods his senses.

He suffers from lexical-gustatory synaesthesia – a disorder where he tastes or smells food whenever certain words are mentioned.

Strangers think Mr Evans, plagued by the condition since he was nine, is on drugs, while even his own parents have described him as ‘odd’. 

Mr Evans, a social media manager, said: ‘My boss at work is called Alice, and whenever I hear her name, I taste lollipops. It’s so weird. 

‘The first time it happened was when I was nine and I was really taken aback. My friend was called Cai and whenever I heard or said his name, I tasted raw mince.’

‘I’m used to it now, but it was so confusing as a young lad, not knowing why I could suddenly taste uncooked meat.’ 

‘People think I’m crazy’ 

He added: ‘People think I’m crazy, as I will sometimes wince when I hear certain words which taste horrible.

‘Words like ‘conglomerate’ – which I don’t say or hear very much – but taste like sand, for example.

‘The word ‘marble’ tastes like chocolate sauce, but, sadly, I don’t hear that very often either.

‘I don’t like telling people about my synaesthesia, because they think I’m making it up, or that I’m just really weird. Even my parents think I’m being odd.’ 

For years, Mr Evans was convinced his imagination set him apart from his friends, who looked perplexed when he asked if they could also taste certain words.

And whenever Mr Evans, who is single, hears the name of his boss, Alice, the flavour of fruity lollipops floods his senses (pictured with his friend Rosie)

He added: ‘I started tasting words in primary school. Back then, I thought everyone else did, too.

‘When I asked my friends if they could taste words, though, they had no idea where I was coming from.’

Mocked mercilessly 

After being laughed at by his contemporaries, Mr Evans, who grew up in Swansea, kept his strange taste sensations from his parents.

But he started being bombarded by so many flavours – with words like ‘Christmas baubles’ conjuring-up cream, ‘London’ making him taste potato stew, and ‘steeple’ creating a fruity tang.

Curious about his experiences, he started researching his symptoms online.

Mr Evans said: ‘I came across someone’s page on the site MySpace, who had written about having lexical-gustatory synaesthesia.

‘It sounded exactly like me, so, again I started asking people if they ever tasted different foods when random words were said.

He suffers from lexical-gustatory synaesthesia – a disorder where he tastes or smells food whenever certain words are mentioned

Strangers think Mr Evans, plagued by the condition since he was nine, is on drugs, while even his own parents have described him as ‘odd’

‘But they all thought I was either on drugs, or talking rubbish.’

No official diagnosis 

Although he hasn’t had an official diagnosis because of the rarity of his condition, he has matched his symptoms with those online.

Mr Evans added: ‘Reading online definitions, it’s clear I have lexical-gustatory synaesthesia.

‘Still, as it doesn’t impact my life too much, I don’t see any need to go to the doctor, or get an official diagnosis.

He said people still react with surprise if he tells them about his experiences.

President of the UK Synaesthesia Association James Wannerton, 58, who also has lexical-gustatory synaesthesia, said: ‘There is no official diagnosis for lexical-gustatory synaesthesia as there are so many different types and it is hugely unusual.

‘We have worked hard to get the NHS to recognise the condition, so now a GP can pass people on to us and we can refer them on to Sussex University to take part in research there.’

Mr Evans, a social media manager, said: ‘My boss at work is called Alice, and whenever I hear her name, I taste lollipops. It’s so weird’ (pictured with his sister Sarah, far left, and family [left to right] members Emma, Kelly and Sophie)