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’. 

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

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)

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)

TASTY WORDS

WORD

London

Bristle

Conglomerate

Steeple

Marble

Trouble/bauble

Kindred

Homogenous

Eat

Steal

Elixir

Monopoly

Ripple 

TASTE

Potato stew

Pork crackling

Sand

Fruity tang

Chocolate sauce

Cream

Matchsticks

Cheese

Cornflakes

Gravy

Sour cherry

Sweet potatoes

Condensed milk 

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

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'

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)

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)

WHAT IS SYNAESTHESIA?

Synaesthesia is a condition that causes people to experience different senses at the same time.

For example, the most common type of synesthesia, colour-graphemic, causes those with the condition to associate words and numbers with colours.

Across the world, one in every 5,000 people have synesthesia, according to Boston University.  

But lexical-gustatory synaesthesia is a rare form of the condition and affects less than one in 100,000 people.

James Wannerton, the president of UK Synaesthesia Association said: ‘Synaesthesia is caused by cross activation between two normally separate areas of the brain.

‘An individual with synaesthesia has extra neural connections linking these separate areas.

‘The stimulation of one sense causes an involuntary reaction in one or more of the other senses.

‘Someone with synaesthesia may for example, hear colour or see sound.’

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