As people age, their taste buds may undergo some changes, which can affect their perception of flavors.
While the taste buds themselves don't necessarily disappear, certain factors such as a decrease in the number of taste buds, changes in saliva production volume, and alterations in the sense of smell can collectively contribute to a difference in how older people experience taste. Some common changes include a diminished ability to taste sweetness, saltiness, and bitterness.
In fact, some elderly people might find that their tasting capabilities have diminished so much that they need more intense and strong flavors to make them know what they're eating, in order for them to really enjoy their meal.
One grandpa learned this the hard way, as shared by his grandchild in a tweet.
Sooo my grandpa ate half a quart of paint today thinking it was yogurt pic.twitter.com/wzDfDpQgWB
— Alex Stein (@alexsteinnn) February 22, 2019
Later called the 'Paint Grandpa' or the 'Grandpa Ate Paint', the meme refers to a viral tweet describing how a 90-year-old grandpa named Bobby accidentally ate a whole can of paint thinking that it was yogurt.
"Sooo my grandpa ate half a quart of paint today thinking it was yogurt."
The person who posted the tweet, Twitter user Alex Stein, uploaded an image of a can of green paint Bobby thought was yogurt, and a photo of Bobby himself with the green paint around his mouth and on his jacket.
The tweet then went viral after the media made news about it, and after Twitter users engaged with the post with jokes and memes.
On that same day, Stein made an update to the tweet, saying that "his stomach’s completely unfazed," along with a screenshot of a video chat with him smiling.
The image was originally posted to Instagram using an account that goes by the name @itsbobbybiiiiiitch, along with the caption, "Apparently I ate paint this morning…but #no #regrets (poison control laughed at me, but they said I’ll be fine).
— Alex Stein (@alexsteinnn) February 23, 2019
On November 2nd, 2023, through her account @alexsteinnn on TikTok, and Bobby's @itsbobbybiiiiiitch account, Stein compiled various clips of Bobby, and announced that her granddaughter has passed away.
Bobby died peacefully in his sleep in June at the age of 91.
She posted in a day before November 3rd, which should have been his 92nd birthday.
"Today would’ve been Bobby’s 92nd birthday," she said.
"For those who don’t know, he passed away peacefully in his sleep this June. And though he’s missed tremendously, he really did live a long, happy, healthy & fulfilling life as a doctor, musician, father, and grandfather. He loved nothing more than to make people laugh, so having the internet as his audience truly meant the world to him," she said of her energetic grandpa.
"Huge thanks to everyone who’s supported Bobby boy over the years -- I’m confident you guys will keep his legend alive."