Bitter foods can be a meaningful part of our life experience. Coffee, endive and dandelion greens are some examples. In the course of eating these foods, it's important to keep our anticipation and expectations of them from clouding our direct experience.
If it can be believed that our distaste for bitterness comes from our drive for survival, then arguably what's at the root of our negative reaction is a kind of primal fear. Learning to be fully open to it is an act of choosing "curiosity over fear". (I heard this phrase during an interview with Elizabeth Gilbert on a podcast called "On Being".)
Symbolically, we can take note of the bitter experiences of our lives and ponder the ones that are beneficial to us and the ones that aren't. Some are toxic, and really do nothing to lift us up. Others give our life depth and meaning. Some people are more tolerant of bitter things and others aren't; there's no particular reason for judgment. Each person can decide for themselves in what way they would choose to apply curiosity and gratitude to the potential experiences before them.
