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What if vanilla was a rare, obscure, gourmet flavor that was only used in specific cultural contexts and highbrow restaurants rather than the "default," normal flavor that can be found in pretty much every sweet food in the Western world? What other flavors could fill this role, to the same extent that vanilla is sometimes used as a synonym for "bland" and "boring" (at least in the English language)?

My understanding is that rose water and orange flower water were much more popular as flavorings in European baked goods before the introduction of vanilla, but they'd have to be given less generic names. I can't imagine anyone saying, "that guy's taste in music is so... rose water."
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