Don't try Soap or Spaghetti!

Last night I had the misfortune to try some of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, the candy in the Harry Potter books. My friend, Roz, gave me the vomit one, but I guessed what it was and wouldn't eat it! I did try the soap (at least we think it was soap). Next, we both tried Spaghetti. She spit hers' out and said it tasted like "moldy spaghetti someone threw up." I nearly did. I had to eat a cherry one to keep from doing so, but I could taste spaghetti the rest of the night! I did try the grass one, which wasn't too odd.

My Dad, brave soul that he is, actually tried the vomit one, and either the dirt or the earthworm one. We weren't sure which it was. I can't imagine trying those!

My question is: how do they develop the flavors? I mean, what kind of research does it involve to get the proper taste of vomit? How horrid a job! And then taste-testing? What do they do? Give them to unsuspecting children? My mother thinks that perhaps they do some chemical analysis on, for example, soap, and then make the flavor that way. I had to point out that they still had to do a taste test.

What interesting candy!