No Stupid Questions

Do you have aphantasia?

I have it and assume people get an image of Wicked Wings from KFC that pops into their head and now that they "see" it they crave it. Just like seeing it in a commercial.

I think back to times I've eaten a thing and remember the sensation, then try replaying the feeling to see if it would be just as satisfying.

At the moment, I'm in the mood for a snack. I'm thinking about the dried fruit I had yesterday and the sensations it elicited when I ate it. Those same sensations of flavor and texture sound agreeable, so I'm thinking that would be nice.

Not everyone has this form of recall all the time. Some people have it intermittently. I asked my partner what she wanted to eat and she said she could not tell if she was hungry or if any food sounded good. I took this as a warning and we stopped at the nearest restaurant immediately. Fortunately, this was the right decision and we both felt better afterwards.

If you're feeling hungry, imagine the smells of a food. Sense memory tends to run deep in people. If you find that you can't recall or reject a sensation, that's okay! Plenty of folks are in the same situation.

I donno, you just do. It's hard to explain, one time I was going home at like 8pm and I wanted KFC potatoes and gravy, i didn't want store in a container, instant, real mashed. I specifically wanted KFC and only KFC. I don't I was there for a year or two before that.

I think its just a sudden crave of taste and it is represented via familiarity.

eg: craving something sweet or salty

that person just associated the salty with the wings.

youll find this with some people will crave gummy worms or specific chocolate bar and its just the sweetness.

later in life as you learn how your body works youll just grab the closest thing available if that thing isnt around.

The boston legal thing i get cuz once in a while dont we all crave a bit of James Spader now and again? that's a flavour you cant substitute.

...Do you never know what you want? 🤨

There's a... "activation potential" for each need and want. If it get's over the inhibitors (like, you lazing on the couch), you'd get to it.
And the wants are mostly fed by relation and wishes.
While in the case of food, it's mostly the chemical lab in your belly telling you from experience, that you need something (with more weight on calories-dense stuff (evolution), so, careful).

Well, it's a bit more complex than that (with "levels" of channels, mutual influence, etcetc), but that's the gist of it.

Put your hand on a hot stovetop. You'll rapidly become overwhelmed with the desire to remove it.