And their characters' tastes even influence what we drink - cosmopolitans anyone?

"He is truly of a piece," Ms. Skocpol says, noting that Mr. Moynihan's taste for controversy has influenced both his political and his academic careers.

AS it goes in the preservation world, contemporary taste always influences even the most sensitive restoration.

Her taste, which had never been for understatement, influenced his, which had always been a little austere.

But could a mother's taste in, say, breakfast, also influence her child's gender?

City Ballet was not averse to dance drama, particularly when Kirstein's taste strongly influenced the company from 1948 to 1964 at City Center.

These tastes and values had influenced French art and literature since the reign of Louis XIV.

The tastes of particular A&R executives have influenced the course of music history.

Whether Mr. Tsao's taste influences these companies is open to debate.

Despite these limitations, the study is a rare look at how social dynamics and personal tastes influence each other over the course of some very formative years.