Egon Ronay was a famous food critic, and as you can guess, you can't be a food critic without being able to taste. Nothing ruins your credibility as a food critic faster than that. Smart move on his part to make sure he got a nice payout if his taste buds ever failed him. It would be interesting if he kept trying to be food critic after losing his taste buds. His reviews would be texture based.
I can't imagine a world where I couldn't taste anything. I love food so much that I don't think I'd know what to do with myself if I couldn't taste it. Then again, maybe I'd save a little bit of money. I'm sure people without taste buds rarely go out to eat, unlike me who will go out to eat twice in one night.