The other night I was out with a few friends having dinner. Two of them ordered the same dish, one was happy, the other not so. I sat there and listened what each one said, it was the same, but one liked it: WHY? Has this ever happened to you?
My background is in physical therapy so I started thinking from the anatomy side of my brain. Are all taste buds created equal? Taste buds have microscopic hairs that send messages to the brain: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. There is a new one now, umami; savory. When I was in school I don’t think it was discovered yet.
Taste buds are replaced every two weeks, maybe that is why some things tasted better last week. As we age we have fewer taste buds, among other things.
Taste buds can only take some of the credit for your favorite foods. Let’s hear it for the Nose, the good olfactory receptors that send messages to your brain that makes your mouth water when you know it is going to taste good.
Last our eyes, definitely if it looks good it usually tastes good.
Now that we have everything working together, here are a few other issues to think about:
This all can be affected with a cold, allergies, or your mood. Doesn’t food and drinks taste better when your Happy? So is good tasting a science? I think so.
When we are creating food or drinks at Mister C’s Beach Bistro we really try to make sure we are hitting every sensation possible. The sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. Next time you’re creating, think what flavors you like paired together.
I know I like the taste of chocolate with salt, or prosciutto with pineapple or a peach, mango bloody mary. The perfect preparation: All the flavors working together to cause an explosion on my tongue, with a splash of olfactory, garnished with a good mood, it definitely tastes good!
Without your tongue, nose, eyes and good mood life would be flavor less, or should I say TASTELESS!
Great article..learned something new!
I totally agree that our senses play such an integral part of our lives–especially in enjoying good food! Yet, in order to enjoy good food, much depends on the frame of mind we are in while tasting the food. It truly depends on our mood! If we are upset, unhappy, anxious or simply just having a bad hair day–unbelievably delicious food just isn’t going to happen it’s as if we have pushed an inner button and all taste buds have momentarily ceased—-so—-oo—-what I suggest is to have a few cocktails, great conversation with people who care and then sit down to enjoy the delicasies that Mr. C’s has to offer! Bon appitit!