Some Food for Thought

Some Food for Thought

4AM...

Before you read this, I'm letting you know this is me rambling off a bunch of bullsh*t, - I'm just trying to pass the time until I fall back to sleep.
~BC

Grilled cheese burger from the Park Wayne Diner in Wayne, NJ.

 (not on the menu, I requested it).

~Chew on this~

I realize taste is an extremely diverse topic that carries with it as much individuality as fingerprints or snowflakes – it’s fair to say every person has their preference of some food and tastes over others.

With that said, the number of variables that go into just one bite of food are staggering, making the odds that you'll love everything about what you are tasting astronomical.

~Eating 101~

Enjoying food is a visual experience every bit as much as a flavorful one. For instance, do you prefer yellow to green zucchini because of a slight flavor or texture difference, or is it more of a subconscious choice? By that, I mean it's possible that you choose yellow over green zucchini simply because of the color. Who knows for sure, or gives a damn for that matter?

We can probably all agree that a colorful, visually appealing dish is always more appetizing than a bowl of mush, even though the mush may also taste great. Who hasn't said, "This tastes much better than it looks"?

Now let's talk about aroma. The smell of food frying or baking, searing or grilling. Which aroma gets your stomach rumbling? An apple pie baking in the oven, garlic frying in olive oil, the bouquet of crisp bacon, or perhaps the comforting smell of a turkey roasting?

The next thing we experience while eating is not taste, but texture. Yup, texture – you can tell immediately if you're going to like what you're about to shove into your pie hole just by that first bite. It can be mushy, crispy, soft, hard, mealy, gritty, chewy, slimy, crunchy, tender, creamy, oily, rubbery, stringy, tender, juicy or watery, but if the feel of it doesn't agree with you, good taste or otherwise, you're not going to eat it.

Now, for the sake of argument, let's say you've made it past the first three hurdles and it's off to the finish line – taste.

Let's assume that so far:

-the food is visually appealing.

-the aroma is mouthwatering.

-the texture of the first bite was agreeable.

You now have green lights on all of the preliminary criteria, so you're off to the actual tasting where sight, smell, and texture are combining with actual flavor.

And here they are, the 5 basic tastes...

Bitter, Sour, Sweet, Salty and Savory (Umami) or of course, any combination thereof.

You are now at the precipice of culinary delight, enjoying tens of thousands of sensual food combinations which are all coming together for your dining pleasure.