There are five simple senses that most humans develop throughout their lives to use toward building a perception of the world around them. The sense of sight may be interpreted in degrees of greys through full technicolor. Touching soft velvet and rough stone are stark contrasts that enhance the feel of one another when perceived together. The smell of lilacs may remind someone of a favorite female relative. Sounds may be soothing or put your nerves on edge. But, to me, the greatest sense is the sense of taste.
I value the flavor of sauteed onions and garlic. There is a visceral reaction that I have a hard time explaining to others when these ingredients glance over my tongue. Chocoholicism has been a constant enemy of my waistline. Especially the exquisite bitterness that counter balances the ethereal sweetness of a truly dark bit of chocolate. And I could wax poetic about the pleasures of icy cold milk drunk just from the jug. I am more aware of the flavors in my mouth than the words that come from my husband's.
I ask myself, "What truly constitutes the varied reactions that form our perception of taste?" A scientist would explain, ad nauseum, about the chemical reactions that are performed within the maw. They explain the process from the taste buds' receptors to the breakdown of ingredients when introduced to digestive juices behind the teeth. This inglorious involvement of chemical make up and the digestion beginnings does not explain, for me, the true qualifications of taste.
I feel that taste should be used with the other four senses to truly understand what I ingest. I want to explore this sense in every sense of the word.
In short, gustation is taste. But taste seems too vague a term to truly understand what we choose to include on our tongue, in our palate, and in the world around each of us.
This is my journey. Come join me...
I value the flavor of sauteed onions and garlic. There is a visceral reaction that I have a hard time explaining to others when these ingredients glance over my tongue. Chocoholicism has been a constant enemy of my waistline. Especially the exquisite bitterness that counter balances the ethereal sweetness of a truly dark bit of chocolate. And I could wax poetic about the pleasures of icy cold milk drunk just from the jug. I am more aware of the flavors in my mouth than the words that come from my husband's.
I ask myself, "What truly constitutes the varied reactions that form our perception of taste?" A scientist would explain, ad nauseum, about the chemical reactions that are performed within the maw. They explain the process from the taste buds' receptors to the breakdown of ingredients when introduced to digestive juices behind the teeth. This inglorious involvement of chemical make up and the digestion beginnings does not explain, for me, the true qualifications of taste.
I feel that taste should be used with the other four senses to truly understand what I ingest. I want to explore this sense in every sense of the word.
In short, gustation is taste. But taste seems too vague a term to truly understand what we choose to include on our tongue, in our palate, and in the world around each of us.
This is my journey. Come join me...
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