We have been taught in school
about our five senses: taste, smell, touch, sight and hearing. Two of these
work closely together and one is not far behind. First is our sense of smell.
Yes, you begin to taste even as your raise food to your mouth. The aroma of
food causes a reaction even before it reaches your tongue. Once your taste buds
have a chance to decide if this is good or not, the sensation of texture finishes
off your full experience. Sometimes your eyes may have a strong negative impact
and the whole experience might be lost.
Not only does our body tell us about taste,
but our culture and upbringing also effect how we learn about food. The region
where we spent the most time in during our formative years imprinted a certain
flavor preference that can last a lifetime.
As babies, our mothers introduce us to one
flavor or food at a time. Yes, they are testing for possible allergies, but
also our tongue is learning about new texture and how to swallow solid food.
But even babies will seem to reject certain items and accept others. Sometimes,
while introducing a new food, a mother might inadvertently pass on a dislike
for something that she does not care for. We love adding applesauce to the
baby’s dinner, but sweet potatoes not so much.
As the family matures we learn about
family favorites that we can all love together. These become our comfort foods –
and Mom knows what to cook when we need it. If we want to honor certain family
member we ask what their favorite food is and prepare it in for them. Many
times this was a birthday dinner. We also associate certain foods with
individual holidays. It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce, etc.
If you venture very far away to school in
another state, relocate for a job or a new person in your life you encounter
new and adventuresome flavors and foods. You don’t have to leave the US to
experience a diverse spectrum of food. Flavors vary widely from East Coast to
West Coast. North to South we see it and talk about how they cook. I grew up on
the Southeast Coast and ate a lot of pork. To this day, pork loin roast is my favorite.
When mother asked what I wanted for my birthday dinner it was pork loin roast,
pork gravy, sweet potatoes, stewed apples and baby lima beans, plus yellow cake
with chocolate icing for dessert.
Comfort food is just what it says it is.
Food that gives you a good feeling. As far as I can tell, the most renowned
comfort food is mac and cheese. Think about it: it’s is a warm yellow food
almost smiling at you before your taste it, you can smell that wonderful cheese
aroma before you put it in your mouth. Once in your mouth the warm smooth
texture slides across your tongue and the full flavor kicks in. You can’t help
but feel better and smile at the person who made it for you.
As you grow and your taste buds mature you
will have many opportunities to test your senses. Do not reject anything too
hastily, but certainly your can approach with caution. One contentious food of
late is cilantro. People like it or don’t like it, there doesn’t seem to be any
middle ground. I recently read that if you are served cilantro in a very ground
up texture the taste is softer and much more palatable. If you try it mixed in
rather than just sprinkled on top you might find you would enjoy this flavor. I
think it does add to the over all dish. Just like arugula. I did not like it at
first but now enjoy it mixed in salads and have been growing it my modest
garden the past two years.
I’d
love to hear your food stories and questions. Email me at patschat@livingston.net.
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