Food and the senses



Sam and I have been trying to think of foods that exemplify (? I don't know the word I want---encapsulate?  represent? manifest?) each of the five senses.  Obviously more than one sense is involved in eating anything, but we were using this question as a guide: is this part of the food (the smell, the texture, etc.) an essential part of the experience?  That is, if that element was missing would the experience of eating still be basically the same?

I feel like we didn't come up with good ones for all of them, but here are some of our ideas:
  • Sound: rice crispies; bacon (frying, and the crunch when you eat it); popcorn; root beer floats
  • Touch/texture (in the hand or in the mouth): angel food cake; hot chocolate (cold chocolate milk=totally different experience); cream puffs; toasted English muffins; artisan bread
  • Smell--(lots of foods NEED their aromas.  But which need them most?): onions/bacon frying; wassail; roast beef (in crock pot, for example); chocolate chip cookies; cheese; oranges/grapefruit
  • Sight: rainbow jello; vegetable bars; kiss cookies; aebleskiver (little Danish pancake balls); braided bread; colorful salads; colorful pizza
  • Taste--(what foods have a distinctive/intense taste that kind of overshadows the other elements?): lemon curd; truffles; curry; gingersnaps; pesto; chocolate basil cake
Okay, so, what did we leave out---what foods represent (? still not happy with the word choice) each of the senses for you?  And question #2: do we think about food too much in this family? :)
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6 comments

  1. ChelseaOctober 26, 2009 at 10:02 PM

    Can you think about food too much?

    I don't know how you'll classify this but my favorite food is raspberries. Eating a fresh raspberry is like savoring a little sunshine--even if it's cold from the fridge.

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  2. BethOctober 27, 2009 at 1:26 PM

    I think you encapsulated everything well. But now I'm hungry, mostly for curry.

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  3. KOctober 27, 2009 at 11:31 PM

    I'm trying to come up with the word you want. I can feel it, but I'm puppied out and tired and the database has shut down for the day. Dang it. I prefer to take food as a symphonic experience myself. One section at a time gets old fast -

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  4. Allison NelsonOctober 28, 2009 at 2:40 PM

    Hmmm, experiencing food is so subjective, but I would add to texture: ice cream and mousses...the silky foods (read cream) that coat your mouth and force you to slow down.

    And, no, I don't think you think about food too much. I honestly think of good food as one of the greatest blessings God has given us--a large variety of foods, and senses to enjoy them. I think of it in the same vein as nature. And, I am very grateful. :)

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  5. Katy FroydOctober 28, 2009 at 4:24 PM

    Epitomize? Embody? denote? Illustrate? Personally I think the food would embody that sense. (Sorry I pulled out my writer's thesaurus, word choice pulls me to.)

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  6. JenaNovember 1, 2009 at 2:37 PM

    Suddenly I'm hungry. I think I do the whole 'gobble your food before the kids aren't sitting anymore', routine far too often. I'm going to have to try tasting it a little bit better. Then, perhaps I can categorize it.

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