Taste
After reading the chapter on taste, I thought about all of the places that I have lived or visited, and how different all of the food is in regard to taste. In addition, the customs are different, the portion sizes are different, and the meal times are different among many other things. In the book, I thought it was interesting when the author said that every culture uses food as a sign of approval or commemoration, and that some foods are eaten religiously or symbolically. For example, the author stated that, “Jews attend a Seder to eat a horseradish dish to symbolize the tears shed by the ancestors when they were slaves in Egypt. Mayans celebrate important events with rice, the inspirational center of their lives. The ancient Egyptians thought onions symbolized the many-layered universe.” Some people might think that taste is so simple, but taste and food is what drives culture and diversity in the world. The sense of taste enhances our ability to experience the sensation itself while also fusing it with the people we are with or the symbols we are representing. This enhances our overall experience. When I traveled to Italy, the dinners were always given to us in three portions (salad, meal, dessert) and water was often bottled. The Italians also typically ate only three meals a day, with no snacking. Here in America, many people eat multiple times a day, and water is free or comes as tap water. These are minor differences, but are just some examples of how taste and food is interpreted differently all over the world.
As we all know, our sense of taste is able to distinguish from many different foods that exist. Many of us love pizza while others are vegetarians. Some eat spicy foods while others like their food sweet. The list goes on and on and goes to show how unique our sense of taste really is from one another. Attached is an article that discusses factors that can affect taste sensitivity.
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