Smells and Bells

                     One image which unfortunately stuck with me from my time in elementary school was the “Tongue Map” from health class. For the uninitiated, the tongue map is a graphical representation of where the different “flavor receptors” are located on your tongue. This image sections of bitterness, sweetness, saltiness, and sourness, and clearly illustrates the idea that humans use one part of their tongue to experience a specific flavor. However, the science behind this illustration that has so captured the publics imagination is false. Apparently the confusion began as a result of a study performed in 1901 by David P Hänig. His study revealed that certain parts of the tongue were more sensitive than others to specific flavors such as salt or umami. While this element was scientifically sound, the diagram he put out to accompany his findings seemed to highlight different regions of the tongue as responsible ...

          After reading Carolyn Korsmeyer’s Savoring Disgust , I had a different understanding of why people are attracted to things that they should find repulsive. In her book, Carolyn talks about the “paradoxical magnetism” of disgusting objects. This is the idea that an aversion to something can inspire a person to linger on the thought of it longer or be unable to look away from it. Korsmeyer analyzes this phenomena in great detail in her book, however the element of her take on disgust which I find most interesting has to do with odor . In the world of perfumes and cologne, it is widely known that some of the grossest smells are the most attractive. Korsmeyer seeks an understanding of why humans have this behavior, and claims that the original reason we developed the disgust response to odors is connected to our evolutionary inclination to avoid non-edible foods. Many of the traits of disgust within food are actually signs of expiration and decay, so ...