I would like to take this opportunity to follow up on the molecular musings post by soliciting opinions about the way in which one eats, or drinks (dines.) Taoists have been paying attention to this aesthetic for centuries, the Japanese call it washoku and now El Bulli has brought the concept fully to the west by incorporating it into their philosophy...
The Mind: It is said that we dine with our eyes first, yet it seems that we dine with our minds first. What if I told you I was driving to a vegetarian restaurant, and I pulled into a place named 'Hoof to Snout?' Even if the place served the best veggie fare ever, you wouldn't appreciate it as much as, say, 'Zen Garden.' What if I gave you a banana that tasted like bouillabaise? What would you do if I gave you 3 envelopes labeled medium, hard and extreme and told you that your prix- fix menu was inside each? Or blindfolded you as you sat down to your meal, and then began to sharpen a knife behind you?
Touch: Internal/ external. Think about eating the silkiest lobster bisque with a spoon wrapped in sandpaper. How about eating hot and sour soup in a refrigerator? Or, from a recent experience, a pureed soup with a pecan garnish? Does it necessarily have to be an exercise in contrast to get the point across? What if the aforementioned bisque was eaten with a spoon wrapped in silk?
Sound: Corn flakes vs. pop rocks vs. pop- tarts vs. crispy bacon vs salmon caviar. Jazz vs. Industrial, Classic Rock vs. Club, wind chimes, intelligent banter... If I served you suckling pig, it would definitely be cooler if I played Metallica versus Enya. The latter, you might just break down in tears, the former, you might just feel as if you were dining in Valhalla.
Sight: Why not propose an experiment? The next time you are eating dinner, eat a few bites and then turn the lights off or put on a blindfold (I swear I won't be behind you sharpening a knife!) How much would it affect your taste perception? What if you were fed baby corn that had been dyed bright red with food coloring? Wouldn't you subconsciously/ habitually look for saffron, annatto or capsaicin?
Smell/ Taste: My favorite example of a chef exploring these interconnected senses is the BBQ dish Jose' Andres served on Iron Chef America. Braised short ribs, I think, served under a glass dome in that he filled with hickory smoke. All of the judges commented that it tasted like exceptional BBQ, even though he didn't smoke the meat itself. Or what about 'vapors?' A bowl is placed inside a larger bowl in which aromatics are placed. When served, boiling water is placed in the larger bowl, releasing the aroma of the contents. Does anybody have any examples of dishes that have nuances that only come out on the nose, not the palate?
It would be really cool if we could get a raging thread going on this one. I'm sure we could come up with some pretty interesting ideas. I'm looking forward to trying some new ideas, what foodie doesn't?
