The 5 traditionally
recognized methods of perception or sense are:
SOUND...SIGHT...TOUCH...SMELL...TASTE
Our “Senses” allow us
to learn...to protect ourselves...to enjoy the world.
Can you imagine what
is might be like...to live your life
without any of the
five Senses?
This traditional
model is credited to Aristotle.
TASTE
Our Sense of Taste comes from the
taste buds on our tongue. These buds are
called papillae. But the Sense of
Smell also affects our Taste. The tongue
is only able to Taste only 4 separate flavours:
salty, sweet, sour and bitter. A
combination of sweet and salty could be your favourite candy; a combination of sweet and bitter could be
the chips in your chocolate chip cookies. Everything you Taste is one or more
combinations of the 4 flavours. Not only
can your tongue Taste, but it also picks up texture and temperature in your food like...creamy, crunchy, hot, icy
cold or dry. (Think of the carrot.)
Did you know that
butterflies taste with their teeth?
“Eat Your
Asparagus”
When young, living on a farm, my
mother grew asparagus. Today, I love
this vegetable laying on my dinner plate with roast beef and scalloped
potatoes...so delicious! As a 3 or 4-year-old,
asparagus was GROSS! Urging my sister
and me to eat this vegetable, she cut each spear into pea-size bits and did a
good camouflage job with them in creamed casseroles or mixed with other finely diced vegetables. Her
ultimate gain each summer/fall was to use the asparagus plants' leafy fronds as
display beds for her colourful flower sprays of dahlias, gladioli, larkspur and
roses. These flower arrangements she
used as gifts...as competition entries at local fall fairs...and for grave
decorations on Cemetery Day. Before winter she cut down the plants...and “Lo
and Behold” camo-asparagus again on the
plate in late spring!
Artichokes
(European plant
cultivated as a food for its large thistle-like flower heads)
The last night in Paris, France
after a long summer tour of Europe, we dined at a gourmet-type bistro. In the
wooden booth across from us was a couple eating such a strange food. Mesmerized by this large green thistle-like
food, I wondered just what it was. Leaf by leaf (which looked like tulip
petals).the guy and his gal gently pulled off individual leaves, dipped the end of each in a sauce, then with
their teeth, nibbled the soft end, discarding the remainder of leaf on a
separate plate. Conversing, they continued to savour this unique appetizer
until they reached the Heart. Small sharp knives very carefully removed
the “choke” part to then reveal the prized portion of this vegetable. Our
waiter informed us that the couple had ordered Artichokes...a delicacy
to be enjoyed by the diners. Before departing the bistro, he instructed us to
prepare Artichokes as a succulent appetizer.
Several months later, grocery
shopping in Fortino's, was a display of artichokes. WOW! I bought four and happily looked forward to
serving to my dinner guests Sunday evening, this Parisian appetizer!
Surprisingly, when visiting my
son in California, and exploring the coastal highway #1, I viewed fields of
artichokes near the Watsonville Market Gardening area. Artichoke Hut was a retail landmark
where one could purchase these “thistle-like-flower-heads”.
Cold Beer
I dislike Beer! It was distasteful until.........! A few
years ago, I spent a cold, frigid ski week at Grey Rocks in Quebec with a
personal friend and my son. We were
placed in different instruction classes based on our ski-prowess. Due to my
goggles fogging and inability to see the terrain correctly, I fell several
times. An American in my class had
sympathy for my tumbles. At the end of
the day, he invited me to the bar where skiers would all unwind...remove boots,
jackets, hats and mitts...listen to the local entertaining band beside a
roaring fireplace...and drink Ice-Cold-Beer!!!
It was deliciously refreshing. Next morning, he purchased new goggles
for me at the Ski Shop....and “whoopee” I could study the terrain with no
tumbles. For the remainder of the week,
the apres-ski-hours bar was our meeting place with Cold Refreshing Beer. At
home the following summer, I discovered that after a tennis game
workout, that bottle of Cold Beer was a given!
Weird Foods: I’ve heard of locusts and insects chocolate coated.
Fried tarantulas don’t appeal, nor does snake wine from south east Asia
(showing the snake in the bottle!). YUK! Must confess that many years ago, with a
friend in Sudbury (or perhaps it was North Bay), we ordered “Frog Legs” from
the menu …something we just must try…really tasted like breaded seafood!
Watch for my next
posting on Senses...SIGHT.
Merle
Baird-Kerr...written June 24, 2014
I welcome your
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