The Savory Power of Suggestion

First- a general note.  This semester has officially come to a close.  As relieved as I am, I'm also a bit sad.  I'll really, truly miss my neural systems class.  It was also my primary source of topics for this blog.  However, I plan to seek out other sources and keep up the writing.

Enter today's topic- taste.  For as specific as science becomes on the molecular basis of taste and smell, it will never be able to captivate the truth of what we experience in a good meal.  Because the human mind isn't only just experiencing the food, it's taking in information from far flung sources like memory, vision, and even mood.

I'd like to set the scene with a personal anecdote.  Every year at thanksgiving, we have certain dishes that must be served, without fail.  My brother is quite traditional when it comes to family holidays and after 17 years of thanksgivings, if there isn't the usual version of stuffing on the table he gets upset.

Here's a picture of the dish from last thanksgiving.

So my traditional addition to the feast is a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows melted on top.  I make it every year, without fail.  And to me, it's the best dish on the table.  It's warm and sweet with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.  I always go for seconds.  But this past winter, a group of my friends decided to have a potluck to celebrate the oncoming winter holidays.  I thought I'd share my traditional dish and made the sweet potato casserole.  But, for some reason it just didn't taste as rich.  It didn't seem to have the same mouth feel or aroma though I followed the recipe to a letter.

My hypothesis for the lackluster experience?  Context.  My dish was meant for family gatherings and feasting and home.  Taken out of context, I didn't have the same assumptions to enrich my experience.  Don't believe me?  Check out this study.

Frederic Brochet, from the University of Bordeaux, decided to pull a rather ingenious prank/test on 57 wine tasters.  He placed two glasses of wine in front of each expert- one red and one white.  He asked them to describe each drink which they did with the usual vocabulary used to describe each type.  Little did they know, the two glasses contained the exact same beverage.  It was just that one had added red dye.  Yet none of the experts called out the deceit.  No one seemed to notice.

As if that weren't embarrassing enough, he pulled a rather similar stunt but this time used the same drink but had it presented in two different bottles.  One with a cheap label and one naming it as an expensive aged wine.  Once again, the experts were taken in.  They described exactly what you'd expect from a cheap or classy wine.

My brother and I have a yearly tradition of hosting "Christmas
Cafe" where we cook a special dinner for my parents christmas eve.
We've gotten quite elaborate with the set-up over the years.

And all of this is due to the interlaced neurons in our brain.  We have many associations with food and drink, and it's certainly not all about flavor or smell.  So next time you want to make a special occasion, you don't have to spend big bucks on a gourmet pizza.  Just make sure you're eating in a special atmosphere with people you love.  Your taste buds wont disappoint.