Enjoying food fully

[dieseltaylor]

Interesting view on perceptions - and yet again shows how suggestible himans are. BTW I was particularly struck by the unmood music- I have been to several places like that!

Imagine sitting down at a two-Michelin-star restaurant to find a cheap, plastic toy in the shape of a cow on the table. No cutlery, glassware or napkins, just a cow. All diners are seated at the same time and, for a while, everyone sits and looks until someone picks up a cow and it moos. Laughter all around. It puts everyone in a good mood.

In a very cheap and possibly naive way, this restaurant is tapping into a new area of brain science - the relationship between our senses, food and eating. When we are happy, food tastes better.

It is also true food tastes sweeter when served in a cafe or restaurant where light is plentiful. People best enjoy strong coffee amid strong light, while mild coffee comes into its own in soft light.

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Scientists are beginning to figure out why this is true, why food on holiday tastes better than the same food at home and the relationship between food and noise, including music.

Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University, says he is astounded that chefs spend hours creating dishes, then allow ''the kid'' waiter to use their iPod to select the restaurant's music.

Sound plays a dramatic role in the perception of taste. If you play loud music from different sources, the ability to taste is lowered. Wear earplugs and the opposite occurs.

It has also been shown that food tastes better when it comes from a heavy jar or plate, for example.

That is possibly why shared platters of roast chicken and baked lamb are so loved by Sydney diners now. "Taking peanut butter from a heavy jar should not matter but it does, because the heavier the bowl in your hand, the better the taste,'' Spence says.

British Airways learnt all about the weight theory long before anyone else thought much about it.

When the Concorde was developed, they created feather-light titanium cutlery to help reduce weight on the supersonic aircraft. The slimline utensils were rejected because nobody associated prestige and quality with something lightweight.

Today, the more expensive wines come in the heaviest bottles and costly cutlery and crockery weighs the most.

British chef Heston Blumenthal is working on a computer program for diners booking into his restaurant. Over a period of weeks, they will be taken through a series of sounds and pictures. It touches many senses until they feel excited and happy about the upcoming experience.

Is Blumenthal's experiment worthwhile? Perhaps all he needs is a plastic moo cow.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/diners-coming-to-their-senses-20120503-1xzwv.html

[John Kettler]

dieseltaylor,

Fascinating, just fascinating!

Regards,

John Kettler

[gunnergoz]

OK, I'm going to start serving dinner in the heaviest lead dishes I can buy...

[Michael Emrys]

OK, I'm going to start serving dinner in the heaviest lead dishes I can buy...

In which case you might want to be sure that none of your foods are acidic or sit on the plate longer than a few minutes. Failing that, better have your medical and life insurance all paid up.

Michael

[Affentitten]

I'd go for something denser. Maybe depleted uranium?

[JonS]

The slimline utensils were rejected because nobody associated prestige and quality with something lightweight.

When I was at varisty, one lab we disassembled a cheap clock-radio, built somewhere in Asia. It was built well enough, given what it was, but it had a noticeable heft to it, and felt ... substantial. Once cracked open it was revealed to contain a fairly large chunk of pig iron. As far as could be discerned the lump served no purpose whatsoever, other than making the radio heavy. Whoever made that radio knew too that heavy = quality.

Since then I've sometimes wished that other manufacturers would throw lumps of iron in their products - it really annoys me when a fan heater, or lamp, or radio goes skittering across the table when you touch it, or when the torque from a twisted power cord is enough to overcome the weight of the product so it never quite sits right.

[Michael Emrys]

Since then I've sometimes wished that other manufacturers would throw lumps of iron in their products - it really annoys me when a fan heater, or lamp, or radio goes skittering across the table when you touch it, or when the torque from a twisted power cord is enough to overcome the weight of the product so it never quite sits right.

Modeling clay. You can stick a hefty lump on any horizontal surface and it will provide ballast.

Michael

[gunnergoz]

Modeling clay. You can stick a hefty lump on any horizontal surface and it will provide ballast.

Michael

Now I know how to keep the wife from hogging the whole bed...

[Michael Emrys]

Now I know how to keep the wife from hogging the whole bed...

Sorry, there is no known cure for that, aside from separate beds.

Michael

[sburke]

When I was at varisty, one lab we disassembled a cheap clock-radio, built somewhere in Asia. It was built well enough, given what it was, but it had a noticeable heft to it, and felt ... substantial. Once cracked open it was revealed to contain a fairly large chunk of pig iron. As far as could be discerned the lump served no purpose whatsoever, other than making the radio heavy. Whoever made that radio knew too that heavy = quality.

Since then I've sometimes wished that other manufacturers would throw lumps of iron in their products - it really annoys me when a fan heater, or lamp, or radio goes skittering across the table when you touch it, or when the torque from a twisted power cord is enough to overcome the weight of the product so it never quite sits right.

AT&T did the same thing during the transition from the old Western Electric built phones. They placed a big old weight in the phone base to give it heft.

[JonS]

Bored in the Eternal City, huh?

#firstworldproblems

[sburke]

Stuck in a server room. Not much else to do and I am in withdraw. Hell I've never posted in the general discussion forum. I hadn't even visited it....

No PBEMs for a month, waiter more wine!

Damn the food here is good though.

[Michael Emrys]

Damn the food here is good though.

The Italians claim that it was they who taught the French how to cook.

Michael

[sburke]

The Italians claim that it was they who taught the French how to cook.

Michael

I believe it. I could get really used to this. Weather in Rome right now is incredible and evey now and then I pop across the street for a capuccino looking forward to what we will do for lunch/dinner. Speaking of which I need to go check lunch plans

Just glad I am nowhere near yesterdays earthquake. I have a knack for running into those while traveling. I was in our Taipei office on the 45th floor of Taipei 101 when a 6.5 hit. I am from Calif, but I've never had an experience like that.

[Michael Emrys]

I could get really used to this [italian cooking].

And while you're there, you could have a new suit made...a couple sizes larger than the one you arrived in.

Michael

[sburke]

And while you're there, you could have a new suit made...a couple sizes larger than the one you arrived in.

Michael

or do like the boys in the sopranos did- wear track suits that are nice and stretchy

[Michael Emrys]

or do like the boys in the sopranos did- wear track suits that are nice and stretchy

But they are kind of hard to conceal a weapon in, aren't they?

Michael

[sburke]

But they are kind of hard to conceal a weapon in, aren't they?

Michael

I don't know, if I get as big as some of those guys I think you develop new places to conceal weapons....

[gunnergoz]

I'm jealous...I miss Rome and its food a lot. Was last there about 22 years ago...now that Berlusconi is gone, its time to think about another trip. Before someone who shall not be mentioned eats all the good food by himself.

[Michael Emrys]

I don't know, if I get as big as some of those guys I think you develop new places to conceal weapons....

Hmmm, hadn't considered that. A Glock between the butt cheeks? Might make sitting a trifle uncomfortable...

Michael

[sburke]

I'm jealous...I miss Rome and its food a lot. Was last there about 22 years ago...now that Berlusconi is gone, its time to think about another trip. Before someone who shall not be mentioned eats all the good food by himself.

Well I know you don't mean Mark Zuckerberg. They had a news clip on him, apparently he is on honeymoon here and ate at.... yes - McDonalds. WTF?! All that money, you are in Rome and you eat at a crappy american fast food burger joint?

Hi honey we are on honeymoon in Rome and I found this wonderful intimate little POS place to eat.... just to show how much I think of you.

Maybe he's decided to go frugal considering the stock is plummeting.

[Stalins Organ]

Sorry, there is no known cure for that, aside from separate beds.

Michael

I guess divorce is a bit too much of a recent invention for you huh?

[Affentitten]

Well I know you don't mean Mark Zuckerberg. They had a news clip on him, apparently he is on honeymoon here and ate at.... yes - McDonalds. WTF?! All that money, you are in Rome and you eat at a crappy american fast food burger joint?

Hi honey we are on honeymoon in Rome and I found this wonderful intimate little POS place to eat.... just to show how much I think of you.

Maybe he's decided to go frugal considering the stock is plummeting.

The problem is though that when you go to European cities, people don't speak English properly. Which makes it annoying and embarassing to order stuff.

[dieseltaylor]

The problem is though that when you go to European cities, people don't speak English properly. Which makes it annoying and embarassing to order stuff.

Learning cooking terms is a great help : ) I understand that there are apps, and even books to help. When travelling in Europe we tend to go with what ever the plat du jour is so we experience what the natives eat.

And if no plat du jour then we go wild and choose randomly. Only once, so less than 1%, have I ever really regretted this approach.

[Bigduke6]

Why did Zuckerberg take his bride MickyD's in Rome? Consider:

- He's 28

- He's spent pretty much his entire life as an over-achiever

- He spent a lot of time studying dead languages (Latin/Ancient Greek)

- He's the product of a strong Jewish-American family

- He's a Harvard graduate

- His adult life has been all about building a major corporation, and in recent years, pushing that business via Hollywood. He works 16 hour days.

I've never met the man, but this to me is not the profile of an American who would travel abroad out of genuine curiosity about a foreign culture. Further, I would say there is an excellent chance that, were such a person were to travel, he would be close to positive his own culture was superior.

Also, I think odds are pretty good that this is his Zuckerberg's first trip outside the US where he actually has had to function in a foreign culture. Yes, he definately has flown first class to China on corporate business, and maybe he's been to London or somplace like that for work as well, but that's as a CEO flying first class and staying in five star hotels.

That's not the same thing as being in a city where they don't really speak English and you're the husband of a young wife, and the host company isn't choreographing your every meeting, meal and step. The guy's a 28-year-old American tech geek. That is not a person you commonly expect to take a summer backpacking around Europe. Drop a guy like that into a foreign city, how easy is it going to be for him to function? How much more stress would it be if that kind of man is with a new bride?

For a person like that, almost anything he would try to do in a foreign country - order food, figure out traffic, find a restaurant with WIFI - would be a huge PITA. Everything is easy at home, in these foreign countries even the easy stuff is difficult. And right next to him his is new wife, and I don't care how rich a guy is if you stick a man in an uncomfortable situation, whatever it is, it is worse if he is a new husband and his bride is there to watch him flail.

And then there is traditional European attitude of a meal being an opportunity for enjoyment of food and conversation vs. what a US whiz-kid like Zuckerberg would be likely to expect (and not expect) were he to sit down to a meal. There are people out there that consider meals and conversation a waste of time. Maybe he is one of them.

I would guess Mr. and/of Mrs. Zuckerberg suffered foreign overload and decided they wanted something familiar and easy, and MickyD's certainly fits that bill.

Of course, experienced travelers will hit MickyD's as well, sometimes, because you know the hygiene will be up to a reasonable level and local fast food isn't, or you're in a hurry and local food isn't prepared fast, or you're in a tourist trap and if you don't go to MickyD's you'll spend 50 bucks for a crappy lunch for two.

I suspect the Zuckerbergs went to MickyDs because Mr. Zuckerberg was tired of feeling like a dunce ordering in a restaurant, or perhaps also because even if the waiter spoke English (which actually I think would be a pretty reasonable expectation in the parts of Rome tourists go to), because the Italian food they were brought was not the same as Italian food in the states.

But, to be fair, there also is the possibility they went there because the alternative was a tourist pizzaria with tomato and cheese slices at three Euros a pop, and they just weren't going to put up with that kind of rip off. This is normal; the difference between outrageous and reasonable pricing may be marginal to the tourist and even more insignificant to an ueber-rich guy like Zuckerberg, but no one liked to be gouged. Maybe the Zuckerbergs decided prices at Roman trattorias were outrageous, they would not have been the first tourists ever to do that.

Wiki informs me Mrs. Zuckerberg grew up in a Chinese-American family but she had to go to classes to learn Mandarin. According to Chinese media, Zuckerberg hired a tutor to learn some Chinese before going to Beijing, and further, that he is a workaholic and that said Chinese language sessions took place during breakfast. At the end of it he according to the report was able to "chat" with his grandmother-in-law in Chinese. I'd lay odds that means exchange a few words in baby language; Mandarin is hard for English-speakers and this guy as nearly as I can tell never studied a living language.

You can multitask all you want, but learning a live foreign language is a long-term, full-time endeavor, and there are no short cuts to finding one's way around a foreign culture. Zuckerberg does not strike me as the kind of person who would be interested in doing that. Bottom line I bet MickyD's for lunch was for him most of all a short cut.