Gustation

Gustation. ~ What an awesome word. Saying it aloud resembles eating something meaty and full. The word fills up my mouth, leaving a whisper of a smile on my lips. ~
Taste is seemingly one of the most useless senses. ~ We (should) eat because we need to, not because we want to. Yet to satisfy our taste buds, we will often stuff our gluttonous mouths with any of the huge assortment of foods available to us privileged North Americans. ~
Indeed, maybe taste was a curse for some of us. Obesity has become a rising problem... Are our taste buds maybe guilty in some way? ~
Sourness, detection of acidity, or concentration of hydronium ions, within a substance. ~ Often sourness is associated with a recoiling, face-pinching image. ~ Yet many love the strong, face-pulling taste of lemons, sour candy, or vinegar. ~
Bitterness. ~ An unpleasant taste, at least to me. ~ Again, though, I know more than one friend who loves the taste of bitter melon. ~ A horrendous thought, but then, to each his own. ~
Saltiness, detection of sodium ions and other alkali metals. ~ Enjoyable in moderate amounts, overpowering in large doses. ~ Salt, I've noticed, seems to accentuate and empathize the true flavours of some otherwise bland dishes, such as egg soup, bok choy, or even meat. ~ No other condiment can replace salt. As long as you have some of these crystals of white sodium chloride, any dish will become edible. ~
Sweetness. ~ Smile, we've reached the most pleasant of all tastes. ~ Indeed, tasting something sweet oftentimes will make my lips naturally curve up. ~ As usual, though, too much of something can harm. Ever seen someone on a sugar rush? It's its own caffeine. ~
I've only touched on four tastes, yet there are so many more. Indeed, the most interesting tastes are those that are hard to describe, mixes of different standard flavours. ~ Take sweet and sour soup, for instance. A sweet soup seems tasty, as does a mildly sour one, but this excellent combination is truly a breakthrough. Food that's interesting! Now that's innovation. ~ I have wished more than once to become a culinary master, chef of some famous five-star restaurant, possessing a mental flavour palette of all kinds of food, both common and unheard of. ~ If taste can reduce us to couch potatoes, why not take advantage and market to it? ~
By the way, credits to Lucy Chu for this crazy-cool medley of pics! So many of my friends have such wonderful Photoshopping skills... I bow down to your mastery of technology! ~