Taste: Surprising Stories and Science About Why Food Tastes Good (75 page)

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The spices and categories on the chart (
page 78
) are on my list. It is not a definitive list! You should come up with your own.

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From
Wordbook American Dictionary of the English Language
, 2006, Princeton University, iPhone App.

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The objectives of the studies were manifold, such as trying to identify differences in obese versus nonobese patients’ ability to taste, or trying to identify what happens to flavor discrimination as people age.

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Retinitis pigmentosa is genetic. It is not in any way caused by eye infections.

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Note: I recommend not-from-concentrate juice because it has more aromatic top notes. Better yet, juice your own from fresh fruit!

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Spence should have served both oysters on the half shell, as that would have allowed him to truly isolate the sound as the cause of the ratings. In this example, the visual presentation of the oyster surely also affected the flavor.

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Sources: Merrian-Webster online and
Dictionary.com

¹³
Although tonic water contains quinine, it’s not a good reference for bitter because it usually also contains sugar.

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Ice wine is made from grapes that have frozen on the vine. When they thaw, the watery ice drips out of the grapes, leaving behind the concentrated sugar and skins. Winemakers then use these supersweet grapes to craft gorgeously complex wines.

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Don’t do this with honey, which is not recommended for children under one year of age due to the risk of botulism contamination.

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High meat is a form of decayed animal meat that’s been aged to stimulate the growth of virulent microorganisms. It is sometimes eaten raw. Some people (not a lot of them) claim it is healthy. I do not recommend eating it.

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Just as the cells of our bodies need sodium for functioning, so do the cells of other animals such as cows. As a result, most animal protein contains some salt.

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Any bitter black tea (such as English breakfast) or green tea will work. I developed the exercise using Lipton tea bags, though, because they are widely available.

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Micronutrients are the noncaloric nutritional content of food. Micronutrients include things such as vitamins and minerals. They are necessary for proper nutrition.

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No babies were harmed in the research for this book.

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The actual calculation for pH is the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration.

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Remember, the lower the pH, the more acidic the beverage.

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In moderation, of course, as we could learn from European women, who have been drinking wine in moderation while pregnant for centuries.

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Some batches may require blending a second time. If your tomatoes have thick skins—and you prefer a smoother soup—you may want to strain after blending.

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If your HyperTasters won’t eat bitter greens, you can serve their pasta without this.

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I am assuming you are going to be successful in less than ten tries, having read this book.