Good taste?

Over the weekend, someone asked me a question that I had to answer honestly.

“Are you one of those people who can taste every flavor in a dish?”

I wish I could have said yes, but I had to answer no. My tongue is not that connected to my brain. I can taste complexity, but too often I can’t name it. A few weeks ago, I mis-tasted a bright yellow oil — I thought it was saffron, but it was flavored with curry. Yikes.

The good news is that I firmly believe that my tastebuds are entirely teachable, so long as I feed them a steady diet of new, different and delicious flavors.

Of course there are immediate rewards in this kind of taste-education — filling my mouth with great tasting food — but even better in my opinion is being able to apply what I learn in my own kitchen, thereby improving what I eat all the time, not just when I am at work.

I love being able to make a good soup great, a tasty salad worth going for seconds, and a pasta dish so delicious that people want to lick their dishes. Note that this is the goal; I am still in training. For now, I will have to be satisfied with being a cook who doesn’t have good taste but is a great student of making things taste good.

Original Source: http://www.ibabuzz.com/allyoucaneat/2007/01/