carnivorous eyes and the hippocampus.

welcome to my adventures in delicious.  to say i love food would be an understatement, at the very least. the only thing that could rival my love of food (yes, other than husband, family and boney m) would be travel.  not surprisingly, my favourite thing about traveling is the food, so really there is no competition. 

to eat - to me - is an experience.  an adventure.  a moment suspended, and no, i am not exaggerating.  

but, i do have standards, you know...  
firstly, let's talk about aroma - which, if mastered, is the primary vehicle for anticipation.   it can make or break the success of a meal... and what you may be remembered for (hmm).  smell is the only sense that is tied to the memory part of the brain, called the hippocampus, which is why certain smells will flash you back to a time or place that you may not have thought about in years.  Like, for me, eternity by calvin klein: boom, right back to high school.  hello, 1994, i have missed your angry grunge and plaid.  see what i mean?

what else... presentation!  of the utmost importance, true.  you know the saying "you eat with your eyes first"?  hate. it.  what immediately comes to mind is a visual of big, nasty eyeballs with gnarly teeth; jagged and pointed like the ones from those crazy fish found at the bottom of the ocean.  sick.  i do, however, completely agree with the importance of good presentation.  we do judge our food at first sight.  good presentation does help a meal taste better, i do believe, but is not to be completely relied on.  i have had some pretty nasty meals that looked beautiful (still to come).

all that aside, food is a personal thing. not everything is for everyone, but it's a fun journey finding out.  armed with a self-education in food around the world, i'm off to bring some exotic dishes to life (deep breath)!

stay tuned...