Is a new front tooth, a new front tooth, a new front tooth. I broke #25 last April biting down on a chop stick, hairline fracture that they thought would repair, but alas has progressed to a full fracture below the gum line. Going to have to put up with it a little longer as the dental insurance cap will renew on 1/1/12. Tired of having to be careful of biting off more than I can chew. Food has been on my mind a lot now that I’m somewhat restricted.
My dear sweet Allison had to prepare 12 different pastries for her culinary arts final. A sampling of each brought home to my gastronomic delight, I’m glad the weather remains beautiful that I may get out and run them off. I’ve been Gently adding miles since resuming last Saturday. 7.5 yesterday, 9 today, I hope you too have been able to take advantage of this fabulous weather.
I’ve been spending some time with her textbook, ON BAKING, a book of baking and pastry fundamentals. A lot of what is included in the curriculum applies to Life in general. Of particular interest to me has been The Science of Flavor. Although flavor and taste are often confused, they are not synonymous. Flavor is an identifiable or distinctive quality. Tastes are the sensations interpreted by the brain. Palate is the range of an individual’s Recognition and Appreciation of flavors. Not everyone has the same Tastes and certainly that helps make the world go round.
Taste is enhanced by the combination of SWEET, SOUR, SALTY, & BITTER. This is where Life poignantly applies. It takes a full palate of these tastes to comprise any noteworthy Dish or Community. I am known to be occasionally Sweet, sometimes Sour, and even Salty in the appropriate environs. I’ve lost my Bitterness though. Fortunately, or sadly, depending on the extreme, there is still plenty in the world to make up for my lacking. Too much of any of these four tastes can ruin said dish or community. Balance is the key. The Middle Path. Here’s hoping your dish and your community are exquisitely balanced to a perfectly sumptuous turn.
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