03 Jun The Voice in My Head
It is not one that needs to be medicated, but instead satiated. When I read a recipe, or someone describes a dish to me, I can create the flavor combinations in my head and know whether they will work in harmony. I can visualize the feel of the textures on my tongue, along with the salty, sweet, and bitter tastes. I have come to refer to this as my “Mental Mouth.”
Chef Donna and I often make use of it to collaborate on recipe ideas for GM’s monthly issues. Her inner voice is equally (if not better) developed, so we sit and swoon over discussions of lemongrass and other aromatic combinations. She then takes the power of this thought process and adjusts the flavors just so, making them sing. The visualization is often so powerful it causes me to salivate. There are flavors that are just so right together, they don’t even need to be questioned.
I used to be in awe of the ability of chefs to make use of this Mental Mouth, when one day I realized I had developed one of my own. It seems to come from a lifetime of tasting and understanding the balance of acids, fats, sugars, salts, and the like. I find that sometimes I will crave a given taste, such as Thai spicy beef salad — I can taste the essence of chilis and lime in my head, and find myself desperate for the indulgence.
For those passionate about food, I encourage you to develop this talent for yourself, and use it to its ultimate advantage. It makes improvisation in the kitchen that much more of an adventure, and acts as a wonderful cerebral exercise to keep your senses sharp. If you can daydream about making love, why not have a food fantasy during those in-between moments?
Photo: Kelly Cline