Blame It On Your Brain, Again

Have you ever picked up a cup, thinking that it's coffee but it turns out to be tea? For one confused moment, you have no idea what you're drinking, you just know that it's not what you expected. In a few seconds, your brain figures out what's going on and your second sip has a normal taste. The same instant disorientation occurs when you bite into what you think is chicken but is actually pork.

What does this tell you? It illustrates the point that eating and drinking are not mere body functions but are intimately related to our minds. Our physiology may tell us that we're hungry but our minds tell us what we hunger for. Take our minds out of the equation and we eat with the instinct of animals, grabbing something, anything, to keep us alive.

We have taste buds that can determine the basics of our intake: sweet, sour, acrid, and bitter. Our tongues and teeth can identify the texture and shape of our food. Our palette and throat register temperature and the pungency of any spices. Our nose responds to aroma and our eyes to color and arrangement.

But it is in our heads that our real relationship with food resides.

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