Tasting for us all is an extension of our life experiences. Without doubt, tasting helps to prompt us of past memories, flavours from our childhood, or smells and flavours that relate to and remind of a certain period of our lives, perhaps a holiday or a specific place or moment in time. For me as a chef, however, tasting is sometimes a very different activity. I am working with my palate all the time, tasting sauces, ice creams, smelling herbs, aromas from the stockpot and other such ingredients all day, always looking to improve and develop them. Such objective tasting is of an intensity that the average man and woman would probably not wish to match! What is certain is that the best chefs that I have met and worked with rate their palates as the single most important factor in their ability to produce stunning food combinations. I bet that they all have great memories, too, for it is the ability to visualise flavours and imagine them working with others that often starts the creative process that eventually leads to a new dish and menu. Food for thought indeed.
A matter of taste
