Call Special Sauce: "Taste Is Fabricated in Our Brain"

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

"Taste is fabricated in our brain," Kenji tells caller Michael from Boston, in this new episode of Call Special Sauce, responding to a question about whether, and how, a food changing color can affect the way it tastes. How can Michael experiment with this himself? Kenji's (joking) suggestion was that he serve his dinner-party guests blindfolded, to remove one of the variables in our perception of taste.

One of the reasons I love doing these call-in shows with Kenji is because he's always reminding me about embarrassing moments from my tenure (10 years this December!) as Serious Eats overlord. For example, as related in this episode, in one of the many blind taste tests Kenji made us participate in back in the day, I consistently chose scrambled eggs made with supermarket eggs over the presumably freshly laid ones from the farmers market.

But, fortunately for me, this week's episode isn't all about ridiculing me. Alex from Park Slope, Brooklyn, asked an excellent question about how to start rebuilding a supply of pantry items when you move; Kenji admitted to keeping a spreadsheet for his. That, my fellow Serious Eaters, tells you a lot about Kenji, and about Serious Eats. So take a listen and have a laugh at the expense of both Kenji and me. We can take it.

Special Sauce is available on iTunes. You can also find the archive of all our episodes here on Serious Eats and on this RSS feed.

You Could Be on Special Sauce

Want to chat with me and Kenji? We're accepting questions for Special Sauce call-in episodes now. Are you currently in a fight with your family about the best way to cook a turkey for the holidays? Have you been refining your apple pie technique for the past five Thanksgivings, but can't quite make it work? Does your brother make the worst steak, and you want to figure out how to give him tips? We want to get to know you and solve all your food-related problems. Send us the whole story at specialsauce@seriouseats.com.