Supertaster

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I see Red or is it Blue?

Some years ago Norman Swan on the Health report [link later]
reported on a symposium on.. "how we inherit our sense of taste, how that affects which foods we like or hate and the ways that could affect our health. This special symposium took place at the l997 American Association for the Advancement of Science Congress in Seattle".

It seems that some of you are what’s called Supertasters which means that some have a very highly focused sense of taste due to the high concentration of taste buds on the tongue.

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This can readily be seen if blue food dye is placed on the tongue. The taste buds do not stain blue and a tiled effect is seen on the Supertasters tongue.

No my tongue is not in my cheek, just yet.

We sometimes tested cooking class participants when they seemed to be sensitive to bitter flavours. Its not a great syndrome to have as some great flavours are just too painful to appreciate.

But the link here explains all ttp://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s369.htm

While watching SBS on a Sat night and reflecting on the brilliance of the programming line up I came up with this…..

Blue Tongue , The Taste Test or Supertaster.

The Pitch---

ROCKWIZ MEATS IRON CHEF
It’s a panel show
Setting A Flash Restaurant
The panel sits in the kitchen at the chef’s table in real time.
Dining room is wired for roving vision, sound and wireless pad from each table.
Host Ignatius Jones [Showman, offal aficionado, and noted gastronaught]
Captains
Frank Moorhouse..[Author bon vivant, loose liver] and Jill Dupleix [Myffy expatriate author, foodie ]
Guest panellists
1 Visiting foodie… insert here…. Charlie, Michele, Ruth, Rick, Tony, Jamie there’s always at least a dozen in the country at any one time.
1 Local hero/villain insert here … Ronnie, John, Ed, Shannon, Matt, Tom, Dick, Harry……

The restaurant serves a degustation menu that defines the game structure of the show.
The panel and all diners paint their tongues with a blue food dye to identify any Supertasters .
The dining room uses this for warming up the audience.
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Game 1
Red or White? Panel has to tell if a wine is red or white from a concealed glass through a straw. Both wines at the same, proper or reversed temperatures. Noses blocked with a peg.

Game 2
Fish or Fowl
5 small appetisers are served and panel has to guess if each one is Fish or Fowl
The pass is wired for sound so home viewers know the answer.

Game 3
Whose signature is it?
A small iconic/historical starter is served and 3 alternative creators are offered.. panellists and diners guess. A brawl ensues over the origins of the dish.

Game 4
Wait here!
The panelists have to clear a table in the dining room and the first one finished gets the points.

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Game 5 Offal? innit?

Next course is served and the anatomical source is questioned.

Its a photo of????

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Game 6
Reel Food
5 Foodie film clips are shown and first buzz that identifies Film and Food reference wins the points

Game 7
Eat your words-
A passage from a ripe volume of food writing is read backwards. First to identify the book and author gets the points.

Game 8
Chowrades

One panellist has to eat a hidden dish with his fingers and describe the dish using only expressive muffled sounds.

Game 9
Pressure Point

Chef is given 3 ingredients by the panel to create a dish he has 5 minutes to deliver six tasting serves. One Panellist has to review the dish and all the others served on the night. The review is scored by Chairman Ignatius and diners.

Game 10

Feel free to add your own games and please take the taste test with the blue dye it may explain why you can’t handle really spicy foods…

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Cartoon is by

David Low

Circa 1930

Caption.

Diner:

"Here what do you call this?

Beef or Mutton?

Waitress: Carnt you tell the difference?

Diner: " No!"

Waitress; Then why worry about it.