Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. - Mark Twain

Food is a sensual experience that combines many senses. You taste with your taste buds, appreciate the texture of the food with touch of fingers or how it feels on your tongue, and savor the aroma. But before you do any of that you eat with your eyes, appraising what’s been presented: is it wholesome? Nourishing? Interesting? Fresh? Vibrant? Creative? Colorful? Artistic? Involving? Easy to approach? Requiring of special tools? Will it be satisfying? Will you want seconds? Thirds?

It is the job of the gourmet chef to experiment with the ingredients, to find new and innovative ways to serve old favorites, and, above all else, to create a pleasant dining experience for his guests.

One thing that I’ve noticed around me is the fact that a whole lot of people are eating just for the sake of it. There’s no pleasure involved and all that is pursued is a sense of fullness. And that, when you think about it, is a shame, because food can be so much more than a mean to getting fat…

Changing food status: from “plain” to “gourmet”

It is not that complicated at all. It is a psychologically known fact that we don’t pay much attention to what we eat, but to how we eat it; so it is relatively simple to improve the quality of a food by making some subtle arrangements and changes that don’t even have to change the actual food.

Learning how to enhance a meal in order to stimulate appetite and increase overall eating pleasure isn’t difficult, but it does require a willingness to experiment.

11 tips that make plain food taste great

• When eating, think of yourself as an explorer. Sample small portions of food and try to discover the flavors contained within them. Note the reactions that your body and spirit has to them. Consider even writing them down.
• Try to figure out the ingredients of the food that you’re eating – assuming you’re not the one who cooked it. Focusing on discovering the ingredients will make you more attuned to the smell, taste and texture of the food, so you will savor and enjoy them more than ever.
• Make your food visually appealing. Obviously, eye appeal is often the first step in eating.
• Make your mealtimes pleasant. A correct mealtime atmosphere is very important in order to make the food taste better. Set the table, add candles, a good wine, and put some fine, low-volume music on. Don’t keep this only for special occasions… Also, art can really add to the creation of the mood.
• Whenever possible, eat with family and friends. This can play an important part in enjoying your meal. Friends and family meals should be something to look forward to and provide an opportunity for conversation.
• For many decades, professional chefs have used a ‘secret’ technique to enhance the visual appeal of their dishes and baked goods. What mysterious ingredient gives their creations a richer look and a darker, more appetizing appearance? It is caramel color — manufactured by cooking corn syrup. Don’t be afraid to experiment with it yourself. An experiment with discolored food presented subjects with simple American cheese melted on toast. But instead of the usual intense orange/yellow color, it was a bright, neon turquoise. Most of the participants thought it tasted terrible and a few even refused to try the stuff.
• Adjust the lighting. Lighting is really an important accent. It adds texture and color and glow to the food. There’s not a lot of knowledge about what lighting can do and most people take it for granted – it’s either on or off. Experiment with it and you’ll notice that the food might actually start looking better that you would’ve imagined!
• Experiment with different garnishes. You can turn an abject failure into a passable entrée with some chopped parsley and a few edible flowers; and you can catapult a well-executed dessert from merely sublime to truly divine with spun sugar and a raspberry coulis. Small and efficient.
• Enjoy the smell of the food you’re eating in the way you enjoy the smell of good cologne or perfume, or a wonderful smell of flowers. Smell it with your nose and not your stomach. Unlike your heart, your stomach will lie to you.
• The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor. - Chinese Proverb
• Finally, the most important aspect: everything - the above tips - has to work together.

You know how going to a favorite restaurant just feels right, like the planets are in alignment when you eat there? Chances are it’s the result of more than great food. And chances are that you could replicate that feeling right in the comfort of your home by following the above tips.

Now, I know some people will say they just eat to live, not live to eat; but for me it is a shame to search everywhere for satisfaction and pleasant feelings while overlooking something with so great potential – especially something that we regularly do multiple times daily.

For me, food has always been about quality, not quantity, and the above tips produced a sensible shift regarding the quality of my meals.

Now, all there remains for me to say is: Bon apetit!

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