A ≠ B → Taste & Discernment

Where life begins to distinguish the edible, the nutritious, the appealing, from the insipid, the poisonous, and the disgusting; this is where taste and discernment come into being. From a bag of Cheetos to Michelin 3-star fare we cover a lot of ground, yet financial means alone fails to account fully for the popularity of both ends of this culinary spectrum. What does account for taste? And from there: what role does discernment play in judgment?

Beyond touch, the interface here – our tongue – dense in receptor sites, transcribes chemical as well as mechanical signals into electrochemical reactions. The feel of food and the flavor of food combine to form the sense of taste. And while taste may have evolved as a means to solve the problem of hunger, taste clearly is no longer limited to its role in satiety. This dissociation of hunger and taste presents itself both as a problem (formerly gluttony) and as a refined pleasure that forms its own category of art.

Con gusto! Historically, how did we move from the pleasure or disgust that food brings to that sense of taste suggesting discernment? And taste as a personal quality – is it innate or acquired – has engaged the field of aesthetics and practical reason since classical times.

Participants:

Paul Breslin
Professor of Nutritional Sciences, School of Environmental & Biological Sciences, Rutgers University
Co-Director, Monell Science Apprenticeship Program

Jerrold Levinson
Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, University of Maryland

John McQuaid
Journalist & Author

Nils Noren
Professional Chef
Director of Hospitality & Development, Chapman Ventures
Co-Found & Director of Trade & Union

Danielle Reed
Chief Science Officer, Monell Chemical Senses Center

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