It is now 18h56, I am getting ready to go for sushi, so this is my last post of the day. This is not scientific at all, or is it. I am not a scientist, I am an amateur hobbyist in search of structure in processes relating to cuisine. I read about it, I try to think how it applies to everyday life, my everyday life.

The T/T/T is an idea I am working on, it is about Texture, Temperature and Taste, the interaction between these fundamentals – and how they influence our sense of enjoyment. I thought of it considering Japanese culture, “katai” chewy foods are so key, and the fact that I burned my lip yesterday night.

A nightmare, a soup dumpling in a high-end Chinese restaurant, it scalded my lip when it burst. I know people burn their roof of their mouth, but this was a first for me. Anyway, no big deal, the lip is as tough as it gets, the tissue on the outer lip can handle it, rejuvenate and get back on track very fast.

I thought back to when I met and trained with Bruno Goussault, a well known food scientist. I worked with in France, he is magical, a kind of mad scientist, a very sweet person. He reminded me one day that the soft tissue in the mouth burns at 55°C, I am not sure about that – I guess its a little higher.

So why is texture so important here in the East, and in the West, it is secondary, or primary when you get turned off a food. I will have a chance to talk about this tomorrow, after a good nights sleep.