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Food rituals improve flavor
Posted by Robin Abrahams
August 14, 2013 06:44 AM
Adding some kind of ritual to eating food appears to increase enjoyment and awareness of flavor, according to new studies reported in the New York Times:
The researchers found that even simple rituals, which they defined as "a series of behaviors that are seemingly irrelevant to the act that follows," like scraping wooden chopsticks together or tapping a soda can before pulling the tab, raised participants' interest in what they subsequently ate or drank. And rituals appeared capable of enhancing the enjoyment not just of treats like chocolate or lemonade but even baby carrots.
What food rituals do you have? Do you twist your Oreos apart? (My oreopraxy is quite loose, but I'm religious about nibbling off the "bound" edges of a Fig Newton before eating the entire cookie.) Do you enjoy fixing a cup of coffee as much as the consumption thereof?
Do you say grace before you eat?
I've gotten out of the habit of saying a blessing before eating, but it's one I should bring back. Just a quick silent moment to clear my head and remind myself, eating, that's what we're doing now.
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About Miss Conduct
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
contributor
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.
Who is Miss Conduct?
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.