Eating as Learning

Roger Shank covered this way better than I ever could in his book The Connoisseur's Guide to the Mind - but I'll say it anyway - food provides excellent learning opportunities.

We're in Sonoma, California - which is, of course, wonderful wine country. It's also a great place to learn about olive oils and cheeses.

The photo above was taken during our dinner at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa.
After dinner, the crew brings around an amazing cheese cart, from which you can create a tasting platter.
We had cheeses from 5 countries (France, Spain, Holland, Italy, and California), including Cheddar, Gouda, a Trio, and a couple others I don't remember.

It may seem odd for me to say 'learning' and 'I don't remember' in the same conversation - but the palate and the brain are similar in that they both need to be stretched. A taste or idea that you hate today might make room for the taste or idea that you love tomorrow.

This was a good night, in that we stretched our palates without finding any tastes that we didn't like. The gouda was our favorite.... this time.