A Standard For All Seasons?

by Mark R. Vogel

Have you ever patronized a restaurant that doesn't have salt and pepper on the table? The assumption is that the food is already properly seasoned, (seasoning primarily refers to salt), and applying more is not only unnecessary, but may be offensive to the chef.

This implies that his or her amount of seasoning is eternally and universally accurate. I don't mean to offend anyone but I find such a perspective incredibly presumptuous. Why? Because this position predicates that everybody's palate is identical. And that my friends is simply ludicrous.

Biology, age, psychology, dietary history, medical illness, and the action of commingling substances can all influence our sense of taste. To begin, genetics determine taste bud anatomy and physiology.

A past study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science suggests that about one fourth of the population possesses a diminished sense of taste, while an equal number are bestowed with a superior one.

The culprit may be a singular gene. Based on this research alone, fifty percent of the populace will assess the "properly seasoned" food as either too salty or not salted enough.

Next, biochemistry adds it's own influence to the matrix. Sodium, along with potassium, plays a very important role in our electrolyte balance. Salt sensitivity can be altered by the body's salt level and its metabolism of salt.

For example, some salt cravings can be due to sodium depletion. This is the body's natural means of signaling your brain that it requires it. Sweating is a primary means of deleting sodium from your system.

This is why they add salt to those athletic drinks. It is also suspected that hormones, namely aldosterone, can increase our salt receptors. Hormones, much like any other bodily chemical, can vary from person to person.

Our sense of smell is keenly associated with our sense of taste. Without our olfactory capabilities many foods would taste the same or bland. This is why food lacks its vibrancy when we have a cold.

Variability in individuals' sense of smell will contribute to diverse senses of taste. Furthermore, aging can decrease our sense of smell and thus our sense of taste.

There are a variety of medical conditions that can have a deleterious affect on our capacity for taste and smell. Some affect our senses indirectly, as with a cold or other respiratory conditions, and some are actual disorders of the sensory system.

Viral infections, for example, are known to kill olfactory cells which do not always regenerate. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 16 million Americans suffer from smell and taste disorders.