So, after nearly 15 years (October 17th will be exactly 15 years since I had my first cigarette), I've finally managed to kick the nicotine habit. I feel great, have a lot more energy, I'm not winded constantly when walking up stairs, all the great things they talk about on smoking cessation commercials. But there's a wrinkle. Food tastes again. I knew that smoking was killing my palate, but I didn't really appreciate how it was effecting my sense of taste. I reasoned that I could still taste what I was eating, and things still tasted good, so it couldn't really have been doing all that much damage.
Boy, was I wrong. The part that it killed was the appreciation of all of the subtle nuances of flavor. I think the most noticeable example would be tasting red wine. Before, all I could taste when I drank red wine - regardless of the vintage, variety, appropriate amount of aeration, etc. - was tannin. I never was able to discern all of the buzzwords thatwine snobs sommeliers tossed about when describing wine. The description could be "A deep, fruity wine with hints of pepper and blackberry, with an oaky note from the cask" but when I drank it I got "red wine, tannin." Now though, I can actually smell the various aromas they talk about, and taste the fruit itself and not just the alcohol and the tannin. I imagine that there are some pretty good red wines out there. But that's not really why I'm here, it was just a good example.
The reason I'm here, is because apparently, the majority of stuff I've been eating for the last 15 years, tastes like ass. I've spent more time in the past week being absolutely disgusted by the way food tastes than I have in the past... 15 years. Though I have found some things that are just absolutely to die for. Like the fennel pollen and Sangiovese wine salami I had this weekend. That was amazing, the way the fennel taste bloomed in your mouth when you ate it, but was cut by the saltiness of the meat before it could overpower your sense of taste, which in turn was mellowed by the rich creaminess of the fat very nearly brought me to my knees (or, you know, it would have if I hadn't been sitting at the time). And some of the cheeses... just amazing.
But man cannot live on salami and cheese alone. It's terribly high in fat and cholesterol, for one thing, and expensive for another. So, what other good tasting things are out there? Is Chinese food as good as I remember? Should I give up on pizza altogether? Does oatmeal actually taste? Why does Welch's can sour purple water and call it grape juice?
Recommend some things to me, because I sure as hell can't eat at McDonald's and Burger King anymore, that shit is foul.
P.S. Dave, the "find similar threads" thing is pretty nifty, but right now it's telling me "Can not found similar threads, you can post a new thread." Emphasis mine.
Boy, was I wrong. The part that it killed was the appreciation of all of the subtle nuances of flavor. I think the most noticeable example would be tasting red wine. Before, all I could taste when I drank red wine - regardless of the vintage, variety, appropriate amount of aeration, etc. - was tannin. I never was able to discern all of the buzzwords that
The reason I'm here, is because apparently, the majority of stuff I've been eating for the last 15 years, tastes like ass. I've spent more time in the past week being absolutely disgusted by the way food tastes than I have in the past... 15 years. Though I have found some things that are just absolutely to die for. Like the fennel pollen and Sangiovese wine salami I had this weekend. That was amazing, the way the fennel taste bloomed in your mouth when you ate it, but was cut by the saltiness of the meat before it could overpower your sense of taste, which in turn was mellowed by the rich creaminess of the fat very nearly brought me to my knees (or, you know, it would have if I hadn't been sitting at the time). And some of the cheeses... just amazing.
But man cannot live on salami and cheese alone. It's terribly high in fat and cholesterol, for one thing, and expensive for another. So, what other good tasting things are out there? Is Chinese food as good as I remember? Should I give up on pizza altogether? Does oatmeal actually taste? Why does Welch's can sour purple water and call it grape juice?
Recommend some things to me, because I sure as hell can't eat at McDonald's and Burger King anymore, that shit is foul.
P.S. Dave, the "find similar threads" thing is pretty nifty, but right now it's telling me "Can not found similar threads, you can post a new thread." Emphasis mine.
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