Through the Eyes of Om - Art of tasting
For a lover of food, and in this case chocolate...the art of tasting can have profound result in transforming your world. But it doesn't come without preparation...
There is a lot of discord (think of the musical sense of the word and lack of harmony) in our world today. Given some of the recent news of turmoil, poor decision-making, reactions to events...I do not even know where to begin. So instead, I want to turn your attention to something that helped me to have an enjoyable evening the other day. As my day came to a close (because you know, at daycare I'm not always snips and snails, and puppy dog tails), I turned to some chocolate tasting.
Let me first begin by telling you, there is no right or wrong way to chocolate tasting. However, if you chose not to taste chocolate, well, I think there might be some fundamental wrong in this! Because each person is going to have their own perception and individual experience, I'd like to offer a bit of a roadmap as to how and why I approach chocolate tasting. I chose to take a simple and yet systematic approach that some of you might agree with (remember, I did just turn 2!). More importantly, I hope many of you might be able to relate to and share your experiences.
- Decide on what you want to taste and set the scene - you should put in some research into what you hope to taste and how you are going to taste. In my case, my mom was getting ready to bake a chocolate banana nut bread, so I had to get a taste of the batter as the mixing was getting done.
- Slow down and savor with a focus - you can't rush into things ill-prepared and with no real thought out plan into what outcomes you hope to achieve. For example, I knew that there were going to be a mixture of chocolates in this recipe, and I was going to taste each one as they were added into the mix.
- Use all your senses and don't be afraid to pair - keep an open mind because something might not be visible on the surface, but that's why you have multiple senses. I clearly saw that there were a variety of ingredients going into this recipe, and as I licked the spoon clean, each savory flavor was enjoyed to the fullest.
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
-Charles Schulz
The only limit that we have to our imaginations, is sometimes just our preconceptions. Continuing to be narrow in our acceptance of what could or might be because of perceptions, this is only confining your chances to enjoy what may provide to be a truly wonderful experience. It all comes with practice, and by increasing your openness to change, you in turn can become more adept at drawing from a variety of experiences in the future. So enjoy your own art of tasting, and looking forward to your shared stories!
-Om