Tasting Party

A friend of mine held a "tasting" party the other weekend, which was absolutely fabulous and about as much fun as adults can have without partaking in illegal substances.

After devouring a table full of snacks, we moved on to the "tasting" part of the night. The first part of the tasting was a game to test our palates. We were handed cups filled with food items, and ask to determine what the food was without looking.

After about twenty or so rounds, we tallied our points for correct guesses. I was only slightly upset that I did not win. My downfall, apparently, is identifying cheese and dairy products. Thanks to some second guessing and just plain not knowing, I thought Greek yogurt was sour cream, goat cheese was cream cheese, Cheddar was Gouda, Pecorino Romano was Parmesan, and Cheez Whiz was Velveeta. I am utterly ashamed — apart from the Cheez Whiz / Velveeta mix-up, because who eats that crap!Then we moved on to popping miracle fruit, a small fruit from a tropical shrub that, when eaten, causes sour foods to taste sweet. I've been dying to try miracle fruit for six years now, since I first heard about them, but never actually got around to it. (I did buy the plant about five years ago, and, damn, if it hasn't grown more than an inch since then due to the fact that it's just not hot or humid enough in Philly more than two months out of the year for the plant to truly be happy.)
So, you roll the miracle fruit around your tongue for a bit, so the glycoprotein molecules in the fruit can bind to your taste buds. Then you're off on a taste bud tripping adventure that lasts anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. You'll shove various foods you'd never consume together, or even separately in one evening, into your mouth as fast as you can before the effects wear off. For me, the effects lasted strongly for about 20 minutes, then were greatly diminished. Citrus was my favorite, especially lemons, which taste like lemonade. I must have eaten at least two or three whole lemons! Fruits, like strawberries and blackberries, became the sweetest specimens you've ever had. Besides citrus and fruit, my taste buds were a little apathetic with some of the other samplings. Vinegar was still tangy, beer was still beer, tomato juice was only slightly sweeter. Other people were affected differently, though.

Glad I finally got around to experiencing the miracle berry. Good times all around! Now, I'm off to study up on cheese.