cf
charles’ fugue
a multisensory experience in five rounds
Synesthesia, a rare condition that causes one sense to be activated by the stimulation of a different sense, has been observed in cases linking color with sound, color with letters, or numbers with spacial perception, among others. This marvel is viewed as a neurological phenomenon, but it is factual that everyone possesses synesthesia to a small degree. Truthfully, all five senses overlap in the human mind, their links impacting the perceived enjoyability and experience of dining specifically. Different smells, sounds, and sights present while eating can cause a meal to seem wonderful or disappointing, and can even coax the other senses into interpreting food in a particular way.
It is intriguing to think of these findings as synesthetic or “magical,� but it is important to note that in reality they are the result of the brain recalling past associations between taste and the other senses. Involuntarily, the brain stimulates one sense if it is reminded of an experience involving another sense. Ice cream trucks play high-pitched songs, subconsciously causing one to perceive food as sweeter when listening to high-pitched music. Red wine is often bitter in flavor, causing one to subconsciously taste all red-colored wines as somewhat bitter, even if the red results from dye. Charles’ Fugue is a multisensory dining experience aiming to explore the interplay of the five senses and their rolls in comprehension of taste. It aims to evoke appreciation for the tremendous impact of sensory stimulants on the perception of flavor and the pleasure of food.
who is Charles?
Professor Charles Spence is an Oxford University psychologist and the head of the school’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory. He has published over 500 articles on sensory modalities and provides leading research on the subject. Currently, he also acts as a consultant for several multinational companies for multisensory design and marketing.
“our brains constantly combine information from different sensory modalities in order to make sense of our environment.” —Professor Charles Spence
Pachelbel
round 1
buttermilk biscuit
an experience in touch buttermilk alteration
flour sugar salt served with textured mittens
When eating something light and soft, the brain expects all surroundings to match the texture. If a food is accepted as pleasant, surrounding oneself with equally pleasant stimulants will heighten its enjoyability. If surrounded by less appealing stimulants, delightful food will taste less desirable. Inserting the hand into a mitten lined with cotten matches the texture of the biscuit. The mitten lined with rough paper contradicts the smoothness of the bread; the brain perceives this as incorrect and finds the biscuit less gratifying.
round 2
goat cheese and crackers
an experience in scent goat cheese perception
flour biscuit served with rosemary and roasted red pepper aroma
When you are ill with a stuffy nose, you may notice that your sense of taste decreases. This is largely in part due to the fact that smell is one of the largest contributors to taste. We smell through two pathways, the nostrils and the esophagus. The combination of smelling and tasting gives food its true flavor, and leads us to describe nonedible items with flavored words. The scent of a rose is described as sweet although it is never eaten. When a strong aroma—rosemary and red pepper—is introduced to a typically low-flavored food—such as goat cheese—the brain processes the scent as included in the dish. The goat cheese and crackers are completely absent of spices, but by whiffing the aroma we believe them to be cooked in, a delicious combination.
round 3
vegetable meat loaf
an experience in taste bell pepper rich
cremini mushroom red onion walnut basil Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese served with a blindfold
If you have ever wondered why airplane food tastes so bland, it is more than likely the result of unpleasant loud noise that decreases taste perception. Umami, however, the newly accepted fifth taste, is immune to changes in pitch and loudness. Umami is the taste of savory flavors, present in many mushroom, parmesan, and tomato-based foods— which alludes to the reason many people on airplanes order drinks they rarely desire, such as Bloody Marys. Umami-based dishes are often very flavorful and are perceived as incredibly rich due to their sense-resistant flavoring. By wearing a blindfold and concentrating entirely on taste, one can fully savor the ingredient.
round 4
corn bread cupcakes
an experience in sight corn meal judgment
potato Cheddar cheese chive kale served appearing sweet
One of the brain’s most powerful associative elements is color. In the case of beverages, clear colored drinks are perceived as more pure and clean due to association with clean water, while brown and dark colors are perceived as dirty due to association with contaminated water. Adding red to a clear liquid will increase its perceived sweetness due to association with red berries. While most advocate to not judge a book by its cover, the brain cannot help but assume a decorative cupcake will consist of sweet ingredients, a commonality for cupcakes. When the cake ends up baked with savory foods, the brain must take a moment to adjust to an unexpected twist.
round 5
berries and cream
an experience in sound blueberries mood
blackberries raspberries orange sour cream vanilla bean served with sounds of birds in the forest
Environmental sounds inadvertently impact the enjoyment of a dish. If a sound seems to match the mood of the food, the brain perceives the meal as more pleasurable, and vice versa. Therefore, when a soundtrack matches the origin and environment of a dish, it tastes more pleasing. When berries, known to all as found in nature and eaten by wild animals, are consumed while listening to sounds of birds and trees, one feels part of the scene and finds the action of eating the berries quite a bit more charming than with no sound at all.
Johann Pachelbel’s Fugue in C Major is a playful, dreamy tune that implies a carefree dance. This meal presents dishes with enhancements and pleasant surprises to alert the brain of its presumptions and to display how sensory stimulants can intensify flavor and strenghten enjoyment.
www.charlesfugue.com