Oenologist

Or enology.

Ever heard of it?

Me either.

It's a person who tastes wine.

That could be me, if I was any good at it and I'm not, so it's not me.

I'm reading this fascinating book, Gulp by Mary Roach.

My daughter in law told me about this author and I find her work so interesting. This book is all about the alimentary canal (our digestion) and the first chapters have been about taste.

Here are some facts:

1) We are more visual than olfactory. Even as babies our parents leaned to the visual in our communication. Example, when a baby pointed to something a parent confirmed, yes, "chair". Parents don't usually point out smells.

2) In blind wine tastings the cheaper wine always wins. Rarely do people choose the $500 bottle. And it appears that the marketing for wine tasting has been excellent. Everyone wants to go to wine tastings, be a wine taster, etc. The wineries are loving our jump on this band wagon. (Count me guilty)

3) So the olive oil industry says, hey, why not us. And so olive oil tastings are on the rise, for just that perfect oil (and our money).

4) Food companies, even pet food companies, hire tasters and olfactory experts. It seems we created pet food around what we humans desire in a food, not necessarily what the pet wants. An interesting business. Remember when dog food was colored? They don't do that any more because when the dog vomited the dye got all over the carpet. (And a dog vomiting is a good thing for the pet food industry, it means the dog liked the food because he gorged himself. Go figure.)

And this is just the tip of the iceberg for factual info in this book. Truly engaging. She writes with humor and an easy style. It's a great book for an afternoon with a cup of coffee or tea and some sun shining brightly. Or a cozy inside, wrapped in blanket, gray day. Either way. It's a fun read.