An Apple a Day- a sweet melody and harmonious play

Hugs and kisses, claps, and cheers,  

Exquisite delicacies and melodies I hear 

Stories and Laughter and joyful tear 

We are nearing the end of another year 

Winters, holidays, wedding season, and festivities are almost synonymous.  A little bit of clinking tinkling here, a little bit of whispers and babble there,  A little bit of crunchy munchy on my right and  

And an ample bit of gleeful sizzle on my left. 

Now imagine the same scenario- the party and the celebrations remain the same, but the location- “underwater”, as if you went scuba diving. The little adventurer that I  am, I have experienced the radio silence underwater, and trust me, my body couldn’t take that deafening stillness. If I cannot entice all my senses, I don’t enjoy the experience. Sound and music not only capture attention but also arouse certain emotions we carry over into how we feel about food- a “halo effect” if you may call it.

So, coming back to the party “underwater”, do you think it would be a similar joy sans the vibration? I don’t resonate (pun intended) with that. 

The reason that I bring it up here is that we often take the “sound of food” for granted, paying no attention to it while we eat. We always appreciate the taste, aroma, and textures of the food. But the sound is becoming a forgotten flavor. But if you take a moment and pay some heed, you can tell a lot about the texture of food—think crispy, crunchy, and crackly—from the mastication sounds heard while biting and chewing. 

What if there was no crisp to our French fries, no crunch to the cucumbers in a salad, or no fizz to your bubbly drink? Nah. I am not buying that thought.

The latest techniques from the field of cognitive neuroscience are revolutionizing our understanding of just how important what we hear is to our experience and enjoyment of food and drink. Hence even the food advertisements that we see are a full job for sound artists. We also cannot ignore the effect of good background music while enjoying a good meal, or simply to cut down the unwanted noise. 

Hence, I want to advise you all to savor the sound of food in your mindful eating practices too. Eating with our ears may sound funny, but we cannot overlook the auditory experience of food.  

Here are some of my suggestions for sonic seasoning:

• Listen to the oil splatter while frying fish, meat, or fritters.
• Notice the crunch of nuts and crackers. 
• Take note of the crispiness of lettuce and cucumber 
• the sizzle on the barbeque 
• the pop of the bottle containing fine bubbles 
• the snap of a perfectly tempered chocolate bar 

And if nothing above is working for you, just raise two glasses of your favorite  juice with your best company and strike them for a loud CHEERS

About the blogger:  

Dr. Tabassum Inamdar is a dynamic Homeopath, a passionate artist, and an adventurer in life. From Medical corporate to Academics, she has balanced her left brain and right brain with equal passion for Art. She writes a series of blogs “An apple a day- your journey to a healthy way” in collaboration with @Fitaminat. A sketch artist since childhood, she is enchanted by theatre and writing. She is a regular theatre performer in Dubai. She continues life’s adventure by trekking, Sky diving, or Marshalling at Formula 1 tracks. You may stalk her @doctabu (IG) or say hello @tabu.inamdar (FB)