Have you ever had an ecstatic experience with food? And not in the high schooler who looks curiously at a carrot for the first time kind of way…and if so, feel yo self! (and be careful). But no, a meal that can send us into a full body sensory experience, where we can’t hold ourselves back from mmmmms and ahhhhhs at every bit.

That is my gold standard for taste. There are several things that make meal times precious for me, but when we are talking about TASTE, this is how I know I’ve owned it with a recipe. Uncontrollable, repeated MMMMMs. So frequent that you might feel a sense of apology. No apologies necessary for foodgasms though, they are rare and beautiful! Mmmm mmm mmmms let your chef know that their food orchestra was masterfully attuned to your senses, and that’s nothing short of a Hollywood hand-shake.

Which makes me wonder: how often do we see recipes as a dynamic orchestra, capable of moving us to tantric levels, or not? Think about it. Each ingredient and amount affects the texture, produces a unique taste, and ultimately it’s own experience. Every little tweak a completely different song. When you Google a recipe and make a dish, are you taking note of how well that particular design meshes with you?

I encourage you to play with your ingredients, try them on for size, and find orchestral combinations that move you to tears and inspire your being.

When you eat your next meal, take notice, did it make you go MMMM?