Monday, August 27, 2007
testing the taste buds
I had an interesting task at work earlier today, did a stock take with one of the shop floor staff. I'm glad that i hadn't lost my taste buds. What do i mean by this? It has been quite awhile since i last put my taste buds to the test or being invited to a sensory tasting. I enjoy sensory tasting sessions, taking pride in commenting what i think about a particular food. I'm known for my thoroughness. Since it has been quite a while, i have lost my confidence and wasn't sure about the accuracy of my buds.The purpose of the stock take was to identify the unused processed products and noting down the age of it. I was able to pick up a batch of roasted peanuts tainted with smokey flavour and this was really obvious. A great start! As i progressed on, picked up another batch of peanuts which is two months old from when it was processed to find that it is starting to go rancid. The final identification happened to be roasted cashews which didn't taste fresh at all. Took a sample of each of them to get a 2nd opinion.
I'm glad someone agreed with me. Therefore, i can say my taste bud is reasonably well.
What would i do if i couldn't taste anything? A year ago i had my wisdom teeth extraction. I had a complicated case and was referred to a maxilofacial surgeon for extraction. One of the tooth was embedded in the gum, angled and closed to one of the sensory nerves. During the consultation, the surgeon explained to me the complication and the potential consequences involved. One of the consequences if great attention wasn't given during the surgery was i might loose my taste buds. I didn't think that it would had a huge impact, of course being in the food industry, a good taste bud is important and not having able to taste anything is absolute bizarre. The surgeon was great, attentive and went well.
Stay well taste buds.