Pietro Sorba
09/10/2021 6:01 AM
Clarín.com
Gourmet
Updated 9/10/2021 6:01 AM
The sensory universe of contemporary man is very different from that of his ancient ancestors.
Touch, taste and smell have always been formidable allies in differentiating and recognizing food.
Today that function is in a transitional stage.
Things have changed abruptly in the last 150 years.
Many of the foods consumed today are treated, processed, portioned, pasteurized, sometimes pre-cooked, dehydrated, refrigerated, frozen, labeled, and sealed prior to sale and ingestion.
Industrial processes
that in many cases are added to each other and that move food away from its primordial essence,
mutilating its original aromas and flavors
.
The delivery of Teatro Ciego: the proposal is to open and taste the food with a mask.
Smell and palate
are receiving less organoleptic information.
They lost acuity and ability to recognize.
They atrophied.
As if this were not enough, the senses of modern man are "distracted" by different stimuli.
The current
visual
and auditory
bombardment
forces the brain's perceptual mechanism to erect protective barriers to limit the effects of noise and artificial lights that proliferate on a daily basis.
It is a defense that has its costs.
Tasting food without the aid of sight - wrapped in a world of words and sounds - is a situation that triggers emotions and sensations that seemed forgotten.
Perception becomes more selective.
He concentrates on the needs of the moment.
The senses work differently.
They are distracted by decoys to which they spend a lot of energy penalizing their primitive functions.
How many times do you smell familiar “something” but it is difficult to
recognize its smell and associate it exactly with a food or dish
?
It happens frequently.
It is one of the collateral effects that indicates that a part of the perception system is confused.
It is difficult for him to efficiently connect smells and tastes to food and memory.
Returning to the primary senses, training them, enjoying full perception,
and awakening stunted instincts are pending issues necessary for a return to a more authentic life.
Smell and taste without seeing: a tasting literally blind.
Photo: blind theater.
In 2008, Gerardo Bentatti and Martín Bondone inaugurated the first blind theater in Argentina.
An area in which the works are developed in absolute darkness.
A great challenge for the spectators' perception system, since the need to compensate for the visual absence requires the help of the other senses involved in the situation.
Over time,
the formula was expanding its horizons until it reached the gastronomic field
.
How to enjoy a dinner "blind"
Why not organize
dinners without the help of your eyes
?
Why not use context to generate
an experience in which food, sounds, voices and music intermingle and connect with hearing, touch, taste and smell
in a surprising and innovative way?
That disruptive idea became, in a very short time, a successful reality.
Last year, the impossibility of having face-to-face dinners prompted the creation of a box that includes the meals (prepared by Gastón Barba and Verónica Roda) and the elements necessary to
reproduce the experience at home
.
A very good opportunity to experience a different night.
For blind tasting it is recommended to be in the dark or cover your eyes.
It is
a sequence of guided steps (to be done without lighting and with a sleep mask)
and thought out with very good judgment.
The food is fused with a participatory mechanism (it is essential to have a mobile phone and headphones) creating an interactive experience that captures the participants during the 45-50 minutes necessary to carry out the tasting.
Tasting food without the aid of sight - wrapped in a world of words and sounds - is a situation that triggers emotions and sensations that seemed forgotten.
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