Monday, April 12, 2010

Mr. and Mrs. Taste E. Buds



The Buds, yeah,I know um. You do, too. We live with them, those sweet and sour trips on the tongue. Masterpiece’s in the mouth. They are sometimes ever so sour, sour. Salty, ooh, yes that, too, and spicy. But they can be bitter. I hate it when they get like that; drives me nuts. We foodies can spin them right around, though, with crunchy sweet apples and salty pretzels. Or Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, which snaps open the ears and floods the buds with peanut-y plunge. Happy are they with combinations: sweet, salty, crunchy, munchy. “Hallelujah, brother,” they shout. “Get it, sister!”

Mine like stepping off a sidewalk occasionally into an exotic forest of knee deep pink roses, some plucked and transformed into fragrant jelly. Now that bullets the Buds back in a time machine and they tumble out, blinking into a cozy kitchen, a mom in a white apron, her soft brown hands making that wild rose jelly. And homemade wheat bread, too, slathered with salty white butter and eaten freshly popped from the oven, mouths exploding, igniting and delighting.



When Mr. and Ms. Taste E. Buds get bored they really yawn for herbs and spices like basil, dill, cumin, cilantro, sage, saffron, bay leaf, garlic, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, rosemary. Did someone say Rosemary? Now she’s an edgy girl. I pair her up with a pork loin from time to time and she forces it to tango.

Think velvety sauces stung with white pepper. And glistening milk gravy flavored with sausage then poured over hot biscuits and fried potatoes. Have you ever had chocolate gravy? Well, I never! But the Bud’s have, courtesy of long lost Arkansas cousins.

But now we’re screaming the Buds language. And they really are easy to delight. Variety, baby, give them variety and they’ll dance a jig for you, or belt out that Marshall Tucker classic tune: "Can’t you see, can’t you see, what that woman, she’s been doin’ to me." Yeah, that one.

I’ll tell you what, though. If we deprive them of sweets for too long, we’d best throw them a key lime pie made from scratch to appease them. And by all means jack up the crust with Ritz crackers to tease them. The salty switch up will beam them to a star and back. They will wail uncle. If that doesn’t work, give them death by chocolate. Notice how the food choices have gotten progressively worse? Can I get a woot, woot?



Actually,I do eat healthy. My thoughts are these: eating right is doable as long as we throw in those occasional, well loved treats.


Hey now,foodies, what makes your Taste Buds tingle?

Well, peeps, my job here is done. This finishes out my five senses series. Hopefully, you smell better, not you personally, although that’s a plus. And dream of touch and hear and see things you might have missed, and taste it all. If you’re begging for food after reading this post, please don’t blame me. I’m just the lowly writer, clasping my occasional bowl of Captain Crunch.

Please stay tuned for a hair raising sixth sense post, coming up.

20 comments:

  1. Black forest with lots of chocko chips on top of it,first thing I will buy tomorrow,for already tingled test buds.

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  2. You got all my senses perking up, that's for sure. Girl, are you trying to kill me? Those pictures had me slavering all over my laptop!

    I can't wait to read the sixth sense post.

    Jai

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  3. Test buds are great too, Jitu! Especially if you're talking black forest cake...yum...

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  4. Oh, good, Jai, I made you hungry. That was my plan and it worked. Yipee!

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  5. We should be very grateful for our taste buds and their normal functioning. A cousin of mine has been diagnosed with a sort of auto immune disease and it started with her feeling like she has plastic in her mouth. Nothing has helped her so far with the plastic taste.

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  6. Can´t read your blog without getting hungry! First that coffee in Louisiana, now this! The bread and the butter, still warm... :-)

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  7. You had me at sweet cruncy apple and salty pretzels....oh, yeah, sistah. My buds haven't looked back since. Let's see...what makes my buds pop? Salsa! Wasabi! Peanut butter and dill pickle. The thought of that Key Lime pie made me salivate.

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  8. Duta-so sorry to hear about your cousin. That would be terrible to lose your sense of taste. I do hope someone can help her.

    Lu-what a treat to see your smiling face. I do miss you. I hope things are well with you.

    Sorry to make you hungry, honey, but I'm from the south, where the bread and butter is always warm!

    Ronda-wasabi, now you're talking! Love it with sushi.

    You should of had some of that key lime pie. I really did make the crust with Ritz crackers because I forgot graham crackers. But the pairing of sweet, tangy salty and crunchy was amazing!

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  9. Seriously?! Too cruel! I'm off to the cupboard...

    The Clean White Page

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  10. Yeah, I know. My blog went crazy this week. No more food around these parts for awhile. Promise!

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  11. key lime pie...my buds like it tart!

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  12. You would have loved that pie, Brian. I squeezed all those tiny key limes myself! :-)

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  13. Woot! Woot! :)

    Drainy, you make my mouth water. Right now, I'm hankering for coconut cream pie, but that key lime pie looks de-lish!

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  14. Ooooh, don't we just love the pie. Makes our mouths jingle jangle! I usually make something special about once a week. Keeps the Buds from kicking up a fuss.

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  15. Don't drool on the page, Dave! Okay, go ahead.:-)

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  16. http://itistimetothinkformyself.blogspot.com/2010/04/awards-are-given-to-jingle-by-kathy.html

    Welcome to my place,
    Happy Wednesday ahead!

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  17. Ok,...what's up with the posting????I did respond to this a couple days ago. I have since wiped up the keys of my laptop,...Oye, what a mess! And I'll have you know I raided the baking cupboard after reading this! You are such a brilliant writer, but I don't know whether to praise you or condemn you!

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  18. http://itistimetothinkformyself.blogspot.com/2010/05/jingles-may-follower-award-week-2.html

    Happy Wednesday!

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