[Spareribs]

When you take that bite and it just feels right and you feel that bursting sensation, you feel like you're on top of the world. You feel like you've climbed the highest mountain. You are living in that moment in time and it's not only magic but it's pure ecstasy. 
 
For some people, they have to close their eyes when that moment strikes and at times, their voice trembles. Especially if you are starving and have not had something delicious in a long time, that unexpected flavor that your sensitive tongue feels  just rushes through you.
 
It becomes an unforgettable experience that haunts you for a very long time. For some people, they become obsessed. They want more.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Yummm!
 
Dude, look at this: click
 
(If the link doesn't work, just go to Google Images and search for: anime food)
 
It's so beautiful...and it makes me so hungry! I'm gonna go eat the ham pizza in my fridge now.

 

[Spareribs]

Those were beautiful anime food pics.

What inspired me to write the original post was when I rememberd a YouTube video of a lady who was at a special sushi restaurant and she was sampling a bunch of sushi items. Finally she found this one sushi that really hit her taste bud nirvana. It was that "it" factor that hit her.

The expression on her face was so passionate as she entered her own moment of euphoric sensation. In that moment of time, she was lost in her own ecstasy as she found her perfect bite. I could tell it was an amazing moment for her.

 

[Music Alchemist]

That reminds me...I wonder how the taste experience is for the countless other organisms out there. Most don't exactly have the luxury of savoring their food, what with trying to survive in the food chain and all. (That goes for both predators and prey.)

 

[Spareribs]

I think it depends on if they can produce endorphins in their brains. I think laboratory mice can feel the pleasure since experiments have been done with them. I don't know the specific details though.

I also think there is also the psychology of eating in a different environment that can enhance the sensation.

For example, if I eat that amazing dish in Paris, it could feel more intense than if I recreated it in my boring kitchen because the frame of mind can be different.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I think it depends on if they can produce endorphins in their brains. I think laboratory mice can feel the pleasure since experiments have been done with them. I don't know the specific details though.

 
I mean, most "higher" animals have taste buds, and many have smell and taste perception that is more advanced than humans...so they definitely experience taste...but they tend not to cook or season their food (lol), and nearly all the time, they're not picky with taste, since it's primarily about survival. I guess it's just difficult to tell what they're really going through.

 

[CaveManta]

I think that you would really love this videogame because it's all about eating:

Oh, the euphoric look on his face as he swallows a pepper dispenser whole. He certainly has higher brain functionality.
 
   Sorta trolling aside, it is kinda weird to think about how animals think of good food. I've always had dogs around, and they'll eat dog food just fine. But once I had human food, they'd go crazy for it. They know it's good. But they still don't mind eating dog food...and raw meat.
   You know, so many animals have to eat raw meat to survive. Does this mean it might taste really good to them?
The Euthyphro Dilemma for animals: Do they eat raw meat because it tastes good, or does it taste good because they must eat it?

 

[Spareribs]

With raw meat, I think there is something about the texture that makes it pleasing. I admit that I like raw meat too. I like the soft texture and raw meat can have flavor too. For example raw top round beef has a fuller flavor than raw fillet. I know this because there was a time when I was experimenting with homemade steak tartare (European raw beef dish).

For dogs, people or animals with teeth, texture is important. You can't just have flavor only. This is part of the appeal of crispy and crunchy foods like Italian crusty bread and crispy fried chicken. I do believe that raw meat can have a pleasing texture because part of it has this melt in your mouth appeal in a way that cooked meats do not possess. Perhaps this part of the reason why sushi is popular.

Also, I've tasted different types of dog food out of curiously. I do agree that it does not taste very good.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Alchemist /img/forum/go_quote.gif

That reminds me...I wonder how the taste experience is for the countless other organisms out there. Most don't exactly have the luxury of savoring their food, what with trying to survive in the food chain and all. (That goes for both predators and prey.)

 

Depends on the animal but I can say that from experience cats (and I have no reason to think dogs would be any different) enjoy food similar to humans. I fire up the skillet and my cat starts hanging around there by the stove (the orange one is always more excited with the cast iron and roasting pan than any other thing I have in the kitchen). Once I start slicing their unseasoned ribeyes seared blue they make that moaning sound while eating, like similar sound effects humans make when savoring food. Not even the canned food they like or the dark, tender meat off a roasted pork belly gets that kind of reaction from my kitties; the only other food that does is when I serve them raw tuna or salmon, but of course given that kind of stuff is expensive, I treat them to it one or two at a time. I take them to my room, I wash my hands and come back with a glass of boiling water, sterilize my pocket knife, and then the two/three of us eat the raw fish away from the other cats.

 

When anyone thinks of doing that be very, very mindful of what your hands touch. I don't completely rip off the plastic and slice off thin sheets, and then when I hand a piece to a cat, I use my left hand, which at worst touches the foam tray that the raw fish is packed in, never the fish itself. Also, do not try this with anything but sashimi-grade fish. When I buy tuna or salmon that aren't I would at least sear the outside for half a minute (or use a kitchen torch), then I slice them into tiny cubes (kind of like how it's done with onions). My bowl gets a buttload of wasabi and sprinkled with a little Kikkoman, then panko; the ones for the cats get nothing aside from the fish and the oil they were seared in.

 

 

With raw meat, I think there is something about the texture that makes it pleasing. I admit that I like raw meat too. I like the soft texture and raw meat can have flavor too. For example raw top round beef has a fuller flavor than raw fillet. I know this because there was a time when I was experimenting with homemade steak tartare (European raw beef dish).

 
I prefer the Korean version, although I'd also prefer lower grade Wagyu sirloin (too high grade means too much intra-muscular fat, which is tough to eat raw) over tenderloin (the typical choice due to not having intra-musuclar fat). Oh and I'd prefer duck eggs also, assuming you can find irradiated duck eggs since these are usually for cooking. Soft-boiled duck eggs work though, and it's easier to separate the yolk - it just won't look as presentable if you had the runny yolk on the plate and meat over it (then you just drag the meat through it as you pick up some of the strips with the chopsticks).
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

[Music Alchemist]

 

Depends on the animal but I can say that from experience cats (and I have no reason to think dogs would be any different) enjoy food similar to humans.

 
Yeah, true. I've had countless cats as pets. They go crazy for meat! I think on average I like cats more than humans. haha
 
Since dogs willfully eat their own...(uh, you know)...I get the feeling they don't care about taste so much, even if they have better smell (and by extension probably taste too).

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Alchemist /img/forum/go_quote.gif

That reminds me...I wonder how the taste experience is for the countless other organisms out there. Most don't exactly have the luxury of savoring their food, what with trying to survive in the food chain and all. (That goes for both predators and prey.)

 

Depends on the animal but I can say that from experience cats (and I have no reason to think dogs would be any different) enjoy food similar to humans. I fire up the skillet and my cat starts hanging around there by the stove (the orange one is always more excited with the cast iron and roasting pan than any other thing I have in the kitchen). Once I start slicing their unseasoned ribeyes seared blue they make that moaning sound while eating, like similar sound effects humans make when savoring food. Not even the canned food they like or the dark, tender meat off a roasted pork belly gets that kind of reaction from my kitties; the only other food that does is when I serve them raw tuna or salmon, but of course given that kind of stuff is expensive, I treat them to it one or two at a time. I take them to my room, I wash my hands and come back with a glass of boiling water, sterilize my pocket knife, and then the two/three of us eat the raw fish away from the other cats.

 

When anyone thinks of doing that be very, very mindful of what your hands touch. I don't completely rip off the plastic and slice off thin sheets, and then when I hand a piece to a cat, I use my left hand, which at worst touches the foam tray that the raw fish is packed in, never the fish itself. Also, do not try this with anything but sashimi-grade fish. When I buy tuna or salmon that aren't I would at least sear the outside for half a minute (or use a kitchen torch), then I slice them into tiny cubes (kind of like how it's done with onions). My bowl gets a buttload of wasabi and sprinkled with a little Kikkoman, then panko; the ones for the cats get nothing aside from the fish and the oil they were seared in.

 

 

With raw meat, I think there is something about the texture that makes it pleasing. I admit that I like raw meat too. I like the soft texture and raw meat can have flavor too. For example raw top round beef has a fuller flavor than raw fillet. I know this because there was a time when I was experimenting with homemade steak tartare (European raw beef dish).

 
I prefer the Korean version, although I'd also prefer lower grade Wagyu sirloin (too high grade means too much intra-muscular fat, which is tough to eat raw) over tenderloin (the typical choice due to not having intra-musuclar fat). Oh and I'd prefer duck eggs also, assuming you can find irradiated duck eggs since these are usually for cooking. Soft-boiled duck eggs work though, and it's easier to separate the yolk - it just won't look as presentable if you had the runny yolk on the plate and meat over it (then you just drag the meat through it as you pick up some of the strips with the chopsticks).
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Alchemist /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

Yeah, true. I've had countless cats as pets. They go crazy for meat! I think on average I like cats more than humans. haha

 

Whenever we talk about population control I ask why we neuter cats, and the response are "rabies, bird flu, and so birds don't go extinct." I throw it right back and ask why we don't neuter any portion of the 7 billion humans when they pollute the planet a lot more than cats will mess up alleys with poop and have caused more extinctions due to habitat destruction than birds wiped out by stray cats.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Alchemist /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

Since dogs willfully eat their own...(uh, you know)...I get the feeling they don't care about taste so much, even if they have better smell (and by extension probably taste too).

 

I've never had one that had that compulsion, much less one to dig through the kitter for "snacks," but if anything both canines and felines I've had (including the ones I had temporarily) ate vomit, and that includes what was ejected by the other pets. That said, if they have anything in common, it's beef and bacon. Yeah, I sometimes make meatloaf with no spices for the pets along with mine, but I can't help not wrapping theirs in bacon also because I can see how they look at bacon and I just give in.

 

The one time I got pissed though was when kitty jumped up to grab the Jamon Serrano I was snacking on out of my hand - that fraction of a slice cost more than his can of freaking Fancy Feast!

 

[Music Alchemist]

 

Whenever we talk about population control I ask why we neuter cats, and the response are "rabies, bird flu, and so birds don't go extinct." I throw it right back and ask why we don't neuter any portion of the 7 billion humans when they pollute the planet a lot more than cats will mess up alleys with poop and have caused more extinctions due to habitat destruction than birds wiped out by stray cats.

 

I've never had one that had that compulsion, much less one to dig through the kitter for "snacks," but if anything both canines and felines I've had (including the ones I had temporarily) ate vomit, and that includes what was ejected by the other pets. That said, if they have anything in common, it's beef and bacon. Yeah, I sometimes make meatloaf with no spices for the pets along with mine, but I can't help not wrapping theirs in bacon also because I can see how they look at bacon and I just give in.

 

The one time I got pissed though was when kitty jumped up to grab the Jamon Serrano I was snacking on out of my hand - that fraction of a slice cost more than his can of freaking Fancy Feast!

 
Some would say that it's because humans have more "rights" than cats. Personally I don't even want kids.
 
I've never had a pet grab food out of my hands without my consent! But I have had cats jump on the table trying to get at my dinner. XD
 
And since we're already quite off-topic here, here are some catnip memes. (Or image macros, if you want to get technical.)