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How food memories fuel our happiness
websitebuilder • Jul 01, 2020
Food memories are more sensory than other memories in that they involve all five senses, so when you’re that thoroughly engaged with the stimulus it has a more powerful effect.
The most amazing carbonara dish I’ve ever had was whilst on family holiday over 10 years ago. I was sat outside our beautiful hotel in the enclosed court yard on a balmy evening. I could smell the salt from the sea and hear the hub of conversations from nearby tables; in the far corner of the court yard a local performer was playing guitar and singing. I’ve never quite managed to find carbonara that tastes as good as that but just recalling it makes me feel happy and be transported back there again.
Our most positive memories of food are formed, not just using your sight, or just your taste, but all the senses and that offers the potential to layer the richness of a food memory.
Food memories feel so nostalgic because there’s all this context of when you were preparing or eating the food, so the food becomes almost symbolic of other meaning. With a lot of our memories as children, it’s not so much the apple pie, for example, but the whole experience of being a family, being nourished, feeling safe and that acquires a lot of symbolism apart from the sensory quality.
That’s the nature of food memories. They aren’t just based on the facts or our need for survival, but are shaped by the context ― the company, the situation and the emotions involved.
Which food invokes happy memories for you?
Gift yourself the opportunity to pause and recall the emotional elements around the memory that make the smell and taste of the meal or dish so special.
Enjoy! x
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