Saturday, November 10, 2012

Two kinds of Fusion cuisine: magnetic confinement and inertial confinement

L-Glutamate tastes good (with tastebuds dedicated to its detection) because out of the available amino acids, the amount of glutamic acid in a mouthful is the one used by the gustatory system as a marker for protein. It has been estimated from average protein composition that humans are about 1% glutamate and have a flavour.

The first rule of Glutamine Club is that any high-glutamate food makes a good pizza topping.

That said, I have come to have doubts about marmite, and the Frau Doktorin was not well-pleased about the 'Avocado incident' of which we have agreed never to speak again.

There is still room for further exploration and empirical testing of Rule 1, for the Goofle informs us that glutamate levels are also high in fermented soy products like natto. To say nothing of the fabled smutto.

Then we learned at Riddled Research Laboratory that glutamate has another role, not as a floor wax / dessert topping, but as "the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate nervous system". Enormous tracts of glutamergic nerves run between thalamus and cortex and all through the limbic system, easily recognised by anatomists because they trace out purple arrows.

Naturally our second thought was to extend this to other neurotransmitters. Inspired by the prospect of evolving new classes of tastebud for detecting serotonin and dopamine and GABA, we inveigled Greenish Hugh into the Evolvamat, pointing out the even more pretentious bollocks he would be able to spout in the Thursday night "Arthropod Tagmosis and Wine-tasting" sessions with the help of the additional flavours. Initial results from the tongue / brain parallel were promising...

...until we remembered that Greenish Hugh's tongue always looks like this, on account of that accident when a Shar Pei dog was trapped with him in the matter transmitter.

Our first thought, of course, was about the possibility of tasting foods by direct contact against extensions of the brain. It would be a valuable social accomplishment

12 comments:

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

Natto? More like snotto.

May I please unsee the fermented soy beans? I don't care how much glutavitaminomin it has in it.

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

Also, the tongue-brains are FREAKING ME OUT.

Smut Clyde said...

'Cerebriform tongue'. The alternative name for the condition is 'scrotum tongue' -- think what I could have done with those images,

Smut Clyde said...

I hope everyone has read the "Steve, Don't Eat It!" entry on corn smut.

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

Devil poop! Infected corn! ROFL!

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

I had natto while I was in Tokyo, all of the Japanese people in my vicinity watched me like a hawk to see my reaction. It was like all the Ozzystoryaliens watching me try out Vegemite. Luckily for me, I have a tolerance for strong flavors and a good poker face.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

Now I'm hungry

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

How about raw squid guts sashimi, B^4?(The Japanese name sounds more appealing, as long as one doesn't speak Japanese.)
~

Willy said...

raw squid guts sashimi
One man's tripe is another man's treasure, for squid-Americans at least.

Smut Clyde said...

Memo to self: Do not accept ITTDGY's offer of pizza.

I have learned from a TBogg comment thread that it is a bad thing to be Bob Dole without the pizzas. No-one trusts him to collect takeaways.

Grant said...

I have to confess I thought they were beans fried in snot.

(Something to do with having a cold.)

Substance McGravitas said...

Our first thought, of course, was about the possibility of tasting foods by direct contact against extensions of the brain.

The labour of chewing could be dispensed with as food could simply be loaded into a hopper on the head.