Feelings for Dinner

How Might Flavor Tell an Emotional Story? An 8-course culinary art exhibit exploring whether it is possible to pair wine and food with emotionally-rich life moments to tell stories through flavor.

The menu for guests consisted only of emotionally evocative descriptions: “A light jog in Central Park on a spring Sunday,” “A slap in the face,” “A midnight swim in a freshwater lake,” “Walking around the house naked,” “Seeing a new city for the first time,” “Preparing to see a long-lost lover after time has passed,” “A wake-up shower,” “Studio 54 in its prime.”

Each course translated an emotional experience into flavor, table setting, and environment. For example, “A slap in the face” featured shocking, fast, slightly unpleasant, invigorating food with bracing, intense, salty beverages — accompanied by aggressive music, scattered polaroids of irritated skin, and playful band-aids.

The collaboration with Study Restaurant was inspired and powered by InJoy, an experimental interactive pairing application that eventually became the Flavor Genome Project. It grew out of work studying design and desirability, and experience as a member of Cambridge University’s competitive blind tasting team.