This latest update in a series of gastronomic adventures includes: a group presentation, tongue dyeing, eating jelly beans, and a few drams of whisky.

On Monday, we had presentations for our group projects that involved the observation of a local food space and critical analysis of two of four themes (gender, ethnicity, tradition & authenticity, and class) we found present in the space.

My group (Team Ham and Cheese) presented Serrano & Manchego, a Spanish tapas bar, that we stumbled upon while looking at places in Leith, a quite ethnically diverse part of Edinburgh.

Other groups presented on Gorgie City Farm, Eusebi’s Deli in Glasgow, Leith Food Assembly and Cyrenians Farm (jointly), and Breadshare Bakery.

Tuesday, was all about taste. We first tasted jelly beans without two of our senses: vision and smell.

While learning about taste buds, we took a closer look at our own. With cotton swabs soaked with blue food coloring, we painted the first third of our tongues to see who had a higher concentration of fungiform papillae or in less science-y terms, who was a super taster (has a bunch of taste buds) and who was not.

On Thursday, my friend Hannah (also in the course) and I went to The Black Cat Pub in Edinburgh to do some homework for our whisky class on Monday. One of the barmen kindly helped us in selecting whiskies from each of the four whisky making regions in Scotland. The four we chose were:

Lowland – Glenkinche
A light, easy drinking whisky perfect for novice drinkers like myself.

Speyside –The Balvenie
Aged in traditional oak whisky casks and finished in sherry casks, this honey and vanilla scented single malt was a treat.

Highland –The Dalmore
Aged in American bourbon casks and sherry casks, this sweet caramel scented whisky was lovely as well.

Islay –Ardbeg
After trying this whisky, I now fully understand what “It’ll put some hair on your chest” means. This super peaty malt tasted like a campfire in my mouth. It’s definitely an acquired taste.

Stay tuned for a bit more on Scottish whisky later this week!