Why Humans Like Junk Food The Inside Story on Why You Like Your Favorite Foods, the Cuisine Secrets of Top Chefs, and How to Improve Your Own Cooking Without a Recipe! Steven A. Witherly, PhD iUniverse Inc. Publishing Lincoln, NE 68512 Copyright ISBN Disclaimer: The information, ideas, and suggestions in this book are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Before following any suggestions contained in this book, you should consult your personal physician. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising as a consequence of your use or application of any information or suggestions in this book. Excerpted from The French Laundry Copyright © 1999 by Thomas Keller And Bouchon Copyright © 2004 by Thomas Keller Used by Permission of Artisan, a division of Workman Publishing Co., New York All Rights Reserved Excerpted from Les Halles Cookbook Copyright © 2004 by Anthony Bourdain And The Nasty Bits Copyright © 2006 Reprinted by permission of Bloomsbury USA Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE Copyright © 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission Contents Acknowledgments Fundamental Principles of Food Perception and Pleasure Chapter 1: Food Pleasure Theories and Principles The Stomach: the Second “Taste” System Glossary of Terms Used Why We Like Our Favorite Foods Chapter 2: Why We Like Corn Tortilla Chips Chapter 3: Why We Like Sandwich Cookies Chapter 4: Why We Like Vanilla Ice Cream Chapter 5: Why We Like Butter Chapter 6: Why We Like Gourmet Coffee Chapter 7: Why We Like Popcorn Chapter 8: Why We Like Donuts Chapter 9: Why We Like Garlic Chapter 10: Why We Like Toasty Sandwiches Chapter 11: Why We Like Hamburgers Chapter 12: Why We Like Southern Fried Chicken Chapter 13: Why We Like Diet Vanilla Soda Chapter 14: Why We Like French Fries Chapter 15: Why We Like Spices Chapter 16: Why We Like Chocolate Chapter 17: Why We Like Artichokes Chapter 18: Why We Like Pizza Chapter 19: Why We Like To Eat Dessert Last Secrets of Great Cooking and Cuisine Design Chapter 20: Secret-Weapon Pleasure Foods Chapter 21: Culinary Secrets of the Top Chefs Chapter 22: Eight Most Common Cooking Mistakes Chapter 23: Tasty Home Cooking and Healthy Fast Food: a Summary Appendix A: Cooking Resources Selective Index About the Author iii Acknowledgments First, I dedicate this book to my wife, Caroline, and our dear little daughter Clarissa (sweet pea). Caroline convinced me that I must finish this work and assisted in proofing and designing the look and contents. Clarissa managed to keep busy—with her many friends and playthings—to allow me time to write. And I hope my two sons, Eric and Ryan, both of whom like to cook, will find this work at least a little interesting. (Hey guys, I finished it!) Second, I must remember and thank my mentor and sensory sciences professor, Rose Marie Pangborn, for encouraging me to think outside the physiological box on food palatability and pleasure. Without her support and helpful guidance I would never have come this far in explaining the surprisingly complex world of food perception. Cancer ended the life of this great researcher, and I keep her in my prayers. Third, I must thank my good friend Dr. Bob Hyde (professor at San Jose State University), whose natural genius in solving scientific riddles formed the basis of many of the theories herein. And to think it all started with a casual chat in my kitchen back in 1986, while we both sipped merlot (yes, that’s right, merlot—way before the popular movie Sideways). I’d also like to thank Mike Dauria, Nestlé Foods, for his helpful editorial comments; Bruce Horovitz (USA Today staff writer) for his inspirational idea of the food diagrams; the Restaurant Guys (restaurantguysradio.com), Francis Schott and Mark Pascal, for their kind comments on the rough draft of this book; and Uberchefs Thomas Keller and Anthony Bourdain, whose cookbooks and keen insights into culinology were a personal inspiration. Mr. Bourdain’s entertaining quotes are reprinted by permission of Bloomsbury USA. And the culinary wisdom of Keller is quoted by permission of Artisan, A Division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc., New York. Finally, scripture quotes are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. This work is also a reflection and, in a sense, a culmination of the genius of many researchers in food perception and sensory science. In the past, I have recognized their contributions by naming some food perception phenomena after these researchers’ last names. While this is unconventional in science, it is a simple way to remember some of the more important food principles. I have tried to the best of my ability, using the wisdom and insight from the scientific literature, to explain and simplify the many food phenomena and behaviors. I would like to mention just a few of the names of those great scientists whose work is both illuminating and inspirational. Gary Beauchamp David Booth David Wingate Thomas Scott Barbara Rolls Dana Small Edmund Rolls L. L. Birch Morley Kare Anthony Sclafani Harry Kissileff Patricia Pliner Elizabeth Capaldi Jacques Le Magnen Ilene Bernstein Rose Marie Pangborn Leann Birch Ann. C. Noble Linda Bartoshuk Paul Rozin Eric Block Michel Cabanac Adam Drewnowski Patricia Pliner John Blundell Kent Berridge L. Wisniewski Mark Fantino Marion Hetherington Robert Hyde iv Susan Schiffman Harold McGee Louis J. Minor Thomas Scott Rachel Schemmel Gilbert Leveille Julia Child Emeril Lagasse David Mela Ernie Strapazon Dale Romsos Morten Kringelbach Ted Williams A. W. Logue Michael O’Mahony Alton Brown Martin Yan C. Broberger And there are many others … The reader can learn much by Googling these names and reading their many interesting papers. To this day, I am amazed that their works have not received the general recognition they deserve—after all, food scientists, chefs, and the home cook would greatly benefit by an understanding of food perception and the pleasures of the palate! v Preface To the Reader: In this book, I have tried to simplify and outline the various food pleasure principles as much as possible in general observations, aphorisms, and theories; I’ve often used bullet points in a teaching manner. To the Dietitian: I would hope these principles may be used to make healthy food taste good. It is certainly possible! Pleasure is the major driver of food ingestion and behavior, but without an understanding of the nature of food pleasure and perception itself, no useful modifications to food can be made. Salt, fat, and sugar, classically considered a nutritional enemy, can still be used for good. To the Food Scientist: Sadly, the principles of good food construction are not part of any food- science curriculum that I am aware of—probably because of the sheer complexity of the subject and the lack of physiological training in the food sciences. This book, then, may be your first exposure to the interrelated world of food physiology, psychology, and neuroscience. In your profession, you create foods that millions eat; use these principles to elevate your own understanding of good food construction. To the Professional Chef: Many excellent chefs use the principles described in this book without actually knowing it; they use tradition, training, and talent in their food design. Hopefully, I will demystify what you may already know. The time-honored principles of French cooking were actually the impetus behind my scientific investigation of the “why” of classic cuisine, which was presented at the 1985 Geneva nutritional conference and published in the 1986 book: Food Acceptance and Nutrition titled: “Physiological and nutritional influences on cuisine and product development.” Twenty years later, food intake and neuroimaging research coupled with advances in taste and smell perception have completely transformed the fields of food science and sensory perception. “Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.” Voltaire (1755-1826) Final Note: Any errors in punctuation, syntax, or grammatical correctness are mine alone— blame them on Sentence Specific Satiety. 1 Chapter 1: Food Pleasure Theories and Principles The brain’s pleasure centers prefer salt, sugar, and fat mixtures.1,2,3 All of our favorite foods have unknown physiological and neurobiological explanations as to why we prefer them and why they have endured as best sellers over the years. In fact, I started studying the psychobiology of the popular snack food Doritos in an effort to understand why this billion-dollar brand is a huge success year after year in the United States—and many foreign countries as well. I studied the food intake and chemical senses literature—over five hundred research reports and four thousand abstracts—in order to discern the popularity of Doritos. In the process I developed the Food Pleasure Equation (Capaldi-inspired) and, in collaboration with Dr. Robert Hyde (San Jose State University), the important theory of Dynamic Contrast in foods. There are hundreds of food palatability theories and influences (and seemingly endless neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and hormone effectors). The list we will discuss includes what I think are the most important and useful food perception theories. In my evaluation process I used the philosophy of the renowned physicist Albert Einstein, who once said (I paraphrase) that a good theory must have three properties: it should explain the phenomenon, it must predict future behavior of the phenomenon, and it must be simple, the simpler the better—but not any more than that. It is the hope of this author that the principles enumerated below will help explain why you eat what you eat (food enlightenment), elevate your own cooking prowess (it’s fun to prepare meals for your friends), and perhaps even make good-for-you food tasty and delicious.