What makes food taste different at different times, places and occasions?
I can only write with my own experiences. I follow Ayurveda; I live and practice it. Food tastes delicious when one is hungry. Anything one eats tastes like Mana from heaven. In my mother tongue they say,"भुख मीठ्ठी की लापसी" - it means "It is not the dessert that is sweet, but hunger that makes it sweet." During our Vedanta classes our Swamijis always tell us that if you eat one thing too many times you will lose interest in it. Of course the first Gulab Jamun is the best tasting Gulab Jamun. 10th one will give you a gag-reflex. Everyone is aware of this phenomenon.
But the most important reason food tastes different when it is cooked with love, devotion and care in a clean hygienic place. Though I have had sheera at 100s of places it tastes the best at Gurudwara. Devotees make it with utmost love and devotion and the result is divine taste of an ordinary desert "Sheera". I still remember the first time my Mother in law made a meal for me. I still search for that amazing out of the world taste. This time I was eating the food with utmost acceptance, without judgment and with love. I was head over heels in love with her son! She had made simple sambhar, rice, and two green veggies. I can't seems to duplicate the taste of some dishes my Mom made for me whenever I went back home. She was recreating what I used to love eating when I was a little girl. It used to be the same taste even after a few decades.
It is important that the person who cooks, puts her/his love and kindness in the food. Whenever a person cooks with a happy mood and with giving attitude food will turn out to be amazing. When we are mad and upset or grieving we should not be cooking. For two reasons, we will definitely transfer all our anger, hate and grief into the food and secondly we should be allowed some time to heal and recover. As a Mom, I cook for my kids and think of them with love and affection. My goal is to see a smile on their face, a joyful expression. My older one loves spicy food, she is creative and open minded in tastes. I love to make stuff for her from different cuisines. I love using spices and heat in the food. On the other hand my younger one can't take heat at all. I can't imagine putting food in her mouth that is at all spicy. Moms can relate to me as I write that I can feel the pain in her mouth.
Ayurveda says the cook must be clean, healthy, knowledgeable and happy ( do not ask me to quote). And what I have said above supports all of it. We need to be clean when we enter the kitchen, we should be healthy enough to clean the kitchen and make food without our germs in it. We must know what spices, what recipes to follow to make food, and I definitely do not cook when I am not happy.
In Rajasthan we have a tradition of sending food for the family for three days after a death in the family. The family doesn't cook for three days.The food that people send is very very basic. It is devoid of spices and oil. This ritual helps the family to take time to grieve and the food served has love and care in it, which helps the family heal.
What ever we touch in the kitchen absorbs our energy, holds our emotions. When we serve that food to our family they feel it. Most of the time we serve love, care and joy to our family. Many temples Ashrams and Gurudwaras serve simple basic food but it tastes better than the food served in a Star restaurant. It is not the food but the devotion and love we are eating, it is undoubting devotion we are eating.
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