Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Hands-On Learning Hands-On Learning You have learned about food, nutrition, and you by reading this chapter. Now learn even more by participating in the following hands-on learning experience. In the following lab, you will learn about the fi ve senses and even more about the sense of taste. Hands-On Science in the Kitchen The Five Senses What is your favorite food? Is it a cold, fi zzy soft drink? Perhaps it is crunchy, salty chips. Maybe your favorite food is a fragrant, red apple. Whatever your favorite food is, you may experience it through your fi ve senses. Sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste are the senses. Through the sense of sight you observe foods’ wide array of colors. The temperatures and textures of foods are felt through the sense of touch. Even the sense of hearing is involved when you hear chewing sounds. The senses you use the most when you enjoy foods are smell and taste. Your sense of smell works like this. When you breathe, air fl ows over cells inside your nose. These cells send scent messages to your brain. The message might be the aroma of bread baking. It could be the scent of fresh strawberries. It might even be burnt toast or sour milk. You can detect fi ve basic tastes. They are salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami (oo-MAH-mee). The tongue, throat, and roof of the mouth are covered with taste buds. Taste buds send taste messages to your brain. The message is sour when you bite into a lemon. It is sweet when you eat raisins. It is salty when you have a snack of green olives. A bitter message is sent when you drink grapefruit juice. A savory or umami sensation occurs when you eat aged cheese or soy sauce. For years, scientists thought people tasted specific flavors on different parts of the tongue. For instance, they thought you tasted sweet flavors near the tip of the tongue and sour flavors on the sides. Now, they know you can taste all types of flavors almost anywhere on your tongue. Try this experiment and see! Gather Supplies • 5 or more cotton swabs • salt • sugar • lemon juice • coff ee • soy sauce • raw potato, cubed • apple, cubed • onion, chopped • blindfold • cup of water Try This! 1. Dip a cotton swab in salt and gently touch the 10 spots on your tongue shown in the photo. 2. Record where the taste was strongest. 3. Rinse your mouth well. 4. Try the test again with sugar, lemon juice, coff ee, and soy sauce. Be sure to use a fresh swab with each new fl avor. ots oy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 VaLiza/Shutterstock.com Adventures in Food and Nutrition Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 18