Activity: A Touching Experience

Author: Eve Pranis*

Overview: Students explore foods and try to describe them on the basis of how they feel in their mouths. As they do, they become more aware of how consistency, temperature, and other tactile factors influence our food experiences.

Background
Unlike our other senses, which are linked to specific parts of the body, our sense of touch (originating in our bottom layer of skin) is bodywide. If you ask kids to explain how they use their sense of touch, they're likely to talk about how something feels to their hands. If you ask them to explain what a food feels like, few would describe the sensations they experience as it they lick, bite, chew, or and swallow it!

Sure, hands are good feelers, but our mouths and tongues are pretty darn touchy, too! (Tongues, in fact, are one of the most sensitive parts of our body.) They have receptors that take in all kinds of information. Here are some of the tactile factors we uncover when we take a bite:

• basic aspects such as shape (a cube) and surface feel (greasy)


• consistency and texture (e.g., hard, elastic, gummy, creamy, chewy, gritty, gooey, pasty, granular, crumbly)


• temperature (e.g., lukewarm, ice cold)


• irritating sensations (spiciness, astringency).

Note: Texture usually refers to solids (e.g., crumbly crackers); consistency generally refers to plasticity (e.g., creamy oatmeal).

As students describe the "mouth feel" of foods in this activity and beyond, use these categories, when appropriate, to prompt their thinking.

Materials: Bring in some samples of foods that will feel different in students' mouths. For instance, something creamy (yogurt, hummus), something spicy (salsa), something astringent (cranberries), something smooth and round (cherry tomato), and something crumbly (crackers); napkins, spoons (no double-dipping!)


Laying the Groundwork
Ask students which parts of their bodies have a sense of touch. Accept all answers and have them share examples of tactile experiences. If they don't mention mouths, don't bring it up. They'll get a taste of that in the activity.


Exploration
1. Explain that you've brought in more mystery foods, but that this time, students will be able to actually eat something! Have partners work together to sample the foods. If practical, require the tasters to wear blindfolds and hold their noses. Ask, How would you describe each item?What else do you notice? Have a partner write down the descriptive words and phrases the taster uses.

2. Make a class list of descriptions and have students try to categorize the items as they see fit. Ask, Did you like the way certain foods felt in your mouths? Why? What did you dislike, and why? Prompt students to expand their thinking. For instance, if someone mentions not liking a consistency, such as mushiness, ask, Are there any mushy foods you do like? For instance, a kid may not like mushy vegetables, but may find it the perfect consistency for oatmeal! Or ask, What consistency do you prefer for your vegetables(e.g., crispy)?

Making Connections


3. Bring in a variety of mystery (and healthful) food samples and ask students to do the same. They will use their sense of touch to describe the "mouth feel" of the foods. Have partners sit back-to-back. Ask one student to sample an item and describe it to his or her partner using only tactile descriptions. Encourage students to increase the level of detail in their descriptions until their partners guess the item's identity. Ask, Which kinds of words were most helpful?

Assessment: Check to see that students are beginning to use more precise descriptions and a greater variety of terms to explain the mouth feel of foods.


*Activity inspired by Italy's Saying, Doing, Tasting: Taste Education Journeys in School.
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More Taste Education Activities and Articles

Cultivating Taste: Beyond the Food Pyramid
Come to Your Senses
Feast Your Eyes
Growing a Knowing Nose
Flavor Sleuths: Making Sense of Taste

Savoring Flavors: Local Tastes Compete

Standards Addressed by Taste Education Activities