How the Design of Dishware Influences Your Dining Experience
Science says the glasses and plates you choose can raise or lower the perceived quality of your meal
You’ve got a vintage bottle of red to open. But there are no clean wine glasses with the long stems. So what do you do?
Well, if the wine is good enough, you either clean a wine glass, or grab whatever’s available. However, by putting a nice drink (or gourmet meal for that matter) into dishware that isn’t matched to it, you might not enjoy as much.
It’s a psychological thing. Your brain expects to see certain beverages and meals in certain containers, and choosing otherwise might throw off the whole experience.
This is not just me shooting from the hip like some kind of armchair food guru. In fact, NPR reports that there’s some real science behind what I’m talking about.
The public broadcaster website talked to an actual food psychologist at Oxford University. It found out “that the weight and color of our utensils can affect how sweet or salty a food tastes.” The article also shares how “the shape and color of the dinnerware can affect taste as well.”
Apparently, it explains, our mind perceives more sweetness on a round, white plate, while savoury…
