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Sources

How The Temperature Of A Drink Changes The Taste Of Food

Some like it hot
Some like it hot
Florence Morciano

GENEVA - From one culture to another, the temperature of what people drink during their meals can vary. In many Asian countries for instance, people like to drink a hot beverage while they eat. Europeans for their part tend to favor drinks at room temperature, while North Americans prefer them ice-cold – on the rocks.

Although such differences might seem trifling at first, the French National Institute of Agronomy in Toulouse (ENSAT) teamed up with the University of Arkansas (UARK) to study the phenomenon. Together they looked at a potential correlation between the sensory perception of food and the temperature of beverages people drink with their meals. They recently published a report on their study, and the results are quite surprising.

The research reveals that when you drink fresh or ice-cold water, the sweet flavor of what you eat is greatly diminished. As a consequence, food seems rather bland and not as pleasant as it should be. On the contrary, if you drink hot or room temperature water during meals, the sweetness in the food is more intense. For instance, chocolate is better appreciated and seems tastier when it is served with a room temperature or hot beverage than with an ice-cold drink.

The same experiment was carried out to evaluate the perception of salty and bitter tastes, but drink temperature has no impact on these flavors. No test has been run yet for sourness. Lastly, researchers found out that drinking something warm during a meal enhances the perception of melting textures in food, but not of creamy ones.

These results prove that the temperature of water does have an impact on our taste, and on the pleasure we derive from eating sweet food.

Such data is interesting insofar as it could partly explain why North Americans – who like ice-cold drinks – have such an appetite for more highly sweetened foods. Moreover, it might help find out why Asians, who are used to drinking hot water and tea with their meals, are less sensitive to sweet-tasting foods.

The study is very recent and does not give a comprehensive answer to why people from different cultures are more or less attracted to sweet-tasting food. The subject would need to be further researched, and experiments carried out among different cultures and different age groups. Only then could these results be confirmed, and used as a weapon against our sweet tooth.

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Ideas

The Colonial Spirit And "Soft Racism" Of White Savior Syndrome

Tracing back to Christian colonialism, which was supposed to somehow "civilize" and save the souls of native people, White Savior Syndrome lives on in modern times: from Mother Teresa to Princess Diana and the current First Lady of Colombia, Verónica Alcocer.

photo of a child patient holding hand of an adult

Good intentions are part of the formula

Ton Koene / Vwpics/ZUMA
Sher Herrera

-Analysis-

CARTAGENA — The White Savior Syndrome is a social practice that exploits or economically, politically, symbolically takes advantage of individuals or communities they've racialized, perceiving them as in need of being saved and thus forever indebted and grateful to the white savior.

Although this racist phenomenon has gained more visibility and sparked public debate with the rise of social media, it is actually as old as European colonization itself. It's important to remember that one of Europe's main justifications for subjugating, pillaging and enslaving African and American territories was to bring "civilization and save their souls" through "missions."

Even today, many white supremacists hold onto these ideas. In other words, they believe that we still owe them something.

This white savior phenomenon is a legacy of Christian colonialism, and among its notable figures, we can highlight Saint Peter Claver, known as "the slave of the slaves," Bartolomé de Las Casas, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Princess Diana herself, and even the First Lady of Colombia, Verónica Alcocer.

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