Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Taste of a Lemon and Other Things, Too




Last week, I offered a post on the sense of hearing with an exercise to help writers develop that sense in their writing. If you missed it, read it here. Today, let's look at the sense of taste. After all, Americans are going to be tasting a lot of foods in a couple of days as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

When we write about food, we don't want to be generic and say The pie tasted good. or This lemon is sour. Go for more than that. The pie tasted sweet and creamy, sliding smoothly down my throat. or My lips puckered and my eyes watered as I stuffed the half-lemon into my mouth with a grimace.

Write a line or two about each of the tastes below. It's not only food that we taste. 

  • toothpaste
  • gravy
  • chocolate chip cookies
  • cough syrup
  • Coconut cream pie
  • chocolate
  • hot peppers
  • chewing gum
  • cigarette
  • mashed potatoes
  • cranberry sauce
  • cinnamon
  • licorice
  • beer
  • ice cream
Have you noticed that your taste changes as you move from childhood to adulthood and even on to senior citizen status? Things I hated as a child are some of my favorites now. Do our taste buds actually mature? 

For a second exercise, write a paragraph about the taste you like most and the one you dislike so much it makes you shudder. 



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