By Staff
Suzanne Langcuster
Franklin County Times
Have you discovered what makes you hungry? We don't all get hungry for the same reasons.
We do know that certain foods stimulate our appetite. When we pass by a Chick Filet I can't stop thinking about anything but fried chicken.
Being a born Southerner, fried chicken is the best tasting, best smelling thing while cooking that can be found on this earth. Another wonderful smell is hamburgers on the grill.
There is something about that smell that brings out memories of backyard cook outs, homemade ice cream, and a yard full of cousins to play with.
But we don't always use our sense of smell to fall in love with food. The sense of taste is one of our most popular culprits for overeating.
I have never been able to eat just one or two pieces of chocolate fudge or peanut brittle.
When I get started on either of these I'm in for a long hall of candy eating that usually ends in a stomach ache.
A great-nephew visited us during the Thanksgiving holidays. He walked up to the desert table and gazed at the chocolate fudge.
His mother told him he could have some and his reaction was just to touch it and kind of feel the creamy softness of the candy.
After that experience he placed it on his plate. You see, chocolate has many ways of enticing you even the sense of touch.
But during the holidays the visual sense is the main one you're using.
When you walk up to a table with the Christmas turkey, ham, dressing, decorated cakes and cookies, your vision is sending a message to the brain "Hurry up, get a plate, find a place to sit, and start filling up". Visually you observe the red velvet cake and pure white divinity with walnuts and your mouth begins to salivate. Don't be embarrassed!
This is completely normal and the cook will love your response.
Every cook likes to see someone enjoying what they have prepared.
Now, go on, have fun at Christmas. Follow your eyes.