FOOD EXPERIENCES

that we are more likely to

REMEMBER
Alvin Neo
Ang Zheng Shun
Benjamin Chua
Cheryl Ho
Jolene Siew
 Outline for Today

01 02 03 04
Introduction 5 senses The Unexpected Emotional
Significance
 Food is no longer food. It is an experience.

Bake from scratch Pre-mixed ingredients Order from Bakery

Rise of

Outsource entire birthday event

Entertainment
4
Realms of
Educational

Experience

Esthetic Escapist
Entertainment Educational

Esthetic Escapist
 Outline for Today

01 02 03 04
Introduction 5 senses The Unexpected Emotional
Significance
Taste Meatball Spaghetti

We are more likely to

remember extremely
Delicious or Disgusting food.
SAF Combat Ration Spaghetti
 Conditioned Taste Aversion
Associate taste of a certain food with
TOXIC, SPOILED, OR POISONOUS substance

Adaptive trait / SURVIVAL MECHANISM

to avoid poisonous substances

"If you fall sick after eating a particular type

of food, that flavour can cause DISGUST OR
NAUSEA every time you try to eat it."

Ice Cream Lava Cake

 Expectations Reality

Sight People tend to remember foods that look more

APPEALING, just like how we humans
Presentation remember faces that are more ATTRACTIVE!
 Sight Colour
Salted egg Fish & Chips (A)
When looking at food, colour
conveys critical information
about flavour by providing
clues as to Edibility, Flavour
Identity and Flavour Intensity.
Salted egg Fish & Chips (B)
Sight Colour

Sauvignon Blanc (white wine)

has lots of flavours. But when
Dark Red colouring is added to
it, people associated the taste
with Merlots or Cabernets.
Sauvignon Blanc Merlot Cabernet
 Touch
We remember food experiences better when we are
able to RECALL and DESCRIBE their textures.

Cotton Candy Live Octopus

Fluffy, Soft Cold, Slimy, Wet

 Sonic Stimulation
Perception of CRISPNESS is related to auditory sensations
Crispness is synonymous with FRESHNESS in many fruits
and vegetables

Japanese Hibachi Grill

Live music in a Restaurant

Sound
People rated carbonated beverages higher when the
SOUND OF BUBBLES POPPING became louder.
 Hot Coffee

Smell

Steamed Rice Curry Chicken

 Smell
Experiment 1
Sip water after smelling different foods

One smelled sweet stuff: Caramel, Berries

One smelled non-sweet stuff: Bread, Meat

Water tasted just like what they smelled!

Curry Chicken
 Smell
Experiment 2
Participants were given a list of words to
remember.

An AMBIENT ODOUR was present for

some participants.

Those exposed to the odour RECALLED

MORE WORDS than those not exposed.
Curry Chicken
Taste cortex Hippocampus

Storing memories Memories of time and

of new tastes place of experience

New taste resembled BAD FOOD:

How exactly do we Clear involvement in the Hippocampus area

REMEMBER these When we go back to the SAME PLACE:

experiences?
Experience negative memory
Associate with bad food experiences
 Outline for Today

01 02 03 04
Introduction 5 senses The Unexpected Emotional
Significance
 Nasi Lemak Burger

Toilet Bowl Steamboat

Unexpected Foods (part I)

"Surprising palates with unexpected tastes is one way to
get people to reconnect with what they are eating. Vermouth mousse Mango Puree
 Fried Spiders

Escargot

Unexpected Foods (part II)

You tend to remember things that
you dont eat everyday! Sago Worms
Sensory-Based Expectations

When a large difference between the expected and actual stimulus is perceived,
this generates surprise, which leads to a CONTRAST EFFECT
 Outline for Today

01 02 03 04
Introduction 5 senses The Unexpected Emotional
Significance
 Milestones in Life
Ease of recalling these
SIGNIFICANT events
Contributes to MEMORABLE
Wedding Dinner overall food experience

21st birthday party First Date

 Outdoor Dining Ferris Wheel Dining

People who learned words UNDERWATER

were able to recall better than learning ON

Environment LAND. Thus, the more UNIQUE an

environment is, the more you REMEMBER
from that situation!
 Linked to
Sensory
AMYGDALA Experiences
Part of the
human brain Influences
Emotions &
Perceptions
Emotional
Significance of
Events

Old School
Coffee Shops & Restaurants
 Outline for Today

01 02 03 04
Introduction 5 senses Unexpected Emotional
Significance
Thank You!