Mystery Berries and taste alterations

My close friend, B, ever the curious and adventurous person, read about the newest "rage" among food-hounds several months ago; a mystery Berry that originated from Ghana or some other like-mysterious place that does strange things to your taste buds. I'm not sure of the exact science, but it is evidently a protein blocker or something of the sort – rewiring the tastebuds in such a way that things, especially sour things, don't taste the same.

After much research, B found the berry in a tablet form and ordered it. The tablets sat in his refrigerator for the better part of the summer, while he and his wife, E, waited for the perfect time to host an event where we would indulge in these curiosities. Two weekends ago, that day arrived, and with much excitement, I received my invitation for their first "Flavor Tripping"party.

What will they do?

E is one of the best chef/cooks/bakers I know (among her many talents) and an invitation to their home for lunch or dinner is always anticipated with delight. But on "taste tripping" day, the guests were requested to bring foods from a specific list, that, when laid out on the table, likely resembled the feverish nightmare of a culinary student before final exams. A bizarre amalgamation of Limes, Vinegar, Grapefruits, Feta Cheese, Blue Cheese, Peaches, Tomatoes, Radishes, unsweetened chocolate and more; the foods were carefully selected based on their strong character and texture, not how they would complement each other… or if they were even pleasant or edible to begin with.

With a little trepidation but mostly a lot of laughing, we, the lucky invitees, all popped the tabs, er, pills – the instruction being to let them dissolve on our tongues; swish them around, etc.

They had no real taste, being almost "Tums" like in consistency and flavor. I noticed no difference at all in the way my mouth or tongue felt.

'E', (B's wife) was the first to test the supposed effects of the berry. She took a slice of lime and boldly bit straight into it. We watched her face as she chewed on it… "It tastes wonderful… sweet." She proclaimed. We all were convinced she was lying, but there were no tears or grimaces to contradict the words. Could this indeed be?

'B' followed, also biting into a lime slice. He started laughing and at first we weren't sure if it was because he had been fooled by his wife or because, truly and bizarrely, the lime tasted good. He swore that it tasted great.

Enough for me, I grabbed a slice and doing the tasting-equivalent of jumping off a bridge, bit into the lime deeply. It was sweet, a wonderful taste. I couldn't believe it. This was no longer a lime, no bitterness or sourness remained. It had now become a fruit that I would pick from trees and eat with happy abandon.

Shortly thereafter, everybody started digging into the various foods. We would excitedly tell each other what we had discovered. We drank white vinegar by the table-spoonful, a slightly sharp cidery taste; huge forks of Feta now tasted like cream pie, oranges were now a fruit that might have been produced by the Gods. Unsweetened Cooking Chocolate had become a dark chocolate that might have been produced in Belgium.

Some food didn't taste so good and some food – radishes for instance, became bland – like mistakenly eating a waxen verisimilitude instead. Grapes suffered a similar fate. But overall, the effect of these mystery berries was stunning. As I was indulging in these normally potent foods, I had the fear of consequences. How much vinegar and how many limes can one ingest before the stomach cries foul? After all, just because one is anesthetized doesn't mean that the nail through the hand won't hurt in the morrow. Happily, there were no evil consequences. The effects of the mystery berry lasted for about an hour. Toward the end, the formerly wonderful lime started regaining its bitter strength, the Feta's strong 'Goatiness' returned, the wonderful Autumnal tasting punch… a Grapefruit/Bitters/Ginger/Lemon Rum concoction became – undrinkable.

So, for those who enjoy food, are a bit adventurous and have friends that are like-minded, I recommend investing in these Mystery Berries. It was a unique and entertaining culinary experience.

Opera:

Il Trittico was fantastic. I had no complaints except maybe for the last "choice" made in Gianni Schicchi. Suor Angelica, the 2^nd of the three parts was stunning. The soprano, Sondra Radvanovsky, was out of this world. I really believe she will become known as one of the great voices of opera. WOW.

A few days later, I had a chance to see the final Dress Rehearsal of Madama Butterfly as directed by Robert Wilson (Einstein On the Beach). This is a very famous production, having been performed in Amsterdam and L.A. before. There is a filmed DVD of the Amsterdam production available. Of the L.A. Opera production I saw, the voices are excellent.

Robert Wilson's Production of Madama Butterfly

But honestly, for all the hoopla of Wilson's production, I'm not so sure what I think of it. It is definitely "Butterfly" for the experienced. My complaint is that the ultra minimalist and stark nature of the production doesn't complement the music. This is the point, of course – forcing the audience to really listen to the music. However, the minimalism is so extreme, the emotions of the performers so blank, that it seems but one step from being a recital. Don't get me wrong, this is a wild way to see it and if one has the chance, one should. The costumes are beautiful and daring as is much of the choreography. Just don't expect to see things like… props, or smiles, or tears.