The parallels between food & music, and how we choose to enjoy them

When a hot, sizzling steak comes off the grill (or black bean patty for my veggie friends, though I’m not sure how much that sizzles), your mouth waters. Even if you’re not hungry, you suddenly are… as if you haven’t eaten in days. You can admit it… and if you don’t, your salivary glands will. Or when you take that first bite of a slightly crisp yet ‘pillowy’ fry, although the amount of salt on said fry is sure to dry your mouth out like the Sahara, your taste buds explode and you JUST WANT MORE.  Almost like hearing your favorite song/artist… kind of?

Comparing such common culinary experiences with moments of audible pleasure (music that is), it can be, for some, a stretch. After all, we’re talking about two completely different sensory satisfactions. But are they really THAT different??? Aside from the isolated human experience, perhaps there are more parallels between food and music than just on a personal level. When we enjoy food to a euphoric level, we’re no longer talking about eating for the sake of survival. It’s now, dare I say, entertainment. ‘Entertainment’ is defined, in one definition, as “the action of providing or being provided with amusement or enjoyment.” No different than what we get from music. Whether it be listening to music on the way to work, while we are at the gym, while getting over a break up, while at a dance club or at a live music bar, we are being entertained one way or another. Music, in its most vague form, tends to lend its hand as a therapeutic ritual that transcends race, religion, culture, etc. And come to think of it… so does food.