Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating - Softcover

Spence, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 024127009X ISBN 13: 9780241270097

Publisher: Viking, 2017

Synopsis

'Popular science at its best' - Daniel Levitin

A ground-breaking book by the world-leading expert in sensory science: Freakonomics for food

Why are 27% of drinks bought on aeroplanes tomato juice? What's the effect of serving food on plates that are small or red or circular? Why do we consume 35% more food when eating with one more person, and 75% more when with three?

This is just a small taste of "gastrophysics", the new field of knowledge pioneered by Professor Charles Spence that combines disciplines including science, neuroscience, psychology and design. Using his two decades of research into the extraordinary connections between our senses, he shows how we can create more tasty, exciting, healthy and memorable eating experiences. Above all, to get the most out of every meal, we need to think about not only what's in the mouth, but also what's in the mind.

In his first trade book, Spence explores each sense, and the different kinds of meals we have, to show dozens of ways that "off-the-plate" elements affect our eating experiences: the weight of the cutlery, the placing on the plate, the background music and more. He reveals, based on his own work, how food companies and the world's top restaurants create cutting-edge technologies to do this, and how this is likely to transform the way we eat in the future.

Whether you are at home or in a restaurant, eating alone or with friends, Gastrophysics uncovers the hidden ingredients available to us all that can change the way we eat -- and the way we live.

About this title

About the Author

Professor Charles Spence is the world expert in multisensory perception and experience design, having spent over twenty years researching how people perceive the world around them at the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University. He has consulted for many multinational companies, including Unilever, PepsiCo and Nestlé, advising on various aspects of multisensory design, packaging and branding.

From the Back Cover

Why do we consume 35% more food when eating with one more person, and 75% more when with three? Why are 27% of drinks bought on aeroplanes tomato juice? How are chefs and companies planning to transform our dining experiences, and what can we learn from their cutting-edge insights to make memorable meals at home? These are just some of the ingredients of Gastrophysics, in which the pioneering Oxford professor Charles Spence shows how our senses link up in the most extraordinary ways, and reveals the importance of all the 'off-the-plate' elements of a meal: the weight of cutlery, the placing on the plate, the background music and much more. Whether dining alone or at a dinner party, on a plane or in front of the TV, he reveals how to understand what we're tasting and influence what others experience. Mealtimes will genuinely never be the same again.

From the Inside Flap

Why do we consume 35% more food when eating with one other person, and 75% more when dining with three? How do we explain the fact that people who like strong coffee drink more of it under bright lighting? And why does green ketchup just not work?

The answer is gastrophysics, the new area of sensory science pioneered by Oxford professor Charles Spence. Now he's stepping out of his lab to lift the lid on the entire eating experience - the weight of cutlery, colour of the plate, background noise - and tap into its true potential. Whether dining alone or at a dinner party, in a restaurant or even in space, he reveals how to understand what we're tasting and influence what others experience - providing takeaways we can all savour.

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 024127009X
• ISBN 13: 9780241270097
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 464