The Eyes Have It!

People first taste their food with their eyes. Studies have shown that people prefer mediocre food that looks good, compared to good food that looks mediocre.

Marketing people certainly know this. Walk into a grocery store, the first department that you usually come in contact with is produce. Most of the fruits and vegetables are piled high, brightly colored, without wrappings. What does this mean – FRESH!
You can look, touch and smell each one. Your eyes have already told you that this fruit or vegetable is going to taste good.

This is where presentation comes into play. If your meal looks good, it’s going to taste good. A lot of people fix a great meal and then throw plates and silverware on the table. Let your table complement your food. Let nothing take away from the food. Remember the food has taken the most time for preparation. If you are having guests for dinner, set your table early. That’s one thing that you have out of the way. You don’t have to get fancy. Even a simple place setting can makes your food look better. If your dishes match, that’s a good thing. But, what color are your dishes? The most popular food colors are green, brown and red. So find colors that will complement those 3 colors. Do not serve that wonderful meal on blue dishes. There is a bit of psychology involved here. Researchers have found that when blue is involved with food, people lose appetite. In the mind, blue is associated with spoiled or toxic food. Years ago, restaurants used to advertise the blue plate special. Smaller portions could be served because the meal did not look as appetizing. Some diets purpose that you should dine from blue plates because you will eat less. On the other hand, there is a color that stimulates appetite. RED! Have red on your table somewhere. It could be red napkins or napkins rings, red flowers, red glassware or maybe a red trim on your tablecloth. Make sure that you prepare enough food, because these people are going to be hungry.

“Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. These two simple concepts – for and to – express it all.” Danny Meyer, “Setting the Table”.