439. Gulp. Sensperiment With Food.

 

  It had been some time, to my regret, since I had been able to attend one of Kaye Winwood’s GULP food experiences but finally I was able to once more head for the Jewellery Quarter to see what she was able to do. It was yet another unpleasant evening of miserable rain and early darkness and it took a lot of mental fortitude to get up and leave my warm little house and head for town and then on to the Jewellery Quarter but I was keen to revisit GULP having enjoyed myself on previous visits. This time however things were different. For a start, instead of having to mount the steep staircase in the old factory which leads to GULP’s now familiar, rather charming dining room, this time I made my way down Pitsfield Street, around the corner from the Jewellery Quarter railway station to the very smart, very modern Goodsyard JQ - trés convenient - where Kaye was holding this particular session. 

  It was difficult to identify the exact address in the darkness - no-one seems to put house numbers on their doors around those parts but eventually it appeared that the location was the brightly lit Great Western Hotel - at least I think it was a hotel, it may have been just a collection of apartments; regardless, it was the sort of place where a bell needed to be rung and a receptionist needed to let you in and then you had to identify yourself and be approved. I imagine that’s how everywhere in England will be after a couple of years of this new, oppressive socialist regime which was ushered in three months ago and which, by its threatened measures, has the hospitality industry feeling it’s very much in the last chance saloon.

  But it was all very plush, Kaye was very welcoming and the small number of participants gathered around the laid table as though they were going to indulge in a spot of spiritualism using an ouija board. A cameraman, with an annoying sniffing habit, joined us and Kaye admitted that she was rather nervous about it all but she was among friends and sympathisers. She gave an interesting illustrated talk on the relationship of non clinical psychology and the enjoyment of food, touching on her favourite subjects including the Italian Futurists, the chef Massimo Bottura, “Gastrophysics The new science of eating” and taught us about the difference between bouba and kiki (ah yes! I have you there, most probably).

  The table was laid out with little snack-like portions of various edible items which illustrated how taste may be affected by the other senses. At various times we were called upon to wear red goggles and blindfolds, to rub our hands on a box with a covering of sandpaper (which apparently makes something one is eating at the same time taste more salty than it otherwise would), to listen to sounds which brought out the flavour of a peach truffle, to eat picked onion strips to illustrate its effect on salivation and, on the whole, to have a collection of oo ah! moments. Great fun was had by all especially when consuming some puffed up crackers dipped in Kaye’s splendid homemade mayonnaise, her blackberry jellies enhanced with Szechuan sugar and her splendid home-baked lemon madeleine.

  This had been a fine ninety minutes and an excellent example of the off the beat enjoyable  dining experiences available for gourmands de Birmingham to enjoy. Kaye Winwood is a great asset to the food lovers of the city.

Rating:- 🌛🌛🌛🌛.