Anyone who knows me knows how much my stomach & food are the best of friends.So, as friends take care of friends, I help my stomach by looking at new places to patron or recipes to try.
While I don't live in Cali, I recently stumbled upon good food, good knowledge & a whole new vocab! Welcome to Umami Burger! What is this you ask? It's a yummy looking hamburger-veggie burger restaurant. Check out the eats.
Ok, so it's food. No big deal. But wait. I kept asking "what is Umami?" For those who already know (and I can guess a few) here goes my explanation. Umami is the 5th taste! There are the basics tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty. For that extra taste we enter "savory" or umami.
"A comparison of umami ingredients from the East and the West: umami is actually used in various forms all over the world. In Asia, umami is mainly found in beans and grain, fermented seafood-based products, shiitake mushrooms, kombu and dried seafood. In Western cuisine, there are also fermented or cured products derived from meat and dairy products, namely ham and cheese. The most well-known ingredient is the tomato."
Here is my thinking: go beyond the food. If a current life scenario, shortcoming, disappointment or emotion can't be checked off on a box or attached to a label, then create your 5th taste. Life is not always as we wish or want it to be but don't stop if you don't have a box to put it in. Create something new, learn from it and go with it.
Most of our blocks or speed bumps are designed to bring out our inner strengths not to create frustration. Enjoy your 5th taste and take from it what you can.
Peace,
Jen
