SENSUAL GASTRONOMY

To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of
life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of
loving to the making of bread.
James A. Baldwin

Gastronomical and sensual delights have been associated with each other for all of human time, and for good reason. The intensity of feeling, tastes, textures, scents, the visual presentation and, often, even the sounds parallel and heighten overall physical and mental pleasure. It's why it matters that a dish is plated to appeal to the eye as well as to the palate. We do the same with our bodies. Those who eat only to sustain or who make love mechanically are missing the whole point of being alive! I actually know people like this, which never ceases to amaze me. No one should fear the depths of pleasure, be it from a creamy pudding, a succulent glass of wine, an enticingly velvet blanket, or the smell of fresh air on warm skin. All of them delicious!