Who Taught Us What to Like?

By Raúl Ferreira

In Episode I, I explored how place, atmosphere, memory and expectation can change the way we experience a drink.

But where do those expectations come from?

Who is choosing for us?

Walk into a restaurant and the server asks:

“Would you like to start with one of our delicious signature cocktails?”

It sounds innocent.

But something has already changed.

You may not have been thinking about a cocktail. Now you are.

Then comes the menu:

“Our chef recommends the octopus. It’s one of our most popular dishes.”

Suddenly, you aren’t simply choosing. Someone is guiding you.

This is one of the most powerful roles of hospitality professionals.

Bartenders, sommeliers, chefs and servers don’t simply serve what we choose.

They help shape what we choose.

A bartender can make an unfamiliar spirit sound irresistible. A sommelier can make an unknown wine exciting. A chef can describe a dish in a way that makes you almost taste it before it arrives.

And this influence isn’t necessarily negative.

It is part of what makes hospitality special.

We often want someone who knows more than we do to open a door to something we might never have chosen ourselves.

Taste is also something we learn.

Champagne can represent celebration. Scotch can represent heritage. Tequila can evoke a certain kind of youthful freedom, the kind of party where the night has no rules and no real limits. Aperitivo can represent Italy, leisure and the pleasure of taking your time.

Over time, we don’t simply learn to recognise flavours.

We learn what certain flavours mean.

This is where Taste Intelligence becomes interesting.

It isn’t about knowing everything about wine, spirits or cocktails.

It is about becoming aware of the influences around our choices.

Why did I choose this?

Was it the flavour?

The recommendation?

The description?

The memory?

Or simply because someone made it sound irresistible?

There is nothing wrong with being influenced. Hospitality is, in many ways, the art of influence.

The responsibility is to use that influence to open doors rather than close them.

And this is part of what makes Globe of Taste so exciting: a space for inspiration, innovation and exchange, where people from across the world of taste can challenge ideas, share knowledge and strive to have a direct impact on its future.

Because perhaps the best hospitality professional isn’t the person who tells you what to choose, or simply brings you what you would normally choose.

It is the person who makes you want to discover something new, and gives meaning to the experience, turning food and drink into something much bigger than what is on the plate or in the glass.

So perhaps the question isn’t simply:

What do I want?

But:

Who helped me want it?