Tuesday 21 June 2011

Do Monkeys Have Taste Buds?



All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Finally! I have taken a much needed break from my hectic professional life which involved preparing and serving food to corporate clients while using application of science behind the age old practice of kitchen craft. My years of higher education in science were finally of some use. The chemical reactions came rushing back to my brain as I struggled to get the perfect combination of the ingredients in my pantry. Chemistry was able to explain simple theories involved in making food but the bigger question is, did my clients have even the slightest idea of the science involved? Or were they only interested in the tastes?
Despite numerous efforts, my mind refuses to change its old habit of unearthening the science behind any and everything, even the most mundane activities. It might seem like a funny topic to start a blog with, but the left lobe of my brain is pressing hard on this question.
Do monkeys have taste buds? Is that too weird of a question? I am curious to know. And I’ll tell you why. Yesterday, my balcony was hijacked by a big fat monkey who ate away all my green, raw organic tomatoes and eggplants that I had grown with great effort and a very expensive gardener, in my little terrace kitchen garden. I don’t know whether this vicious creature liked those juicy vegetables or not, but it sure wasted them all. And now I’m worried that if that fat monkey liked the taste of tomatoes, it will be back for more. Thank god I grow ginger in the adjoining pots!!! Or should I say, thank science!
Now what is the relation between monkeys and ginger’s pungent taste? And do monkeys know this relation and behave accordingly? That is again a question to ponder on.