Practical Aspects of Gustatory Aesthetics

Abstract

This paper attempts to demonstrate how the new developing area of gustatory aesthetics (esthetics of taste) manifests itself in the practical application of contemporary aesthetics. The author argues that gustatory aesthetics can be detected in all areas of practical aesthetics (including, for example, its experimental and pragmatic components, the sphere of design, and the practices of aesthetic education). In addition, the article demonstrates that further development of gustatory aesthetics depends, first of all, on empirical research, as well as on the fact that gustatory aesthetics enriches the field of practical aesthetics and allows scientists to reach beyond the academic environment, combining the so-called aesthetics “from above” and “from below”. The paper focuses mainly on Italian authors, their experiments and textbooks, as well as selected publications from the “Somaesthetics and Food” international journal. The main goal of the author is to reveal the potential of this field, since gustatory aesthetics is not limited to the visual perception of food or table settings. The paper examines how taste sensations have been studied and how the framework for discussing them has been being established in recent years, how different ways of focusing attention on bodily sensations are being explored, and how one can enhance one’s own aesthetic experience.