The Perfect Meal: The Multisensory Science of Food and Dining

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved. The authors of The Perfect Meal examine all of the elements that contribute to the diner s experience of a meal (primarily at a restaurant) and investigate how each of the diner s senses contributes to their overall multisensory experience. The principal focus of the book is not on flavor perception, but on all of the non-food and beverage factors that have been shown to influence the diner s overall experience. Examples are: the colour of the plate (visual); the shape of the glass (visual/tactile); the names used to describe the dishes (cognitive); the background music playing inside the restaurant (aural). Novel approaches to understanding the diner s experience in the restaurant setting are explored from the perspectives of decision neuroscience, marketing, design, and psychology.