What You Need
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- A few slices of plain bread or crackers
- Olive oil
- Three small dishes or sections of a plate
The Exercise
1
In Dish A, mix together a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika, a quarter teaspoon of cumin, and a quarter teaspoon of oregano. Stir them together. Drizzle a small piece of bread with olive oil, dip it lightly into the mix, and taste.
2
In Dish B, mix together a half teaspoon of cumin, an eighth of a teaspoon of smoked paprika, and an eighth of a teaspoon of oregano. Taste the same way.
3
In Dish C, mix together a half teaspoon of smoked paprika, an eighth of a teaspoon of cumin, and an eighth of a teaspoon of oregano. Taste the same way.
4
Go back to Dish A. Taste it again after tasting B and C.
The same three ingredients at the same total amount produced three entirely different results. Dish A was a committee. Dish B was cumin-led. Dish C was smoke-led. Nothing changed except proportion, and proportion changed the identity. When a dish tastes muddled or unfocused, the first question to ask is: what is supposed to be leading, and is it actually in front?