They Might Be Curly Giants!

Probably the most important tool that any good cook should have is not his pots and pans, nor his knife set. Probably not even his hands, but his tongue. I mean, how can one whip up a great meal if one can’t taste the food that’s being cooked?

It is indeed ironic that one of the top chefs in the US, Grant Achatz, who has stage IV tongue cancer, has lost his sense of taste through his illness and the radiotherapy that he had to undergo, although he is slowly regaining some of his sense of taste.

Though he refused the standard treatment that would have involved removing most of his tongue, radiation therapy has nonetheless zapped, at least temporarily, most of his taste buds. Still, Achatz presides over the Alinea kitchen, guiding his employees in the creation of his trademark outrageous confections - desserts of strawberry, olive, and violet essence; squab candy bars; pea and smoked salmon lollipops. Slowly, his sense of taste is returning - he can now taste salt and sugar again, and expects regain the ability to detect more subtleties as the months pass. He even hopes the experience will make him a more creative, edgier chef.

[link: Slashfood]