Perhaps no other food culture is more famously linked to the sense of touch than Japan's, "Hands are like a cooking tool in our cuisine," says Ryuta Sakamoto, co-chef and co-owner of Medicine restaurant in San Francisco. "With touch we can actually tell not only freshness and condition, but the taste of a fish." I know this sounds absolutely crazy, but it's a function of repetition and paying attention: Chefs can touch a piece of fish, then taste it and remember the connection between the two. The next day they will do it again, and then repeat ad infnitum until they have built up an extremely accurate sensory database that informs them of what a fish will taste like simply by its feel. ......If you don't happen to live with a chef, a good rule of thumb is to feel your earlobe--that's rare. The tip of your nose resembles medium, and your chin is well-done.
Quote from "The Power of Touch" by Daniel Patterson at Food & Wine June 2007.
