How Good Is Your Food Memory?

As much as I love food, I have a terrible memory for it.

I can remember great meals. In fact, when I travel, food is a huge part of it–I’d rather eat a great, memorable meal in an exotic location than do pretty much anything else. I can remember subpar meals as well.

The problem is that whenever I revisit a restaurant, I have a really hard time remembering if someone else ordered a dish I ended up liking more, or which version of two similar dishes I prefer.

This is the case even for places I’ve visited for years. Take Popeyes, for example. I know for sure that I either like their spicy chicken or their original more, but I have no idea which is the correct answer. That can be problematic, especially with spice–too little spice and a dish is bland; too much and it can be inedible.

Fortunately, some of my friends have excellent food memories. I really need to keep a running list when they’re not around, though.

What about you? Do you have this problem, or do you have a great memory of your food preferences?

7 thoughts on “How Good Is Your Food Memory?”

  1. For a man who tracks so many things though spreadsheets and automated reminders, I’m quite surprised that you don’t have a tracking system for something so important! I’m sure you can set up something basic very easily, but I wonder if there’s an app that’s designed to help you remember/categorize/annotate dining experiences?

    I tend to remember what I like (“my go-to”)…I struggle, however, to remember if I ever want to deviate from that (a la Salt + Smoke on Monday). I tend to be a little less adventurous in what I try at a new place, so I often get so stuck on a default order and don’t think about other options until I see what someone else orders.

    Reply
    • I think there are some apps that can help, though I need to find one that I can seamlessly integrate into dining. Otherwise I’ll forget that too.

      Reply
  2. Like TMac, if I find something I like at a restaurant I tend to order every time (for fear of being disappointed if I stray off the beaten path) so it makes it typically easy to remember. I also tend to remember very memorable dining experiences (good and bad)… I will never forget eating a scorpion in Egypt in the same way that I will never forget my first meal at Commander’s Palace, one of New Orleans’ most prestigious institutions.

    Reply
      • I did not care for it! We had brought chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows with us to make s’mores for the Egyptian workers and their families and in exchange they offered to cook us some stewed water buffalo, which was delicious, and some fried scorpions dusted in a mixture of spices, which were not delicious. I tried to act as if I liked it (I didn’t want to hurt their feelings) but the kids could see through my acting job and laughed at me. 🙂

        Reply
  3. Jamey,

    I try to recall great meals because, like you, I have a fairly good memory as to matching meals to restaurants. Thankfully, my job and Reserve assignment allows me to visit many places around the country (but, I have yet to find a way to get to St. Louis). However, I’ve a mental block for remembering the names of really tasty wines, so I have a list of more than 25 wines in the Memo part of my phone.

    Cheers,
    Joe

    Reply

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