{"id":3878,"date":"2026-03-19T19:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/crying-over-food\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T14:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T13:28:09","slug":"crying-over-food","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/crying-over-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Crying Over Food"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;6x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; row_title=&#8221;Titolo&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; mobile_width=&#8221;4-5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773962266784{padding-right: 40% !important;padding-left: 10% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<h1 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-animated-item grve-duration-normal grve-fade-in grve-h1\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\" data-delay=\"200\"><span>Crying Over Food:<\/span><\/h1><h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-animated-item grve-duration-normal grve-fade-in grve-leader-text\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\" data-delay=\"200\"><span><i>an extraordinary response to a multisensory eating experience.<\/i><\/span><\/h2><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;grve-fade-in&#8221;]<strong>Five hundred people.<\/strong> A rice pudding dish. Three experimental conditions. This is the full story of a study that proved one uncomfortable thing: taste is not a property of food. It is a property of the state of the body that receives it. And the objectivity of taste, even on something simple, does not exist.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;6x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; desktop_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; tablet_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; tablet_sm_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; row_title=&#8221;Titolo-Mobile&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773963482865{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div><h1 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-animated-item grve-duration-normal grve-fade-in grve-h1\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\" data-delay=\"200\"><span>Crying Over Food:<\/span><\/h1><h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-animated-item grve-duration-normal grve-fade-in grve-leader-text\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\" data-delay=\"200\"><span><i>an extraordinary response to a multisensory eating experience.<\/i><\/span><\/h2><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;grve-fade-in&#8221;]<strong>Five hundred people.<\/strong> A rice pudding dish. Three experimental conditions. This is the full story of a study that proved one uncomfortable thing: taste is not a property of food. It is a property of the state of the body that receives it. And the objectivity of taste, even on something simple, does not exist.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;2x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852758952{padding-right: 40% !important;padding-left: 10% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]PGRpdiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItbWV0YSI+CiAgPGRpdiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItbWV0YS1pdGVtIj4KICAgIDxzcGFuIGNsYXNzPSJzci1tZXRhLWxhYmVsIj5SZXNlYXJjaGVyPC9zcGFuPgo8c3BhbiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItbWV0YS12YWx1ZSI+RmVkZXJpY28gUm90dGlnbmk8YnI+PGVtPlNlbnNvcml1bSwgTWlsYW48L2VtPjwvc3Bhbj4KICA8L2Rpdj4KICA8ZGl2IGNsYXNzPSJzci1tZXRhLWl0ZW0iPgogICAgPHNwYW4gY2xhc3M9InNyLW1ldGEtbGFiZWwiPkRhdGEgQW5hbHlzaXMuPC9zcGFuPgogICAgPHNwYW4gY2xhc3M9InNyLW1ldGEtdmFsdWUiPkJlYXRyaWNlIEd1aWRvdHRpPGJyPjxlbT5EYXRhIFNjaWVudGlzdDwvZW0+PC9zcGFuPgogIDwvZGl2PgogIDxkaXYgY2xhc3M9InNyLW1ldGEtaXRlbSI+CiAgICA8c3BhbiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItbWV0YS1sYWJlbCI+UmV2aWV3PC9zcGFuPgogICAgPHNwYW4gY2xhc3M9InNyLW1ldGEtdmFsdWUiPlByb2YuIENoYXJsZXMgU3BlbmNlPGJyPjxlbT5Vbml2ZXJzaXR5IG9mIE94Zm9yZDwvZW0+PC9zcGFuPgogIDwvZGl2PgogIDxkaXYgY2xhc3M9InNyLW1ldGEtaXRlbSI+CiAgICA8c3BhbiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItbWV0YS1sYWJlbCI+UGVyaW9kPC9zcGFuPgogICAgPHNwYW4gY2xhc3M9InNyLW1ldGEtdmFsdWUiPkZlYiAtIEp1bCAyMDI0PGJyPjUwMCBwYXJ0aWNpcGFudHM8L3NwYW4+CiAgPC9kaXY+CjwvZGl2Pgo8cCBjbGFzcz0ic3ItbWV0YS1hdXRob3JzaGlwIj4KICBTdHVkeSBkZXNpZ25lZCBieSBGZWRlcmljbyBSb3R0aWduaSBhbmQgYW5hbHl6ZWQgd2l0aCBCZWF0cmljZSBHdWlkb3R0aSAoRGF0YSBTY2llbnRpc3QpLjxicj5TY2llbnRpZmljIHJldmlldzogUHJvZi4gQ2hhcmxlcyBTcGVuY2UuCjwvcD4g[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;2x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; desktop_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; tablet_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; tablet_sm_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; row_title=&#8221;Mobile&#8221;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773963562922{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;4x&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#121D26&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/5&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; mobile_width=&#8221;hide&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773962573582{padding-right: 40% !important;padding-left: 10% !important;background-color: #121D26 !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773918554115{padding-right: 20% !important;padding-left: 20% !important;background-color: #121D26 !important;border-color: #FFFFFF00 !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-3x\" style=\"\"><\/div><div class=\"grve-element grve-counter grve-align-center\" style=\"\">  <div class=\"grve-counter-content\">    <div class=\"grve-counter-item grve-h1 grve-text-white\">      <span data-thousands-separator-vis=\"\" data-thousands-separator=\",\" data-prefix=\"\" data-suffix=\"%\" data-start-val=\"0\" data-end-val=\"65\" data-decimal-points=\"0\" data-decimal-separator=\".\" >0<\/span>    <\/div>\t<div class=\"grve-counter-title grve-small-text\">CRIED OR HELD BACK TEARS IN THE PRESENCE OF LOW FREQUENCIES<\/div>  <\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774172545074{padding-right: 20% !important;padding-left: 20% !important;background-color: #121D26 !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-3x\" style=\"\"><\/div><div class=\"grve-element grve-counter grve-align-center\" style=\"\">  <div class=\"grve-counter-content\">    <div class=\"grve-counter-item grve-h1 grve-text-white\">      <span data-thousands-separator-vis=\"\" data-thousands-separator=\",\" data-prefix=\"\" data-suffix=\"%\" data-start-val=\"0\" data-end-val=\"0\" data-decimal-points=\"0\" data-decimal-separator=\".\" >0<\/span>    <\/div>\t<div class=\"grve-counter-title grve-small-text\">EMOTIONAL RESPONSE BY EATING THE DISH WITHOUT ANY SOUND EXPERIENCE<\/div>  <\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774013676361{padding-right: 20% !important;padding-left: 20% !important;background-color: #121D26 !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-3x\" style=\"\"><\/div><div class=\"grve-element grve-counter grve-align-center\" style=\"\">  <div class=\"grve-counter-content\">    <div class=\"grve-counter-item grve-h1 grve-text-white\">      <span data-thousands-separator-vis=\"\" data-thousands-separator=\",\" data-prefix=\"+\" data-suffix=\"\" data-start-val=\"0\" data-end-val=\"6.3\" data-decimal-points=\"1\" data-decimal-separator=\".\" >0<\/span>    <\/div>\t<div class=\"grve-counter-title grve-small-text\">EXTRA AVERAGE POINTS ON THE PLATE GRADE FROM THOSE WHO CRIED<\/div>  <\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/5&#8243; mobile_width=&#8221;hide&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773962580847{background-color: #121D26 !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;6x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852758952{padding-right: 40% !important;padding-left: 10% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000268242{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>01 &#8211; THE CONTEXT<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-animated-item grve-duration-normal grve-fade-in grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\" data-delay=\"200\"><span>How a study on who cries while eating comes about<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;grve-fade-in&#8221;]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I started observing this a few years ago during services. During the seventh course, Serendipity, someone would stop and suddenly start crying. Not because of the food itself, but because of something that was happening in the whole. Maybe in the sound, in the rhythm. We didn&#8217;t really know what. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Serendipity is the name of the act in which a dessert, a &#8220;simple&#8221; rice pudding, is sampled in a very cozy and intimate light environment, and accompanied by an immersive soundtrack that includes evocative sounds such as those of a school bell and an elderly woman&#8217;s voice, and that exploits repetitiveness and low frequencies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In 2024, in collaboration with Professor <em>Charles Spence<\/em> of the <em>Crossmodal Research Laboratory<\/em> at the <em>University of Oxford<\/em>, we published the first part (<a href=\"https:\/\/ora.ox.ac.uk\/objects\/uuid:df1ecf99-ea39-4bb9-8b51-09fb882887f4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>see here<\/strong><\/a>) of this research in the<em>International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science<\/em>: a qualitative analysis of factors that may contribute to triggering an intense emotional response during a multisensory dining experience.<\/p>\n<p>The second part, the part with the data, the part that this page publishes for the first time, has remained unpublished. The results exist. We measured them and now we want to make them accessible.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-3x\" style=\"\"><\/div><blockquote class=\"grve-element grve-align-left grve-with-line\" style=\"\"><div class=\"grve-quote-line grve-bg-white\"><\/div><p>&#8220;They were not crying over the rice pudding. They were crying over something that the rice pudding had opened.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;5x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000396292{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000426301{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>02 &#8211; THE METHOD<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span>Three groups, one variable at a time<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]Before it became a study, this was years of silent observation. During services, someone would stop, lower their head, and begin to cry. Not always, not all of them, but with a frequency that could not be random. We watched this phenomenon repeat itself for years, without understanding it, before we decided to measure it.<\/p>\n<p>The starting question was simple: what is doing the work? Is it the food, a rice and milk, a childhood dish? Is it the sound, the composition, the voices, the rhythmic structure? Is it the low frequencies that are heard in the body before you even hear them in your ears? Or is it everything together, and removing even one element breaks the spell?<\/p>\n<p>In response, we constructed three experimental conditions that progressively isolated the variables. Same room, same food, same service: only the sound changed.<\/p>\n<p>The study took place between <em>February 28<\/em> and <em>July 18, 2024<\/em> inside our &#8220;non-restaurant&#8221; Sensorium in Milan. All participants experienced the Ayahuasca menu and received a questionnaire at the end of the evening. None of them knew they were participating in a study. Knowing this beforehand would have skewed the results.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-2x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]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[\/vc_raw_html]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-2x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The questionnaire asked for: nationality, age, gender, whether they had cried, whether they had held back tears, what emotion they felt <em>(happiness, sadness, nostalgia<\/em>), and a grade from <strong>0<\/strong> to <strong>100<\/strong> for the <em>Serendipity<\/em> dish.<\/p>\n<p>The distinction between high and low frequencies relates to the calibration of Sensorium&#8217;s sound system: four ceiling speakers, two subwoofers, custom EQ and Multi-Band Compressor made to the architecture of the room. In <strong>Group B<\/strong>, the equalizer significantly amplified the 20-100 Hz band (+8.8 dB at 28.4 Hz). In <strong>Group A<\/strong>, a high-pass filter at 50 Hz cut that component. Acoustic measurements were conducted with a mid-side technique using two AKG 414 TL2 microphones, in collaboration with <em>Luca Stignani, Co-Founder<\/em> of <a href=\"https:\/\/bananastudios.it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Banana Studios<\/strong><\/a> SRL in Milan, Italy.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;5x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773935525744{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000490247{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>03 &#8211; THE THESIS<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span>Sound does not release an emotion; it builds it.<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The most immediate reading of a study like this is, &#8220;music amplifies emotions.&#8221; This is true, but it is superficial. What the data show is something more radical.<\/p>\n<p>In <strong>Group C<\/strong>, same food, same room, same evening, no one had an emotional response. There was nothing to &#8220;unlock.&#8221; The sound did not remove a barrier in front of a pre-existing emotion. It created the conditions for that emotion to exist.<\/p>\n<p>That changes everything. We are not talking about an amplification effect. We are talking about the construction of emotional experience through physical stimuli. The low frequencies and hypnotic musical structure do not accompany the food, but transform it into something categorically different.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-3x\" style=\"\"><\/div><blockquote class=\"grve-element grve-align-left grve-with-line\" style=\"\"><div class=\"grve-quote-line grve-bg-white\"><\/div><p>&#8220;Taste is not a property of food, but it is a property of the state of the body that receives it.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;5x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773935525744{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000519391{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>04 &#8211; THE VIBRATORY SPECTRUM<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span>The sound that is not &#8220;heard,&#8221; but inhabited<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]Participants in <strong>Group B<\/strong> reported <strong>24.6%<\/strong> more emotional response than <strong>Group A.<\/strong> The difference was statistically significant (p = 1.54 \u00d7 10-\u2075). Same music, same room, same food: only the sub-grave component changed.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]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[\/vc_raw_html]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]Frequencies below <strong>100 Hz<\/strong> are not only perceived through hearing. They are heard through the body: bone conduction, visceral resonance, proprioceptive activation. It is sound that is experienced and not heard.<\/p>\n<p>The acoustic measurements revealed something unexpected: <strong>the spectral response recorded in the two groups was almost identical<\/strong>, yet the subjective experiences were radically different. This discrepancy is not a measurement error, but in fact a result.<\/p>\n<p>We have some hypotheses about what produces it:[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;5x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773935525744{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000535692{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>05 &#8211; TASTE PERCEPTION<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span>Low frequencies change how food is perceived<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]Not only the emotional response: the rating given to the dish also varied significantly among the three groups. <strong>Group B<\/strong> gave rice and milk an average score of <strong>87.8\/100<\/strong>. <strong>Group A<\/strong>: <strong>84<\/strong>. <strong>Group C<\/strong>: <strong>78.4<\/strong>. All differences were statistically significant.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]PGRpdiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItdGFibGUiPgogIDxkaXYgY2xhc3M9InNyLXRhYmxlLXRpdGxlIj5BdmVyYWdlIHJhdGluZyBmb3IgU2VyZW5kaXBpdHkgZGlzaCBieSBncm91cDwvZGl2PgogIDxkaXYgY2xhc3M9InNyLXRhYmxlLXJvdyI+CiAgICA8c3BhbiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItdGFibGUtcm93LWxhYmVsIj5Hcm91cCBCIC0gbG93IGZyZXF1ZW5jaWVzPC9zcGFuPgogICAgPHNwYW4gY2xhc3M9InNyLXRhYmxlLXJvdy12YWx1ZSIgc3R5bGU9ImNvbG9yOiNmZmZmZmY7Ij44Ny44IC8gMTAwPC9zcGFuPgogIDwvZGl2PgogIDxkaXYgY2xhc3M9InNyLXRhYmxlLXJvdyI+CiAgICA8c3BhbiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItdGFibGUtcm93LWxhYmVsIj5Hcm91cCBBIC0gaGlnaCBmcmVxdWVuY2llczwvc3Bhbj4KICAgIDxzcGFuIGNsYXNzPSJzci10YWJsZS1yb3ctdmFsdWUiPjg0LjAgLyAxMDA8L3NwYW4+CiAgPC9kaXY+CiAgPGRpdiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItdGFibGUtcm93Ij4KICAgIDxzcGFuIGNsYXNzPSJzci10YWJsZS1yb3ctbGFiZWwiPkdyb3VwIEMgLSBmb29kIG9ubHk8L3NwYW4+CiAgICA8c3BhbiBjbGFzcz0ic3ItdGFibGUtcm93LXZhbHVlIj43OC40IC8gMTAwPC9zcGFuPgogIDwvZGl2Pgo8L2Rpdj4g[\/vc_raw_html]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-2x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The most revealing data concerns the<strong>&#8220;Special<\/strong>&#8221; category (votes 91-100): <strong>51.8 percent<\/strong> of <strong>Group B<\/strong> rated the dish as special, compared with <strong>31.8 percent<\/strong> of <strong>Group A<\/strong> and <strong>23.2 percent<\/strong> of <strong>Group C.<\/strong> Between <strong>A<\/strong> and <strong>B<\/strong> there is a disproportionate jump, not a linear progression. Low frequencies do not enhance the experience: they change it in category.<\/p>\n<p>Those who cried, in both groups, rated the dish on average <strong>6.3 points<\/strong> higher than those who did not have an emotional response. And this relationship holds true regardless of the emotion experienced: whether it was sadness, happiness or nostalgia, those who were moved deeply gave higher scores.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-3x\" style=\"\"><\/div><blockquote class=\"grve-element grve-align-left grve-with-line\" style=\"\"><div class=\"grve-quote-line grve-bg-white\"><\/div><p>&#8220;Crying is not a signal of the emotion experienced, but a signal of its depth. Regardless of what was experienced, being touched in depth resulted in a higher grade.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;5x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773935525744{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000549806{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>06 &#8211; THE EMOTIONAL SPECTRUM<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span>The more intense the emotion, the better the food<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]Participants were asked to indicate which emotion they had perceived: <strong>happiness<\/strong>, <strong>nostalgia<\/strong> or <strong>sadness<\/strong>. The data show a definite and consistent pattern: the &#8220;higher&#8221; the emotion in terms of positive valence, the higher the rating at the plate. But the causal direction is not what one would expect.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]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[\/vc_raw_html]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]This pattern holds true in all three groups separately; it is not an effect of sound. It is an internal law of experience: the emotional state you are in while eating determines how you perceive food, not the other way around.<\/p>\n<p>Another significant pattern concerns the consistency of ratings: those who had an intense emotional response voted more evenly, lower standard deviation. Emotion not only raises the rating, it stabilizes it. Emotional people converge toward a shared perception. Sound synchronizes the experience.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;5x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773935525744{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000570191{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>07 &#8211; THE PROFILE OF THE PARTICIPANTS<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span>Gender, age, nationality: nothing changes<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The sample was <strong>53.3%<\/strong> <strong>male<\/strong> and <strong>46.7%<\/strong> <strong>female<\/strong>. Among those who had an emotional response, the distribution was almost identical: 49.3% male, 50.7% female. The age distribution among those who cried proportionally mirrors the distribution of the total sample.<\/p>\n<p>In Groups A and B, where the sample was mixed, 53.2% of Italians had an emotional response, compared with 50% of foreigners. A negligible difference.<\/p>\n<p>This is not a neutral result; in our opinion it is a positive result. The mechanism is universal. It acts on the human body as such, not on a specific type of person. It does not depend on culture, it does not depend on gender, it does not depend on age. Low frequencies and hypnotic structure cross all demographic variables undisturbed.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;5x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773935525744{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000584694{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>08 &#8211; THE MUSIC.<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span>The composition that never solves<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The soundscape of <em>Serendipity<\/em> is built around an original composition in <strong>E\u266d major<\/strong>, on a cycle of five bars, not four. This asymmetry is intentional: it prevents the brain from finding a stable rhythmic resolution, creating a sense of perpetual waiting that never ends.<\/p>\n<p>The mechanism of hypnotic repetition has an established scientific literature. <em>Margulis (2013)<\/em> showed that repetition reduces active cognitive processing: the brain stops analyzing and switches to a more receptive state. In that state, emotional content finds less resistance. Shamanic traditions have used exactly this mechanism for millennia; asymmetrical cycle drums, repetition without resolution, to induce altered states of perception and lower the defenses of ordinary consciousness.<\/p>\n<p>Over this structure moves a <strong>G min7 add6<\/strong> arpeggio that introduces harmonic tension without ever resolving it. The voice of an elementary school teacher in Italian, the ringing of a school bell, then later the voice of an elderly woman reminiscing in English. All constructed to evoke without explaining, to open without concluding.<\/p>\n<p>The most interesting speculation we can make, looking at the data together with the musical structure, is this: the combination of hypnotic repetition and sub-gravity frequencies does not amplify a pre-existing emotion. It creates a state of increased sensory permeability, that is, a time when the body is more open, more porous, less defended. In that state, a rice and milk can become something much older.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-3x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;5x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_equal_column_height=&#8221;false&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773935525744{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1774000606517{margin-right: 5% !important;margin-left: 5% !important;}&#8221;]<h2 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-subtitle-text\" style=\"\"><span>09 &#8211; WHAT DOES IT MEAN<\/span><\/h2><h3 class=\"grve-element grve-title grve-align-left grve-h2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span>They don&#8217;t cry for food<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-1x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The results of this study indicate that the intense emotional response cannot be attributed to the food itself. <strong>Group C<\/strong> demonstrates this unambiguously: the same rice pudding, served without the soundscape, produced no emotional response. The dish is identical, but the experience is not.<\/p>\n<p>What this study documents is more radical than &#8220;music enhances food.&#8221; What it shows is that taste is not an objective property of food. It is a property of the state the person eating it is in. Food does not carry a value in itself, but it receives the value that the body is able to ascribe to it at that moment. And that moment is manipulable. With sound, with rhythm, with frequencies, with the structure of experience around the plate. In other words: you don&#8217;t eat the food, but you eat yourself through the food.<br \/>\nThe expectations you bring to the table, the emotional state you are in, the sensory context around you; all of this is not the outline of the dining experience, but is itself the dining experience. Taste is the last link in a chain that begins long before the mouth.<\/p>\n<p>This shifts the problem. It is not about making better food, but it is about creating the conditions for those who eat to be able to receive it. The difference between a meal and a ritual is just that: the ritual prepares the body. The meal does not.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-3x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]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[\/vc_raw_html]<div class=\"grve-empty-space grve-height-4x\" style=\"\"><\/div>[vc_raw_html css=&#8221;&#8221;]PHAgY2xhc3M9InNyLWF1dGhvcnNoaXAiPgogIFRoZSBkYXRhIGFuZCByZXN1bHRzIHB1Ymxpc2hlZCBoZXJlIGFyZSB0aGUgcHJvcGVydHkgb2YgRmVkZXJpY28gUm90dGlnbmkuPGJyPkFsbCByaWdodHMgcmVzZXJ2ZWQuICAKPC9wPiA=[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;3x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#091119&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773852893996{padding-right: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;]<div class=\"grve-element grve-divider grve-align-center\" style=\"\"><span class=\"grve-custom-divider grve-bg-custom\" style=\"width: 90%;height: 1px;background-color: #4C4C4C;\"><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row section_type=&#8221;fullwidth&#8221; bg_type=&#8221;color&#8221; padding_top_multiplier=&#8221;6x&#8221; padding_bottom_multiplier=&#8221;&#8221; columns_gap=&#8221;none&#8221; equal_column_height=&#8221;middle-content&#8221; mobile_visibility=&#8221;hide&#8221; row_title=&#8221;Titolo&#8221; bg_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243;][vc_column tablet_width=&#8221;1&#8243; mobile_width=&#8221;4-5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1773962266784{padding-right: 40% !important;padding-left: 10% !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;grve-fade-in&#8221;]Five hundred people. A rice pudding dish. Three experimental conditions. This is the full story of a study that proved one uncomfortable thing: taste is not a property of food. It [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"folder":[],"class_list":["post-3878","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3878\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sensorium-milano.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=3878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}