The Language of Love

I love olives, especially Kalamata. Cucumber, feta, and Kalamatas are soooo good together. Ohhhh man, I'm really hungry now.

 

My cat really likes to smell stuff with out eating it. If I go out to eat, when I get back it will practically fight its way to my face to try and smell my breath. Sometimes I catch it sniffing something intently, and when it looks up it's mouth is gaping open like a dunce and I can see all of its tiny little Chicklet teeth.

 

Anyways, what is it about olives? I don't know, the taste is like nothing else and it really hits a certain savory spot.

This cat is addicted to the smell of menthol/eucalyptus. I have no clue what it is about that smell...it's not like she climbed a bunch of eucalyptus trees when she was younger. But she also loves to smell everything...oh, and lick watermelon

 

Isn't it proposed by someone (the Japanese?) that there is a 'savory' element on the tongue? It's unquantifiable, cannot be characterized, other than being the 'savory' taste?

Olives are wonderful. You can take two and put them over your closed eyelids (be sure to squeeze your brow and cheek muscles to hold the olives in place), then pretend they're your eyeballs and pop them out one after the other and eat them.

 

This has an especially satisfying effect when you're seated at a formal dinner and the dining partner you've been paired with for the evening is boring the crap out of you.

 

-- Nephele

This cat is addicted to the smell of menthol/eucalyptus. I have no clue what it is about that smell...it's not like she climbed a bunch of eucalyptus trees when she was younger. But she also loves to smell everything...oh, and lick watermelon

 

Isn't it proposed by someone (the Japanese?) that there is a 'savory' element on the tongue? It's unquantifiable, cannot be characterized, other than being the 'savory' taste?

 

Indeed , there is (as far as I know ) just one herb that has all the tastes present and that is Schisandra (Wu-wei-zi) from China and Korea.Ive tasted the fluid extract and its literally a kaleidoscope of sensations.Catmint and Valerian also drive kittys wild.

Sort of on catnip and valerian. It's evidently a genetic thing--some cats are predisposed to liking their scent and taste, and some couldn't be bothered. I purposely bought a catnip plant for Bella to snort (she really does...it's hilarious...unlike Clinton, Bella inhales!), because she gets really spazzy and I figured it would calm her down a bit. And it does...when she wigs out, I try to corral her into the bedroom, bring the plant close to her, and let her inhale. If she doesn't go and chomp on the leaves, I'll pick one and she'll go to town on it. But she doesn't care about dried catnip...only live. Then again, this is a cat who loves to chomp on any plant that's alive; when I would work in the garden of my parents' house, she would go after my chives!

Doc I have it :

 

Iridoids (as in the Iris) are usually glycosides , however a small group are non-glycosides including the sedative valepotriates.The latter are found in valerian , and chemically are very similar to nepetalactone which is in catnip (Nepeta cataria) The eucalypt you mention contains cineole which is a widely distributed chemical in many myrtle species, the eucalypts vary in strength but all are pain killers and inhaled ,mild, cardiac tonics.

From Pengelly:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Constituents-Medic...5432&sr=8-1

Hmmmmmm...so Bella's trying to snorty eucalyptus (and similar scents) to kill pain? Considering how klutzy she is (she comes by it naturally...and being the Queen of the Klutzes, I taught her well), and all the walls and furniture that she runs into, it might be!

Catnip can also be smoked or drank as a tea. No joke. My cat goes absolutely ape-s*** for dried catnip, as witnessed in my gallery pics. I'll have to take a little video of it for you guys. It avoids menthol and mint, though.

Oof...mine will go batty for eucalyptus/menthol, loves chives and parsley, and likes mint and thyme. But she wants nothing to do with cilantro or oregano. Oh, and she'll gnaw on any plant in the house, which is why there's only catnip now.

Heheh, mine prefers electronic cords over foliage - guitar cables, headphones, power cords, speaker wires... the more expensive, the more irresistible. Sometimes it sneaks into my computer room and when I see it run out like a guilty little snake, my heart skips a beat and I can just imagine that it has ruined my graphics tablet or something. Once it used a small stack of 80 year old books as a launching pad, half the books flew off the end of the table and snapped their thin hardcovers. I'm still bitter about that.

Hehe and yet they're still so cute, and we can't help but love them.

 

Bella's lately been acting positively canine in the morning...as in, if I'm not up by 6:15 (when my alarm first goes off during the week) she starts licking my face...then my arms...then whatever I put in her face to make her stop. I have no clue as to where she picked that one up; I swear she watches TV during the day when no one's home.

Doc,

 

Olives are yummy because your body needs a lot of what they have to offer

Umami! That's it!

 

I know that olives are good for us...and like I said, olive oil has been a constant element of my diet since I could breathe air. Just that the brine...yick.