Sweet! Salty! Umami? What’s up with MSG? Why do you like your coffee black? Come down to flavortown and let’s talk tongues. Gustologist Dr. Gary Beauchamp is a chemosensory scientist and an expert in taste. We chat about tastebud flim-flam, celebrity grade hot wings, MSG research, excitotoxins, weaning off sugar, the worst soup on the market, what countries have salt restrictions, why you lost your taste with Covid, how much taste is smell, artificial sweeteners, acquiring a taste for foods, and how a sweet tooth may affect your booze consumption. Delicious facts, served up hot. 

Visit Dr. Gary Beauchamp’s Research and Career Highlights and ResearchGate profile

Donations were made to the Monell Center and Philadelphia Young Playwrights

More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Diabetology (BLOOD SUGAR), Felinology (CATS), Biogerontology (AGING), Environmental Microbiology (TESTING WASTEWATER FOR DISEASES), Glycobiology (CARBS), Laryngology (VOICEBOXES), Radiology (X-RAY VISION), Indigenous Culinology (NATIVE COOKING), Foraging Ecology (EATING WILD PLANTS) with @BlackForager, Alexis Nikole Nelson, Black American Magirology (FOOD, RACE & CULTURE), Gastroegyptology (BREAD BAKING), Entomophagy Anthropology (EATING BUGS), Mixology (COCKTAILS)

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, stickers, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media and Mark David Christenson 

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn