From the time that we are born, we are taught how to eat, how to speak, how to walk, and basically interact with the world around us. Most of these “skills” are consistent across cultures, though some of them may differ depending on the country that one is born in. We grow up thinking that what we do is a universal trend, so none of us have ever considered the idea that anything we do is wrong; however, I suggest otherwise. There are certain foods that everyone eats completely incorrectly on the basis that effectively eating that certain food would be a bite that packs in the most flavor.

Sure, most food has the flavor all around it, so it doesn’t really matter how you eat it, but there are certain foods that have all or most of the flavor on one side that need to be eaten differently such as pizza. I know, I know, why do we have to talk about pizza again? Well, it just so happens that it is a prime example for this discussion.

Most people know that pizza is made with a base of dough, and then toppings. The toppings are the best part of the pizza because they contain the flavor, but people eat a slice of pizza with the flavor side up.

Why is this wrong? Well, your tongue contains receptors that allow you to taste food. Most people want to taste something that they like which requires two things; first, flavor on the food, and second, tasting the flavor on the food. When you eat something like pizza, the flavor portion is on one side because it has its base or foundation. In order to eat it in the most effective way possible, you would have to eat pizza with the cheesy topping side down on your tongue.

When I eat potato chips, I always look for the side with the most flavor dust on it to put it on my tongue so that I get the most flavor possible from that one bite. This is because instead of eating in bigger quantities, I am savoring and effectively distributing the flavor in my mouth to where I care more about quality and will feel satisfied with less food.

You see, the benefits of eating strategically can not only affect the taste, but also the amount you eat because being satisfied with less can help you eat just the right amount of food to make you full.  This, in turn, will save you money since you will have more food saved for other meals or snacks. 

All in all, eating food the right way around has economical and personal benefits. It also just makes sense to eat food with the flavor side down so that you get the full effect of the food that you are eating, so don’t forget to eat your upside down food, upside down.