Grace Loke is a PhD student at RMIT in Melbourne and is co-lead in a team of researchers exploring the role of our sensory perception in the way we enjoy eating. More specifically, they are looking at the reasons why astronauts report meals taste bland in space and as a result are failing to eat their normal nutritional intake. Previous research has shown that aroma plays a large role in how we perceive food, but could it also be that aroma might affect mood and willingness or openness to the enjoyment of that food? The researchers are using Virtual Reality to simulate the astronaut’s environment and this, of course adds another layer to understanding the many factors involved in our experience of eating and the implications could go far beyond just the astronaut’s situation. This is obviously a departure from chatting to a chef, but I found the ideas so fascinating I just had to know more.