John Baker’s Blog

Jonah Lehrer at The Boston Globe describes recent experiments into the nature of expectation, looking at research into people’s experiences of wine, medication, motor cars and a host of other products. Fascinating studies.
The human brain, research suggests, isn’t built for objectivity. The brain doesn’t passively take in perceptions. Rather, brain regions involved in developing expectations [...]

Everything depended upon things being served up to the precise moment they were ready. The beef, the bayleaf, and the wine - all must be done to a turn. To keep it waiting was out of the question.
Boeuf en daube is Mildred’s masterpiece. Mrs. Ramsay’s maid spends three days preparing the dish for the [...]