Physiology of Taste

The Physiology of Taste is a book that was written in 1948 in France.  I chose to read this book because it sounded interesting and I thought that from the sounds of the description my background in physiology would benefit me reading this book.  So far that is accurate however I am sure that no scientific background would really be needed in reading this for the author explains what he is writing in great detail.  The only difficult part of reading this book is the wording that is used and the sentence structure, this has been translated from French so I am not surprised that it is a bit of a challenge to read.  
Anyway, the book begins with the author describing the senses that we all possess, he explains that there are six.  When I first read this I was slightly confused because I only recall having five senses unless you count seeing dead people like from the movie The Sixth Sense...  However, this is not what Brillat-Savarin was referring to when describing the sixth sense, he considered the senses to consist of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and genesic or physical love.  In the beginning of this book he explains how the senses are the basis of how we live and how they play a huge role in every aspect of our lives.  The reasoning for considering physical love one of the senses is because it is what brings us to the act of reproduction which is in turn how we continue a species to exist.  The continuation of a species is the main goal of life on Earth.  
In the second mediation, or chapter, the definition of taste is described.  I would personally describe taste as being the sensation exhibited after ingesting something, I say "something" because it may not always be a type of food...  However when it boils down to it, really what is food?  Is it really anything we eat or is it only particles that benefit our bodies after digestion?  I don't know the answer but I will not assume that food is anything that is put into our bodies.  Anyway, according to Google the definition of taste is the sensation of flavor perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.  Brillat-Savarin explains that taste is the one of our senses which places us in relation with sapid bodies by means of the sensation they produce in the organ destined to appreciate them.  
The next few mediations refer to the origin of the sciences, the definition of appetite, on food in general, and special kinds of food.  From these last mediations the most informative piece of information I thought for this blog would be about the explanation of food in the mediation about food in general.  I already said that I was not sure what "food" really is however Brillat-Savarin explains that the popular answer is that food is everything that nourishes us.  He further examines the scientific answer which is: we understand by food the substances which, submitted to the stomach, can be assimilated by digestion, and repair the losses which the human body suffers by the wear and tear of life.