Now that I’ve figured out the delivery days that Taro Brand poi arrives at our nearby Times Supermarket and at Foodland in Aina Haina, I’m figuring out how to keep the refrigerator stocked.

I took this photo after adding two bags fresh bags yesterday (Friday), delivery day at Times.

The two bags at the top are easily identified as the fresh poi by their color, a dark gray. I’ll leave these on the kitchen counter at room temperature for a week or so, or until needed. I’m not sure of the right word. Leaving them out to ripen?

The third bag, closest to the camera, has been out at room temperature since Thursday of the prior week, and is ready to empty into a bowl, add water if necessary, and refrigerate until the next meal. Note this poi’s reddish color, indicating some fermentation has been taking place and it’s likely to be nice and tart. In other words, ready to eat!

I’ve been eating poi in place of rice and potato, although I still cook those for Meda. And I’ve been eating a couple of bags per week in the expectation that poi is going to improve my gut health and deliver needed nutrition.

I have always preferred sour poi since small kid time. So do many of my Hawaiian friends. That was the reason that I bristled years ago at Honolulu Magazine’s “Sour Poi Awards” given to the tongue-in-cheek awards that “poke fun at the dumb, the daft, and the deranged local news, political gaffes, and wacky mishaps that occurred over the previous twelve months.” It struck me as an admission of a subtle anti-Hawaiian bias or, perhaps, simple ignorance of the fact that sour poi is the preference of many in the islands. Unfortunate, but true.

Here’s another example of the pureed meals from a commercial distributor of meals appropriate for any one of several medically-required diets.

This is described as a pulled pork sandwich with gravy, and a side of creamed corn. That sounded good, but the 10.5 ounce tray required a hefty amount of imagination to tie it back in any way to the underlying foods.

The alleged pork was absolutely tasteless. I ate as much as possible mixed with the small amount of gravy, which saved the day. I found in barely palatable. And when the gravy was used up, I had to abandon the rest. I just couldn’t force myself to keep eating.

The corn was a notch better. It reminded me of uncooked cornbread batter. Somehow it had retained a measure of corn flavor, making it a bit easier for me to relate to.

I know that these carefully prepared and delivered meals are better for me than the alternatives. But some of those alternatives, high calorie and protein shakes blending ice cream, Greek yogurt, fruit, and milk (or a bit of a commercial protein shake) make a tasty and nutritious meal. Sometimes I add a little peanut butter for good measure. Not a balanced diet by any means, but most vegetables are excluded from the pureed diet anyway.

Many of you suggested trying to rescue the pureed meats with creative spices.

Lipstick on a pig, as they say.

I have been having a very difficult time staying within my prescribed pureed diet, which requires food to be process in a blender and then strained, while at the same time eating more than just commercial protein shakes, homemade heavy milk shakes and things like custards.

The problem is that pureed foods seem to me to have virtually no smell or taste, and an off-putting texture.

I asked Google for commment on this.

Google’s answer confirmed my personal experience.

Overview

Pureed foods lose their smell and taste because blending drastically alters the chemical release of flavor compounds and removes the physical act of chewing. Without the natural aromas and chewing process that stimulate your senses, the food is perceived as bland and homogenous.

1. The Disruption of Aromatics (Smell)Up to 90% of what we perceive as “taste” actually comes from smell.Dilution: Pureeing breaks down food structures, mixing distinct ingredients into one mass and heavily diluting the aromatic compounds per bite.Oxidation: The high-speed blades of a blender expose food to excess oxygen, which rapidly degrades and evaporates the volatile oils that carry scent.

2. The Lack of Chewing (Taste)The mechanical process of chewing does more than just break down food; it triggers saliva production and repeatedly pumps aromatic compounds up through the back of your throat into your nasal passages.Because pureed food is smooth and pre-chewed, you simply swallow it, leaving very little time for the flavor to register in your mouth.

3. Masking by Starches and liquids to achieve a safe, swallowable texture (like the International Dysphagia Diet Initiative [IDDSI] Level 4 standard), purees often require adding thickeners, water, or broth. These additions dilute the natural concentration of the food, muting the overall flavor profile.

I’m hoping that I will be released from this strict diet at my upcoming post-surgery checkup back at the UCSF adult concern center on Tuesday morning. But, of course, such hopes don’t always materialize. We’ll see.