Expectations and surprise in a molecular gastronomic meal Line Holler Mielby 1 , Michael Bom Frøst * Department of Food Science, Sensory Science, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 30, DK-1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark article info Article history: Received 30 October 2008 Received in revised form 3 September 2009 Accepted 15 September 2009 Available online 18 September 2009 Keywords: Molecular gastronomy Expectations Information Restaurant study abstract Effects of verbal presentations on the experience of 11 molecular gastronomic dishes were studied. The four types of verbal presentations were (1) a short title representing the dish, (2) title and a hedonically evocative description, (3) title and information about the applied culinary processes, (4) title and infor- mation about the sensory experiences in the dish. Least liked dishes were those created to be completely novel and very unusual. However, they received high scores in the three statements: ‘Curiosity’ due to their presentation; displaying ‘Surprising’ elements; and ‘Challenging’ the senses. In contrast, dishes that referred to or related to familiar and classical foods were most liked. The type of verbal presentation affected ‘Liking’, ‘Surprising’ and ‘Challenging’, but not in a straightforward manner. Interaction effects between these statements and the 11 dishes were found. Dishes presented by process information were in general more liked, more surprising and more challenging while dishes presented with hedonically evocative and experience information generated the lowest ratings for the same statements. For Liking, the type of presentation was more important for least liked dishes than most liked dishes. Ó 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1. Introduction Molecular gastronomy is a culinary trend created by chefs and scientists in cooperation and it has among others been defined as the scientific study of deliciousness (McGee, 2004). Molecular gas- tronomy has for some years been rising and is described as the most exciting development within haute cuisine (This, 2006). Within this field of science the scientists’ knowledge concerning the physical and chemical properties of raw materials is combined with the chef’s skills and know-how to understand the culinary processes and recipes. New products, combinations, creative methods, tech- niques and tools are used in the process of producing the food. On December 10, 2006 in the British newspaper Guardian three prominent chefs, Ferran Adrià (El Bulli), Heston Blumenthal (the Fat Duck), Thomas Keller (French Laundry and Per Se), together with the food writer Harold McGee announced a statement of new cookery, that denounces the use of the term molecular gas- tronomy to describe their cooking. They intended to clarify the principles and thoughts that guide their cooking, and termed it ‘New cookery’ (Adria, Blumenthal, Keller, & McGee, 2006). Inde- pendent of the term used to describe it, their cooking is character- ized by being experimental and usually highly scientific, often resulting in new combinations of foods, and application of sophis- ticated culinary processes. Additionally the dishes constructed of- ten intend to challenge the eater by playing with the culinary mindset and being surprising (Svejenova, Mazza, & Planellas, 2007; This, 2002). Ferran Adrià parallels haute cuisine with art, and finds that both are currently demanded to be surprising and packed with elements that create a variety of feelings (Svejenova et al., 2007). This is in line with the phenomenon experience economy which stresses that the physical quality or price does not necessarily explain con- sumption, since non-materialistic aspects such as experiences that generate feelings and sensations are key factors in consumer behavior (Pine & Gilmore, 1998). The experience of a restaurant meal is affected by other factors than the food. It is a dynamic phenomenon affected by a variety of other factors (Carlsen, 2006; Gustafsson, 2004; Pierson, Reeve, & Creed, 1995). Factors such as descriptive food names, the eating location and situation, and social factors have been found to have an effect on the consumers’ perception. Mäkelä (2000) defines a meal as the eating sphere, rather than generally speaking specify- ing the meal as time for eating. Therefore, in order to achieve the maximum satisfaction in meal situations restaurateurs must be aware of all possible factors coming to play within an eating sphere. Studies within both hospitality science as well as consumer food science have investigated the effect of a variety of contextual factors’ on the perception of foods, dishes and meals. In an elabo- rate restaurant study King, Weber, Meiselman, and Lv (2004) stud- ied the following factors on product acceptance; serving size and presentation of meals, the social effect of seating and talking, envi- ronment such as dinnerware, décor and servers’ attire, and the freedom of choice. The results of this study showed that these 0950-3293/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2009.09.005 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +45 35333207; fax: +45 35333509. E-mail address: mbf@life.ku.dk (M.B. Frøst). 1 Current address: Department of Food Science, Plant Food Science, Aarhus University, Kirstinebjergvej 10, DK-5792 Aarslev, Denmark. Food Quality and Preference 21 (2010) 213–224 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Quality and Preference journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodqual