Will Listening To Taylor Swift Make Your Chinese Takeout Taste Better?

Most restaurants you visit will have had some form of music playing in the background. Some would be playing Mozart and Vivaldi while others would be playing popular hits. Recent research has shown that music goes a long way in not just maintaining the ambience of a resturant, but also enhancing the taste of food. The same research has found that certain types of music go better with certain cuisines; somewhat akin to wine and food pairings.

Music & Food

Professor Charles Spence of Oxford University and a researcher in gastrophysics, conducted a study in which 700 volunteers were asked to order a range of different takeout foods and listen to six genres of music while eating it. The participants were then asked to rate the food.

The researchers found that volunteers who listed to classical music, such as Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’ while eating Italian food enjoyed it the most. Similarly, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran made Chinese food taste great, while Japanese food like sushi and sashimi was best enjoyed with a side of jazz music. Meanwhile, Indian takeout was rated at its highest when it was paired with classic rock music.

Spence actually suggests that takeout joints deliver a CD along with their food to allow their customers to best appreciate their fare. Some may scoff, but we think it could be well worth a try, don’t you?