# What does Blue taste Like?



## Mike Hill (Aug 5, 2021)

Sitting in the dirt, cross-legged in front of the campfire (disclaimer - no koa, ringed gidgee, two-toned amboyna, curly walnut, or FBE was harmed in the making of this story!) In one of his not-so-rare pensive moods, Lil Mikey was contemplating life, or so The Islander thought. Even though he had much rather cherished the consumption of the hallowed Blue Bell Ice Cream, Lil Mikey acquiesced to the whining of The Islander and agreed to the making s'mores. But,his heart was not into the s’mores-making and consuming as he was still dreaming and craving that Chocolate Sheet Cake Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Undaunted by Lil Mikey’s absent-minded nonchalance, The Islander, fueled by the sucrose high brought on by the s'more’s massive sugar jolt, his elementary yet focused acumen was pondering which he liked better, the chocolate or the marshmallow! Amid the loud slurping noises caused by The Islander licking sticky chocolate off his fingers, Lil Mikey suddenly blurts out, “Say, Islander, what does blue taste like”? The question almost caused him to fall off the stump upon which he was sitting. The Islander sat dumbfounded for a second or two – a task not all that hard for him to excel!. Suddenly he whistled and called out, “Hey Blue, come here boy.” Wagging his tail, Blue arrived, expectantly and hopeful that the boys would throw him some scraps.

“Say, Blue - what do you taste like”? “Aww, go on,” Lil Mikey scoffed! “Seriously, haven’t you ever wondered what the color blue tastes like?" “Can’t say I have Mikey! So, what brought about the obviously stoopid question? Ain’t the smores good enough for you? Besides, do you actually want blue-colored food”?

Lil Mikey, pulling strings of melted marshmallows out of his beard, responded, “This morning, I was chewing on some gum I found on the floor of my truck. It was blue, and it tasted like peppermint, or rather, that’s what the package said. So, does blue taste like peppermint”? “I can deal with that,” The Islander said while scratching his head and thinking about other blue food. Lil Mikey pondered on! “Last weekend, when I went to the ice cream store, I saw some peppermint ice cream, and it was pink! So does blue taste like peppermint, or does peppermint taste like pink? And then, when I went down to the other end of the cooler, there was mint-chocolate chip, and it was green! And the other day, when Kevin took us to the Sonic, that blue drink he had tasted like coconut. And we all know about blue cheese and how it tastes like something Blue threw up. I'm so confused.”

The Islander, in his personally peculiar way, replies, “I don’t get you! You’re thinking so much - it's making my head hurt! Why in ____would you be wondering what the taste of blue would be like? I ate a blue crayon once, and it tasted like wax – why would that be a surprise?” Lil Mikey looked up,“ If it was daytime, what would you see besides the sun and clouds? Blue sky?” “Yeh! So? Big snookums, the sky is blue -who doesn’t know that?” “But if you capture some of the sky in a glass jar, it's not blue. What happened to the blue?” “Well, I dunno.” says The Islander. “ But, what if the taste of blue is something like that? There is a taste, but when you capture a mouthful, there’s no taste?” “Dude! What was in your Ovaltine this morning? Did you have a bad dream or something?”

The Islander suddenly remembers what his Health Teacher in high school said, “Mrs. Mitchell said we have tastes buds on our tongues, and they can only taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory. No mention of colors.” But Lil Mikey was still wondering that wouldn’t it be great if we did have color taste buds.

“Ok, why? – could it actually be a big deal? What if blue had a taste and not just turned your tongue blue. Bear with me, Islander - my mind lives in the middle of Divine Operation, so I hafta dream. Throw me another marshmallow. Islander, remember how we felt when we got to ride in my Dad’s 64 1/2 Mustang? It was Caspian Blue! What a rush! What if blue tasted that good?” "I aint licking a car?” “ You gotta let go and use your imagination. What if blue was a French code word for really yummy chocolate?” “Ummm, go on!” What if it tasted like an ocean breeze or the morning dew? Or the rain on your face? Could it be as good as the first breath of the day when momma is cooking bacon? How about it tasting like cotton candy?”

“Yeh,” “But, what if it tasted like green with a tad of yellow added? Like Comet with mustard!” “Whoa, you’re spoiling my dream, Mikey.” “What if it tastes like the toilet bowl water at Aunt Polly's house?” “Now stop with all that - whew, that stuff stinks! Ok, wiseguy, you make me want to choke a Smurf! I want blue to taste like granny's blueberry pie. You put a spoonful of that in my mouth, and you can’t stop!” “Oh yeh! Agreed!” The Islander licked his fingers again, and Lil Mikey went on, "Blue makes me happy - lots better than pink!“ The Islander groaned, “Quick, give me more s'mores stuff!” “Slow down, remember that hurrying and impatience is the mark of an amateur!”

Reactions: Great Post 2 | Creative 2


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## Arn213 (Aug 5, 2021)

Great post Mike. Love the ending on part II of your shorts. Begs me the question to ask if any member here has the condition of “synaesthesia”? No, it is not the same as “synesthesia” when people see music as colors. 

“Ain’t the smores good enough for you?” sounds like a great title for a blues song in the key of E or A. The late BB King could probably make that a hit song like “the Thrill is Gone”………Buddy Guy would probably make it a scorching blues tune like “The First Time I met the Blues”…………the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan would probably sound like a tune similar to “A Life Without You”.

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## trc65 (Aug 5, 2021)

It reminds me of conversations with my three year old great nephew, to whom candy flavors are synonymous to colors. When asked what flavor candy he is eating, he will pull the half chewed piece out of his mouth, look at it for a second and answer blue (or the correct color). Then he'll reach his hand out to you with the half chewed piece and say want some?

So, to solve the mystery of what blue tastes like, you probably need to spend some significant time with a 3 year old whose mind has yet to be cluttered by all the conventions of society; and when offered a half chewed piece of candy that you have been told is flavored blue, pop it in your mouth so you too can finally discover what blue tastes like!

BTW, another great read!

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## Mike Hill (Aug 6, 2021)

'xactly where the idea came from for that part about taste. Although I don't have any young'ns close anywhere in my wife's or my family, I noticed a little boy asking his mom for the blue candy at the grocery store aisle. The other one about the brook trout came about over frustration of trying to paint a watercolor of a brook trout and the blue halo - which I had not really noticed until then.

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## Mike Hill (Aug 6, 2021)

This is the watercolor I was referring to - my amateurish attempt at doing the blue haloes on a brookie.

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## Arn213 (Aug 6, 2021)

^WOW, @Mike Hill that is simply stellar- love the color combo, rendering, wash and gradients! Is there something you can’t do? That should be framed and matted with your favorite woods, but I see stabilized buckeye burl as the wood of choice

Arn
PS- what is the size of the water color paper?

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Mike Hill (Aug 6, 2021)

Its been a few year since I did it - and can't remember whether it was a full sheet or half sheet. So either 22x30 or 22x15. I'll check this weekend if I can find my portfolio.


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## Arn213 (Aug 6, 2021)

Mike Hill said:


> Its been a few year since I did it - and can't remember whether it was a full sheet or half sheet. So either 22x30 or 22x15. I'll check this weekend if I can find my portfolio.


That should not live in the dark gathering dust- it should be out in the open and appreciated! Way too nice to be zipped up in a portfolio! It really is gorgeous. I can even see padauk with a little trim of ebony or sapele pomelle or birdseye maple stained dark chestnut or dark warm gray black.

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## Nature Man (Aug 6, 2021)

Arn213 said:


> That should not live in the dark gathering dust- it should be out in the open and appreciated! Way too nice to be zipped up in a portfolio! It really is gorgeous. I can even see padauk with a little trim of ebony or sapele pomelle or birdseye maple stained dark chestnut or dark warm gray black.


Agree! He needs to fish those out and frame them! Chuck

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## Wildthings (Aug 7, 2021)

Mike Hill said:


> This is the watercolor I was referring to - my amateurish attempt at doing the blue haloes on a brookie.
> 
> View attachment 213748


very nice. When mounting a brookie and doing the paint work afterward the spots are made by airbrushing a pale blue spot down first. Then an off white spot is sprayed in the middle of the blue spot slightly smaller than the blue thus leaving a halo of blue around the white. That is done with a little higher air pressure and paint flow turned down. Lastly Gill red is sprayed to cover the white, almost, leaving just a hint of white showing which changes, to the eye at least, the color of the blue. From one angle the blue will look paler than from another angle giving the impression of changing hues. Chatoyance??

Great story Mike!

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## Lou Currier (Aug 7, 2021)



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## Mike Hill (Aug 7, 2021)

Arn213 said:


> That should not live in the dark gathering dust- it should be out in the open and appreciated! Way too nice to be zipped up in a portfolio! It really is gorgeous. I can even see padauk with a little trim of ebony or sapele pomelle or birdseye maple stained dark chestnut or dark warm gray black.


Half sheet. 22 x 15

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## Arn213 (Aug 7, 2021)

Mike Hill said:


> Half sheet. 22 x 15


This is probably more of your speed and neglected to mention Hawaiian Norfolk Island Pine for framing choice. They tend to be more yellow, but it depends what finish you use as it will turn more yellow-orange (if you use oil). If you use urethane or poly it will keep more of it’s color. You do really need to frame that and knowing your skills you can do it. Get archival matting, tape and “Museum glass*” type or similar (anti reflective and 
UV protection).


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## Mike Hill (Mar 15, 2022)

Another "blue" story - more along the lines of the painting. I've got a golden trout on the easel to finish painting - maybe i'll do an ode to the golden trout someday. After that - probably a Rio Grande Cutthroat. 

*Brookies and Bluebells*

We all have that something! The French use the term, “_je ne sais quoi”_ to capture the essence of an indescribable, special distinguishing feature. That one thing that is infallible in its ability to cause us to remember and smile. You know that smile, that enigmatic smile that has everyone wondering why – what is he smiling about!

My something is the color blue. But not just any blue. Two pique my emotions. One coolish, the other warm. Primary, but coolish in my eyes, is the blue on a brook trout. None you say? Go ahead, google up a picture, find the red spots - now look for those spots’ haloes. The other blue - the warm one, occupies the tail of a redfish; yes, Paul Prudhomme’s cheeky fish made famous by his blackening spices. Slightly more ephemeral, it seduces, but as much as I’d like to talk about it, I’ll focus on the brook trout and its often-unnoticed bluebell blue.

The apex brook trout is one colorful dude! A mature male in fall spawning garb is a breath-taking sight. This hook-jawed aristocrat swims holy waters that tumble down timeworn, mossy boulders older than life itself. Look past the garish white rimmed red pectorals and the gloriously molten gold belly. Look at the spots. Isolate the red ones. Open up a little and notice the halo around them. There it is - that elusive haunting blue. Some label it “bluebell blue.” Easily overlooked, it is but a wisp - barely there.

The blue goads, speaking private words, laying bare the mysteries of the ancient dancing waters. A similar reaction occurs when viewing stunning sunsets and opulent sunrises. Open-mouthed, admiring the dramatic oranges and pinks, a little voice directs me to look past the fiery glow, past the beauty, to find the marrow of life. Look past it, and you see God’s fingerprints on creation. This detailed imagery explodes into a kaleidoscope of past and present. Gods magnificent canvas, thankfully transcends my 21st-century reality. Experiencing God’s creation, as it may be, I can dream the dream of the other dreamers.

Trout is a four-letter word that starts with “T”. To be more precise, it should be a four-letter word starting with “C”. Scientifically they are chars. Call them what you wish, these incredibly lovely fish are the essence of all that is wild and beautiful. Fragile, mountain trout have little tolerance for the human presence. They point back to another time, one of simpler days, straightforward ways, when streams were pure, forests uncut, and the human presence was minimal. To visit such a world, even for a brief span of time, is to know the sort of inner peace and contentment which makes mist-shrouded mountains both mystical and magical. I call it my “Immersion Therapy” and readily acknowledge losing a layer of my soul to its enticements.

There are at least two roads in life; one of land and the other by water. One quickly learns that the land journey is harsh and raucous. On the river, however, life is a bit more dangerous yet more edifying. There is a need to experience things that are bigger than us, things that just don’t need us. Being humbled by an untamed wilderness, dwarfed by towering lofty mountains fulfills this intrinsic need.

It is necessary to reset our minds upon who is actually in charge. Cleansing souls, a river puts problematic egos into proper calibration. Little moral lessons are deposited in psyches as gently as a mayfly alights on water. There’s something ethereal, almost euphoric, about catching sight of a mountain brookie at home in his perfect mountain pool. He maintains position with minimal energy expenditure, occasionally sipping a fragile, diaphanous winged mayfly from the surface film.

Suddenly, there’s an imperceptible movement, a flash of white indicates an open mouth, and in that flash, a fluttering mayfly disappears. Nothing is left, but ever-expanding rings in the water’s surface. This scene demands no drama; this is the unclothed circle of life.

The brookie returns to his ambush position, blue haloes intact, oblivious to changes he caused. Observing from the edge of that pool was a boy. A boy filled with the wonderment of nature, yet questioning what God had for him to pursue in life. Disentangling himself from this harshly profound embodiment of life and death wasn’t easy. Reflecting on the image for a moment, he marveled. Eternally changed, as an emergent man, he welded the moment into his consciousness. I had no need for a camera; confident I’d remember. I’d forever associate that moment with God’s creation touch.

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## Arn213 (Mar 15, 2022)

Excellent imagery, depiction, content & elements- your true essence in the “art of writing” is your “story telling” device. Like a poet, country singer with a guitar slung on his back, slowly pulling the guitar in front as he starts to fret and strum, closely leaning to the microphone, with a deep breathe, uttering choice of words as you stare deep into the crowd with everyone captivated & drawn to the sound of your poetical lyrical style………….

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## Herb G. (Mar 15, 2022)

What does blue taste like? Exactly like hot.

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## Wildthings (Mar 15, 2022)

Oh, my goodness!! Now I've got to hear about a redfish tail!! 

When you pull one out of the water and look at that tail, with the indescribable color of blue, you just say to yourself "Self. I wish Lil Mikey would describe this for me"

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## Mike Hill (Mar 16, 2022)

Temporary wordage!

You drive to the coast
Catch a red
See the blue
It speaks for itself!

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## Karl_TN (Mar 16, 2022)

Your story telling never ceases to amaze me.

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## Gdurfey (Mar 17, 2022)

Simply thank you

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## Nature Man (Mar 17, 2022)

Wonder if the appropriate question of the day would be "What does Green taste like!" Chuck

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## Mike Hill (Mar 17, 2022)

Nature Man said:


> Wonder if the appropriate question of the day would be "What does Green taste like!" Chuck


To me it always tastes like grass! Well, it always did when my facemask was being pushed into the football field turf!

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## Herb G. (Apr 8, 2022)

Nature Man said:


> Wonder if the appropriate question of the day would be "What does Green taste like!" Chuck


Go grab some wild garlic growing in your yard & chow down on it.
You will never ask what green tastes like again.

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## Mike Hill (Apr 8, 2022)

You got a point there!


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