Touch -- Texture, Getting Touchy-Feely about food.

[JeetJet]

What food or drink provides you with the most pleasure from your sense of touch? More specifically, the focus here is not the taste, smell, sight or even the sound of your food sizzling, but only what food or drink most positively activates your tactile neural receptors in your lips, mouth, tongue, and throat. Those four areas are physically close together but are different in function and that allows you to pay close attention to the messages sent to the brain from each and determine what textures turn you on.

I could go on-and-on about the cravings for hot fried chicken because of the combination of heat, crispy and succulent altogether in my mouth and around my tongue at the same time. However warm crusty bread that has a perfect tug and chew awakens my lips, mouth, and tongue in concert more than anything else. Add a little butter to give some creamy texture and enhance the moisture of the bread and that is my idea of comfort food.

The pleasure of swallowing is altogether different. I like to gulp ice cold milk. For that matter, a slow swallow can sometimes be even better. Sometimes I drink thick chocolate milk but most often, because I drink milk several times every day, I drink 1%. There is something about the cold creamy smooth pressure against the throat that makes milk my favorite drink. I tried Silk and it does not come close to the real deal. Maybe if they keep working at it they will find a recipe that might come closer to the texture of milk but my throat can spot the difference quickly.

What food do you like the feel of?

[weezycom]

I like the way real potato chips (not the baked or formed kind) shatter in my mouth when I bite into them, the silkiness of creme brulee, the medley of textures in a mixed green salad with meats and fruits and nuts and cheese -- some crunchy , some chewy, some soft & creamy, some crisp, etc. For a coating creamy richness, either fettucine alfredo or mac n cheese.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Your examples and question all relate to texture AND to temperature, not just texture/the feel. My reply: cold properly sliced sashimi with hot plain rice.

[smartie]

my coffee has to be exactly the right temperature - can't explain but there is a point just after it's poured and sitting for a few that it is perfect.

[Paulustrious]

Certain foods do have distinct textures. Ones that spring to mind are

Oysters
Okra
Aforementioned creme brule
Chocolate ganache
Popcorn
Cream in anything
Toffee
Marshmallows

I am guessing that for each of these there are some here who love them, some who hate them.

[Tripeler]

Paulustrious,
This is pretty much a list of my favorite foods. Thanks!

[c oliver]

Wonderfully creamy and warm risotto. Creamy polenta is a not very close, but still loved, second.

[Cherylptw]

Chocolate; I love the creamy, smooth flavor & texture. I also like creamy mashed potatoes and good NY bagels; crispy outside, soft & chewy inside...

[shaogo]

The combination of crispy and soft: creme brulee, those great Godiva "starfish" that're raspberry jellies covered with chocolate, chocolate-covered cherries. On the savory side, crispy fried chicken that's tender and moist inside, duck with crispy skin, pommes frites souffle, popovers.

A hermit bar or oatmeal raisin cookie, chewy-sugary-soft, dotted with raisins and/or dates, is another textural roller-coaster for my mouth!

[hotoynoodle]

oysters and sea urchin. cold, briny, minerality, that slight resistance to the tooth before it squishes in your mouth, bathing your tongue and throat with the essence of the sea. 2 of my favorite foods in the entire world. top either with caviar, and wow. just whip me, beat me, make me write bad checks! :)

[buttertart]

A perfect piece of battered and fried fish - batter bubbly and crisp, and done all the way through, and the fish cooked but still flafy and moist. Not too easy to come by.

[BeeZee]

I think the texture that makes my mouth happy is something which is dual-textured, a softer center enrobed by a thin shell that crackles to reveal...
There are a lot of items which fulfill this duality (a lot of people have mentioned)
Baguette with crisp crust yielding to soft/chewy interior
Fresh chocolate where a jelly or really soft center is enrobed by a shell of chocolate
Tempura shrimp
The crispy/chewy top layer crumbs baked on mac+cheese, soft pasta layer below

[Parrotgal]

I recently had sabayon for the first time. While the taste was sublime, the creamy texture was indescribable and is what I most remember.