All words by Alan Zilberman
All photos by Shauna Alexander
I wasn’t aware of Synsepalum dulcificum, or the parties it inspires, until late Friday afternoon. Libby cordially invited me to attend a flavor tripping party at EFN Lounge, and I graciously accepted. After all, it would be an unusual experience, and EFN is only a few blocks from my apartment. Turns out this berry is also known as magic fruit(!), and eating it causes sour/bitter things to taste sweet. The event promised a cornucopia of unusual food and drink for my hallucinogenic palette.
The party was a perfect example of a cool concept marred by poor planning. Upon arrival, I was given a ticket for one berry, which was located by the coat check at the far end of the bar. Fighting my way through the dense crowd, I finally stood in a line for the berries. While waiting, I saw a woman who had a look of genuine disgust before she exclaimed, “This is TOO SWEET!” Berry in hand, I carefully read the instructions for consuming it, which were surprisingly complex. After a couple minutes of sucking on the damn thing*, I was ready to try some food.
I wasn’t entirely sure where I could obtain my sour treats. Zigzagging lines created quite the clusterfuck, and my impatience grew exponentially. Finally I procured some Sour Patch Kids - they tasted exactly as they should. It was not sensation for which I hoped. Frustrated by the unsatisfying experience, I wandered to The Passenger with the lovely Shauna. Presumably I was still tripping balls, so I ordered a whiskey sour. Hallelujah, the berry kicked in! Coupled with a tingling sensation, the cocktail was sweet, though not overwhelmingly so. I ordered another tart cocktail, much to the same effect. Shauna got salt and vinegar chips. She winced at the vinegar, I didn't. It was unusual, yes, but not worth the time/effort involved. Next time, EFN Lounge, just give me my Synsepalum dulcificum when I get in the door.
* Magic fruit tastes like cranberry, except with less flavor.
God loves a cheerful giver.
Ps. Idea credit for the awesome map goes to Alan... for whom the internets would not be able to make fun of my atrocious handwriting without.
love this article! map is great.
It was a learning experience. The next flavor tripping will have a completely different set up with flavor stations throughout the bar. Berry pick up will be at the entrance.
YES! The map is perfectly accurate. It was a total clusterfuck.
I attended with several friends who I promised a unique, fun time. Truth be told, it was a mess. A walk to the Passenger made the trip worth while, but this was a skillfully marketed event and that's all. Not worth a repeat.
also YESSSSSSS. it was ridiculous. we got there around 7:30, waited outside for awhile, and then were told there were no more berries but we'd still get "powder." weird. then we get inside (only to wade through a massive crowd for 20 minutes) and behold, there are like 5 bags of berries. i also didn't really get why they had stuff that was already sweet, like fruit, on the buffet. it did enable me to drink cheap gin like it was water, though. dangerous! and hangover-inducing.
oddly, it didn't work on my friend at ALL. maybe her tastebuds are resistant?
I've never tried the berries before but I've done the extract pills - it def worked for me and was pretty entertaining, but I was limited to trying stuff I happened to have lying around my house. Most striking were the sour patch kids which ended up tasting like regular gummy bears, even though I usually can barely handle them. I bet a well organized/better planned event would be a lot of fun. Too bad.
I tried it once. The whole idea is to try things that normally taste bitter/sour/spicy. Lemons, Tabasco sauce, that kind of thing. Didn't work too great on me but friends of mine will drink vinegar on those things.
I heard mberry was sponsoring that event. I checked out their website www.mberry.us. it's pretty cool. And clusterfuck hahaha that's funny for everyone's sake i hope they get their act together.
Damn I was trying to go, but couldn't get back from school. So I decided to buy a plant, and have my own taste parties. FTW
I've tried the extract pills, but they just gave me a headache and made everything taste like it was rubbed in asprin. But not an aspirin that gets rid of headaches.
BYT needs more maps.
I am beyond happy you called bullshit on the set up of this event. The map captures how flipping frustrating it was. Good job on the map and great write up!
Way to be about a year too late. Again, DC tries to seem hip but really you are far behind The Times.