Because it is so often badly, or at any rate uninterestingly prepared, a great many people have arrived at the conclusion that they just do not like fish. The trouble is the flavour of most fish is so bland, that it needs delicious sauces or accompaniments in order to make it inviting. With fish, so much depends upon the cooking. A well-cooked herring is far more enjoyable than a badly cooked sole. Generally, fish is overcooked and grilled until it is like coco-matting.
Five factors that affect the appetite appeal of foods are, contrast in colour, shape, flavour, texture and temperature. Colour contrast tops the list, because that is what we notice first about food. These first impressions are very important. Form or shape should be varied to make food interesting. Flavour is hard to define, but it is that quality of food which lingers in the memory, long after the meal has been eaten.
There are two kinds of flavour, the natural flavour of foods such as fruits which mature and ripen in the sun, and man-made flavours. Curry, for example, is made up of sixteen ingredients. The wise use of spices and herbs is no doubt the secret of the best French cooking. When food is served, a person should be aware only of the delightful aroma and delicious flavour of the whole dish, rather than of one predominating flavour.