What is great with one or two bites can certainly become a disastrous wreck with any more than that. I am not talking about a palate getting bored and tired. I am simply noting that a dish can be excellent on a micro scale and just lousy on a macro scale. A case for my insight is a dish from our own repertoire. I made a litchi jelly candy and set it in small molds. The taste and texture were smooth, silky, and melting, reminiscent of a true litchi though with less chew. I felt the litchi jelly would pair nicely with marinated tomatoes and olive oil. I prepared small spoonfuls of peeled tomatoes, miso tea, olive oil, and the litchi jelly and took a bite. Absolutely delicious. I felt we needed to serve this dish. I took a great many peeled tomatoes and covered them in melted litchi jelly. I set this base mixture in small ramekins, eagerly waiting for the jelly to set so we could try the complete dish. When the tomato and litchi jelly molds were solidified, we turned them out onto a plate and dressed them with olive oil, miso tea, sorrel, and marjoram. We then began eating the dish. One bite was tasty, two was good, three just OK. I looked at Aki and she looked at me and we both nodded. We cannot serve this. It literally tells you to stop eating it and that is not good. While the initial tastes and textures of the litchi jelly and tomato seemed promising, as a whole dish we need to rethink its uses. For now, we can serve the refreshing bite as an element of a dish.
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