Coffeehouse Discussion- Memory

Finally made it to one of the coffeehouse discussions earlier today, where we discussed the Madeleine scene in Swann's Way and the notion of involuntary memory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Involuntary_Memory).

Each member of the group described the earliest memory they could recall. These included: being told of a close relative's death, a visit to the Smoky Mountains and hearing Dolly Parton music, watching crabs being cooked and actions taken while still inside the womb.

We then prepared to reenact the Madeleine scene of Proust by relating memory to that of the taste of foods. The foods included cheetos, apple sauce and juice, radishes, and Fu, which was largely unknown to the group.

After this discussion our group was assembled, our tea and Madeleines were ready, and we eagerly waited for the partaking of the ritual. After a quick reading of Proust's scene, we dipped our Madeleines into the tea and tasted them.

I can't say what everyone else felt, aside from the fact that they were delicious, but for me the Madeleine was similar to what Proust writes when saying that with each bite the amazing taste diminishes. My very first bite brought with it a strange, salty flavor, different from the tea and the taste that I experienced as I continued to finish the cake. With each bite it became sweeter and more like what I imagined it would taste like. I was equally puzzled when I ate a second and third Madeleine, there was no trace of that saltiness which had accompanied my first taste. In speaking with another member of the group, I was told that she had not noticed any such saltiness, making it seem that I merely imagined it. Or perhaps a few specks of salt had fallen into the mixture and gathered in the first Madeleine I had ever tasted; I like to think, however, that it was no coincidence or flight of fancy. I will instead choose to equate it with the mystery that defines all religious rituals and events, for it is that mystery that gives such experiences a sense of wonder which forever remains in our memories.