U. researcher holds fate of new ice cream flavors on tip of tongue

John Harrison can not afford to take his taste buds for granted. His are insured for $1 million -- literally. As Edy's Grand Ice Cream's master taster, Harrison's tongue is a valuable commodity. His employers have deemed his services so valuable that they are not taking any chances, spending a significant sum of money on an insurance policy that covers Harrison's gustatory senses. Headquartered in Oakland, Calif., Edy's is now attempting to expand throughout the country, and Harrison is the man helping the company achieve its goals. He is responsible for coordinating Edy's new Ambassadors Program, which has selected 50 lucky ice cream connoisseurs from around the nation to taste-test new flavors. One of these discerning tongues belongs to Penn's own Judith Smith, a research specialist at the University's Department of Pathology. Smith has loved ice cream ever since her childhood in St. Louis. When she heard that Edy's was soliciting ice cream resumes for its new program, she jumped at the opportunity. "I comprised a story about how ice cream had entered into my family's life growing up," Smith said. "I wrote about three different ways to eat ice cream in the heat." Selected as an ambassador, Smith will have four shipments of ice cream delivered to her house in the next year. The flavors will be those in the prototype stage, according to Harrison. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the program took place last week, when the three Philadelphia-area ambassadors gathered in the Phantom Ice Cream parlor in downtown Philadelphia for the testers' training. During the evening, Harrison supplied each taster with a personalized white lab coat, gold-plated spoon, thermometer and freezer gloves. Using a video, he also instructed his trainees on the nuances of tasting, which is comprised of a system Harrison calls "swirl, smack and spit." "First you invert the spoon and taste on your 9,000 taste buds," Harrison instructed. "Then you smack to bring in the ambient room temperature and let the aroma come into your nose. Finally, you don't have to swallow to taste the ice cream." Smith explained that although her favorite flavor changes a lot, vanilla is always welcome on her palate.