Taste is one of the few subjective experiences for which there is a relatively neat genetic explanation.
But they can also be that "cool aunt" who exposes a child to cultural experiences for which the parents may not have the time or money.
Of all the peak experiences for which movies provided the template, the one major exception, for me, anyway, may have been Christmas -- perhaps the one and only ritual that escaped the cinematic brainwashing.
The inspired teaching, groundbreaking research, and dynamic student experiences for which Yale is justly famous are all immeasurably enriched by the remarkable physical collections, innovative digital resources, and expert staff of the Library.
It is a time of year when people often turn to literature to make sense of war and its aftermath, to find comfort for their pain and loss, or to seek out companionship among those who have shared experiences for which it is often difficult to find words.
In a culture where a routine observation can be judged "awesome" or an unusually good meal deemed a "religious experience", I doubt that such surveys have much to tell us except that many otherwise ordinary people have had powerful and unusual experiences for which they cannot easily find words.
