A Clay Taster's Guide

While I am sculpting I tend to add a little moisture with my tongue, indeed, the best way to stick tiny details onto moist clay is to use a little saliva. So essentially I have tasted various clays with reactions from "this doesn't taste bad" to "omg why did I put this in my mouth after my nose warned me?" I occasionally get made fun of in classes for having 'porcelain lips' - I look like a science fiction film extra with anemia. So far I have not come to any harm and indeed clay is considered medicinal or necessary in many parts of the world, so I am merely carrying on a dietary tradition that humans have practiced since prehistoric times.

Then there are those extra credit clay tastings - work at a wheel in a classroom setting and sooner or later someone will spray you with liquid clay. My classmates always burst out laughing when the inevitable spray happens - more points for clay on the face or into the mouth. I think though if you splash a porcelain workspace with stoneware, you lose points.