The "Lick" Test

Today is Wednesday and with every Wednesday comes a two hour Earth Science/Geology lab. Up until our first test all the labs had to do with topographic maps and got to be a MAJOR pain to do and kinda tough. So we're all pretty happy to be moving on to another topic.

We have begun to learn about minerals and how to identify them. Today's lab was all about learning minerals that we'll have to identify on a quiz sometime next week (I have to say I still really don't know a lot of them). The professor hadn't covered everything in yesterday's lecture so he went over a couple short things that were good to know for our identifying workshop today.

During the little lecture today he got out a big specimen of Salt and explained some of the properties of it and the hardness and angles of it. Then he was talking about being able to do a taste test. He rinsed off the salt block and showed us how shiny it got because all the surface stuff had been dissolved and then he licked it. Then he took out another mineral (I can't remember the name, I think it started with a "P") and told us that it was used as a salt substitute. He said it was a little bit different the salt in taste but used in cooking or with something you wouldn't really be able to tell the difference. He then said he could just tell that Casey would be up for tasting it and had him go up to the front of the room. The professor rinsed off the mineral and just as he's getting ready to hold it up for him to lick he says that its a little potent. Casey asked if he should lick it or used his finger and he ended up taking a big ol' lick and you should've seen his face! We all instantly started laughing and all the professor said was A little strong huh? A little different then salt.... kinda has a bitter after taste. Casey, slowly moving back to his seat just kept nodding with a puckered expression saying "yeah... a little potent... a little bitter..."

The professor told us to make sure to rinse off anything we might lick in case someone had done an acid test on it before! I was a bit iffy about tasting anything but once we got to salt and Melissa rinsed it off and tried it, I gave in too. I was only willing to try the salt and didn't dare try the other stuff after Casey's reaction. We did try the acid test on some Calcite though and it was SO cool! It fizzed kinda like soda and bubbled up and kinda exploded a little. I'd totally do it again... even though we had to wear those horrible looking green goggles that slide off :P