Today, as I filled up my small glass of water at a sushi restaurant where my family and I were eating, small puffs of hot air from under the machine reached my hand. This confused me because I thought it was the water coming out of the dispenser, spraying my hand, that was hot. I was worried that I might be at the wrong machine. The label however, said “cold,” so I continued filling up my glass. On the way back to the table I dipped the tip of my index finger into the glass of water to make sure. Yes, it was cold. But then almost immediately the thought struck me: how the hell do I know what “cold” is!?

How would you describe “hot” or “cold” to someone who’s never felt them?

_*