Have you ever smelled something and suddenly noticed your mouth was watering? Don&8217;t be shy about it. That&8217;s perfectly human.

We are genetically connected to food at the most basic level. Among the basic, physiological needs all humans have, one of the most important is food.

Once we get enough food, then we can be more discriminating about what we will and will not eat.

Thousands of years ago, some caveman &8212; probably a successful one, plump with food taken with his own hands &8212; scoffed at a handful of rotten berries offered to him. The world&8217;s first gourmand was born.

Flash forward a few thousand years and you&8217;ll see that we are blessed to live in one of the richest countries in the world and with some of the best, most abundant food, too.

For decades the inhabitants of our small riverside hamlets have enjoyed the wonderful tastes brought in from all over the world as cultures mixed and mingled beside the mighty Mississippi River.

Beginning tonight a two-day celebration of those generations of flavors begins: The Great River Road Food Festival.

Natchez has always been a city that loves to eat, but good food will join forces with great company and loads of fun as the fest brings &8220;A Taste of Natchez&8221; event tonight at the Natchez Convention Center.

Saturday will be filled with everything from a scrumptious progressive lunch, bocce ball play, biscuit cooking contests and much more.

For more information, head to natchezfoodfest.com and don&8217;t forget to save room for dessert.