Experience Required?

Way back when I worked for the Navy as a paints & coatings expert, I would have long debates with my boss about whether one needed first-hand, hands-on (hmm... trying for another descriptive containing the word "hand", but failing... losing my grip? ;-D ) experience to really understand something. I always took the position that, while it certainly adds to one's knowledge, actually experiencing something is not always necessary to fully understanding it.

But now I find myself on the other side of the argument. Why? Nougat. Specifically French (or Italian, depending on the geographical, political & ancestral perspective of who you ask) nougat. White, tender, chewy nougat filled with nuts (most commonly toasted almonds) and often tasting of honey. Think of the "Big Hunk" candy bars of your youth (or at least my youth... I have not seen them in forever. But that may merely be due to modern technology... I pay for my gas at the pump and rarely venture into the Big Hunk's native habitat -- the inside of a gas station/convenience store). Or a more upscale version -- the Provencal Nougat bars at Trader Joe's (but also located near the cash registers... Is there some special connection between nougat & cash? Or is it the cashiers?).

Anyway, I've been attempting to make my own nougat at home. But my problem is, that while I have a pretty good idea what an Americanized version of nougat tastes like (tough research, but someone had to do it!), I've never eaten real French (or Italian, with the same disclaimer as above) nougat. How tender? How sweet? How honey-y? How nutty? How chewy? Does it contain cocoa butter?

So what am I to do in a case like this? I've asked all the people I can think of who may have possibly experienced the "real" stuff to describe it to me and the best answer I've received is: "I know it's good when I see it". I am torn between locating a source of imported nougat (but then there will be those who argue that it never, ever tastes the same after being shipped...) and just trusting my own palate. Maybe I should develop a recipe that I like and call it MKT-Nougat and pretend that it is my own creative take on nougat... And then I can roll my eyes and oh-so-tolerantly remark on the quaintness of those who prefer old-fashioned nougat.

Boy, if my old boss could only see me now!