What does meaning have to do with perception?

My perception from yours may be very different. My mind might perceive a photograph to be a vase, but yours might see two faces. We assign meanings to different objects, but your mind has the power to change meaning and the way you perceive it. There is no set meaning to anything which is why you can change perceptions and meanings. There are no perceptions without meanings.
Recognition to the sight or smell of your favorite food is instant, just as seeing your enemy across the street is instant. Your perception of your favorite dish, lasagna, means salivating at the smell or sight of that very food. While eating that food, you might relate that to sunbathing in a pristine beach in Southern Italy and dining with that dreamy Italian. A dietician’s perception of lasagna, with all that fatty cheese and all of the carbohydrates from the tomato sauce and pasta, is definitely different than yours. She puts meaning to the ingredients in that lasagna and perceives a 300 pound slob ea...