Food Aesthetics and Chef Artistry

we are all aware of the simple fact that food is a basic human survival.Likewise,many artists will undoubtedly tell you that art is an also a basic necessity ,an inherit part of human life without which one literally cannot survive. But is food by itself an art?Does everyone such an art?Are we to be chefs?Are chefs Artists?

well there's one way to answer these questions.Let's analyse over this from a perspective less focused food from the aesthetic view.

Well every human being is gifted with a set of skills or talents that they aren't ware of But in order to identify  these hidden skills there must indeed be an exposure to such opportunities. Exposure ,to bring out what is hidden and explore them to a better understanding.To analyse and understand this view point better ,let us look into the Hollywood cinema "Perfume", the film portrays an orphaned boy who is gifted with the most profound sense of smell that he can identify from miles away,the film is passed on his quest of finding the perfect perfume and his journey to achieve from miles away,the film is how individuals are born or gifted with a set of powerful skills and talents that they themselves are yet to identify ,for which the necessary exposure is required.

Obviously ,artists and chefs can manipulate food into what we tend to think of as more "traditional" visual art forms,but the result of these efforts are often not meant for consumption and this interpretation of "food art" is entirely different.

If you're at leisure to savour ,the experience of taste it encourages more elaborate cognitive faculties such as what is it like?What does it remind you of?

The cultivated appreciation of fermented products depends on it and even takes the literary elements of taste to next level.

We want wine to allude to the ground in which the grapes were grown .we want the complexities of flavor to unfold like a story after the suspenseful swirl of the glass and the foreshadowing deep inhale.wine and other artisan goods are designed for this sort of aesthetic contemplation.but food doesn't require fine craftsmanship to be meaningful.Any meal,even those taken alone,represents an intersection of human relationships.

For a matter of fact Indian food has been artistic by itself,the use of colors,spices and methods of cooking  are all a form of art.some say Indian food is divine by itself.

"A chef is a mixture of  artitry and craft.You have to learn the craft to get there."--Wolfgang puck

Chef artistry is the form of showcasing ones creativity in the presentation and plating of food.It's a one way process,where an individual showcases various unique styles and techniques in presentation of food,it does not necessarily require any appreciation to make it an art as opposed to the fact anything can be called art.Even an ingredient uncooked and placed in a particular form becomes an art.Art is the one omnipresent entity all around us.we must look for it and begin to appreciate its form and beauty.

"A culinary artist or Culinarian is a person working in the culinary arts.A Culinarian working in restaurants is commonly known as a cook or a chef. Culinarians are responsible for skilfully preparing meals that are pleasing to the palate or as to the eye".

to conclude

,Food and art may both be meaningful and moving (even profound)but in entirely different ways,perhaps enough to distinguish culinary from fine art or even make the comparison moot.

By

Priyank Sukanand,

BCT&CA Final year

CAI