The importance of food art in today’s modern era
Food is not just about filling our stomach and getting our daily calories and proteins. Whether we eat to live or live to eat, food has to cater to all the senses, pun intended. Haute cuisine is the term that defines food of the standard that qualifies as edible art. The benchmark is not just taste, but also the visual appeal of food. When first the food article is presented to us, we eat it with our eyes. If it doesn’t delight us visually, chances of ingesting it are low. Isn’t that the reason a mother perks up her child’s lunchbox with smileys? At a more sophisticated level, to discover art in food, visit any restaurant, deli or even the neighborhood vegetable shop. That beautiful lemon curd tart placed right next to the pop pink candy cup cake with those oh so beautiful little flowers, what’s not to like? Who in their right senses can resist buying vegetables when they are displayed in neat rows, nicely polished and clean?
Any restaurant worthy of its name takes pride in food display. Beautifully carved food and vegetables are one aspect of food art. Another more important aspect is the beauty of the cooked food. Presenting a plate of food with multiple items, all color coordinated, complementary shapes such that there is complete harmony of flavor, color, portion and smell, needs an artistic ability of the highest order. Even a cocktail is a work of art in the manner in which all the ingredients are coordinated in the glass. A chef is responsible not just for the taste of the food, but also for presenting the patron with new experiences and surprises each time. Whether it is traditional food like a plate of sushi or a bowl of fresh fruit salad or modern inventions like molecular gastronomy or even a dish where yam is cooked and presented to look like fish, food art has touched them all. A gifted chef understands the importance of food art in running a successful food business.
The other side of the term food art is food in art. Food has been present in art always. There are poems and songs written about food. Food is the hero of plays and motion pictures. Ratatouille is an adorable movie, much enjoyed by most. TV has made a ton out of food and hours’ of programming everyday revolves around food and the art of food presentation. Food books depend on beautiful color plates of artistic food for their sales. Every artist at sometime in his career has painted food, be it fruits in still life or the scene of a banquet. Food has been depicted in art, since the times of ancient Greeks and Romans. In Renaissance art, Dutch artists and modern painters, everybody has a noteworthy painting of food that is much loved and admired. Whether it is Cezanne’s Still Life with Fruit Basket or Van Gogh’s Still Life with Carafe and Lemons, these paintings have left their mark.
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