Art and Adria (Intro Gastronomy Journal 2)

When does food become “art” rather than “craft”? Is gastronomy an art form? I think it was Aristotle who claimed that food, unlike painting, poetry, music, and dance, could never be a true “art,” as it was born out of the base human need to sustain oneself. Even at the highest level, cuisine is still fulfilling a human bodily function. Has mere cooking been able to both satisfy hunger and exist on the intellectual and spiritual plane that other art forms manage to attain? Will it ever be able to?

My somewhat lacking knowledge of gastronomical history would lead me to believe that food has not been widely considered an art form. True, there have been geniuses in the world of cuisine. From Carême to Keller, however, these individuals are most often viewed as master craftsmen- much in the same way that Stickley or Stradivari were. It’s has been hard for me to believe that food can present a unique view of the world or that it could inspire the same emotional range as painting or poetry. Hard, however, not impossible to believe.

The more I read about aesthetics and the more I learn about food, the more I believe gastronomy could be art. In earlier ages, fine cuisine was no doubt appreciated by those at its table, and it has also employed certain artistic tenants- we meet food with our eyes before our mouths. I think, however, that chefs today are at a time of immense intellectual, gustatory, and artistic ferment. The culinary world today is awash with new ideas and philosophies. Chefs are currently capable of expressing a greater range of emotions and ideas through food, than they have ever been before. A dish can now elucidate the mechanics of food science or it could become an opus on sustainability. It can demonstrate the importance of tradition or the meeting of to two cultures.

I have to admit that it took me quite a while to warm up to “molecular gastronomy.” I dismissed it as “the faddiest of fads.” I couldn’t believe that dishes such as deconstructed onion soup or quince foam could be anything more than passing fancies. Since learning more about Ferran Adrià (and cuisine in general), I have changed my mind. My watered-down knowledge of molecular gastronomy came from food magazines and Top Chef . This is much the same as seeing a cartoon of a Monet and thinking that you’ve experienced the real deal.

In the case of Adrià’s creations, I’ve not been so lucky as to try them. I have, however, begun to learn more about the man and his ideas. In my mind, a meaningful and moving philosophy is the backbone of some of the greatest art. Those who review Adrià comment on how his dishes can balance a play of humor, irony, surprise, and pleasure. He has been quoted as saying that his ideal customer is one who “doesn't come to El Bulli to eat but to have an experience." Art is nothing if not experience.