Do I see food as art? I asked myself this question after reading Elizabeth Telfer’s article. The author used a lot of different ways trying to figure out this question; for example, she define art in the classifying and evaluative sense, and she tried to differ art and craft in the respect of usefulness and creativeness. She concluded that food is a kind of “minor art” because “works of art in food, whether creative or interpretative, cannot gain the same stature as those of greater permanence” (p.25). I guess I understand this conclusion but I see this in a different way. Again, I was trying to think if I see food as art, and I concluded that it all depends on how people treat that food.
- Some food are definitely can be called art. Chiefs are creating and carving an art instead of making dishes for feeding people. Of course, people can eat these because they are made by real food, but these be called art not because they are food. Here are some examples:
http://www.theendearingdesigner.com/creative-food-architecture-and-sculpture-designs
http://www.theendearingdesigner.com/creative-food-architecture-and-sculpture-designs
http://yunying19808.blog.163.com/blog/static/137491370201271052636711/
- Some food could be called art for some reasons, or they could be art for some people. This is similar to what Dissanayake defined art which is “making something sepecial” (p.10). People did these for special reasons and these also are dishes. They are dishes but probably its main function is not feeding people, so the taste is not important here. Just like Telfer mentioned that “it deserves to be apprised aesthetically, even though it may then be found wating” (p.13). So for people who created, these would be arts, but to some other people, they might not see these as art because they have no special meaning for them. Here are some examples:
ttp://weheartit.com/entry/19986670
http://weheartit.com/entry/19986732
- Some food show a lot of creativeness, but they just might not lead people have “aesthetic reaction”. I know some arts express feelings of humor, but whether or not call them work of art depends on different people. To some of people, they would think it is genius and grateful while some other people would think that is rubbish. Here are some examples:
http://artsfield.net/2013/05/07/food-art-4/
http://www.gmw.cn/cg/2013-02/04/content_6622506.htm
http://www.gmw.cn/cg/2013-02/04/content_6622506.htm
- When is comes to food that we eat very day, which is meals, I don’t think we should count them as work as art. People who eat them rarely think of aesthetic feelings, and people who made them don’t think they are creating art as they cooking. I cook for myself, and I don’t think I am making art even I really enjoy cooking. I guess this is more depends on how people see that dish. For example, the most common food, instant noodles, when we look at it in different ways, it will lead to very different feelings and conclusions.
It might not be art but it might be a beautiful thing when we look it like this:
http://www.0086lady.com/health/yinshi/201310/8897.html
http://www.0086lady.com/health/yinshi/201310/8897_2.html
http://www.0086lady.com/health/yinshi/201310/8897_3.html
However, for the same thing, it could also be like this:
http://bbs.tiexue.net/post_6198304_1.html
To sum up, food is a too general thing to say it is art or not. It all depends.