Objectives:
- Examine methods for evaluating qualities of art, such as product versus process, the difference between craft and fine art, must art be archival, and what is an aesthetic reaction.
- Explore the notion of food as an artform.
- Consider cultural differences in the production and consumption of food.
From February 2nd 2014
Interviewer: CjB
Interviewee: Brittany
Meal being discussed: Truffle oil broccoli with Himalayan salt and Teriyaki seared tofu
Do you believe food is an art or not?
“Yes, I would say it is art especially when you go to a fancy restaurant and they present it really nicely. And, it’s a talent that not everyone has, to be able to cook, so I guess it is kind of an art in a way.”
Dissanayake (1991) discusses the idea of “making special” as when “one exerts control, takes pains, and uses care and contrivance to do one’s best, the result is generally what is called artistic or aesthetic? How do people make food special? Are there different ways?
“I think that not following a recipe and just using what you have or using ingredients that you love makes it more personal. And, I would say not using instructions that makes it mores special because you just are left with your own creativity.”
The difference between art and craft as Tefler (2002) states is that, “art is an original creation, whereas craft is carrying out an instruction… or employing a technique”. Is this meal an art form or a craft?
“Well, I would say this is an art, because there were no recipes, you just put together ingredients we already had, you didn’t use instructions.”
Follow up:
The initial response people often have to thinking of food as an art is to consider it as a visual art form. Brittany did this in her response to my initial question by discussing the presentation of food in a visually interesting way. However, after using the material presented by Dissanayake and Tefler to ask deeper questions, she shifted her responses to include creativity in cooking as an art form.
The meal I made was an idea originally put together by my parents with ingredients we wanted to use up. However, I changed different aspects of how it is prepared and the ingredients used to alter it to my taste. Tefler believes that the interpretation of a recipe can be art stating, “…interpretative artists have to make choices, have to be creative, and within an interpretative art we can distinguish between creativity and technique” (16). As you can see by the picture below, I did not present or cook the food in an aesthetically pleasing way, but Brittany appreciated the creativity of the mix of flavors and therefore considered the meal a form of art.
Reflection:
In this week’s lesson I grappled with understanding the different sensory inputs that can be used to judge whether or not something constitutes art. Going into the assignment, I was confident that art was primarily artistic when unnecessary and expensive ingredients were used to garnish a dish in a way that was visually aesthetically pleasing, as shown below.
http://dreaminglife.org/raw-food-journal-day-1-of-10/
However, after doing the readings I came to the realization that several other senses are involved in determining whether or not food can be considered art. Further, Tefler (2002) believes that some food is art, while others is not. He makes this distinction, stating, “Not all objects that can give rise to aesthetic reactions are works of art. A work of art is by definition a man-made thing, even if the human involvement need consist of no more than putting a natural object in a gallery and giving it a title” (12). Being visually aesthetically pleasing, and being considered art are two different things. The term used to determine the difference between art and aesthetics is “making special” coined by Ellen Dissanayake (1991). This phrase means to have some sort of influence on food in a way that makes it personal to you.
My friend, Brittany, that I chose to interview for the project faced a similar change in her understanding of food as art. In her response to my first question, she explained that only fancy food could be art because it is presented in a way that is beautiful. However, as I began incorporating quotes from the reading into further questions, she illustrated a broader understanding of the ways in which food can be art.
Future learning goals:
In the future I want to consider food as art as I encounter cooking and going out to meals. My dad is a very good cook and has many recipes that he has created and altered throughout the years. These are works of art, because he has made them special by incorporating my family’s different taste preferences into the recipes. For example, he altered a classic Joy of Cooking Banana Bread recipe to include almonds and chocolate chips because those are two of my favorite things.
My family is very involved in the Portland restaurant scene and loves to explore new restaurants to compare and contrast menus. I hope to use the information I have learned from these readings to approach food in a new way. Further, I would like to continue to explore and encounter events that reward food as art. For example, Portland gives an annual award to the best chef in the city, called the James Beard Award. The foundation that gives out the reward considers several aspects of the art of cooking into their nomination of a winner. I would like to try the cooking of the James Beard Award recipient this year.
http://www.thejoykitchen.com/recipe/banana-bread-cockaigne
Bibliography:
http://dreaminglife.org/raw-food-journal-day-1-of-10/
http://www.thejoykitchen.com/recipe/banana-bread-cockaigne