The article I chose to write my research assignment on is from the Huffington Post written by Fabio Parasecoli entitled, “Is Food Art? Chefs, Creativity, and the Restaurant Business?” This article begins by posing the ultimate question of this unit, “Is food art?” Parasecoli goes on to address the two main points of his argument supporting that food is in fact art. The first is that fancy restaurants that have head chefs that pride themselves on “innovation and creativity” form the top of the food dining hierarchy, i.e. haute cuisine. As Parasecoli writes, “Chefs are not just craftsmen, artisans, or business persons; they are expected to offer patrons (and critics) dishes and menus that stimulate and surprise them, find new methods to manipulate ingredients, and interact with technology and design in ways that keep them on the cutting edge and ensure coverage from the press, TV, and the Internet.” The second point Parasecoli uses is “the not uncommon framing of these chefs and restaurants in terms of avant-garde in the media and in public discourse.” He continues on to say that the idea of this translates to the concepts of art. Parasecoli concludes his article by discussing the issues of donor involvement in haute cuisine restaurant success. However, even though donors want chefs to play it safer for greater profit most “young gifted chefs are often not too worried whether ‘narrow-minded customers’ appreciate their work.”
Personally, I agree with Parasecoli’s claims. I think these claims align directly in many ways to the ideas proposed by Tefler. It is clear that food comes in many forms and while not all foods exemplify the characteristics of food, there are many specific types that do. As addressed in the reading, “So if dishes of food are works of art, then food is an art form. The term ‘art form’ has the same two senses, classifying and evaluative, as the term ‘work of art’” (Telfer 18). This connects back to Parasecoli’s claims in connection to haute cuisine. Haute cuisine isn’t just any type of food it’s food prepared with care and attention to details of taste, smell and appearance. Chefs of haute cuisine are always looking for new methods to excite the guests of their restaurant and keeping them engaged. It is not simply about offering the run of the mill standard food, it is about the experience that goes along with savoring every bite and almost establishing a sensory relationship with the food, based both on what you see you are about to eat and what you actually eat. Similarly, this can be compared to the way in which art is taken in and analyzed by an onlooker. It is not only about what you witness but also about how you witness it, what you take away from it, and what you interpret the purpose or meaning of the art is. These are similar things that someone experiences when eating haute cuisine. You escape from the typical and rudimentary food eating experiences and enter the sensory heightened, artistically developed world of culinary expertise. This type of haute cuisine elevates itself above other types of food making it almost, in my opinion, in comparison to a high art form.
Additionally, the other main point addressed by Parasecoli, i.e. the idea of food expressed via an avant-garde manner, is very relevant to arguing food as art. Parasecoli writes, “The Oxford English Dictionary, confirming the 1910 date, defines avant-garde as ‘the pioneers or innovators in any art in a particular period.’ The expression seems to imply new and experimental concepts, the presence of innovators that can be considered an intelligentsia, and a specific environment: the arts.” This can be connected back to the ideas of the fine dining experience. Not only is it about the experience of eating the specialty food served, but also about the way in which it is consumed including your surroundings. Parasecoli discusses how chefs collaborate with each other to mirror the “avant-garde movements of the past.”
Ultimately, connecting this article back to the main points of this unit, I believe it can clearly be argued that food is art. Art is a personal interpretation of the world, personal feelings, or a social protest, among many other forms. Food is an expression of how a chef visualizes a dining experience and interprets that through the recipes he writes and the ingredients used, along with the overall mood and attention to food placement on the plate. It’s about creating an atmosphere that goes along harmoniously with the food being consumed in a way that is unlike anything else and is individually unique to the eater. At the end of the day, food can be controversially seen as art and I believe that in many ways it should be considered as such.
Bibliography:
Parasecoli, F. (2013, August 29). Is Food Art? Chefs, Creativity, and the Restaurant Business? Retrieved April 26, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fabio-parasecoli/food-art_b_3830791.html