Artifact 3: Is Food Art?
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 art-form.
- Consider cultural differences in the production and consumption food.
Original post:
Personally, when trying to decide whether food is art or not, I think back to my own definition of what art is. Art in my eyes is something that is created with the intention of evoking an emotional response and is simultaneously aesthetically pleasing. To view art, you have to use your senses. Whether that is vision, smell, taste, hearing, or touch. I think all five of our special senses provide a unique perspective to viewing art and neither of them should be DISCOUNTED
compared to one another. Therefore, food in my opinion is definitely a form of art. From preparation to consumption, it is an artistic process that involves every single special sense. Making food allows an individual to experiment with different ideas and ultimately produce something unique. However, when thinking about fast food preparation as discussed in the presentation, I would draw the line there. I do not think producing bulk amounts of food with the use of machines is art. Creating food from scratch at home is different because it involves sensory input that machines cannot provide.
“It is generally agreed that there can be aesthetic reactions to tastes and smells” (Tefler 11). A pleasant smell can make someone happy while a horrible smell can do the opposite to someone’s mood. Similarly, a pleasant or an unpleasant taste can have an effect on a person’s emotions or mood because it is also a sensory experience. That being said, the taste of food has the ability to trigger various emotions from person to person, exactly like traditional art does. Furthermore, while people possess varying opinions about different works of art, people also have varying taste preferences for food. Overall, the world of food is highly variable and I definitely see it as an art. “Food does not represent anything else, as most literature and much visual art does”, but I believe it is a form of art in a different sense (25). If you want to become a professional chef, you have to go to culinary school in order to become certified. It is a profession that requires practice and skill—a characteristic of an “artist” in any field of work.
Finally, I think my personal opinion that food is art is most closely related to the theory of Modernism. “Included in the many new approaches and subjects that 18th century thinkers turned their attention to was a subject that came to be called ‘aesthetics’—a concern with elucidating principles such as taste and beauty that govern all the arts and indeed make them not simply paintings or statues but examples of (fine) ‘art’” (Dissanayake 17). For me, cooking food and even consuming it is a “kind of detached aesthetic experience” because it is the culminating product of the human senses (18).
Reflection:
Personally, this was one of my favorite’s topics to learn more about because I love food. The material presented about this topic brought up the debate on whether or not food should be considered art or not, and if so, to what extent. There were two distinctions made: slow food and fast food. In addition, it was important to distinguish between the process of making food and the product itself. I learned a great deal about the differentiation between the two by watching the presentations on slow and fast food. In my opinion, the process of cooking involves the five human senses, so it is definitely a form of art. Additionally, if the food is being prepared at home from scratch or in a kitchen to evoke an emotional response due to its aesthetic nature, it is art in my opinion. Exploring the notion of food as an art-form was interesting because it was difficult to know where to draw the line. Personally, I would draw it between slow and fast food because I do not think making food in bulk with machines is art. It was also mentioned by Elizabeth Telfer in her essay that “many meals are intended by their cooks to be considered largely in this way–to be savoured, appraised, thought about, discussed–and many eaters consider them in this way” (14).
In terms of cultural differences in the production and consumption of food, I think many cultures are concerned with aesthetics when it comes to food, which deals with its taste and overall appearance. Additionally, it was mentioned in a discussion I had with a classmate, that creating food in traditional times with a fire and various tools was much different than it is today. That being said, I would consider the preparation of food back then to be even more artistic. This is because it involved a higher degree of sensual integration and innovation. In my own kitchen, I love to spend time cooking because I think I express my thoughts through the food I prepare. I like being artistic with the preparation and creating something unique and tasty every single time. The image I included below is an example of this. It is a dish I made for dinner one night: smoked Alaskan salmon (seasoned with curry powder), cooked with assorted vegetables, sauteed apples, and served with organic brown rice. Finally, it was topped with sweet and sour sauce. Yum!
Future:
In the future, I plan to continue with my passion for cooking because I truly believe it allows me to express myself in a unique way. In terms of examining food as art, I want to stick to a principle where I will only consume food that was made with effort and aesthetic intentions. For example, I will eat food that is prepared in a restaurant because it is carefully crafted by a chef. On the other hand, I will stay away from fast food (which I already do) because it is cheap food that is made in bulk. While there is no nutritional benefit to such food, there is also no enjoyment in eating it, in my mind, because it does not necessarily appeal to the senses.
References:
Table of Contents
Artifact #1: The Nature of Human Values
Artifact #2: What is Art for?
Artifact #3: Is Food Art?
Artifact #4: The Art of Personal Adornment
Artifact #5: Aesthetics of Horror
Artifact #6: Creative Spirituality
Artifact #7: Technology, Games, & Art
Artifact #8: Remixing Culture
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