http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Fish_Food_Art.jpg
Saying food isn’t art is like saying George Washington had good teeth. Food absolutely qualifies as art on numerous levels. Growing, cooking, and the presentation of food all qualify as art in my eyes, although, not all food should be included. For instance, the fast food clip illustrated exactly how food can be used as anything BUT art. There is nothing artistic about mass production, chemical substitutes, animal cruelty, or international uniformity. On the contrary, the aesthetics and tastes of slow home cooked meals, depicted in the slow food youtube clip, are unique and specific to the cook. The concept of food as art falls mostly under postmodernism art. As Dissanayake explained, art was no longer restricted to museums but could be entertained by individuals on the streets.
When reading Tefler’s, Food As Art, he brought up a controversial point regarding mass production of food. “Suppose a chef working for Marks and Spencer creates a superb pie, which is then turned out by the thousand. Are all the pies works of art, or is the abstract recipe the only work of art?” (pg. 10) What do you think? Is it art if you are replicating someone else’s work? Tefler related the concept of mass production of pies to making prints of famous artwork. Additionally, Tefler talks about the importance of making food an art form, which I found the most interesting. For instance, the state spends distributes certain resources for the arts, teachers and professors work knowledge about the arts into their courses, and lastly that individuals encourage the arts.
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Hey, Joyanna,
After reading your blog of “Is Food Art”, I have several points want to discuss with you. First of all, I think you did a very good job, the picture you posted is very cute and this picture I think can absolutely tell people, food can be made as art. You compared fast food and slow food to state your view like fast food is not art, but some slow food can be considered as art. I agree with this point because as you said, “There is nothing artistic about mass production, chemical subustitutes, animal cruelty, or international uniformity.” Of course, fast food are made for people who are in hurry, neither the chef and customers have enough time to create such “art-like” food or enjoy their meal. Those fast food like McDonalds or KFC are few category and no creative, they are just flow line production made by machines. According to the second paragraph, a chef creates a superb pie, which is then turned out by the thousand. In my opinion, the original pie that the chef made can be called art, because it contained the chef’s creative thoughts and skills. However, when it turned out by the thousand , it just like a copy and a profit model, I will not accept such behavior called “art.” But in other hand, we can considered it is a way of “art-sharing.”
Hi,Joyanna, overall you have a really clear and good point on the question “Is food art”. And you connect to the previous unit by discussing the “postmodernism”, which I think is a very good explanation. My question is not about the way how you develop the argument, instead I simply don’t think it is precisely correct for us to discuss this question. Is food art? It is hard to give a definite answer. Based on Elizabeth’s theory, we should call it art if something conveys good aesthetic experience. But sometimes, food is not able to accomplish that. Since for different people, our reaction while eating a dish is different. (Homeless people may not have that aesthetic experience we define) Moreover, if we think in a different way on the replication thing you mention. I kind of disagree with Trefler’s idea. Even if this is a really good analogue putting replicating painting and product ionized food, we have to ask: “do they really mean the same thing?” Probably not. If we pass over the duplication of a art piece, what we know is clearly fixed, and the emotion or spirit, or story behind it would never be easily changed. However, we can hardly know anything about certain kind of dishes after it is popular, or after it spreads all over the world, say some Chinese food. Since the replication of a kind of food would always change or adjust some ingredients that are important in the original one.
Like what I say, food can be art, but not every one of them is art.