Artifact III: Is Food Art?
Topic: Is Food Art?
Learning Unit 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.
After reading more articles about food is art or not, I realized I need consider deeply about whether food should be as a major form of art. One of articles “How Can Food Be Art?” written by Glenn Kuehn provides a new aspect of food as art, he believe the Telfer’s methods of describing the artistic status of food is outdated and neglects to acknowledge a philosophy of food，also, he explained Telfer ignore to “offer a context through which food can be seen as part of a profound and significant aesthetic experience. If food is going to be seen as art, it needs a context in which significant experiences of the aesthetic can come from everyday life” (Kuehn, 194). Then he stated that the meaning of food as art is based on the organic interaction between its “production, presentation, and manner of appreciation.”(Kuehn, 195). Moreover, He used his experience of food-related memories that the food make him have a depth of feeling of harmony, arrangement, articulation, skill, and when food as a medium (Kuehn, 205)
At the beginning, I agree with Kuehn’s point that people’s experience in the daily life can form an aesthetic experience to consider food as an inherently art. However, Elizabeth Telfer in her article”Food As Art “explained that there can be aesthetic reaction to tastes and smell and that these reactions are distinct from the natural appreciation of food as merely a source of survival (Telfer, 11). This argument is against the Kuehn’s experience that food makes him have a feeling of harmony, and articulation etc. because this kind of feeling is just the aesthetic reaction to tastes and smell, and it cannot simply illustrated as art. This is your memory feeling of this kind of food, and your personal feel of food not stands for the food itself. Perhaps food deserves to be treated as simple art or minor art because it is necessarily transient, cannot have meaning and cannot move us. For instance, a cup of delicious coffee espresso, experts suggest that people should consumed it during two minutes when it is done, and some delicious food should be eaten before it become cold etc, these kind of examples all prove that the food art can be shared and preserved by people is very limit and contemporary. Also, food cannot vehicle meaning; this is not to say food means nothing to you. For example, a wife spend much time to do a delicious dinner with much of her love for her family, this kind of food may be have a good looking, smell good and have a harmony feeling for her family, which may means the wife loves her family very much, but the point is that the meaning is not in the food, the meaning maybe in the gestures, and in the words. The food can stands for all sorts of meaning, but it cannot carry any specific statement per se. Furthermore, food cannot move us in way music and other major arts can. Good food can elate us, invigorate us, startle us, and cheer us with a kind of warmth and joy, yet food cannot shake us fundamentally as shown by tears or fear. Perhaps many people would say according to personal cultivated experience can appreciate the art of food because they treat each special taste and smell of food is special feeling for them. However, these aesthetic experiences mean the food, not the food itself.
Furthermore, sometimes we can experience foods that display skills that are borrowed from other forms of art. For instance, many fruit carvings, decorated eggs and cake with sophisticated decoration, which are all display the artistic skill applied into food not the food itself. Likely, the artistic skill can be applied into stone or wood etc. Art is original creation, these artistic skills can be called art but it was not solely inspired by the food. Also, some cookery can qualify as art if degree of creativity is criterion because they use their creativity to make their food look special and good taste, and the process of making food can be called an art form not the food itself. Food are created just for eating not appreciating because it’s good looking just for attracting people to consume and last for very short time, and its main purpose is for people to eat or survival no matter how beautiful they are be cooked. That is, food as a minor art form because it can vehicle many kinds of meaning and last for a short time, but not similar to live performances of theater and music, which have long been considered some of the most aesthetically important forms of art. So I believe food should be consider as minor art which have limited and fleeting art life but cannot carry meaning and move people by itself.
Reflection:
Both of these two articles gave me two different aspects of viewing food as art or minor art. Telfer presents that food should be consider as minor art because it has no meaning and cannot move people per se. And Kuehn’s point of view is food should be considered as an inherently art as result of people’s daily life experience can form aesthetics’ experience. At first, I believe food is an art form because there are lots of food is crafted very beautiful and tasty by the chef before reading these articles. Then I reshape my belief from Telfer’s article and I agree with food is a minor art form whose purpose is for consuming and eating not carrying long-time meaning.
Also, I strongly believe the effort and skills of chef is the truly and major form of art. However, I believe the idea of food art is different for different people with different cultural backgrounds .I still hope people can view the food as art form objectively. For instance, many apples are crafted as ducks and butterfly, which is just for fun within a short time, and lately they will be eaten by consumers.
Learning Goals for the Future:
I really like to evaluate food as an art form since reading more articles about food as art or not. In reality, I enjoy different good looking and tasty food. Also, I hope I could know more depth of food and explore how truly to appreciate its specialty in my future life. And lastly, I will try to do some cuisines like a chef for my family.
Bibliography:
Kuehn, Glenn. “How Can Food Be Art?” The Aesthetics of Everyday Life. Ed. Andrew Light and Jonathan M. Smith. New York: Columbia UP, 2005. 194-212.
Can you please go back a little because I’m hungry now?