Is Food Art?

Yes, food can be a form of art. There is an argument whether fast food compared to slow cooked food is less artistic. In the two videos, “Fast food presentation” versus the “Slow food presentation”, the slow-cooked foods were described in an aesthetic manner, describing every step to the process of a pasta or a pizza to be cooked. Every piece of the recipes was described by textures and colors, along with the shape and style cookware that was used with the slow-cooked recipes. Whereas, in the “Fast food presesentation” video, the negative aspects of quickly prepared food were emphasized. The shipped and processed food was not described in an aesthetic manner. Therefore, food can be appreciated as art in certain dynamics. In the article, “Food as Art”, written by Elizabeth Telfer, she states that, “food and drink can of course produce aesthetic reactions, it cannot be an art for or produce works of art” (Telfer, 9). In order for food to be art, it must be expressed and appreciated. While Telfer argues that,  “because people have to eat [dishes] to appreciate them, and because each person necessarily eats a different part of the dish, it might seem that in the sphere of food no one can appreciate a complete works of art…” (Telfer, 17). T his means that carefully prepared dishes can be presented in an aesthetic way, but also, our taste buds evaluate what is good in flavor and what is not. Our ability to sense beauty or distaste in flavor makes food an art. Art is not always something you have to view in order to enjoy its beauty or lack of expression. Food is a form of expression. Whatever qualifies an artist should not be limited merely by sculptures, canvases, or engravings. We use our senses to detect what we believe is artistic: our hearing tells us what music is good, our eyes tell us what painting is astonishing, therefore, our taste can depict what flavor may please us.