I definitely think that food can be considered art. One of the most important factors in serving food on a dish is to make the presentation of it aesthetically pleasing. Food isn’t just supposed to taste good, it’s supposed to look good as well in order to attract an audience. It is also a main reason why people go to culinary school, they need to learn how to make their food looking externally picturesque, as well as tasting delicious.
In the reading for this week, Food as Art, Elizabeth Telfer states how “a work of art by definition [is] a man-made thing, even if the human involvement need consist of no more than putting a natural object in a gallery and giving it a title” (Tefler 12). I completely agree with this because she basically explains how anything that an individual human being makes or creates can be art, no matter what it is. Just because something is not in a museum and doesn’t have a title or description with it, does not mean that it is not art.
Food also can be considered to be art because you can express your creativity through cooking. There can so many different colors and textures on someone’s plate, and you can mix different colors to create a food masterpiece. It is art you can give to others. Just like how last week we learned how Ellen Dissanayake describes “making special,” I believe that each cook, chef or any human that makes food, does it in a way to make it special and unique and in their own style.
Starting with the basics, natural goods come from nature and nature itself is beauty. Everything natural is shaped in a way that man cannot shape and that is what makes each food product from nature completely unique. Overall, I absolutely believe that food, in any way shape or form, is art.
Telfer writes, “many philosophers argue that although food and drink can give rise to aesthetic reaction, they cannot constitute works of art” (Telfer 18). These philosophers are under the assumption that just because one receives aesthetic emotions toward food, it’s not necessarily works of art. They argue that eating is part of human instinct and thus cannot be considered art. Humans must eat in order to survive, while art is labeled as a recreational activity or hobby. Food’s purpose is to relieve hunger and to provide nourishment to those who ingest it, where as art is used to express one’s opinion, tastes, or emotional feelings. Telfer states “some commentators draw the distinction on the basis of the purpose to which the artefact is to be put: if it is intended for contemplation it is a work of art, if for use it is a work of craftsmanship” (Telfer, 15). By this definition, food is not considered to be art.
Rachel, you mentioned a part of the article that stood out to me was when Telfer explains how anything that an individual human being makes or creates can be art, no matter what it is. I think we lose sight of what art is. I have always believed that food is a form of art because sometimes they are beautifully designed in a way that I don’t think I could ever do! I also like how you thought about food as art because it is something you can give to others! When I was thinking about food being art that never occurred to me of a way of seeing it as art. I don’t know about you, but times I have gotten a dessert that is beautifully designed and I don’t want to eat it because I don’t want to mess it up. I think that you brought up many great points from the article that really challenged the idea that food is indeed art. I never looked at it through the lens of being a part of nature and how nature itself is beauty. I think you have a great outlook on what art, beauty and food is!
In your last paragraph you bring up the origin of food and natural goods, nature. I understand why you talk about this to prove that food is beauty and uniquely shaped by the earth but I disagree. Yes, food does come from nature but by the time it gets to a customer the food is so far distanced from its original state that it has lost any and all beauty that nature bestowed on it. The consumer does not want to think of the animal in its natural state as they chow down on a hamburger. Therefore the chef is responsible for creating a barrier between what the food is and what the customer wants it to be and look like making them the artist not nature. Obviously, nature is crucial to the production of food but I believe it is the human manipulation of the food that has the ability to make food art.