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 artform.
• Consider cultural differences in the production and consumption food.

Original Post:

After reading this piece by Elizabeth Telfer I have determined that food can in fact be art. The key word here is ‘can’. I don’t think that all food is art, but I believe that food has the potential to be art. For example, when you go to a fancy restaurant, the food is presented to you on a nice plate with sauce drizzled on your food in just the right way. There may be a few basil leaves placed in the corner to add even more decoration. The food is very pleasing to the eye and can be art in this way. It is enjoyable to look at and see the effort that was put into making this food look beautiful. In addition to this, food can be art in more ways than just visually. The delicious smells and taste of food can be art. When you smell or taste delicious food it is a very enjoyable experience. The aesthetics of food can make it art. This relates back to what Telfer said: “There can be aesthetic reactions to tastes and smells.” (Page 11.) Aesthetics are things that appeal to our senses. People usually have aesthetic reactions to art, therefore food can be art because it constitutes these aesthetic reactions.

I believe that the modernist theory best represents my views about food and art. Modernism includes the idea that “there is a special frame of mind for appreciating works of art – a “disinterested” attitude that is separate from one’s own personal interest” (Page 17.) I believe that this represents a lot of how I think about food as art. It is necessary to have a certain “frame of mind”, like Dissanayake said, in order to appreciate certain kinds of art. In this case, it is easy to just eat food or see food and not think of it as art. However, if you are in a certain frame of mind, you can really appreciate the food and see it in a beautiful, artistic way.

Reflection:

I found that this artifact was the most enjoyable for me. Everyone loves food and we are constantly eating food. However, nobody really thinks of food as art. After this assignment, I really do believe that food can be art and it was fun for me to explore this idea. I enjoyed reading my peer’s responses to this assignment as well. Many of them had different ideas than me and it was interesting to see all of the different posts.

In addition to this, since I did this assignment I have noticed that I think about food more than just something to eat. For example, when I go to restaurants I appreciate the way the chefs have prepared my meal. I didn’t do this before completing this assignment.

Future Goals:

I have never been to an extremely fancy restaurant. In the future I would love to visit a five-star, classy restaurant and experience the food that is offered there. In this artifact I talked about the fancy food that chefs prepare and how they make it very aesthetically pleasing not only in the way it tastes but in the way that it looks. I want to visit a restaurant like this and experience the food first hand.