The article I read was “Food as art: it looks almost too good to eat” by Jane Brocket.  In this piece, Brocket tells a story about her and her daughter reading children’s books and making some of the food that is written about.  The books often do not give specific recipes but they do give detailed descriptions of how the food looks and tastes.  Brocket’s argument is that food is an art.  She makes the point that a chef has tools just like an artist has paint and a canvas.  A chef has to use the right instruments at the right time and have a great understanding of the ingredients and functions.  She also discusses “…Dinah Fried, an American graphic designer and photographer who takes famous literary meals and turns them into artfully arranged pictures on her website” (Brocket).  This is combining the craftsmanship of cooking with the art of photography.  She writes about the creativity that takes place both in everyday cooking and the creativity that someone like Fried possess when using food as a tool for her photography.

Brocket believes that food is an art, indefinitely.  I, on the other hand, am not as convinced.  After reading “Food as art” by Telfer, I was more convinced that cooking is a craft.  It does take a great deal of experience and skill to be a good chef but I believe that it is a different skill than being an artist.  Brocket and her daughter experimented with creating recipes from the children’s books.  I think this is a very intriguing activity that takes talent, however, I think this is more of a craft than an art.  In my blog, I said that I do not consider food art because I do not think that all food is art.  Meals that are beautifully prepared and aesthetically pleasing are the closest I would call food to art.  But I do not think there is any artistic value in a fast food burger and fries, like the video “Fast Food Presentation” suggests.  There is little color, no creativity, and chemicals used to produce our food with no artistic components.  We were asked to consider, “If food is art, is all food art? What are your criteria for determining whether food is art? Where do you “draw the line”, if there is a line?” (Huette).  It is difficult to consider food to be art when not all food is art.  I believe that when a baker creates a cake that looks like the city of New York, for example, that is art.  It is not so much about how the cake tastes or the ingredients, but upon the talent and art that is made from edible tools.  However, using food to make a meal for dinner should not be considered an art in my opinion.  My family owns a restaurant in Los Angeles; the menu mainly consists of American foods like hamburgers and sandwiches.  Our cooks are extremely talented and have dedicated their careers to serving delicious food.  I consider these men to be masters of their trade, but I would not consider them artists and I am confident that they would agree.

After reading “Food as art: it looks almost too good to eat” and watching “Fast Food Presentation,” I have come to the conclusion that cooking is a craft that can have artistic qualities.  I believe this is a fair analysis because it gives credit to the chefs who dedicate themselves to quality presentation and creativity but does not generalize all food as art.   Even though it is my opinion that art is a craft, there is a lot of room for discussion and other opinions.  I do think there are arguments that can be made for both sides of this debate.  A well-rounded chef may be offended to know that I do not consider him or her to be an artist.  This can be compared to last week’s topic when I discussed the artistic value of graffiti.  Someone who does graffiti may think that he or she is an artist, while others think they are criminals.  Art is an abstract category that does not have just one definition.  If an individual sees the artistic value in a McDonald’s hamburger, that is his or her prerogative.  I used to not see the artistry in graffiti but I have since changed my mind after getting into a debate similar to this one.  This gray area in art has allowed for many debates to take place but that is why it is important to read these articles and make an informed decision.

Brocket, Jane. (guardian.co.uk) Food as art: it looks almost too good to eat. Retrieved    Friday 25 October 2013. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/aug/03/food-as-art-design-literature.

While reading the article, Food as Art, written by Tefler, I kept finding myself going back and forth on whether or not I thought food was an art or more of a craft. I could definitely see it both ways, which makes it hard to make a decision. But after thinking about both ways thoroughly, I think that food is more of a craft than an art. In Teflers article, it claims, “It is true that it is often thought of as a craft. One reason for this is that its products are useful” (16). The example he used that by mentioning that the products are useful is a great example of this. It brings out the more crafts side of it because it is being used for something important. Making food and/or meals are carried out by instruction. Chefs have to learn how to do many things before they are able to cook meals. They follow instructions and have to be able to figure out what goes best with what. To me, I think the chef is looked upon as a craftsman because of the wonderful creations that he/she makes. I picture a “work of art” as something that is being viewed. In the article, Tefler explains, “we can now expand this definition: if something is a work of art, then its maker or exhibitor intended it to be looked at or listened to with intensity, for its own sake” (12). If food is an art, it would just be used to look at, rather than to be tasted and figuring out what goes best with such a combination of different things. If food is an art, it would be more focused on designing dishes and meals which represent artwork within it. My father and grandfather are both chefs and would agree with me when I asked them if food was an art or a craft. They commented on how it would depend on whether your using food as show, or if it was the work that put into it. You have to build the skills of becoming an experienced chef and build meals with what you know and what you are able to mix different ingredients with.