When I saw the title of this article, immediacy I remembered a conversation between me and one of my friends, she came from Iran, once we talked about food while she was chopping vegetable to cook Iranian food in her kitchen, she said:”Oh my god, Iranian food needs so much chopping!” I said: “Chinese food also needs lots of work, I think that why they turn out so good!” Both of us choose to spend more time on cooking because we enjoy food as we enjoy art. I asked myself if food is art, my answer was: not the fast food, but the ones that show the wise of human toward eating. In fact, the good food isn’t only about eating, it has culture: culture of the family or culture of the country; the passion from the cooks and the passion from the people who are eating; the spread of trade; the recreating of subjects; the design of color and patterns of a dish. For example , the “Slow food presentation” showed all the process and carrying from people during the food making, it includes how different generations, the mother and the son, working together to create great food. This could make me feel good and say: “it is beautiful!”. The same reaction I will have when I appreciate an art work. As I read the article” Food as Art”, I agreed with Tefler about food this special art is not hard to be determined : “This is a work of art for society if it is treated by that society as primarily an object of aesthetic consideration” (p13). This clearly argued that some people might say food isn’t art just because they could not find this definition through what they have learn from the books or school. People are told to have aesthetic reaction in certain environment and content, in shorts, people think something is the “work of art” that are named by “work of art”. Therefore they think the painting in museum is art but the food is not. Behind this, many people like me, do have the aesthetic reaction towards food. Even though, as the article discussed, food may be lack of evidence to be an art because it follows instructions rather than originally creative, I think most food has a part of creativity. Different people may have different point of view over this question” should we see food as art?” Which point will you choose ?
Hi, xiaoxue, I think food is art and I got the same feeling when I was eating a delicious food. When we eat a good food, the food not only can give us an aesthetic reaction but also satisfy people’s need, psychological need, and physical need. Telfer states “creator of a recipe to a composer, and the cook… to a performer” (p. 18). A chef cook a dish again and again by following the recipe and then people enjoy the dish. This cycle likes people listing the concert, the performer a classical music by their familiar instrument. Can we say the performance is not a presenting of art? A work of art can be inherited and innovation. Like Tefler said “because people have to eat them 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 work of art, and no two people can appreciate the same one.” (p. 23) Also, every dish was made by different chef is different even they follow same instruction. The dish can represent the originality and uniqueness of art.
Interesting example you have! I also think food is a creature to evoke some reactions. When you and your Iranian friend cook, both might think of that “I have to make a tasty food for my friend”. Both may focus on seasoning in order to get reactions. Like a painting, creators put efforts on the work and expect reactions from taster or observers. In the point, creators for art and food have the same process and expectation. Thus, I also think food is an art. The tastes of food and decoration of dishes obviously evokes people to feel some reactions. However, you mentioned that fast food is not a form of art. I disagree with it. Aesthetic reactions are come from our sense. Even the fast food does not give more decorative presentations or involves time pressure, the fast food apparently evoke people to feel the tastes. Like hamburgers, we feel delicious and compare numerous brands to take more tasty food. Likewise, people try to find better art which make people enjoy the moments. Moreover, we still see a simple drawing or caricature as an art even it takes short time to create. Fast food might be originated by some people who concerns about time pressures for busy people. The fast food is served for them and made to deliver the best tastes in short time.