Gourmet food! Art or food snobbery?

It's always been apparent to me that not every one views food the same way. However that particular fact stands out more in my mind then ever. Now you, will never hear me refer to food as mere fuel, injected in to our system to keep us running until the demand for more becomes necessary. Instead I have always thought of food as love, life and in adult years passion and art. Think about it for a moment. You don't feed people you hate, you feed those you love, taking care to prepare the things they love most. Perhaps a favourite dessert for a spouse or a preferred meal for your child. It is life because it sustains us and give us what we need to live and survive. Passion, because if wanted we can put all that we have into our creation and art for those whose love and passion are so great, they push food to the limits!

However in saying that I have found that many look done on what is often considered fine or gourmet food. Some seem to feel that due to its price or the price that most establishments charge, it makes it very unattainable and there fore reserved for those better off financially. This makes many feel that fine dining or gourmet is snobby and has an "I'm better then you" attitude that comes with the experience. Often this is a reason for people to make comments or mock those who choose to chase the food experience in to the higher end side, even accusing them of being to fancy or stating that paying that price for food is ridiculous. Then I have all to often heard the words that always make me cringe "food is food!". Oh My God!!! No it's not! Lets face it you can go to a fast food place such as McDonald's and eat, sure it will fill you but it's far from what I would call food. More like garbage disguised as food!

I of course come from very humble beginnings, my parents and family were not well off. We never ate in fancy restaurants in fact I didn't know what gourmet food was till I was a teen. Our food is "food" though, real, delicious, peasant served on big clay trays and pots and pans kind of food. Nothing is pretty and artsy, it's simple and wonderful and the very core basics of where good meals come from. But, don't think for one second that just because I ate like that and loved it I am incapable of appreciating fine food with all it's artistic quality. It's all part of the experience, like a scientist in a lab a great chef will take one element and see what they can add to make it even better. Sometimes the best part of the experience is actually the experimenting and often great new recipes come from old ones that flop and have to be salvage for the sake of dinner.

When I first started working in restaurants I was shocked to see that in the case of the place I worked at my boss had done what I thought was impossible. He had taken our simple peasant Portuguese food and made it gourmet. How? You ask. By simply adding artistic plating and serving techniques that created a whole different look and experience. Fish were served whole and filleted at the table. Appetizers were beautifully plated and garnished and cataplanas a traditional seafood stew was served in its coper pot of the same name (cataplana). People flaunted to what they felt was food at its finest but, I couldn't help but grin as to me it was the food I had been eating all my life.

It was there that I realized that you don't have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to food some times just simply presenting the food in a different manner is enough to change a dinners perspective of the food itself. These days you see it every where some one takes something simple such as a burger and adds ingredients never thought of as burger appropriate and voila a work of art! More daring creations are happening in kitchens every where and all because chefs are pushing the limits and people are being made aware of these chefs through programs dedicated strictly to the art of culinary.

So in conclusion, I leave you with this food for thought. How do you feel about fine food?Do you appreciate it or find it to be snobby? What is your perception of this art (culinary) that is now more accessible to the masses then ever and yet so many still shy away from the experience. Is it silly to feel like gourmet food is out of ones league or is it important to step out of ones comfort zone in hopes of broadening ones view of food? I for one will not allow myself or my family to miss out on such wonderful artistic experiences, often experimenting at home or saving up for a special dinner out.

#foody #restaurant