On Food And
by Few people realize just how important food is in all aspects of life. Here is a look at what roles food plays in different parts of society.
Race, Color, and Class
Food is, as a rule, a statement of who you are. A big reason that so many people take pride in their ethnic backgrounds is because of the food that is associated with those cultures. No one does lasagna like the Italians. No one does sushi like the Japanese. You may be quick to call such generalized statements a blatant stereotype, but no one is being apologetic about it. They take pride in these statements because they may, in part, associate with that. And it is definitely something to take pride in. Put it this way: if you say you want to talk about food, but you don’t want to talk about race or class, well guess what? You don’t have much to talk about now.
Art
Food as a form of art is not a new concept. Every year, countless food competitions, pageants, and promenades, all extolling the art value in edible things, are help throughout the world. However, I’m not buying into this school of thought. First off, let us draw some distinctions. Art may be pretty to look at and a lot of fun to create, but it serves no practical purpose. Food, on the other, is practical. It serves a necessity; it is physical sustenance. So I propose a new way to look at art, and that is as a craft. Something that is crafted, that is cared for by hand and that serves a practical purpose. When you think about it, food has a lot more in common with an antique chair than a painting of a clown. Yet there still remain chefs that insist on forcing food into pretty molds, delicately saucing plates with precision squirt bottles, and dousing buffet food with aspic and gelée. And I know there are the garde manger and charcuterie specialists out there that live to create beautiful galantines, terrines, and rillettes, and I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but please don’t call it art. It is a craft. It serves a purpose. But the most important thing to remember is that good cooking becomes great cooking when a chef starts caring about the food. The art becomes the craft.
Camaraderie and Hospitality
As much as food is about tastes, smells, sights and sounds, it is about fellowship. It’s about bringing people together, and spending that time together making something to share. No dish embodies this concept more than the Cajun gumbo. In Cajun country (i.e. southern Louisiana), this dish is all about creating a sense of community. In the 1700s, men would ride around on horseback whilst wearing festive masks and procure items from all the villagers for their communal gumbo pot. The gumbo would then be cooked with all the donated items at a big outdoor party, and the whole neighborhood would join together for a time of cuisine and camaraderie. The notion is not, of course, solely Cajun. It is a principle that many cultures share. New England has lobster boils and clam bakes. The Malays have a communal satay dish called lok-lok. Many Arabian people still hold large events when they kill and cook camels, often inviting their whole family over for the daylong process.
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