Kelsie Menefee
Dr. Melissa Kort
English 1A T/TH
9/7/2014
Food is an Art
Food is a real art, a sustainable art, from the way it is prepared to the way it is dished and served. It is an art that all people can learn and love. Charles Simic in “On Food and Happiness” says “the true Muses are cooks” (19). Muses are a source of art and inspiration, and in Greek mythology the nine muses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, presided over the Arts.
I have had many experiences and encounters with food. I found that they all had one thing in common: food is an art to taste and an art to make. Being a waitress for three years I have grown passionate about food and the restaurant industry. I have had the privilege of being able to work in two different fine dining establishments. Both have in common the appreciation for the beauty of food. The cook’s passion for their work was an art in itself. The first restaurant I worked at, Lakeview Restaurant, has glass windows on all sides, and sits the very top of a hill. When looking out you see a view of the entire city and lake. One of the most breath taking views I have yet seen. The dining room is small and intimate, white table clothes on every table, and vases of fresh flowers. To me the only thing more beautiful than the room and the view is the food. The most satisfying feeling being a server is when you set a plate of food in front of someone and they are awed. I can’t tell you how many times I have been yelled at to deliver the food to a table on a busy night so the customer would see the beauty of the steam rising from the plate. My favorite dish is a fish special. Grilled Swahi, covered in a mango strawberry salsa. Something about this combination is perfectly satisfying.
Restaurant Charcuterie in Healdsburg is one of my favorite restaurants. It is even smaller than the first restaurant I worked at. The tables were also set with white table clothes and fresh flowers, as well as candles. What it lacked in the view, it made up for in the food. I have never tasted pork quite like the pork prepared here, it is cooked to the perfect temperature then covered in a brandy and brown sugar sauce. I have yet to serve an unsatisfied customer. “The appearance of food… brings instant happiness” (Simic 19) Mostly all cooks take pride in their work, just as a painter or a writer, their food is art. In Joyce Carol Oats essay she says that food is “made into a kind of artwork, a kind of poetry.”(25) As much as we eat with our mouths, we also eat with our eyes. More people would claim to enjoy a beautifully put together meal than a sloppy one even if it was prepared the same exact way. This is why when we sit down at a fine eating establishment the server will turn the plate so that the customer can have a full view of the hard work and labors that the cook had put in to make the dish look absolutely perfect. For instance the finely chopped parsley garnish adds color, or the powdered red paprika that offers little or no taste provides more vibrant colors to the plate.
“It is history memory and passion interwoven with style as clearly as painting, literature, dance, music and architecture.” (Kafka 50) Cooking is an art that is practiced every day, and everywhere. In a kitchen at home or a restaurant, it is a necessity. It is something that can bring people together, like holidays. Or simply bring back memories, just like a photograph.