The Culinary Arts - Valerie Fliss

Eating is fun, and I am sad to say that I am one of those people who doesn't really care what my food looks like, if I think it tastes good, I'm going to eat it and eat it quickly. This is sad because there seems to be a good deal of people who go through a lot of trouble to make food look like, well, art. Not only that, but there is a whole school of thought that beliefs the act of eating should be an artistic experience; isn't that what the word 'gourmet' relates to? A finer, dining experience? If music is an artistic hearing experience, image an artistic visual experience, and sculpture an artistic feeling experience, why can't food have an artistic tasting experience? The harmonious interaction of flavors can create an almost divine experience, don't you think? The culinary arts can be seen a world-creating, but focusing on the sense of taste instead of hearing or seeing (though the visual appearance of food can be artistic as well).