Food as Art

The 20th century British philosopher Robin Collingwood made a useful distinction between craft and art. A
well-crafted object and a piece of art possess some of the same traits:  an idea, technical perfection uniting form and material, and a sense of purpose. The difference is in the artist’s approach to the making. Unlike the craftsman, the artist is willing to undertake a process with an uncertain outcome. Like a hunter, the artist can intuitively “tell” the direction and “know” when it is done. The difference is the openness of the target. This is the difference between a cook and a chef, with the ultimate chef being the one who makes pastry.

The aesthetics of pastry involves the complete perception. Pastries have a look, smell, taste, feel and even sound when eaten, thus engaging all the senses. Further, chefs know that something tastes good when it includes tastes that are a little salty, sweet, sour and bitter. The pastry chef’s skill comes from the experience of combining ingredients for flavor and texture, decorating the object for appeal and baking it properly. Experience also allows the chef to understand preparation efficiencies and sequences thereby refining commercial applicability. Unlike other forms of cooking, baking stubbornly resists any effort to adjust the result that falls short of expectations. Endless revisions halt once the chemical reactions are set in motion. While a malformed cake can be disguised under thick layers of frosting, chefs consider such compensating methods unprofessional. Pastry chefs need a particular confidence to commit to making something that has no room for final adjustment.

But is pastry making an art according to Collingwood’s definition? Perfecting a specific type of pastry requires a predictable consistency in technique and result. Experimenting with a new ingredient or procedure through a trial-and-error process is needed before a level of certainty is obtained. Once understood, the recipe wants to be repeatable. Do these factors preclude the result from being considered art?

Architecture has a similar question. Good architects master techniques to investigate the issues of each project from the particularities of a specific site, the client’s programmatic needs, and technical demands for safety and performance to the inventive combination of materials. Nevertheless they can never absolutely predict the experience. Working through drawing and modeling gives them some idea of what to expect, but the projected experience is not guaranteed. The complexity of the art defies complete predictability. The art of architecture depends on the architect's ability to evolve to where the fundamentals of shelter are secure and the intended delight is likely. So too, the complexity of pastry combines nourishment with sure technique and consistent results and the unexpected pleasure of unfolding flavors, subtle sensations and provocative aftertastes. No chef can make someone respond a certain way on demand. Like all artists find, and if anything this is truest for food as art, there is no accounting for taste. Unlike architecture, the final test of pastry is in its disappearance when eaten. Then food as art finds expression in satisfied appreciation, and like fading musical notes, it lasts only as a memory.