What did you eat last night for dinner?

[StephenHero]



Arent you in the architecture/design field? Lol

There is equally as much contrived excess in architecture, but the field is far more suited to it than food. Buildings are semi-permanent, and that salad lasts for five minutes. The inordinate amount of time spent plating delicacies sculpturally is far more preposterous than any attempt one could put into making brick stacking as tedious and superfluous as possible, because the difference can be enjoyed continually. That's not to say I like things complex because I very rarely do. There is a negligible difference in taste between those components whether they are arranged haphazardly or precisely from what I can tell. In this case, I don't even see the process of eating them revealed in their arrangement that offers justification to the effort put into them. It's ornamental for the sake of ornament. At some point, it's just a goddamn salad and salvation doesn't lie within it.

FWIW, I always compare food to architecture. Cooks and architects have more in common than any other creative professions, because utility supersedes their creative limits. I really hate it when cooks or architects self-identify as artists.

 

[Saltricks]

Highlights from French Laundry








^some figs for mm

 

[Saltricks]



Are there ever moments of self-doubt, when you just look at the plate and go "What the **** am I doing with this?" and immediately regret the hour you spent fetishizing a radish?

lol, reminds me of this course I just had:

 

[impolyt_one]

I actually think fashion designers and cooks have more in common; there is a lot of touching and feeling, and hand work involved (no coutts) There are a lot more analogs there obviously. Architecture has firmness, fashion and food do not, as you said. That is why architecture belongs on a different echelon than food or fashion. Practical arts like food and fashion can be done by many, mastered by few; architecture is a much riskier, heavier proposition.

 

[StephenHero]

But still, I don't understand the impulse of photographing food or intentionally making food that causes the diner the need to photograph it. It's completely obstructive to the purpose of eating it. There is sloppy. There is orderly. There is fancy. But then there is ornamental, and if the reaction of 90% of the people that see the plate is "Wow. How did they get that green **** into that shape? Let's interrupt everything we're doing, photograph it and put it on Flickr..." then the whole experience has thwarted. When it gets to the point where I'm merely concerned about documenting or viewing the circus on my plate I just have to draw the line. It's hard to take seriously when effort reveals contrivances.

 

[indesertum]

fashion also gives a sense of firmness. molding cloths to shape the body. architecture and clothing have more to do with each other than either with food. iirc jil sander said if she wasn't a fashunz designer she would have been an architect

you're all related. (mm, stephen, mr toj)

also there's nothing wrong with making the food you're about to eat pretty. but you're in that at some point it becomes excessive

 

[mgm9128]



Highlights from French Laundry

^some figs for mm

Was that a whole, raw, baby parsnip? Was it easy to cut with your knife? I'm really only a fan of serving raw vegetables when sliced thin.

 

[Saltricks]



But still, I don't understand the impulse of photographing food or intentionally making food that causes the diner the need to photograph it. It's completely obstructive to the purpose of eating it. There is sloppy. There is orderly. There is fancy. But then there is ornamental, and if the reaction of 90% of the people that see the plate is "Wow. How did they get that green **** into that shape? Let's interrupt everything we're doing, photograph it and put it on Flickr..." then the whole experience has thwarted. When it gets to the point where I'm merely concerned about documenting or viewing the circus on my plate I just have to draw the line. It's hard to take seriously when effort reveals contrivances.

Why take pictures of anything then?

They help me reminisce on experiences I've had. The faintest ink is better than the best memory and so forth.

 

[mgm9128]



But still, I don't understand the impulse of photographing food or intentionally making food that causes the diner the need to photograph it. It's completely obstructive to the purpose of eating it. There is sloppy. There is orderly. There is fancy. But then there is ornamental, and if the reaction of 90% of the people that see the plate is "Wow. How did they get that green **** into that shape? Let's interrupt everything we're doing, photograph it and put it on Flickr..." then the whole experience has thwarted. When it gets to the point where I'm merely concerned about documenting or viewing the circus on my plate I just have to draw the line. It's hard to take seriously when effort reveals contrivances.

I generally dislike it when people take pictures of food in restaurants. I don't think that is what dining should be about (unless, of course, you're taking pictures of figs at The French Laundry). That being said, French cuisine has always placed an emphasis on presentation. As long as it still tastes good, I see no problem with designing a plate that is appealing to both the eyes and stomach.

 

[Saltricks]



Was that a whole, raw, baby parsnip? Was it easy to cut with your knife? I'm really only a fan of serving raw vegetables when sliced thin.

Funny that you say that, I noticed that it was a bit difficult to cut. I just ate the whole thing sans stalk

 

[StephenHero]



Why take pictures of anything then?
They help me reminisce on experiences I've had. The faintest ink is better than the best memory and so forth.

Well, that's fine if you like the pictures, but then why not take pictures of things that aren't made of food? People could go to places that just bring out plates of things that look really fancy, and the people could take photos of them, and at the end everyone could just go home and reminisce.

If I were a chef, I'd develop my flavors. Then I'd find a logical way to plate the food that assisted in eating it. Then I'd make it attractive up until the point where the person eating it may become distracted away from the smell or flavor, or the point where they became too hesitant to indulge in it because of its delicacy. If I thought making the plate any fancier would make people pull their cameras out, I'd tone it down so they could get back to conversation or focusing on eating the food. Because at the end of the day it is food, and it's even worse when the plated food fails to deliver flavor equal to its plating, which would simply make me wonder why they didn't spend more time making sure it tasted good.

 

[StephenHero]

Here's where I draw the line. I have no idea what the hell is going on here. I don't see any redeeming value in needlessly pairing potatoes with user guides.

 

[impolyt_one]

Well, the food isn't going anywhere for the 3 seconds it takes to take a snapshot with it. My gf likes to photo food, I am not so into it, but she's discreet about it and doesn't use flash. It's no more of a motion than picking up a utensil to her at this point, just part of dining nowadays. I realize that 15 years ago that wasn't so much the case, but whatever, I too am a fan of artistically plated food and the internetz culture that surrounds it. That is just the generation we're living in. I think it's something that should be encouraged, food design makes things more pleasant. You'd also be surprised at how quickly professional cooks work, they're not standing over the plate rearranging with tweezers for 15 minutes. 'Plating' takes no longer than the layman's 'serving' to them. Quick skidmark of sauce here, plop down a protein, throw a couple leaves on, you have a plate.

 

[impolyt_one]



Here's where I draw the line. I have no idea what the hell is going on here. I don't see any redeeming value in needlessly pairing potatoes with user guides.

this is dumb, you have a point.

 

[impolyt_one]



fashion also gives a sense of firmness. molding cloths to shape the body. architecture and clothing have more to do with each other than either with food. iirc jil sander said if she wasn't a fashunz designer she would have been an architect
you're all related. (mm, stephen, mr toj)
also there's nothing wrong with making the food you're about to eat pretty. but you're in that at some point it becomes excessive

Fashion in the practical business sense has no firmness, it's meant to be disposed of and superseded by things that were superseded a long time ago. Dressing a body in the practical sense relates to commodity, and dressing a body in the aesthetic sense relates to delight. Firmness is purposely left out of of fashion, oft times. Food is a disposable product by nature as well.