Can food be ART?

Can food or cooking be art, that is the question that I am asking and I think the answer is no. The reason for this that all art basically severs no real purpose but to make you think or feel something. Things like Music, Cinema, Performance Art, Dance, Painting, Sculpture and Photography are all things that can make us think but also you can live without them. And surly the true definition of art is that it really serves no purpose but to make us fell a little better.

But if you are looking at art with a function such as Fashion Design, Architecture and Product Design is it up there with them, yes probably it is. But is cooking more an art or is it more a Craft that you have to learn over years, or do you have to have a gift for it.

I can safely say without fear of contradiction that some are more gifted then others when it comes to cooking, but without the hard work and hours of time invested by the individual who is cooking then like any gift it is wasted.

Cooking is something that takes time to learn and time to understand. You need the knowledge and the understanding of the ingredients and how you are going to cook them. But the mistake is to say that to make great food like great art you need the very best materials or ingredients.

A good artist will take just a pencil and a piece of paper and produce a work of art, to be a good cook you must take the basics and do the same.  Also a good artist will know how to paint in oil on canvas; A good cook will also know how to use expensive materials. The only problem being that if the artist makes a mistake then they probably can paint over it, or rub it out and start again. When you are cooking often you are not given that chance to cover your mistakes so easily.

It is probably closer to say that cooking is more like a craft, say that of wood work.  You have with food as you do with wood work your very basic flat pack. All you have to do is assemble it and it is done. Then you have the skill of a cabinet maker who has over the years learnt his craft. And you also have the new experimental wood work sculpture furniture that bares very little resemblance to that the original piece did that inspired it. And with wood as it is with food if you make a mistake it is hard to cover it up unless you know what you are doing. Also you can get good carpenters but some are so much better than the rest.

Mind you if you take the idea that all life is art, then no matter what you do, how good or how bad it is art. Can sport be art, an operation, a car or just a paper bag bowing in the wind?

You can call cooking art if you want to but I think it is more like a craft that can be learnt. It will take time and practice, some bits will come easily and some will take time. But with time and practice you will master those skills so that then you could call it the art of your craft. But some will always be more skilled than others.

And if you are wondering if I am one of the gifted ones who it all comes naturally to the answer is simply, no. It took time, practice and I am still learning my craft today.