arts and crafts

The culinary arts. This phrase is oft repeated and typically taken at face value. But, really, is it art? Painting is art, of course, as well as creative writing, architecture, and music... But cooking? I think not. There are creative aspects of the discipline to be sure. But the far more accurate description would be a craft. Cooking is a craft. I know that a lot of “foodie” types will bluster at this, and even a few well meaning, if not self-deluded chefs as well. But the result of physical skills that are consistently measurable and comparable from one chef or restaurant to the next is in fact, a craft.

Now I have an artistic nature, so perhaps I am at odds with myself here. I paint in oils, play classical guitar and enjoy reading as well as writing. These are clearly artistic pursuits for the most part and certainly the sensitivity I employ to these must inevitably bleed over into my work. And it does, because I can certainly admire the beauty of foods in their natural states as well as after they have been manipulated and arranged on plates. I can fuss over the different shapes and colors that will most pleasing to the eye, as well as to the taste. But the skills required being able to do this I have learned by many years of repetitive behavior; honing these tasks so that they become second nature, and not just a single statement. Perhaps my artistic side helps me realize the end results favorably—perhaps. I know a great many highly skilled chefs that are true technicians of culinary skill who have absolutely no inclination to the arts at all.

A recipe is a craft. If we put it on the menu, the expectation is that it will be made the same way over and over. Art is a little different in that you are typically taking some raw materials and bringing them together in some unique fashion. Nice, but if the salad dressing changes every time it is ordered I can tell you the pronouncement will not be ‘but it’s art!’ For me the trick is making that artistic statement within a craft discipline and I hope I am succeeding more often than not.