Aesthetics is concerned with "the branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of beauty and artistic nature" (Aesthetics, n.d.). A beautiful meal is something many people appreciate. I believe it is a part of why people will choose to dine out on a special occasion and why people put extra effort into arranging food on a plate rather than chucking it all on top of each other. I agree with the quote from Lagasse & Tirsch (1993) "food that's beautiful to look at seems to taste better than food that isn't."
It is also interesting to think that some food is made purely for it's beauty, almost as a form of art which may or may not be eaten following it's visual appreciation. I specifically remember the elaborate cakes Mum used to make for us as children. We had things such as fairy castles, trains, animals, and many others, all of which were made for consumption but appreciated for their visual beauty first off.
When I create meals for my flatmates I like to present them nicely. However, I do not go to many lengths as I think at this stage my skill level requires more attention to making the food taste nice. Despite this though I generally make sure that the food is arranged on the plate without being too unappealing. For example this week I made burritoes and when I toasted them in the sandwhich press I created a criss-cross pattern on them just for fun and to make them a look a little more appealing.
However the beauty of food does not necessarily have to be visual. The taste and aromas of food can also create a sense of beauty and appreciation. This week when I was cooking the mince for inside the burritoes my flatmates were commenting on how delicious it smelt and therefore were demonstrating their appreciation for the smell of the food rather than the looks.
I think the aesthetics of food may also be interpreted through texture or other ways too and this shows that different people appreciate different elements of beauty in their food, interesting to ponder as it is something that we often do not consciously think about :)
References:
Aesthetics (n.d.) In Google dictionary. Retrieved from
Laggasse, E. & Tirsch, J. (1993). Emeril's new New Orleans cooking. USA: William Morrow Cookbooks.
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