In this opinionative feature, the topic of food will be discussed as to whether it is fit or unfit to be labeled or characterized under the category of ‘Art’.
“Food is Life” – A deeper look into the meaning, does it correlate with Art?
Very often, we hear people utter the words “Food is life”. Has it ever left you wondering just what exactly they meant when they speak such words? It is without a doubt, of course, that the phrase “Food is life” will have different connotations to people since we are all born different and our perspective on certain aspects of this world may differ based on our upbringing, culture, and background.
As for food, some like to view it as nothing but a complete necessity for the sustenance of life, while others describe food like how it would do to a person or a living creature.
Personification is what this is called, the ability to give life to inanimate objects or non-living elements of society through the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives, otherwise, more appropriately, by the usage of the English Language.
For instance, a glutton may describe or talk about his Cheeseburger as “This Cheeseburger is so big and fat that He could fill me up for an entire year”. The glutton personifies his Cheeseburger by calling it a ‘He’, thereby giving life to an inanimate object.
We are all known for the fact that food sustains our bodies, raises our spirits, and keeps us whole. Scientifically speaking, food is and has always been an essential component of life.
Evidently, people cannot live without food. Nor can animals, plants, and not even micro-organisms can stay alive without food consumption. This is one very important component that food provides: the propensity to support life and keep it going.
It is, therefore, established, scientifically, that man cannot survive without food. Perhaps, this is what some people meant by the phrase “Food is life”.
But what of the other section of people with a different standpoint or perspective? Conceivably, these people look at or perceive food from an intellectual or emotional point of view. Maybe these people approach the topic of food from a more philosophical stance. That would explain why their description of the food is so abstract. They view it as Art rather than just an edible that is meant to be eaten or consumed.
Coming back to the earlier point made on the personification of food as a term used by many to describe an object with no life by giving it life, through the correct utilization of the English Language, the food philosophers or connoisseurs of this world also make use of other means to convey the joy and love they have for food.
Some draw their hearts out, some are painters, while the rest of them may be bakers or cooks blessed with artistic creativity. All of these artists have one common opinion on food — that it is ART.
Art can be defined as the expression of human creativity through a visual format. It is usually practiced by people who have been born with a flare for imagination, creative vision, and passion for something.
How does food fit into all of this? Well, food artists also belong to the compartment of Art. As aforementioned, when it comes to food, food artists or enthusiasts don’t look at it or speak about it like how an average person would do. There is a certain charm and manner in the way they express their sentiments about food.
When we bring Chefs or food journalists into the picture, they have a specific or a definite way of describing food. Through speeches or journals containing recipes, these people have a connection to food that most average men do not.
Such connections may be the reason why they exert so much joy and contentment when it comes to food. However, not all of them will have the same reasons for it. Some attach emotional importance to food because of familial aspects, some do it because of their passion, while the rest do it out of cultural significance.
Food Art has existed since millennia ago. From being carved on stones, to recipes being written on cookbooks, then came the age of celebrity chefs and cooks with cooking TV programs, and now in the present time, owing to the advancement of technology and social media platforms, almost every person out there is a lover of food who enjoys cooking and decorating food as leisure or a foodie as they like to call it nowadays.
Food Art is massively relevant to the extent that there are museums dedicated to the service of displaying art pertaining to food like drawings and paintings of renowned artists from all over the world. Such art is often associated or familiarized with customs, cultural values, background, and history.
Thus, Food is in Art and Art is in Food. Food is the essence of life extensively, but it also shapes minds, strengthens bonds, and saves as well preserves pages of history that will linger on from one generation to another.
