On 10/11/07, Thaths <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > You are describing the difference between those who think cooking is a > science and those that think cooking is an art.
I believe this is a false dichotomy. Cooking, especially fine cooking, is both science and art. > I, personally, am of > the latter persuation. I find that the food I make throwing in pinches > of salt and hand-fuls of spices tastes much better than if I were to > measure my ingredients carefully with scales and measuring spoons. It > seems to be that those that follow the scientific school of cooking > tend to spend too much time with process and means. But who gets to decide how much time is "too much?" FWIW I've been to Wylie Dufresne's restaurant (WD-50) in New York, and that temple of Molecular Gastronomy ""El Bulli" and enjoyed them both. El Bulli is the first restaurant where I've actually laughed out loud after eating something. On the other hand, I'm also a fan of Alice Waters's "one perfect peach" and in the sushi ideal of a perfect piece of fish, simply presented. There's room for both, and room for both together. Neither approach is more "art" than the other, and there's plenty of science in producing that one perfect peach. -- Charles
