Food for thought

Those who know me know my passion for food. To me food is sustenance for the soul* as much as it is for the body. Food is a sensation, an experience, fine art… yet it is, on a much more basic level, a necessity.

There are very few things that one can experience on so many levels as food. On the one hand, one eats to merely stave off hunger, as sustenance for the body. Yet, even at that level it can be a pleasure. Not much can compare to the pleasure of eating even a piece of stale, dry bread when one is on the verge of collapsing from hunger. At the other end of the spectrum is eating for the sheer experience. A finely prepared dish, even served in the most miniscule of portions, can inspire a sublime pleasure such as one feels when beholding a scene of breathtaking beauty or when listening to a melody divine.

Oft forgotten is the fact that food pleases more than just the palate. In fact, it is one of the few pleasures that can be experienced through every one of the senses… the sight of an artfully garnished pastry, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the texture of a fresh strawberry, the delightful sound of a cookie cracking… each of these sensations inspires as much pleasure if not more than the actual taste of those foods upon one’s tongue. If anything, Pavlov showed this to be true, at some level, even of dogs.

This idea that food is a necessary pleasure forms the basis of my approach to both cooking and eating. Cooking to me is like composing music. One must blend the notes in just the right fashion, arrange them in just the right sequence in order to achieve aesthetic perfection. And just as with music, the variety in food is infinite. There is the simple shepherd’s melody played on a pipe and there is the fresh apple. There is Beethoven and there is crème brulèe. There is grunge metal and flaming hot szechuan cuisine. There is enough variety in food to more than match any other form of art for its diversity in intensity, complexity and every other attribute there is. Thus, I think of ingredients akin to elements of music – while vanilla may be compared to the soft sounds of the piano, chocolate may be compared to a cello’s soulful tones and a red chilly to the soaring notes of a guitar solo. A good dish, like a good piece of music, is one that achieves harmony between these diverse elements.

And as with music, my preference in food is rather catholic** with but one caveat – I shalt not kill***, i.e. I am vegetarian. Aside from that I’ll try anything – boiled seaweed, raw mushrooms, bitter gourd, habaneros – and there are very few things I do not like. The only things I hate are monotony, monotony and monotony. In this respect I am fortunate to have a mother whose culinary wizardry, any cordon bleu chef would be proud to possess. Add to that the wonderfully diverse culinary atmosphere of Madras and you realize that I grew up in a gourmet’s paradise.

It worried me in no small measure that I would be leaving all that behind when I moved to Salt Lake City. But the move here opened up new avenues for me to explore than it closed. And my constant need for culinary experimentation has resulted in numerous joyous hours spent in the kitchen and some very interesting results. Results that I have mostly enjoyed, speaking of which, I’m off to concoct my next plat du jour. Bon appetit!

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* - No, I am NOT referring to that immortal thingy that transcends death and time that supposedly is the essence of a living being. I believe in no such thing. In fact, I will believe nothing until I see the data! I use the word ‘soul’ simply to refer to a certain aesthetic sense, a higher sense than one’s survival instinct.

** - I use the word catholic in the first sense of the word as listed below and in that sense alone. I have no affiliation with the Pope.

cath·o·lic / [kath-uh-lik, kath-lik]
–adjective
1. broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal.
2. universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all.
3. pertaining to the whole Christian body or church.

*** - I shalt not kill, for the purpose of eating. By no means should you underestimate my lethality should you foul up my mood. ;)

Note:

1. This post has been a long time coming but somehow the words just wouldn’t flow until today.
2. As clichéd as the title is, I still like it.