Molecular Gastronomy, Food Relationships and Culture across the Globe - Coursework Example

Gastronomy Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Introduction Basic human needs are extremely vital assets to every individual. These are shelter, clothing and food. Among the three, food is one of the most primary needs. Minus food, there is no any kind of life on earth that could be sustained. The human race has evolved into one of the most complicated being with an urge of feeding to enjoy and not just eating to survive. The idea of gastronomy emerges from this point. Thus, gastronomy can be referred to as an in-depth study of culture and food. In addition, it tends to study the relationship that exists between culture and food. Gillespie et. al (2001, p.3) argues that gastronomy comprises of various lessons on how different people from diverse societies feed, their eating habits and the factors that lead them to a specific course in line with the types of food and their tastes. Moreover, gastronomy encompasses various nutritional facets of food science alongside health consideration. Generally, it can be considered to be an art of preparing food, eating, lessons about various foods and cuisines as well as a thorough focus on the value of nutrition in diverse societies. During the dark ages, when mankind used to be extremely primitive, gastronomy never made any sense. Man used to care about survival only keeping in mind that any type of food that crossed his or her path was meant to keep them reach another day. Later on, the human race became more advanced; they began to travel from place to place thus developing the urge to feed on different type of foods that were much better than the previous ones. They interacted with others in various communities thus expanding their knowledge about food. Their hunger for knowledge is what gave rise to the famous gastronomy. Various races or rather different people across the globe have extremely diverse eating habits. According to studies carried out on gastronomy, it has stretched and covered jurisdiction of food science but the bigger question still remains: Does gastronomy encompass the art of living in today’s society? What is the relevance of gastronomy in today’s world? In quest to answer the above questions, this paper tries to discuss extensively all the aspects of gastronomy. Molecular Gastronomy Molecular gastronomy refers to one of the advanced, complex and modernized way of preparing various foods that is exercised by a number of nutritionists, scientists and chef across the globe (Ubbink and Vega 2008, p.373). It is much concerned with food chemistry and seeks to comprehend why various foods are delicious while others have a horrible taste. To understand this, molecular gastronomy considers the ways through which different cuisines or foods are prepared. In addition, it takes into consideration a number of ingredients meant for a particular food, how they came into existence, cultivated and the methods through which they are prepared. Universally, the same food can taste differently to different people. Thus, gastronomy explains that for any food to taste right, it must be prepared in a specific way alongside all the required ingredients. Fruits and vegetables can also be investigated using molecular gastronomy. Quality vegetables and fruits are considered to have various characteristics which comprise of taste, aroma, flavor, appearance, shape and texture. Thus, molecular gastronomy has a distinct objective of assisting chefs to cook and prepare splendid dishes. This is clearly achieved via provision particular requirements for a given cuisine or dish before a group of representative individuals could accept it as delicious or satisfactory (Pedersen, Meyer and Nursten 2006, p.611). This group is a vital organ in gastronomy since it tends to investigate various procedures through which ingredients are brought into existence, ways through which he chefs prepare the foods and the ways in which the dishes are being served. By so doing, they are in a position to deliver an appropriate projection of whether a given food will be appealing or not. Studying and analyzing individuals’ preferences in terms of tastes, flavors and preparations makes it possible for the chefs to conclude if a particular kind of food will be delicious or not. Apart from this, gastronomy examines or concerns with the general evolution of culinary tastes and recipes (Hegarty 2001, p.5). It tends to analyze and make changes that are significant in line with a given recipe and thus, it contributes to full development and changes in evolution of the feeding habits in the society. Understanding the science that is behind food preparation, molecular gastronomy always considers the full history and cultures that are associated with a particular kind of food. Though, molecular gastronomy should not be taken for food science as it covers a wide range of study compared to food science. Food science simply deals with the history of foods and nutrition that goes in line with these foods. On the other hand, molecular gastronomy confines itself to a process of food preparation, except for cases where it is extremely crucial to understand a specific cuisine or food. With a tight budget in many households, there is pressure on nutritionist and chefs to offer a wide range of quality cuisine as they seek value for every single coin they spend. Ubbink and Vega (2008, p.374) try to argue that molecular gastronomy is generally a discipline in food science that associates itself with physical and chemical processes that occur during food preparations. Physically, the full power of sight is relied on in gastronomy even though molecular gastronomy focuses on the chemical bit of it whenever foods are prepared. It elaborates how molecules are separated on subjection to heat. This is analyzed with full classification of odors. Various food molecules are broken down in different ways during cooking thus they tend to produce various types of aroma and odors that get analyzed by gastronomy. It is believed that molecules also define the taste of foods thus various foods have different molecules. New foods can be analyzed to determine if it has similar molecules or not; that is whenever tastes have to be determined. Food relationships and culture across the globe Different communities across the globe have different cultures. Existence of diverse cultures among these communities is responsible for the diversity in types of food. Gastronomy tends to draw a link between the cultures of a people to the kind of food they feed on. Mostly, culture dictates what individuals feed on and how these foods are prepared. Eating habits vary from place to place. Therefore, some eating habits maybe acceptable in one place and unacceptable in other places. For instance, in South East Asia, dishes are served on a mat which is raised from the ground (Santich 2007, p.7). This is a traditional setup, a general exercise that would be otherwise be unacceptable in either America or Europe. In South East Asia, agriculture has been a major commercial practice for many years thus, rice being the staple food for a couple of generations. Consequentially, growing and consumption of rice has been integrated into the nations’ cultures for it has been in existence for hundreds of years. Hence, the mode or rather the styles of eating have been quite different from other nations which are not in the South East Asia. In the Middle East countries, people feed using their hands, contrary to countries in Europe where spoons and folks are being used to eat. This is so since they have to experience the texture of whatever food they are eating directly. To some extent, this gives them an opportunity to have direct connection with the food thus ensuring satisfaction (Santich 2007, p.47). A number of African nations are said to be agrarian as their economies depend on agricultural products so as to raise their gross domestic products. Because of this, cultures have gone back to what used to exist thousands of years ago. It is evident in the game meat as it has been a delicacy in most African countries for quite some time. In the contrary, other regions of the world look down upon game meat despite the fact that it is highly valued in Africa. All this relates to the existing cultures across the African continent. The critics of gastronomy, as an art of living argue that molecular gastronomy tends to assume that various molecules of food substances are directly responsible for how a number of dishes smells and tastes after the preparation process are complete. However, this is extremely contentious as the tests performed on various groups of people cannot give sufficient evidence as to whether a portion of a people can account for the whole community’s preferences. Universally, it is agreed that the results of all these could serve the feelings of many people because every human being has a diverse sense of smell, taste and feel. This is what calls for the greater question as to whether gastronomy is an art of living or not. Whatever an individual perceives as delicious might be tasteless to another individual. Ways through which people prepare their meals is extremely different as they do it to match or fit their tastes and preferences. For example, say an American and an Indian prepare the same meal (rice). The molecular gastronomy of the two meals would be extremely different as the Indian would prefer a spicy dish while an American would prefer using few spices when cooking their meals. The end results of the two meals would greatly differ in various aspects, inclusion of smell and taste. The two races view their ways of cooking as the best since they are in line with their cultures (Gallespie 2001, p.3). Americans believe that too much spice in their meals would destroy the flavor of their dish. In addition, the way the food is served is totally different between the two nations. In conclusion, diversity of individuals according to level of education, demography, availability of resources and impact of various cultures have always hindered them from having a common point of view when it comes to preparations and serving of meals. Education is a major factor that draws a distinct line between people’s eating styles and habits. Educated individuals have a craving for nutritious dishes. They always set a high standard in terms of preparation of these foods. Thus, they have a strong respect for gastronomy compared to individuals who are not educated. The illiterate ones lack the appetite for exploring various foods and thus end up picking on the readily available ones. They are never concerned about e molecular gastronomy. As much as gastronomy is greatly respected in various parts of the world, we cannot necessarily say it is an art of living. References Gillespie, C, 2001, introducing gastronomy. European Gastronomy into 21st Century, Pp.1-36. Hegarty, J, A, 2001, Gastronomy: A phenomenon of culture expressionism and aesthetic for living. International journal of hospitality management, vol. 20, pp. 3-13. Pedersen, T, Meyer, C, and Nursten, H, 2006, Gastronomy: The ultimate flavor Science, vol.43, pp. 611-616. Santich, B, 2007, Hospitality and Gastronomy: Natural Allies, Pp. 47-59. Ubbink, J, and Vega, C, 2008, Molecular Gastronomy: A food fad or science supporting innovative cuisine? Trends in Food Science, vol.19, pp. 372-382. Read More