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EDIBLE ART Buffet catering emerged as result of foreign and local diners’ demand for good meals commensurate to what they have to pay. Sumptuous meals has come to mean delectable not only to the taste but also to the eyes. Thus artistic food garnishes and elaborate table settings was introduced. This allowed the chef’s artistic talents to flourish. Today we can only be amazed by the beauty, simplicity and aesthetic nature of their decorative work. Filipino chefs and food enthusiasts adapted the genius of their foreign counterparts and at the same time came up with their own unique artistry employing indigenous materials.(such as banana leaves, anahaw leaves, bamboo tubes, etc) Visual excitement can enhance the dining experience. Culinary art is perhaps more profound an art form than drawing, painting sculpture, ballet, or opera. A drawing or painting is seen, an opera seen and heard, a sculpture seen and touched, a symphony heard. Culinary art is perceived very differently. The viewer – or, should I say, the diner – not only sees the artful creation, he also smells it, tastes it feel its texture, and in some cases hears it ( as with a sizzling steak or a bubbling fondue). All five senses are involved in the act of eating. What more comprehensive sensory experience can there be? Shouldn’t this ensure its proper place among the great arts of humankind? The primary difference between recognized art pursuits and the culinary arts is the ultimate destiny of the medium. The “art” produced in a kitchen is the most transient of any. Within a few days, and sometimes only a few hours, every culinary creation falls under the scrutiny of a hungry individual, who with tools in hand, proceeds to demolish the “art.” No other art undergoes such a transformation.
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