The yin and yang of gastronomic pleasures

WHAT matters to you, the taste of the food or its beauty?

Is this scene all too familiar to you? Your food has arrived. You’re about to dig in, and suddenly, your companion blocks you off and takes a photo of the food.

Most of us are guilty of this. It has almost become a taboo not to take photos before savoring your food.

However, let’s get to the topic of this article — the war between taste and aesthetics.

Oxford defines taste as “the sensation of flavor perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.” Aesthetics definition is “concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.”

The eyes see the food first and somehow already give our mind a perception of how it would taste. Cliché as it may sound, don’t judge the book by its cover. The same goes for food.

Have you tried eating curacha? It’s from a family of crabs. It looked scary and gross, but when I tasted it, it was savory. My officemate told me then to close my eyes. How can I eat with my eyes closed? Silly of him.

For me, it will always be the taste. Some people compensate for the lack of flavor with the food presentation. Be wary of those food photos that look so damn delectable. More often than not, it ends there. Delectable to the eye.

This fetish for taking photos of food is called the “foodie” social media culture. I never even heard about it until I discussed it with Google. It is a good marketing move. When one takes photos (pray it would be because they are delighted) and posts them on their social media account, it will create curiosity and noise. It can even multiply because it can be shared or reposted.

Still, the other side of the coin would be if the guest was dissatisfied. As the study will tell you, “A satisfied customer will tell one or even no one. Yet, a dissatisfied customer will tell ten people.”

Have you experienced asking a friend how’s the food, and the answer you get is, “The place is a beauty. It’s Instagrammable.” If your friend is a blogger, he would say, “It’s good for my feed.” However, a food critic would say, “It’s bland. It does not excite my palate.”

The same goes for the aesthetics of restaurants or cafes. There’s what we now call “Instagrammable.” Shop owners deliberately make their interiors good enough for your social media posts. There’s always that corner inside where you’re supposed to have your photos taken.

Nevertheless, there’s a fine line between taste and beauty. For both to meet at one point is inevitable. It’s called the sweet spot. It is where beauty meets flavor. When it happens, it’s a culinary delight.