April 26, 2008
The Delicious Taste Of Science?
Start with the caviar and hazelnut foam. Next, try the bacon-stuffed tangerine segment appetizer, and follow with a palate-cleansing sorbet of kiwi and heirloom tomato purée. You'd be a fool to miss the rock lobster meatloaf, which is served atop an oasis of fig and cucumber gelée. Finish with a candied beet root custard and a tassé of chipotle-scented espresso. Bon Appétit!
Haute cuisine fans will descend on Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West) this Tuesday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. to meet Hervé This, the renowned chemist who is credited with coining the term molecular gastronomy and discovering the perfect temperature for cooking an egg (around 65°C). This will be signing copies of his book, Kitchen Mysteries, and giving a lecture on meat glue, liquid nitrogen baths, and other innovations in food science.
Will it be a packed house? Maybe not. True foodies will tell you that molecular gastronomy is, like, so four years ago. Last fall, Toronto Life's ex-food editor Chris Nuttall-Smith told Hungry in Hogtown:
[I'm] tired of molecular gastronomy. I find it so tedious, and wankerish and precious. Enough, fuck. And how is it "cutting edge" when chefs use transglutaminase to glue pieces of meat together? Weren't they doing that at Tyson Foods in 1986? Really. Can I just get something that tastes good and was made with a bit of integrity instead?
Hear hear. Though you can still sate yourself with savoury foams and froths at upscale restolounges like Senses and Lobby, molecular gastronomy is on the outs in Toronto. On the other hand, there is something inherently intriguing and humble about a perfectly cooked egg ala Hervé This. Go ahead, indulge.
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at 1-800-268-6018.
Photo of Alinea's roasted duck by Andrew Huff. Hat tip to TasteTO.
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Just a Small Case of Beef Tongue Fused in Cod Cheek.
Chris Nuttall-Smith is tedious, wankerish and precious. Not surprising - that's how foodies are generally perceived. But, does it have to be that way? Is it possible to be a foodie without being pretentious?
I don't know. Some part of me thinks that being a foodie is being wankerish and precious.
I found this article hard to place. There was a definte air of "Foodies, right?" Especially the assertion that so-called 'true' foodies are all about the scene; form over substance. I suppose I would have hoped it was the other way 'round.
and...has anyone told Claudio Aprile that molecular gastronomy is out of style?
I found this article hard to place. There was a definte air of "Foodies, right?" Especially the assertion that so-called 'true' foodies are all about the scene; form over substance. I suppose I would have hoped it was the other way 'round.
Hmmm, I think I was being deliberately vague about my feelings on foodies because I am still undecided on the general wankerishness issue. But I am optimistic about wankerish food trends going out of style, because if foodies are going to be a wankerish about something it might as well be food with integrity.
And that's why I think a Herve This lecture would be cool. He's not trying to sell you a $60 plate of gelatin, and he would not stop doing what he's doing because it went out of fashion.
What's wrong with the term "gourmand?" I am sure there is some reason why "foodie" is used.