Food is a Form of Art, Food is Also a Method of Communication
Food provides nourishment in more ways than one. Food can be something you grab at the drive-thru on your way home from work to refuel and unwind, and food can also be the choice art-form of a chef with a story to tell.
Whether it’s McDonalds or a Michelin star restaurant, different styles of food have something in common: the urge to cure a certain hunger. There’s different types of hunger, and a multitude of ways of satisfying it. It’s how that hunger is captured, displayed, and consumed that distinguishes food types from each other. More than just a bodily requirement, you can think about food in terms of what you are looking to satisfy mentally or emotionally. If you are struggling financially, food might be a source of stress and something you are in constant need of to stay alive. If you live comfortably, food could cure your social hunger—maybe you like to host barbecues and family dinners, so food means sharing with friends and family. Or, maybe food is a delicacy and sensory source of comfort to you; it’s importance lies in how you feel when you consume it, and the ambiance surrounding you is just as important as the food itself.
Food is a vessel to communicate cross-culturally because we are all united in our desire to consume, and our innate curiosity of the sensory pleasure it will bring. We all have had that urge to go and do, to create, and to consume. Maybe you’ve experienced all three types of hunger explained above— bodily, socially, personal. Maybe you’ve never thought about food so deeply. But we all have experienced hunger. It’s unpleasant, and it encourages us to go out, reach out, and explore. Some of will never go out further than the way of curing hunger we are used to. Sure, that chain restaurant around the corner can provide a filling meal, but what other types of huger are you neglecting? How would it feel to prepare your own dish or make something for someone else? There are many types of hunger you can satiate by going a bit beyond food as a means of feeling full—where else you are hungry?
