I've spent my morning elbow deep into "Ma Gastronomie" by Fernand Point. It's a recently reissued classic and definitely a must-read. After trying to secure a copy for some time, I finally have the opportunity to read through it. The glimpse into Point's philosophies, his lifestyle, and his cuisine are profound and incredibly relevant to today's gastronomic scene. He was trying to break away from classical cuisine while pronouncing the importance of understanding it. He was insistent, above all else, on pushing flavor and texture... taking the best ingredients and letting them speak. This is all too familiar in modern cuisine. Amazing how much cooking has changed, and still reinforces the same underlying principles. Point's quotes read much like Keller, Blumenthal, and Adria's manifesto. For all of the attempts of some to separate what they refer to as 'molecular gastronomy,' it all comes back to food being just food. The only adjectives that should separate food are 'good' and 'bad'... not even natural and unnatural are truthful in this argument. Although Fernand Point has been very quoted lately in many circles, I will list 3 which I find extremely relevant to what is happening today as well as the day they were penned.
"Every country, every region, has its local specialties about which it's rash to say "they're not very good," because nature supplies every taste." ...this was as true about Point's diligence in pushing the real flavor in his dishes, and it's very true with modern cuisine and the idea of stripping ingredients down to their raw intensified flavor. Whether it is good or bad depends on factors other than this.
"Cuisine in not invariable like a Codex formula, but one must be careful not to modify the bases." ... or the old adage, 'you've got to know the rules before you break them.'
"The most difficult of dishes to make generally appear to be the simplest." ...this is the same for beauty and perfection.
And to defend the notion that modern cooking is removed from nature, the opposite is true. Modern cuisine demands an intimate understanding of man's relationship nature. It is often those that claim to utilize all things natural who are living a fantasy. I want to quote a few paragraphs from "Cooking: The Quintessential Art" by Hervé This and Pierre Gagnaire...
"There is a sort of intellectual negligence in believing that nature is good, and a sort of dishonesty in promoting this belief in order to make it easier to sell food products. Nature is neither good nor bad: it is both the springtime that brings forth vegetables and fruits, and the winter that brings starvation. The human race has continually searched for ways to protect itself against the natural environment. If we wear clothes and live in houses, it is because the idyllic state of nature that we are forever imagining is far removed from reality.
Naturalness is no less a fantasy in cooking. Indeed, nothing could be more false, more absurd, or more unjustified. In the same way that we wear clothes rather than go around naked, that we live in houses rather than sleep outside, we cook our foods not only to tenderize and purify them, but also to give them flavors that they don't have in their natural state. Cooking is a completely artificial activity, as the dictionary attests: Artificial- made by human skill; produced by humans; not natural.
The idea that one should cook using 'natural' foods is another illusion. The ancestor of the wheat we know today was natural, but it was also a stunted plant that produced only a few dry, scrawny seeds. The ancestor of the modern bull was an emaciated creature. The wild carrot is a pitiful thing. Since the earliest times humanity has sought to domesticate vegetables and animals. By crossing the most productive individuals it has been possible to obtain wheats, for example, with their plump, rounded seeds. They are full of flour for making bread-- and anything but natural!! The same is true of beef, pork, tomatoes, peppers, pears, and, yes, apples. Have you ever tasted one of those small wild apples you sometimes come across in the woods? They are horribly astringent and bitter. In short, it's been ages since we've eaten anything natural."
This may be an overdose of French quotes for some, but the point (excuse the pun) is that food will always be food. I've always enjoyed reading of the evolution of cuisine. My mentor chef, Charlie Bartell, was an encyclopedia of gastronomic history as well as many other subjects. In a time before the world take-over by the internet, he inspired me to read simply by giving me little doses of information. Back then, some of the only subjects I found myself dodging into were books by MFK Fisher, Escoffier's text, Brillat Savarin, and other historical documents such as "The Last Days of Haute Cuisine." My choices were limited to word of mouth suggestions and what was available at the book store. Without the internet, you are not only denied reading material but the ability to even discover what titles a young cook should read.
I sincerely hope that this obligation does not fade among young cooks today. You are beginning your careers in an exciting time. The world of cuisine has more doors open within than any other time in history. Learn where those before you came from, what they studied, and what they had to endure. Make yourself educated. Learning to cook today is comparable to learning the guitar right after Jimi Hendrix blazed the "Star Spangled Banner." The same guitar, same 6 strings, but a whole new language to speak with. Where will you take it? ? ? ? ? ? The possibilities have just tripled... but so has the amount of knowledge you must consume.
You have the most amazing power right in front of you at this very moment. Many great chefs are sharing their knowledge on websites and forums and blogs in this great moment in cuisine. All it takes is one click and a quick email, and you may be surprised how many of them are willing to take the time to talk to you.
Ok... I'm stepping off the soapbox now.
