Although I am a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain, watching Discovering Ferran Adria last Monday was not the highlight of my school day. However, it opened my eyes and reaffirmed my opinions of food trends. For those who have not seen the estimated hour long program, it is basically a documentary on the works of Ferran Adria, narrated and seen through the eyes of Bourdain. Adria is the chef of El Bulli, the number one rated restaurant in the entire world. His restaurant is only open 6 months out of the year, while the other 6 months he works in his top-secret laboratory discovering new dishes and concepts for El Bulli. I was told many times that you are constantly learning about the culinary world even after you leave school, and Adria seems to be proof of this.
For starters, I admire Adria for constantly thinking and inventing new ways to further culinary arts. Being able to keep up with the industry’s demands, trends, and new ideas is very respectable. And personally, I find his ideas fascinating. But on the other hand, when did it stop being about the food? What happened to the simple concept of food being food and not an experiment? I was also once told people eat for two reasons: fuel and social gatherings. So which is more important?
If I ever have the chance to meet Ferran Adria or even just have the chance to dine at El Bulli, I would consider myself a very lucky person. Being around someone with that kind of knowledge, experience, and talent would be a once and a lifetime experience. But the whole molecular gastronomy thing is lost on me. In my opinion, something like a pasta-less ravioli is just a blob of congealed green pea puree, but maybe I just see it differently.
