Should you dine fine?

  For some reason, as I awoke this morning there was a conversation in my head about fine dining and whether or not it's a good thing. Without meaning to get off topic too early, there's clearly no such thing as good or bad and if there were, it certainly wouldn't be applied to fine dining as a (Good grief, can you just stick with the program? -Ed.).

  On the one hand we do eat with our eyes and the way a plate looks as it arrives in front of us has a strong influence on our enjoyment. However, where I think I have a problem is when it undermines the confidence of those of us who might feel shaky about their kitchen prowess.

  One of the problems is that you don't even have to have eaten in a Michelin starred restaurant to have been exposed to plates of food that wouldn't look out of place in an art gallery. But why should that be a problem? There will always be a market for outstanding levels of presentation and for many people it's as enjoyable as watching any other expert showing off their skills.

  The issue I think I have is when it gets in the way of anyone's freedom to just have a go because cooking makes such a difference to our lives. It doesn't matter that I marvel at olympian gymnasts on the pommel horse but never dream of attempting it because it makes no difference to my well being but if someone feels too intimidated to cook...

​​​​​​​  I realise there's no resolution to this and all I've done here is give you a glimpse of the stuff that rattles around my head. However, if you're someone who feels intimidated when they cook then maybe reading this will give you more encouragement to give it a go and not feel too much pressure. 

Kirk out

Chefsebastian.com