I’ve been thinking about this for the past couple of days. How the simple idea of “the unknown” is so prevalent in the restaurant industry. I mean this on several different levels:
- “It sounds noisy in there.” The separation between chef and restauranteer. The kitchen, in many cases is hidden. You don’t see what goes on there. You don’t see who is cooking, and when you’re in a fancy restaurant you just imagine there being a group of men back there with chef boyardee hats and high flames. Why make the cooking process so unknown? Is there some sociological aspect involved that goes deeper than you think?
- “Can you tell me what that means?” Academic language. The restaurant is sure to know that many people won’t know what “nicoise”, ”carpaccio”, or ”ganache” is, or even know the difference between braised, bronzed or slightly warmed. What is the effect of this? It reminds me of our trade history, how foreign things were highly sought after…think Ever After, when the Prince brings back a “wonderful little treat from Spain”: chocolate. Something foreign is intriguing. Restaurants surely capitalize on this.
- “That looks so good.” When you get something at a restaurant and it’s presented in a beautiful, creative way. Without knowing the spices in it, what “quality” ingredients are in it, you find it tasting good as soon as you put it in your mouth. But does it taste good just because it looks good? Does your mind overcompensate because of how good it looked? What if that same dish was haphazardly scattered on a paper plate?
- The “it’s not chicken, it’s food” rule. The current battle for sustainable foods. Eating at a regular, everyday restaurant, you never know where your meat came from. It could be injected with all kinds of chemicals you’ve never heard of (or care to learn) and you’re consuming it under the pretense that it “tastes good.”
- “I LOVE these little bowls!” And other miscellaneous things. What if you had found out that they got the silverware from Target? What if you knew that Hispanics were cooking your Japanese food?
It’s just so interesting to me, this screen of unknowingness…and, what are the consequences? We know the good ones: you enjoy your meal, you just kinda turn a blind eye for the sake of dining and flavor. You usually leave satisfied and that’s it. No strings attached - food was good, paid the bill, now it’s time to sleep.
But what about the bad ones? What gets lost in translation? What is missed in your dining experience? what stories are you oblivious to, what motives – that went into making your food - will you never ever know? The story at that restaurant goes on, and for the staff – that place is their world. For you? It was a short stay, a very detached, on-the-surface stay. You ate and left. They stay and get to know all the secrets.
So, what does it all mean? Some people may say so what, we live in a world of oblivion. And I agree. I just think it makes you think, that’s all.
I think it’s kind of fun sometimes that there is so much unknown. If you have a skilled chef that you trust, there’s nothing like telling him/her to just cook for you. The dishes come out one at a time, and you have no idea what they will be until they arrive. Like other things in life, there’s sometimes more enjoyment in being surprised.