The Art Of Cookery

29 Ramadhan 1430

Noi has been fairly faithfully watching a programme called Master Chef on one of the new cable BBC channels, BBC Lifestyle, that we've been able to get recently. It's a jolly if somewhat tense affair in which various aspiring cooks are put through their paces and generally found wanting until one emerges as the master chef in question. We've just finished one series, I'm not sure if it was the first, and a rather likable and talented young lady called Tommy or Thomasina, won the award (if that's what it is.) Actually pretty much all the contenders emerged as likable sorts and in the end you were left with that familiar feeling that it was a pity there could be only one winner. It's now started another series and it looks as if Noi will continue as an avid viewer. I don't blame her. Although I don't watch quite as avidly, I find it interesting enough to watch occasionally and suspect I could get hooked if I allowed myself to.

Apart from the fact the contestants are likable, a feature I find to be true of many 'reality' shows, with the exception of those that deliberately seek confrontation, and an interesting comment on humanity in general, the contestants on Master Chef are nearly all very talented. They need to be as what they are put through is so demanding. My usual comment to the missus is that you'd have to be a bit crazy to want to be a chef - they work so incredibly hard.

They are also very creative. A lot of the tasks demand they create dishes from fairly random ingredients and it's remarkable what they come up with, usually against the clock. They're also very hot on the presentation of the food. The dishes usually look gorgeous - and this from a man who generally doesn't notice how it looks, as long as it tastes okay.

Which brings me to my main point. If this isn't Art in a serious sense (enough to make me use a capital letter) I don't know what it is. I've made this case before, and it also applies to gardening. The creativity of our species is something to treasure ( especially when so much else about us is just plain embarrassing) and celebrate, and we should be ready to acknowledge it in all its forms. Mind you, as a man about to conclude his fast for Ramadhan (just one hour left!) I would say something positive about food I suppose.