Beauty is in the Taste Buds of the Beholder

We have all been told that it is inner beauty, not outer beauty that counts. “Do not judge a book by its cover” asserts the trite and time honored expression. Yet women expend considerable time and money on their clothes, hair, and makeup, not to mention the gym. Why? Because whether it is fair or not, they know that men, and sometimes even other women, will initially judge them by their looks. When men place excessive emphasis on a woman’s appearance they are accused of being superficial. When a chef does it with his food however, he is considered creative and prudent.

Humans are significantly visually oriented. Right or wrong, our psyches do make judgments about things based on their most salient features, i.e., visual attributes.

Studies have shown that people eat more when the food is visually pleasing.

It is not only your perception of taste that the chef wishes to manipulate with his plating artistry. You are likely to come to very different conclusions about a restaurant and its staff if the food is displayed with attention to detail, as opposed to just being slopped on a plate. The former conveys respect for the food and a chef who is diligent about his craft. Well presented food indeed adds to the overall dining experience.

It is by no means suggested we abandon culinary aestheticism. It is a vital component of food preparation and presentation. But when it starts to infringe on substance, then we are truly losing our sense of “taste.”

Source: http://www.foodreference.com/html/beautyisinthetaste.html