Design (an excerpt from my flavor journal)

Everything has a design. This world is not by chance but by awesome design. God made it a part of us to want to design and create to further the parts of this world. There is nothing else quite like creating something.

I once watched a lecture series done by Harvard on the science of food and cooking. It is an amazing series by the way and worth watching if your a science guru. One of the guest speakers Chef Ferran Adria said something along the lines of...

        "If I asked each of you to create a dish right now, it would be very hard to come up with a new concept and make it happen. However, if I asked each of you to take the concept of the omelet and come up with a variation on the dish, you could each easily do so." 

His point was, to start from a blank canvas is challenging. Varying something already existing is maybe not simple but definitely more doable.



Well, for any of you who do not know who Ferran Adria is, he has come up with some of the most miraculous dishes that are now used in restaurants all over the world. One of my favorites is the process of "spherification." Creating a sphere out of a liquid... see video below:



Creativity is my thing. Once as I understand the technique behind my idea and know how to implement it... look out! Every part of life gives me ideas for dishes. Not just something in the pantry or something I have eaten before. Here is a list of things that consistently give me ideas to write in my flavor journal. Don't have one? Read about mine here.

Idea provoking objects:
a particular shape
color
aroma
geometry
texture
people
design (modern, rustic, classic, etc)
a certain place or location
memories
sound. 

Let's stop right there. Sound. Being an improvisatory musician I am always wondering, how would the color of bright orange sound? How does spring air and freshness sound? How can I compose in a way that brings on tone that expresses those things. Now, what if my compositions were expressed through food? Wow. How would the sound of Mozart "taste?" What about the sound of a hollow forrest in winter?

Things to ponder for sure.