"Eat with your eyes"

The aesthetics of food is a factor that I always take into consideration when rating a restaurant after my meal. As a matter of fact if not all of my five senses are satisfied after a meal, then the rating will definitely not be high.

Us humans, I believe, eat with our eyes first. If you think of it in a logical way, it's true; how do you choose the food you put in your tummy ? With your eyes. Whether it be a restaurant where you have pictures next to the menu or just a written menu - in both cases you are making use of your eyes to make a choice. This makes the way a dish is presented to you a crucial factor for restaurants or coffee shops. This could lead you to choosing one dish over the other even if you aren't familiar with the ingredients.

So, our eyes could make us try unusual things or create unusual combinations of food. Our vision is what enriches our food palette and stops us from getting into a recipe rut. On that note, when in a recipe rut it is also the eyes that are going to go look for those new recipes. The eyes are attracted to the burst of colour in that Thai green curry, the eyes consume the vibrant red splashes in a fresh tomato soup.

When it comes to restaurants, they have to take it a step further to please the artsy and aesthetic side of the eye. Whether you come from an artistic background or not, we all have an opinion on what is and what isn't aesthetic. That's the challenging part for chefs, they have to cater to every type of aesthetic. It doesn't always suffise to put a little flower and foam on your dish to make your client happy. It takes a certain artistic chef to find the perfect colour combination that will simultaneously create exquisite flavours in your mouth.

Try it out for yourself... next time you cook or go out to eat. Feast with your eyes before feasting with your tastebuds !