Chef as an Artist

         "A great chef is an artist that I truly respect." - Robert Stack

      In Babette's Feast, Babette, a chef in an exquisite Cafe Anglais at France, considered herself as an artist. She claims, "an artist is never poor." Within a context of food, can a chef be defined as an artist? Most certainly. An artist is not merely a painter, sculptor or writer that is dealing with fine arts. An artist for me is someone who puts virtue and value in imagination and creativity, creating delicate work that can be shared to the rest of the world.

      A chef has several components that meet my definition of being an artist. First of all, a chef needs to think outside the box by combining raw ingredients to make an incredible meal for other people. Raw ingredients are similar to paint, they are building blocks to make a masterpiece. As abstract as it can be, chef can combine weird ingredients to produce one coherent and beautiful dish. Who would ever think to make caviars out of black beans and truffle oil? Or who would ever think to combine Pistachio and a rack of lamb? These are the dishes that Ferran Adria creates, one of my favorite chef ever. The next component is cooking the ingredients and flavoring them. A chef needs to use their instinct to put the right amount of salt, pepper or other spices. Even recipes can't give a distinct direction on how much spices you need to put. Similar to art, two chefs won't cook the same way or produce the same exact dish because they have different taste buds and preferences. The last component is plating and presentation. Similar to painting, Chefs have to present their dish on top of a plate to show elegance so that people would want to eat it. With any kind of liquid, puree or sauce, chefs need to paint it on top of a plate for presentation. Their presentation of the food is similar to the cover of books. It invites people to pick it up and increase their appetite. Plating requires a lot of creativity and art, defining chef as an artist.

      Chef in a world-renowned restaurant has a big responsibility of creating memorable and exquisite experience for the guests. There is no doubt that chefs are artists. They create food that people can enjoy. Their food paint the tongue and taste buds of people. Similar to an artist, Chefs make a long-lasting impact in people's lives through the food that they create. Chefs are simply artists that use a different kind of medium (building blocks) to create their art work.

Babette's Feast: The Last Supper

      One of the most prominent theme in Babette's Feast is spirituality via food. Food is a predominant symbol that shows the transformation of the hearts of people and the atmosphere. Before Babette's appearance, food in the sect community of Berlevaag has only one sole purpose, which is sustenance. Seeking pleasure through food is sinful, and food is forbidden to be look upon as a luxurious experience. However, the appereance of Babette brings a new perspective of food and pleasure to the town of Berlevaag. Babette loves preparing exquisit food for pleasure purposes, and she has one chance to show this to the sect society, through "Babette's Feast."
       Babette's Feast resemble the last supper because there are 12 people that participate in the feast, similar to the last supper with Jesus' 12 disciples. The feast itself is a symbol of luxury and transformation  since the feast that she prepares creates an atmosphere that initiates interaction and delight within the 12 people, even after Martine and Philippa warned everyone not to apprehend the food as something luxurious. Babette also resembles Jesus in a way that she spent all of her money to prepare for the feast, expressing joy upon the 12 people that eat the feast. This can be seen through the expression of the guests. Even when the Berlevaag people were told not to speak much while they were eating, their expression shows that they have been transformed spiritually and physically. The audience/readers can also understand the beauty and authenticity of the feast through General Lowenheilm, in which he expresses his adornment of the feast freely.
       Babette as a Christ figure is further shown through the sacrifice that she made, through the 10,00 francs that she won from the lottery. First of all, she's a foreigner to the people of Berlevaag and she still has an unselfish and selfless love. At first, the people of Berlevaag seems to not appreciate French cuisine because of its luxurious elements. However, Babette acts as a humble woman and transform the villagers through the extravagant meal that she made. The guests were expecting bad thing to come from this luxurious, but by the end of the feast, they find the value of goodness and love within the food. Lastly, similar to Christ, Babette spent everything that she has and says that "an artist is never poor." Her feast, a symbol of transformation and love, is something that can't be bought with money, more alone 10,000 francs.

Comfort Food: Indonesian Fried Rice

Back when I was in Indonesia, we always cook with simple ingredients and leftovers. I consider my maid to have the best recipe for Indonesian Fried Rice. That is my ultimate comfort food, Indonesian Fried Rice with sweet soy sauce and sausages cut into little pieces. Every time I go back home, my first meal will always be that Indonesian Fried Rice because it gives me a sense of home and contentment. And my maid needs to cook the meal because she's the only one who can cook that ultimate perfect Indonesian Fried Rice. Even when my my maid gave the recipe to my aunt, my aunt's fried rice can't satisfy my contentment.