286565 Thu Sep 14 14:12:24 -0700 2000 1 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1537415 I was interested in Jim's analogy between art and food. I completely agree that there are different ways to appreciate food. The foods people have been mentioning on the "ashamed" thread are enjoyed differently than those on the rest of the board. But Jim's analogy to the difference between house painting and "art" strikes me as not quite right. As I sit in my cubicle, I gaze at two paintings done by my son. Since he's only four, these would hardly qualify as artistic masterpieces. In all likelihood, he will never create a masterpiece. But I get enjoyment out of looking at them. It is, to be sure, a different kind of enjoyment than I get out of looking at a Van Gogh or Rembrandt. I think we could even take this further: I get a different kind of pleasure from Van Gogh and Rembrandt. So, I get a different kind of pleasure from Italian and French food..... We could, of course, do the same thing with music.... Thu Sep 14 14:12:24 -0700 2000 0 Peter 1 1537440 your son's paintings are invested with who he is. the side of a barn, though painted with brushes and paints, does not have that quality. I probably would get a dose of inspiration (a "buzz") from seeing your son's paintings. I do not get that buzz from a barn. Similarly, the deep enjoyment of delicious food is wholly different from the less aesthetic appreciation of food that just makes some of us feel good, that gets the job done, that sparks pleasure responses unrelated to its actual qualities. Fri Sep 15 01:12:08 -0700 2000 1537415 0 Jim Leff