Spot-On: Art and Science

Craft is the nexus, an apogee, of art and science. During my 20-plus year career as a computer programmer and editor of programming magazines there was a constant discussion of whether good programming was an art or a science. It was, and still is, both. Like cooking, it begins with science — verifiable facts, mathematics, technology, and logic — but real success required art — intuition, a sense of proportion, the search for an indefinable elegance.

You can read the complete article at Spot-On.

Technorati: Food | essay | kevin d weeks | seriously good | spot-on | commentary

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Sidewalk Meals

Sidewalk Meals

It was a glorious morning in the summer of 1971 and I was in the midst of an astoundingly beautiful valley in Switzerland bordered on all sides by the Alps. I should have appreciated it more, but I was an impatient 17-year-old, it was hot, and my last ride had dropped me off on a two-lane road in the middle of nowhere two hours before.

Read the whole article at Spot-On.

Technorati: Food | food column | food commentary | spot-on | essay

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American Bred

American Bred

Some time ago Michael Ruhlman opined that America didn't have a cuisine (I looked, but couldn't find the specific post). I objected to his assertion, but he defended it well. Nevertheless, it's been bothering me since and I finally articulated a response. It's not a broad disputation of his argument because I didn't have space for that, but it's a specific example that I think anyone, with some knowledge of food in this country, can extrapolate from. It's also my latest column on Spot-On.

Technorati: Food | commentary | essay | New Orleans | american cuisine

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