The Art of Eating Mag

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
...nuts

The thing, though, is that eating is not an art. It is a craft.
Actually, there is an older, pre-Romantic meaning of "art" that is pretty much the same as craft. From an online dictionary: Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation: the art of the baker; the blacksmith's art.
 
I used to think that the difference between art and craft was choice- craft was something the world asked of you, while art was something you were compelled to express. Skill was a yardstick for both. Anymore, I'm not so sure.
 
I would say rather that the difference lies in intention, as well as the final result...does it have utility or not? Craft in Japan has a history long and deep. Craftsmen follow a set pattern to make something that we in the end might find as breathtaking as art.....but it may be laquer ware, or furniture, which have functions. Art is intended for contemplation....that is it's sole function. The art of eating sounds correct to me because it speaks of a way of life...food may be a highly developed craft, but enjoying it can be an art.
 
Joel; I'm not so sure that art is "intended for contemplation;" I think it affects the nervous system in such a way that contemplation can only be a means to create distance (and perhaps perspective) from the initial impact.
 
If you mean that contemplation is a form of analysis in a more left brain kind of way, I agree, Steve. Analyzing something can create an intellectual distance between the observer and the observed, as you describe. I tend to consider contemplation to encompass the more passive act of sitting there and experiencing the "art" that's in front of me, first and foremost. What comes later may or may not include analyzing it, but that may also be a part of the act of contemplating...whether it creates distance or not.

In any case, I think my statement was more aimed at distinguishing how art is different from craft. Maybe it's better to say that most art is intended to be experienced?

Here's but a couple of definitions of the word - "a long and thoughtful observation"
"a calm, lengthy, intent consideration"

I like that word "observation", whether it's thoughtful or not.
 
How about the Art of Eating Kraft (American Cheese, or Macaroni; possibilities numerous)?

Actually, I think "The Art of Eating" really is a substantivization of the inflection (now obsolete) of the verb "to be" in the second-person singular. That is: The "You-Are" of Eating; food creating one, as it were.

Du bist, was du it.

Und so weiter.
 
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

Du bist, was du it.

Und so weiter.
Er frit was er it.

I have long wanted to understand the difference between freen and een, and now perhaps Claude gives me a chance. I recall being told as a child that it wan't polite to use freen in the context of humans' eating, but that only made me more curious (if intimidated at the time). Any chance, especially in this context of "Art of Eating", that I can gain some insight on the difference?

(In my linguistic imagination, I like the idea that freen is what you are cursed to do unless/until you begin to study, understand and adopt the "Art of Eating" (whether Behr's publication or the more generic, philosophical lower case version), and then only can you say Ich esse, but given how very little German I have, this could be worse than imaginary -- i.e., just plain wrong.)
 
originally posted by kirk wallace:
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

Du bist, was du it.

Und so weiter.
Er frit was er it.

I have long wanted to understand the difference between freen and een, and now perhaps Claude gives me a chance. I recall being told as a child that it wan't polite to use freen in the context of humans' eating, but that only made me more curious (if intimidated at the time). Any chance, especially in this context of "Art of Eating", that I can gain some insight on the difference?

(In my linguistic imagination, I like the idea that freen is what you are cursed to do unless/until you begin to study, understand and adopt the "Art of Eating" (whether Behr's publication or the more generic, philosophical lower case version), and then only can you say Ich esse, but given how very little German I have, this could be worse than imaginary -- i.e., just plain wrong.)
Kirk, no context for Art of Eating, just making a play on words. Fressen is the way animals eat, I've usually seen it translated as "to feed." In the context of applying it to a human, it means to eat in a gross fashion (i.e., too fast, too much, like a slob). I guess it is somewhat (but not completely) similar to our "pig out."
 
originally posted by kirk wallace:
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

Du bist, was du it.

Und so weiter.
Er frit was er it.

I have long wanted to understand the difference between freen and een, and now perhaps Claude gives me a chance. I recall being told as a child that it wan't polite to use freen in the context of humans' eating, but that only made me more curious (if intimidated at the time). Any chance, especially in this context of "Art of Eating", that I can gain some insight on the difference?

(In my linguistic imagination, I like the idea that freen is what you are cursed to do unless/until you begin to study, understand and adopt the "Art of Eating" (whether Behr's publication or the more generic, philosophical lower case version), and then only can you say Ich esse, but given how very little German I have, this could be worse than imaginary -- i.e., just plain wrong.)

I'd just like to point out that y'all are using the eszett in contravention of the revised '96 rules. In short (pun intended), eszett after diphthongs and long vowels and ss after short vowels.

Just sayin'
Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by kirk wallace:
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

Du bist, was du it.

Und so weiter.
Er frit was er it.

I have long wanted to understand the difference between freen and een, and now perhaps Claude gives me a chance. I recall being told as a child that it wan't polite to use freen in the context of humans' eating, but that only made me more curious (if intimidated at the time). Any chance, especially in this context of "Art of Eating", that I can gain some insight on the difference?

(In my linguistic imagination, I like the idea that freen is what you are cursed to do unless/until you begin to study, understand and adopt the "Art of Eating" (whether Behr's publication or the more generic, philosophical lower case version), and then only can you say Ich esse, but given how very little German I have, this could be worse than imaginary -- i.e., just plain wrong.)

I'd just like to point out that y'all are using the eszett in contravention of the revised '96 rules. In short (pun intended), eszett after diphthongs and long vowels and ss after short vowels.

Just sayin'
Mark Lipton
I never understood the revision and usually avoid the eszett altogether (I know, that's Swiss, but I think for Germans that's not as big an insult as for French), but on the internet I see it and fret, but also essen (it always was, no?) and fressen (likewise).
 
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
I never understood the revision and usually avoid the eszett altogether (I know, that's Swiss, but I think for Germans that's not as big an insult as for French), but on the internet I see it and fret, but also essen (it always was, no?) and fressen (likewise).

A lot of those uses are probably from reactionaries who refuse to follow the '96 conventions. Since those '96 changes stem from the "reforms" proposed by Heyse in 1820, I say it's about damn time. The way I look at it, the eszett is the last gasp of the Roman medial s, so let's get on it with it already and put it out of its misery.

Mark Lipton
 
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