Opinion: Why Do We Need Gimmicky Food At Restaurants?

Let’s be honest, in the last year or so food has been taken to the next level. From colourful unicorn food to ‘innovative’ dishes such as the avolatte and the use of liquid nitrogen and such to create ‘unique’ dishes. However, I’m not the biggest fan of gimmicky food give me some ‘normal dishes’ – such as a medium rare steak – and I’ll be perfectly satisfied.

However, it’s not as if I’m some stone cold killer that doesn’t understand its appeal. Gimmicky food does give me a chance to write some scathing articles (let’s be honest, that’s what I enjoy) and people like looking at it, eating it is another matter (multicoloured idlis, no thank you).

Unfortunately, some of this so called ‘innovative food’ can be dangerous. Take the example of the businessman in Gurugram who had a liquid nitrogen drink that burned a hole through his stomach. You may counter that it’s the worst case scenario, but frankly, how many of us really know just how dangerous liquid nitrogen really is? I’ve had my doubts ever since I watched Flushed Away, but many have never seen the underrated cartoon.

Ice cream parlours advertising ‘a mix of food and chemistry’ are popping up all over the place, and I’m not sure there’s the evidence to prove that it tastes any better than a good old gelato. While Masterchef has produced a whole new generation of more culinarily aware people, how much have we researched into that information?

While I of all people understand the allure of a well-made cocktail – am I to dish out an astronomical amount of cash just because it’s served in a light bulb (which definitely holds less liquid than a glass)? Has it really come to this? I seriously doubt our decision-making skills when we’re willing to place gimmickry over quality.