By Gabriela Quijada Lopez
Gastronomy has always been closely tied to the history of humanity. Throughout history, we have constantly been characterized by evolution, revolution, and regeneration.
For a while now, the World has been made aware of their need to rethink many of life’s aspects and to implement enough noticeable change in the gastronomic industry. But, we were wrong to believe that we would have plenty of time to progressively make this change. Instead, demand suddenly expanded and we were left without enough time to layout our mise en place.
Now, in a World slowly moving past Covid-19, many restaurants are gradually reopening their doors to the public – or are about to do so. Some restaurants never had to close, while others won’t be able to recover due to being closed. This will result in permanent closures and with them, a new problem becomes more evident. Not only will restaurant staff be affected, but each empty dining room could ruin some of our small producers.
We may not be able to see it clearly today, but the most important and necessary change in this industry has been and will continue to be, the creation of a community. A resilient community made up of people and businesses that are strengthened through diversity. Restaurants act as the pillars of an entire system of constant production – a system that goes far beyond what the consumer sees and knows. There are many people involved in obtaining each product and in the operations of each business. A dish today is nothing short of a collaborative effort made by many committed people.
Gastronomy serves much more than food to diners, – it provides sustenance for those who care for others and serves a great purpose for those who work day after day. This community involves many people, but it goes to serve even more people. Something this important cannot afford to remain so fragile. We must work with the conviction that there will be no great successes without small efforts.
Our new normal, however, includes much more than social-distancing, masks, and asepsis – our people now cook with more skills and abilities than ever before. So far, this year had been made up of very uncertain months, but this discomfort has led us all to try new ways of doing things. And while some have certainly already learned new habits and techniques, no one would have imagined everyone would need to develop so much eloquence, or would need to learn about digital media and production – not to mention the ingenuity of connecting and teaching people from across the world. What until a few months ago were the skills of a TV chef, have now become the skills of a young apprentice.
No one would have believed that top chefs were going to share their best techniques and recipes with people whose faces they can’t even see. Many have surprised us with a great leap from hermeticism to an exhibition, with the understanding that a good dish tastes best when served with modesty and conviction. What we are seeing unfold before our eyes is how a profession, which is underrated in many cases, has become one of the most relevant trades in the world. Kitchens are of utmost importance to society today and will be even more important in the future.
Humanity is preparing to face a barrage of challenging episodes and our cooks will have more and more responsibilities. We need to realize that what brought us to this point will not take us any further. New methods and knowledge are required to provide better experiences with limited resources because food must be increasingly accessible, but the trade must be increasingly profitable. Although this may seem daring and ambitious, we must consider that among these new terms of ‘normality’, perhaps we can find a way to overcome our greatest challenges facing humanity.
“Without new ideas, success can become stale.” –
Anthony Bourdain
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