Ok. So I take the family out to Barry’s pizza for lunch, a long time favorite. This time around I order up a deep dish Heather’s Firehouse. While I’m throwing down the first slice my mind wanders to the Art Institutes commercials where they talk about the culinary arts. In between chews I’m thinking about whether or not I consider food to be art. I quickly decided that it is (or at least can be). Then, while hitting a particularly juicy chunk of sausage, I had an epiphany. My thoughts went like this:

Food is the only art you consume. How cool! No wait. That’s not right. I do consume food, but I consume music too, just through my ears. Oh wow…all art is consumed, internalized in various ways. Music is interalized by the sense of hearing. Painting and other similar arts art internalized by the sense of sight. Performance arts take it up a notch, being internalized by the senses of sight and hearing. Likewise, sculpture employs sight and touch. But food, that is internalized by all five senses; sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste!

So, in that regard, perhaps food is the highest form of art. I turned to Christina and said, “I think I just figured out why I love cooking so much.” She was thoroughly unimpressed.