molecular gastronomy, anyone?

CS: Hey, bro! What’s up?
RM: You heard of this thing call mm mollar and gg romy?
CS: Oh, you mean the latest talk of the town – molecular gastronomy?
RM: Yup, som’ like that. Heard that a restaurant serving this type of cuisine.
CS: Ya, a very unique experience – you get to sit in wheel chairs in front of the operating table for your meals. And, they serve you “caviar” made right in front of your eyes! Also, they made ice cream using liquid nitrogen right in front of you. I went there and it was quite a memorable dining experience.
RM: WAH, that is magical! How can they make caviar? I thought it is a natural product from a fish?
CS: Well, it is not real caviar that you get from the sturgeon fish. But something that looks like it. Because it is custom made, you can give it the color and flavor that you want.
RM: That means you can actually have orange flavored or mint flavored caviar in different colors. How amazing!
CS: It is actually made from dripping drops of these flavored and colored liquids, which contain alginate, into a solution containing calcium ions. Upon contact, the alginate on the outer surface of the drops reacts with the calcium ions and traps whatever molecules that are around it to form a network. This network becomes the gel-like structure that entraps the liquid that is inside. So the liquid droplet becomes something that looks like caviar - a membrane enclosing some liquid inside. But all these happen very quickly, just a matter of seconds.
RM: So, it is something like making cement – if you add water to cement, it will harden to a solid after some time. So if you have a cement ball and you spray water on the outside, the outside layer will harden after some time while the inside is still in the powder form. How ingenious!
CS: Yes, I must say it is quite innovative. Alginates are commonly used in many products in the food industry as a stabilizer. But to use it the way that they have used it in the kitchen is quite refreshing. In my opinion, molecular gastronomy is actually the application of food science knowledge in the kitchen.
RM: So, this is actually not that new. It is actually using ingredients that are novel to the traditional kitchen to create a different cuisine.
CS: Well, I am not sure whether it is a new cuisine ‘coz a cuisine takes time to attain a certain recognizable identity and this is influenced by many factors such as the history, culture, tradition, people, religion, etc… and even the ingredients and cooking methods.
RM: Sounds exciting… it is like we are in the process of creating history – culinary history. A hundred years from now, I will be remembered for having contributed to the rise of a new cuisine!
CS: Like real! You have not even tried it and you are talking big! Day dreaming as usual, lah!
RM: Aiya, what's so difficult, I just bring my friends there, loh! Go there a few more times and I would have significant contribution to culinary history.
CS: Maybe, maybe not. I personally would not go there too frequently. I go there because of the novelty which is great for entertaining my clients - another talking point besides just talking business, you know? I am very much a steak and potato person and I want value for money if I am dining out myself. It cost quite a bomb but I am ok ‘coz my company is paying for it. In addition, I wouldn’t want to eat all those food additives so often, you know I got allergies. I would prefer the real caviar, man.
RM: I think we can grow this molecular gastronomy thingy. Instead of serving pure molecular gastronomy dishes on the restaurant menu, we can introduce some of these dishes into mainstream cuisines: first Western, then Chinese. It can be in the form of appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, etc. That means you still can have your steak and potato, ok? This would make it affordable and available to the general consumers. Its novelty and innovativeness would eventually make it accepted and be part of culinary culture!
CS: Agree, but it is a dream and too much work needed. Anyway, I won’t call them molecular gastronomy dishes, ‘coz El Bulli doesn’t call his this anymore. Now it is just a tool to him, not a cuisine. People look for creativeness, dining experience, value, etc, but they don’t care what technique you use to achieve that. It is like saying: “Hey, I do food safety in my restaurant.” People expect you to do that, it is taken for granted, and they don’t care how you do it. So similarly, they expect you to be innovative or to surprise them with your food, but do they care which technique you use? You can tell them you use Montessori and it wouldn’t make a diff, man!
RM: You always throw cold water on me. Well, that kind of work is for a dreamer like me. Must dream big!!
CS: Well, you continue with your 春秋大梦, I’m taking off. Need to go back to office to finish some memos.
RM: OK, lah, buddy. Catch up with you some other time.
CS: Oh, ya, next Saturday is my birthday. Bring a nice champagne, ok?
RM: Ha? Champagne, my foot! You are the one dreaming, man!
CS: Ha, Ha, OK, lah. Bye!