Is the end near for Spain's avant-garde cuisine?

Author cuisine: a foam bubble that refuses to burst

Every time a trendy chef plates a cactus flower with a chococrispi, there is a diner longing for Galician-style octopus. Modern cuisine keeps drawing criticism that compares it to nursery-school games: celeriac foams, fried fish spine torched with a blowtorch and pretentious diminutives. Opposing it, tradition champions hand-carved ham, croquettes and hearty stews. And underneath lies a suspicion: today's fine dining seeks maximum profit at minimum cost, betting on visual impact over flavour.

Capitalism sits down at the table too

The sharpest criticism holds that contemporary cuisine is an expression of capitalism: impressing the eye costs less than filling the plate. Lentils with pork ribs and black pudding cost more than a sophisticated tartare, so the industry pushes towards the visual even when it tastes of little. Against that, the home cook reclaims their turf: knowing how to cook saves thousands of euros a year, and some even feed a family on less than 150 euros a month.

Television and exploitation in the kitchens

Some go further, linking shouting chef reality shows to the normalisation of inhumane working conditions in restaurants. The argument is that the public humiliation of contestants serves to whitewash an industry marked by exhausting shifts, constant pressure and low pay.

The comparison with modern art closes the circle: what began as a fresh movement has ended in pretentious nonsense. Between celeriac foam and the good old stew, when will this "sunormalism" (anti-normal cooking) end? The bubble is not bursting, but it has more and more holes.