In a wide ranging article with fascinating observations Eugene Wei looked at the changing role that food is playing in society:

• Back in the day music used to be the heart of cultural conversation.
• Now anybody can listen to anything at any time. Indie bands are instantly available and the sense of exploration and discovery has ebbed.
• MTV no longer dominates the airwaves. These days you hear about cooking shows.
• Instead of lauding rock stars and guitarists we now laud chefs and restaurants, such as Jiro from Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
• Now food offers true scarcity. If you get that one dish at that one famous restaurant, then you’re having an experience that a tiny fraction of the world will ever get to share.
• Yet paradoxically this is because food, in general, is more abundant than ever. We experience it as art more than sustenance. Things like cronuts or cookies and cream shots are creative experiments that excite the world.

The full article talks about a lot more. You should read it here.

Source: Remains of the Day

Via: Marginal Revolution