Austeridade e epifania: a cultura da autenticidade dos cozinheiros contemporâneos

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to show how a culture of authenticity among cooks and chefs was constituted, and its particularities in terms of symbolic representation and moral references. We argue that the world of gastronomy has become a paradigmatic environment for the investigation of authenticity as it produces a seminal dialectical relationship between expressivism (inspiration, creation and freedom) and military-inspired austerity (heavy physical labor, long hours standing, hierarchical brigade regime, often unhealthy environment). Thus, we seek to understand the meanings attributed by gastronomy students and professionals regarding the expression of the uniqueness of the subjects. We paid attention to the strategies used to differentiate authenticity and inauthenticity, so that it was possible to grasp the social effects of this distinction that marks the condition of the contemporary cook. Qualitative research was the method used. It was based on interviews with students and professionals, as well as participant observation at gastronomic events and at two restaurants located in Recife. From this fieldwork, we observe that the quest for authenticity establishes a promise to escape the austerity of the kitchen, while, at the same time, generates an overload of the self, since “it” is called to project “its” style in all life details. This burden often produces a symptomatic picture of social unrest (anxiety, depression, burnout), which is covered by the process of consecration and mystification of the aesthetic itself.