During our study tour trip in Barcelona, Spain, we have recurrently talked about the restaurant of El Bulli and its influence on the world of food. After watching the El Bulli restaurant documentary (El Bulli: Cooking in Progress) early last Thursday morning, I now have a better understanding of what El Bulli was and what it represented/stood for. From the movie, I learned that El Bulli was a Michelin 3-star restaurant near the town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain. Run by the famous head chef Ferran Adria, El Bulli was described as "the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet". The restaurant had a limited season of being open each year; and reservations were very difficult to come by, and some were even made years in advance. The restaurant prided itself in accommodating only 8000 dinners a season as well as providing a new menu with different food creations each season. An interesting fact about the restaurant was that the average cost of a meal was about 250 euros or about 325 US dollars. The costs of meals were semi-affordable, so various democratics of people could attend El Bulli if they put in the effort to make the money & place a proper reservation. Due to its renowned ever-changing menu, El Bulli was undoubtedly known for being the most controversial and experimental restaurant in the world as well as its best chef/food genius in the world, Ferran Adria. I would describe the identity that El Bulli was and its influence it has now as "going beyond, innovative, and a catalyst for the food world in order to pursue something greater". El Bulli was the home restaurant of some of the brightest, most creative, and innovative chefs throughout the world; it also served as a school and learning environmental where new knowledge and techniques could be spread and blossom. The attempts at creating and pursuing new foods and dishes was a fresh and new experience for the food world. El Bulli blazed a trail for people to experience (taste and react) and experiment with new dishes/foods. The restaurant pushed the limits of normal or elite foods, and opened the door to new food innovations and reactions for the world to bear witness. Overall, I appreciate the gutsy food, innovations and new perspectives of food that the El Bulli restaurant has revealed to the world and look forward to how its influence will continue to shape and redefine the food world.
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