Note to note: the question of reproduction of the old

I think it is useful to discuss, for note-to-note cooking, the question of reproduction.

Note-to-note cooking, to begin with, is that form of synthetic cooking that uses pure compounds rather than fruits, vegetables, meat or fish. These compounds that are used can be pure or simple mixtures as in oil, or starch. But let's keep the idea of pure compounds.

With our compounds, what to do?

Many people are tempted to reproduce old ingredients or dishes: coq au vin, sauerkraut, applesauce, etc. Their argument is that the guests will not feel the same way.

Their argument is that the guests will find it easier to find their way around, with preparations they know. That "the public does not want anything new". And other similar arguments. But... is all this true?

On the other hand, there is the essential pitfall that a copy is generally compared unfavorably to the original.

For example, let's imagine that we produce a system that reproduces an apple: we will almost systematically be told that this "apple" is not crunchy enough, or not juicy enough, etc. But this is pure bad faith.

But this is pure bad faith, because to which particular apple is our particular production compared? Not all apples are crisp like green apples, juicy and sweet like golden apples, etc.

Moreover, real apples, even of a particular variety, do not all have the same acidity, the same sweetness, the same fiber... More generally, all apples are different, not only in terms of variety but also in terms of maturity within the same variety and on the same tree.

In other words, if it is intellectually interesting to make such a reproduction of an apple, one should be aware of the limits of the exercise.

Yes, it is interesting to make a reproduction, because the particular consistency of a Granny Smith apple, for example, has virtues that are easy to identify, this noise that the teeth make when they bite into the apple, this particular juiciness that is released when one bites, etc. And then, do we really need to do what already exists?

There are many answers to this question, starting with the fact that, perhaps, our synthetic productions will one day become more durable than natural ones.

On the other hand, our reproduction work leads us to explore particular characteristics of traditional products, which imposes specific work, and therefore specific, unexpected results.

Beauty is certainly in the way.