Two Cultures

Just as Elle Woods woke up one day and decided to go to law school, I too abruptly decided that I was going to pursue a career in medicine as a third grader. Fascinated and driven by science in an educational world where you must choose art or math, I needed a creative outlet aside from school. Young and naive, I had no idea that the two cultures of art and math could mesh until I learned to cook.

Elle Woods is the main character from the movie Legally Blonde and impulsively attends Harvard Law School

Experimenting and creating dishes that emanate delicious aromas and satisfy a myriad of palates is a true form of art, while balancing temperatures and precisely measured ingredients can be quite scientific. A slight alteration in recipe for a simple chocolate chip cookie will completely alter the final product and could cost you that blue ribbon at the county fair! At the same time, adding unusual flavors can create a unique new product entirely.

Cookies turn out differently depending on cooking temp, type of oil, number of eggs, etc.

C.P. Snow talks about the need to bridge the gap between the two cultures of art and science in “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution” and cooking does just that. Combining culinary art forms such as taste and presentation with the scientific method to construct delectable cuisine unites both cultures in one activity common to virtually every household in the world (since everyone needs food to survive).

This specific dish is a fusion cuisine combining aspects from different cultures

In contrast to John Brockman’s idea of a third culture being scientists explaining their discoveries in layman’s terms, I believe that the third culture consists of both the scientist and the literary intellectual who learn to appreciate one another’s opinions and cultivate open-mindedness. Only then will we truly bridge the gap in all aspects of art and science. Using my laptop computer to watch Netflix between homework assignments, I know that we can create amazing tools to help solve the problems modern society faces with changing our prospective on the separation of two cultures: art and science.

Sources

Snow, C.P. "Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution." Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Brockman, John. The Third Culture. N.P.: n.p, 1995. Print. 

Elle Woods Picture: <http://www.sunnydaysandlovelyways.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/reese-witherspoon-as-elle-woods-in-legally-blonde.jpg>

Cookie Picture: <http://www.handletheheat.com/ultimate-cookie-troubleshooting-guide/>

Fusion Cuisine Picture: <http://houston.eat24hours.com/files/cuisines/v4/asian-fusion.jpg?e24v=203>

Open Mind Picture: <http://cdn.acneeinstein.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/open-close-mind.jpg>

Vesna, Victoria. "Two Cultures Intro." Desma 9 Lecture. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/346337/pages/unit-1-view?module_item_id=6472132>

Vesna, Victoria. "Two Cultures Part 1." Desma 9 Lecture. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/346337/pages/unit-1-view?module_item_id=6472132>

Vesna, Victoria. "Two Cultures Part 2." Desma 9 Lecture <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/346337/pages/unit-1-view?module_item_id=6472132>