The opinion of an ignorant is not worth as much as that of a wise person: this is believed by Andoni Luis Aduriz, along with Isaac Asimov, who urges potential guests of Mugaritz to inform themselves before booking about the dining experience they will find, in order to avoid unnecessary disappointments.
Cover photo: @Javier Colmenero
The News
We know Andoni Luis Aduriz as a restless chef and artist, who has surrounded himself with brilliant minds to receive new stimuli and carry forward his avant-garde concepts. It is therefore not surprising that his open letter to Siete Canibales starts with a quote from Epictetus ("Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them") and praises stoicism, for its analytical abilities in self-knowledge and for overcoming passions.
In today's era of artificial intelligence, where truth is indistinguishable from falsehood, it becomes even more difficult to distrust appearances, according to his principle. "To philosophize is this: to examine and refine criteria." But where does the great chef want to go with his praise for the value of information, whether it's about speaking or remaining silent, embracing a vocation or buying a bottle of wine?
It all starts from a very specific episode: a food enthusiast highlighted one of his social media statements, where Andoni asserts that the guest is responsible for knowing what kind of cuisine and restaurant practices the establishment where they are booking. "Simply because if they don't, and then they don't like it, the responsibility is theirs." It's the same principle by which at the supermarket we are called to read labels, so as not to mistake a detergent for breakfast cereal. But the food enthusiast insisted that it is the right of the guest to go wherever they want with any level of prior information. Then they wondered: "Are all those who complain really uninformed?"
The great chef responds by reaffirming his call for potential guests to inform themselves, now that we live in the era of infodemics, to ward off unrealistic expectations. "This way of thinking, whereby whoever pays always has the right to protest about whatever they please, can reinforce the false belief that freedom of expression is subordinate to money. Or, worse still, the reckless assertion that because I have paid, I can do whatever I want." But you certainly don't ignite a fire with a sixteenth-century code: "This is why the terms corpus mysticum and corpus mechanicum exist, to unlink intellectual creation from the physical support that gives it shape."
"Enriching understanding and strengthening knowledge has never harmed anyone; indeed, it can prevent unnecessary disappointments. It's the approaches that devalue the value of understanding and reduce any opinion to a 'like' or 'dislike', those that limit the ability to express nuances and complexities, while fueling polarization and conflict."
