The Element of Surprise

What is the element of surprise? Do people really want to be surprised, or is it something Chefs decided to introduce to make a mediocre dish sound more appealing? Is it that there are some chefs who feel so insecure that the element of surprise is like their security blanket?

The phrase "Element of Surprise" is so cliche, I realized this when I started culinary school. By understanding what the process of creating great dishes entails, I wanted people to understand that food is edible art! I wanted to show people that every ingredient is important, that every ingredient plays a very important role and that every ingredient needs to shine! The only way people, can understand the complexity of the taste each ingredient brings, is to know how each ingredient complements each other.

I do not like the element of surprise, but I do enjoy the surprise of combining ingredients that you wouldn't typically combine. Being confident in combining risky ingredients with others is what makes a chef good, but it makes them great when they share their knowledge and then allow those less savvy to take risks and not to leave things to the imagination but instead create their own surprises for others to enjoy.