If you think of Noma as defined by the quiet craftmanship of Rene Redzepi, meet Claus Meyer its co-founder and you are faced with an ebullient personality that you would expect more of a Spaniard or an Italian (for the hand gestures).
Having his ideas now recognized both at home and abroad, Claus does not plan to rest on his laurels.
I was amongst 20 or so people who thanks to Nordic Feed had the chance to hear Claus the provocateur talk about his road from eating soulless food as a kid to being hip.
His 30 minutes talk at Mad Foodcamp 2011 in Copenhagen on Saturday, August 27 was titled 'Degeneration of Nordic Cuisine' or rather the risks of degeneration it faces.
Today I share part 1 of his presentation.
In 2004 Claus along with a number of Scandinavian chefs was instrumental in creating the New Nordic Cuisine Manifesto to articulate key elements of a Nordic Cuisine identity.
He was born in 1963 and was treated by his mother to an endless list of soulless and tasteless meals like canned meatballs smothered with some brown gravy and canned vegetables.
Claus says that in her eyes, food had to be prepared efficiently and eaten quickly (30 minutes rule).
Pleasure taken in your food and creativity making it was a waste of time, a sin even.
From these early days, Claus Meyer learned to not underestimate the power of darkness to make you search for light and that each individual has a chance for greatness.
What were the reasons for these dark ages in Denmark?
Here are some of Claus thoughts:
-Uniformity leads to ignorance
-Lack of sensuality was due to puritanical past
-It was a pact between puritans and doctors
-It was a crusade against pleasure
-A nice meak equals sin
-Suffering through your meal is a chance to go to heaven later
After his traumatic childhood (foodwise), Claus was very eager to leave and went to Gascony in 1983.
He came back from France resolved to shake things up back home. It felt lonely at first.
Claus then went on to share a few things he had on his mind:
-Heavy meat consumption by whole population leads to suffering for animals and mastitis in cows.
-We are in danger of mass extinction if we keep on current path
-Food is more than food itself and pleasure consuming it
-New Nordic Cuisine is more than a trend.
-It was always thought as a way to go viral with the message rather than a marketing campaign
-Modern food culture should act responsibly by including more vegetables and plants in its mix.
-Nordic Cuisine must be seen as a source of inspiration, not a set of rules.
-Celebrate success and take time for reflexion
End of Part 1…
(* Claus Meyer image from 'Claus Meyer' official site)