All of our senses come into play with food. When we cook we feel the texture and doneness of food with our hands. We use careful pressure to ensure that meatballs are pressed tightly enough and that dough is worked enough. As food cooks we listen carefully for key indicators, the sizzle of protein in a hot pan caramelizing or slowing sound of frying oil. We taste as we cook, ensuring seasoning and overall flavor. 
And, we smell every step of the process — who doesn’t enjoy a house that has the rich aromas of dinner and dessert? But of all the senses, the eye is most important as the food transitions from the kitchen to the dining room.
Chefs do all they can in the last moments to make food beautiful. Garnishes, plate selection, food layout, even the dining setting all matter. One great name for the entire visual experience is “eating architecture”, and there’s an interesting book by the same name
Since you’re reading this food blog, you likely enjoy looking as food as much as we do. I literally just browse around the blogosphere looking at food pictures and reading about them. And for fun, I like to monitor which of the hundreds of food or cooking-related photos we’ve posted to Flickr is most “interesting” (Flickr tells me); and by the way, it’s the cookie image you see on the right! In the past, I’ve mentioned blogs that are particularly attractive (like the one about cupcakes). There are many others you may be interested in, some focused on photography and some focused on food, and some that seem to walk the line perfectly, like one of my favorites: La Tartine Gourmande. Another great site for beautiful food is TasteSpotting. If you haven’t already browsed their best of 2007, you should!
If there are other beautiful food sites you think we would enjoy, let us know.
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