I have a similar skepticism of modernist cooking. I have very egalitarian ideas about good food--it should be for everyone. This has probably never been true, but the fact that people are trying to make new foods that are even harder for the common person to achieve rubs me the wrong way.
Of course my idea of a perfect meal trends towards amazing Banh Mi from a food truck rather than Kobe Beef fillet mignon, so YMMV.
Of course my idea of a perfect meal trends towards amazing Banh Mi from a food truck rather than Kobe Beef fillet mignon, so YMMV.
This reminds me of the Iron Chef intro where we see Masaharu Morimoto eating a hotdog (or something) sitting on a step while reading a newspaper.
As a foodie myself I'm not sure why you have to choose one meal over another. I've lined up for Banh Mi, and warm jam doughnuts being sold from a truck, and I've spent hundreds of dollars on multi-course meals. They were all 'perfect' meals in their own context.
Relatively few modernist techniques are intrinsically expensive or exclusive. Many local yogurt shops now sell "fruit bubble" toppings. New gadgets make sous-vide cheap as well, and I'd expect to see that used by food trucks before long, despite the tight counter space.
Of course my idea of a perfect meal trends towards amazing Banh Mi from a food truck rather than Kobe Beef fillet mignon, so YMMV.