What happened to the classics???

Why must everything be NEW and innovative? I know that being in the development business, I might sound like a heretic. But let's discuss this for a second. The culinary arts used to be considered a trade, more like brick laying than impressionist painting. Nowadays with the growing popularity of restaurants such as Alinea, WD-50 and the hundreds of others dabbling in "molecular-gastronomy" there is a growing generation of cooks that are only driven by the "new and different". I fear we are loosing touch with the true building blocks of the art form. Bread baking and charcuterie are great examples of lost skills. Ask a budding chef to make a classic country pate or rustic bread and they'll glaze over. Frankly, I am going on strike. I want to encourage others to do the same. By no means am I saying we need to be Euro-centric about this...it could be a great bowl of Pho! My point is lets celebrate the craft. Spread the word, invite over friends to make home-made pasta. Teach your children to make bread from scratch and most importantly, put a classic dish on your menu without an apology or a modern twist. Don't be lured in by the press tauting the next great culinary genius. The genius I am inspired by, is the ability to make the perfect baguette day after day.