For the past few decades, high-end chefs and foodies everywhere have touted the merits of farm-raised meats and fresh, organic [0], locally-grown produce and ingredients.

Those concepts seemed revolutionary at first, but they helped pave the way for how I -- and probably you -- try to eat today. In fact, their philosophies have trickled down to the point that it's now possible to find organic broccoli at Wal-Mart [0].

So I was surprised (and not in a good way) to read an article in the New York Times [1] explaining that today's hottest chefs are no longer motivated by the free-range chicken or heirloom tomatoes grown on their own farms.

Instead, they're turned on by additives [2] like hydrocolloid gum, Xanthan gum, and other scary-sounding chemicals that sound like they belong on a package of Cheetos.

Worse, they're using these ingredients to concoct upscale dishes that feature stuff like fried mayonnaise, shrimp macaroons, and hollandaise sauce that's cut into cubes.

One chef quoted in the article -- hailed as a ground-breaking visionary by most food critics -- explained that he used "to look down on processed foods." That was before he realized that fooling around with various additives and chemicals could allow him to do strange things with food, such as tie fois gras into a knot. (Funny, but nothing about that sounds appetizing to me.)

Fortunately, I found some good news buried in the fine print: Many of the chemicals that top chefs are experimenting with are fairly benign. Hydrocolloid gums, for instance, is just chemical-ese for thickening agents such as gelatin and seaweed.

Still, I'd feel better if the ingredients had names I could pronounce. Especially since this new food philosophy is likely to be increasingly embraced in the coming years. I'm glad we can buy organics at Wal-Mart today, but how long until fried mayo makes it to their shelves?

In any case, the article shed some light on one of the weirder culinary moments in my life. During a trip to Napa Valley last year, a friend invited me to dinner at Cyrus [3]. Apparently, the culinary world was buzzing about it because it'd won high praise from the critics at Food & Wine [4]. I'm not much of a foodie, but who am I to pass up an opportunity like that?

Naturally, I ordered their most celebrated dish, a red wine risotto in parmesan broth. It arrived in a bowl surrounded by a shockingly bright orange ring of what I think was cheese "foam." I'm the first to admit that my palate is pretty basic -- and I thought it was completely delicious. But, to me anyway, it also tasted very much like an exceptionally good bowl of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese [5].

Image credit: French onion soup, re-invented. The New York Times. [6]