If you happen to be at a cocktail party where the topic of molecular gastronomy comes up (and who isn’t these days?), you’ll no doubt want to participate. The trend, generally defined as the application of scientific techniques and tools to cooking, is wide ranging and a little mysterious. On the one hand, it’s about stuff that happens in the back of the house: the chemical powders and lab equipment that chefs use to create new tastes and textures. But it’s also about what diners see, and how they interact with the food: the surrealistic plating and surprising presentation, the trompe l’oeil food that looks like other food, the morsels served on wires, the flavors added tableside from test tubes.