Looking at the pictures at http://modernistcuisine.com/ , I see a strong sense of precision and symmetry.

Reading about the volumes, I see sentences like new ingredients such as gelling and thickening agents, emulsifiers, and foams have found their way into every corner of Modernist cuisine.

Ever want to infuse liquid smoke into lettuce or noodles? Ehm, no, not really!

using prehydrated starches and hydrocolloids to thicken hot and cold liquids; making edible films

I won't touch this pretentious book with a ten-foot pole. Cooking is an art, a lore, not science or mathematics. And I want something more than "edible films" on my plates.