Texture seems to be more important to me as a I age. Presentation per se doesn't matter to me, but it is an indication that the cook or chef took care with what they are doing rather than just slopping it on a plate.
If you think texture doesn't matter, than you don't care whether your steak is prepared rare, med/rare, med, well done of however you like it.
I do care how my steak is done. rare. But beyond that I could care less the texture as in noodles. Or the presentation or shape.
Taste governs that, more than rare doesn't have the same taste IMHO.
Tastes good it goes down. Its after all food, nothing to waste time over really, eat and get on with life.
I think people confuse taste and what they think of a change in taste is really a change in texture.
Think of a freshly caught salmon that is cooked until the flesh just firms up. Compare that one that has been frozen for a year and is over cooked.
Both salmon taste the same, but due to the texture that eating experience is totally different.
If you enjoy sushi and have had good sushi, you'll understand why a master sushi chef spends 8 years learning how to make rice. Getting the texture of the rice just right is essential to making good sushi. Mushy rice, or dried out rice, no good sushi. Perfectly prepared rice, good sushi.
Let's look at another dish that seems so simple, biscuits and gravy. Light, flaky biscuits and gravy of just the right consistency is a wonderful breakfast. Now you can use the same ingredients, have the same taste but brick hard biscuits and gravy with the consistency of paste is un-edible, even though both dishes taste the same.
