I think you might be confusing the word asceticism with aestheticism.

Wait, is the colour difference just due to lack of exercise?

Salmon is a whitefish. The pink/red color of their (wild caught) flesh is due to their diet at sea. Specifically, shrimp eat algae which has a pigment that gives their shells and flesh a pinkish color and Salmon eat shrimp.

Sorry, this was just a joke at the expense of the op. The op who asked the question obviously didn't read the article as the fact that farmed salmon is dyed was literally the first line. The second is why it was pink in nature.

Ascetism, aestheticism, athleticism..

Ouch... Whoosh!

I did not notice that the former was invoked by the comment I was responding too, but I did assume it was the latter.

Color is an important part of what makes food appetizing. If all good was grey eating would be less enjoyable

If anything, food coloring is underused. A pinch of turmeric, while not particularly flavorful, can really liven up a dish by giving it some color

People seem to have no trouble paying top dollar for halibut, which is also white.

Gray is a color as good as any other.

Simple: Aesthetics are just about the only input we have when comparing similar items at the store. If you see a bright red, salmon-colored piece of salmon next to a grey one, the price difference would probably have to be significant to overcome that disparity.

Same thing with produce – there’s no good reason to dip anything in wax, but all else being more or less equal, people will almost always pick the shiny apple over the dull one.