Dec 302011
Amazing Food Arts
Asian Recipe, Europe Recipe, Latin Recipe, News, North America and Meso America Recipe
Comments Off
Mar 132011
By Marc in Gadgets & Geek Art
As the fear of the obesity epidemic rises, food is seen more an more as simply something one has to cut back on. Lunch is no longer a joyful time to cherish, but a disappointing time spent in front of a microwave. Not everyone has succumbed to this despair, however, and a lot of people are compensating for smaller, healthier, portions, with beautiful aesthetics. Here are 10 beautiful and mystifying artworks made out of cuisine:
(Images via modes4u, lostateminor, neatorama, twolia)
Bento boxes are single portion takeouts and home prepared meals that are extremely popular in Japanese culture. Some people take it very seriously, and love to turn an otherwise mundane preparation into an applause worthy artistic expression. One can only imagine how difficult it would be to start chowing down if your microwave meal was being oohed and aaahed as much as one of these preparations would be.
(Images via neatorama, slashfood, wonderhowto, cadbury)
Chocolate portraits are an increasingly popular artistic expression. The concentration here is on appearance, not taste, so they may not taste as great as you’d think, but they certainly are eye-catching. Chocolate has the advantage of coming in a variety of colors and hues, and being both malleable and hard enough to maintain its form. Through sculpture and careful pouring and manipulation, chocolate artists can create incredibly realistic depictions.
(Images via pixdaus, jorymon)
Nothing spices up a pot luck like strategically arraying your food into a classic painting or character portrait. Such simple and intriguing displays are a bit inspiring. How much harder would it be to add a few distinctive features to your otherwise mundane dish? You may not want to tackle the Mona Lisa the next time you set out cheese and crackers, but a nice smiley face never hurts.
(Images via obesityhelp, popfi, funnypictures, guardian)
Some believe that higher powers work in mysterious ways… whether these are examples of this, or just fortuitous coincidence, is hard to say. Regardless of the source of these inspirational portraits, nobody can deny they’re intriguing. The phenomenon of seeing Jesus’ face in random food products (like the cheeto, naan, potato chip, and fish stick pictured above), isn’t constrained to the food itself:
(Images via bitchspot, popfi)
Household items can showcase unearthly portraits as easily as a potato chip. Whether you find excitement over these occurrences ridiculous or spiritual, they’re definitely interesting. Pictures of food is an example how the food has own unique images
(Images via guardian, amandamorrow, popularasians, chilloutpoint)
Sushi is delicious, and no one will argue that the taste of a good sushi roll can be affected by the artistry of its creation, and its appearance on the plate. There are some who take this to an extreme. A portrait of President Obama and the face of a friendly panda may have been the inspiration for a sushi vinyl toy that does not look happy to be on the plate.
(Images via foundshit, geekologie, break4fun, insomniadiaries)
Meat is something a lot of people like to eat, and it’s also something a lot of people don’t like to think about. Whether you’re a meat lover or not, the above sculpted artworks are a bit nauseating, and very unique. After taking a look at this assemblage of strange sculptures, it will be hard to see a muscle car the same way again.
(Images via panric, pxleyes, saufnase)
For artists with a photographic and technological bent, food is more enjoyable to manipulate with photoshop. Mixing and matching different objects in entertaining and shocking ways is a great way to catch someone’s attention and show off your skills with photo manipulation.
(Images via rockstartemplate, humor-articles, unstructured musings, weirdspy)
Artists choose a variety of strange materials, and food is no exception. Some artists love taking the everyday and turning them into something more powerful. A good photo changes an otherwise temporary piece of art into something that can brighten up someone’s day for as long as the internet is around.
(Images via philagrafika, hackedgadgets, blisstree)
Toast is the foundation for any good breakfast, in television commercials, and in the average home. One might say toast is both the most common and most boring part of breakfast, but new technology aims to change that. Possibly inspired by the faces of Jesus that kept appearing on slices of bread, some engineers put together a toast printer that can imprint any image you’d like onto a piece of white or wheat. Some versions work like a real printer with the bread as paper, while others use an external tool to burn the decorations. However it’s done, it sure seems like a lot of fun!
Matthew Fallaize: a useful guide to choosing the right wine
Europe Recipe, Latin Recipe, North America and Meso America Recipe
Comments Off
Nov 132010
The Semiotics of Wine Ordering
So, you’re in a restaurant, you’re presented with a wine list. You don’t actually know anything about wine, you have a passing interest, you quite like it. You know that Sauvignon Blanc is white, you have a vague idea that New World wines are consistently okay. You’re like most people. Well done you.Sadly, however, you’re out for a meal with a first date. Goodness but they’re hot, they fulfil most of your basic tenets of what constitutes a good partner. you’d like to look impressive. Continue reading »
Bottled Beer Chronicle
Europe Recipe, Latin Recipe, North America and Meso America Recipe
Comments Off
Oct 152010
Bottled beer was invented in Hertfordshire some 440 years ago, the most popular story says, by a forgetful Church of England rector and fishing fanatic called Dr Alexander Nowell.
While Nowell was parish priest at Much Hadham in Hertfordshire, around 20 miles north of London, in the early years of Elizabeth I, it is said that he went on a fishing expedition to the nearby River Ash, taking with him for refreshment a bottle filled with home brewed ale. When Nowell went home he left the full bottle behind in the river-bank grass. According to Thomas Fuller’s History of the Worthies of Britain, published a hundred years later, when Nowell returned to the river-bank a few days later and came across the still-full bottle, “he found no bottle, but a gun, such was the sound at the opening thereof; and this is believed (causality is mother of more inventions than industry) the original of bottled ale in England.”
The ale, of course, had undergone a secondary fermentation in the bottle, building up carbon dioxide pressure so that it gave a loud pop when Nowell pulled the cork out. Such high-condition ale must have been a novelty to Elizabethan drinkers, who knew only the much flatter cask ales and beers. However, Fuller’s story is fun, but it seems unlikely Nowell really was the person who invented beer: more likely brewers were experimenting generally with storing beer in glass bottles in the latter half of the 16th century, though there is no apparent evidence of commercial bottling until the second half of the 17th century, only bottling by domestic brewers.
Part of the problem was that the hand-blown glass bottles of the time could not take the strain of the CO2 pressure. Gervaise Markham, writing in 1615, advised housewife brewers that when bottling ale “you should put it into round bottles with narrow mouths, and then, stopping them close with corks, set them in a cold cellar up to the waist in sand, and be sure that the corks be fast tied with strong pack thread, for fear of rising out and taking vent, which is the utter spoil of the ale.”
(There is, incidentally, a garbled version of the “bottle as gun” tale which seems to have materialised in the late 19th century, and which conflates the bottled ale story with another about Nowell fleeing England in a hurry in the reign of Queen Mary, after he received a warning that his enemy Bishop Bonner, known as “Bloody Bonner”, was out to arrest him for heresy. For some reason, in this version of the story Nowell is called “Newell”.)
Despite the introduction of a tax on glass in 1645 (it was removed in 1699 and re-imposed in 1746), bottled ale did become increasingly available. Samuel Pepys recorded drinking “several bottles of Hull ale” with friends at an inn called the Bell in London in November 1660. (This was very likely ale from somewhere like Derby or Burton upon Trent, shipped via Hull to London). The household accounts of the Cecil family, earls of Salisbury, in 1634 suggest the nobility and gentry, who brewed their own ale and beer on their country estates for themselves and their staff, servants and workers, would drink strong bottled beer when they came to London. This was probably bottled in the country and brought up to the capital when necessary: Wheatley Hall, Doncaster, home of the Cooke family, had a bottle room in 1683, Holkham Hall in Norfolk in 1671 had two bottled beer stores leading off the “small beer cellar” (that is, cellar for small beer), and in 1676 the Earl of Bedford’s household accounts show the purchase from a brewer near the family seat at Woburn of ale “to bottle for my lord’s drinking”. Continue reading »
Latin Loving With Online Dating
Latin Recipe, News
Comments Off
Jun 152010
Latin Dating offers many opportunities to experience the passion and romance often associated with this culture. Getting started can be especially challenging and here are some useful tips that will make your romantic ventures into the latin community easier and more enjoyable.
If you are interested in forming a relationship with a man or woman of Latin descent, you can take advantage of the facilities offered with an online community which is dedicated to helping singles meet Latinos in a comfortable online atmosphere, such like program of Amolatinasagency. This offers the chance to meet your perfect match or simply find friendship. A community such as this is an excellent place to begin relationships, whether your interest is in marriage, companionship, or lasting friendship.
Naturally, these Latin communities also provide opportunities for you to set up the perfect romantic dating experience. Initially, one that both you and your date can enjoy without strings attached.
Latin online dating sites will normally include a number of features to help clients get to know other clients fairly well. For instance, you might expect to find presented in these sites:
Online profiles and photographs of Latin singles
Online chat rooms and an instant messenger that will allow communication in real time
An online private email box that allows participants to send and receive personal messages
An online forum that allows participants to post messages and exchange information
An FAQ section which makes it easier to get started by providing answers to common questions.
Once you’ve made contact, creating romance on your dates is greatly facilitated if you enjoy taking part in one, or more, of the following activities:
DINNER: The perfect choice for Latin dating. You can make this experience as casual or romantic as you want it to be. Make sure that you listen intently to your date, as the way you act during the meal can establish – or ruin – your new relationship. You might even take his or her hand across the dinner table. Make sure there is plenty of eye contact, and be open and honest, yet tactful, when you express yourself.
However, keep in mind that the other person may prefer the relationship to develop slowly and could be wary of early sexual overtures. If you sense discomfort in your date, back off. Good taste in romance means knowing when to draw the line. If you want the relationship to develop further – to become a Latin Lover – your date needs to feel relaxed and comfortable with you.
DANCING: At the heart of all good Latin dating is music – and dancing. Not only does dancing serve to stir the passions, it is also a tremendous icebreaker. It allows you and your date to touch and respond seductively to each other without any sense of commitment. And it’s great fun!
If you’re unfortunate enough to have two left feet, before you despondently buy a dog as a possible lifelong companion, consider:
WALKING: Nature’s everlasting standby for the romantically inclined. Of course, it helps if you have magnificent settings, such as beaches, parks, waterfronts, mountains and valleys. But the real advantage is being able to just hold hands and talk on an evening stroll; perhaps admiring the sunset in silence, or gazing up at the stars. There’s something about simple, natural beauty that evokes positive feelings and a romantic atmosphere, and Latins are by no means immune!
Whatever your dating intentions, keep in mind that traditions are an important part of Latin culture. So it’s usually an advantage to be of the same ethnic background when it comes to understanding family relations – and being accepted by family members.
Nevertheless, the online Latin community is a fine place to start and allows you to explore possibilities you might otherwise not have considered. The facilities offered by these dating sites make it easy for you to set up a truly enjoyable experience, even romance.