Monday 18 February 2013

The problem with food that looks too good to eat


My wife presented me with this 9" tall gingerbread heart last week. I knew something tasty was on the way - our house is pretty open plan, so it's easy to tell what's cooking - and I was looking really looking forward to gorging myself. Only she'd gone and decorated it with a beautiful foliage pattern based on a design from an XVIth century Flemish tapestry.

When it comes to my wife's culinary creations, I'm usually sufficiently greedy and philistine  to suppress any aesthetic qualms and get stuck in. And I was about to dunk this into a cup of coffee - but the pattern was so lovely and the whole things was so visually pleasing, I just couldn't do it. This wasn't in order to spare my better half's feelings - she makes these items to be eaten. I just couldn't bring myself to destroy it.

Anyhow, it's now on display on our sideboard in amongst some edible penguins, seagulls and a cluster of autumnal foliage (including startlingly realistic chestnuts and some yellow oak leaves). My wife says the gingerbread flavour deepens over time - but I reckon it's a keeper.

3 comments:

  1. Try out Morrisson's Boil-in-the-Bag "Cod in Parsley Sauce". Once you have applied the Savlon to your hands and nether parts and cleaned up the mess on the hob I can assure you that the appearance of the end-product will give you zero aesthetic qualms.

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    1. No thanks - it's probably got horsemeat in it.

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