The Fine Art of Japanese Food Arrangement by Yoshio Tsuchiya
Food Styling by Masaru Yamamoto & Photography by Eiji Kori
4to. pp. 166. English with some Japanese text. profusely illustrated. index. paperback. dw. (near fine - one short tear and some light wear along top edge of dw). Tokyo: Kodansha International, [2002].
ISBN-10: 4770029306 / ISBN-13: 9784770029300
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Japanese cooking, it is often said, is to be eaten with the eyes. So compelling are the food arrangements that the diner experiencing a traditional meal for the first time often finds that his or her impressions of the presentation overshadow the actually taste of the food.
In Japanese haute cuisine, all the senses are involved. Taste, smell, sight, touch, and even hearing contribute to a total, subtle harmony of beauty and flavor.
It is this expert merging of food and vessel-minimalism achieved with great skill-that captivates. Each vessel is chosen for its color, shape, and compatibility, and each should be a work of art. When foods are arranged in such plates, dishes, and bowls, they come alive; the savoriness of the food is visually augmented by splashes of colorful glazes and the fluid curves of the hand-crafted tableware.
The Fine Art of Japanese Food Arrangement introduces this traditional approach for the first time in English. It explores the intimacy between the eye and the palate and opens up a way to greatly increase one's pleasure in the simple, creative, and universal act of eating.