With Love From Japan: The Art of Food

Hello everyone, I'm back! I was away for two weeks in Kyoto, Japan! I was so happy that I finally got to travel internationally again and had an amazing time. The only downside was that I missed the cherry blossoms by one week, so all I saw were a few sad, little blooms still hanging on. Oh well, another excuse to go back again one day!

One of the greatest joys of traveling is being able to eat all the wonderful food, and Japan is no exception. The best meal I had was at an onsen ryokan. For those not familiar with it, an onsen is a hot spring bath, basically like a hot tub with natural spring water, while a ryokan is a small lodging establishment that incorporates Japanese style rooms, architecture, and furniture. I decided to splurge and opted for a plan that also included dinner and I was so glad I did. Not only was the food delicious, I was blown away by how gorgeous the dinner presentation was. It really was a feast for the eyes.

Look at how pretty it is! Everything was individually plated and I think the incorporation of natural elements added to the zen and serenity of the whole meal. I never thought about it, but using a slab of wood as a serving tray is so simple, yet visually stunning.

If you want to give this a try, but think this slab is a bit too much and way too heavy, here's a much easier and doable version:

See how visually appealing this is? A small piece of wood, a sprig of greenery, a pretty bowl, and voilà! I'm pretty sure I've seen these wood pieces at my local craft store before and I'm definitely going to pick up a few next time I'm there.

The attention to detail was remarkable for every dish.

Notice how none of the plates and bowls match? Yet they work so well together and complement each other perfectly.

I was also attracted by the variety of different shapes. There's round, elongated, oval, and irregular, all contrasted nicely by the octagon charger plate. The raised dish at the back also provided dimension to the overall presentation (please excuse the empty dish in the background!). Humans are highly visual creatures and I think we're just as much affected by the food we see as we are by how it tastes.

I love to collect pretty little bowls and plates, but most of the time, I'm not sure what to do with them. Now I think I do! I'm usually so focused on what I'm making that I tend to neglect how the end result looks. I've heard people say that food presentation allows you to "visually taste" the food and I've never understood what it meant. Well, now I know! Even before I took a single bite I knew it was going to be delicious and not kidding, it was one of the most enjoyable eating experiences of my life and a wonderful memory from my trip that I'll always remember fondly.

I can't wait to impress my friends next time I invite them over for dinner. I just need to make sure I unload the dishwasher beforehand because it definitely won't be fun washing everything by hand!