A spoonful of outrageous sensuality, colour and texture which, for me, reduces the artfully minimalist confections of the Noma-Bulli school to joyless tours de main. Maybe I have missed the point but I have never found the unduly careful arrangement of food on a plate to be impressive or, more importantly, mouth watering. Even more stultifying is the cant that goes with it. Luckily there are enough admirers of the Emperor’s new clothes to keep the purveyors of this confidence trick in real buttons and bows. We, as a society, have reached such a disgraceful disparity in human comfort that it is hard not to believe that we are riding for a fall.
Simply Fed – a new book by Roger Stowell – this book is now available from BLURB.com in iPad/iPhone version for 5,49€
Camerahols link
Roger Stowell link
“Eating at La Moussiere” – iPad/iPhone version 3,99€ from Blurb.com
Especially when there’s more Plate than Food, eh?
Wonderful photo.
So, so right:)
I, too, find that extraordinarily pretty food doesn’t seem to bring out the hunger, and can fall short of expectations, but for me, fine dining does still have its merits, and sometimes when I dig in to that almost clinically immaculate creation, it can surprise me by how good it tastes. It’s true, though, that the type of dishes that most appeal to me, instinctively, often lies in the category of home-style or street food.
I’ve had the same of experiences of cutting in to perfect creations, but I have to say “Fine Dining” doesn’t do it for me in the same way as eating at the ST John or Moro.
Beautiful photo! I must point out that I love your mouth watering arrangement of carefully hand selected succulent raspberries and blueberries. The artful drizzle of fresh cream dripping off the silver spoon is simply stunning
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You can be very cruel:)
And of course.. it was your photo in the WordPress Reader that made me impatient to get here and read all about it. It’s this sort of food photography that I love.. gorgeous and lush!!
I didn’t know my picture was in the WordPress Reader. What is the Word press reader? Either way, I’m delighted that you liked the picture and thanks for commenting:)
Well.. it’s a way to read blog posts.. you click on the upper left “W” and it should show reader.. then you can look through Blogs I Follow. I also subscribe via email, but finding it overwhelming.. so I’ve gone back to the “Reader” method:D In any event.. I’d have found you no matter what. I love reading your blog views and your photography!
Thanks for that – for the king things and for telling me where reader is. I’ve just checked it out and I shall be using it. Excellent:)
Hot time summer in the city
I like food that looks good, but I’m a big fan of Keep It Simple Stupid.
I still haven’t got my head around the reason for making a food mountain in the middle of the plate, with a piece of fish or meat on the top…
Oh, how cool did I think were those John Sebastian blue sunglasses! I with you – I was just ranting a bit. I get pissed off with the temples of food and those that run them. Being over awed by a cunning array of stunts – foodwise -is not in my remit:)
Simplicity is best, and there’s nothing much that exceeds fresh fruit and cream to me.
That’s the sort of food that I like:)
well if i fall face first into that spoon full of sublime deliciousness i will be more than happy.. c
It’s an accident waiting to happen:)
Perfectly captured bliss on a spoon.
They weren’t there for long:)
The free pleasure of looking at a mouthwatering photograph and the very expensive pleasure of sitting down in a temple of food, where admiration for cheffie’s work is demanded and whether liked or not must be paid for in wads of currency, are, to stay in the vernacular, very different kettles of fish. I just bash off pictures of delicious food in my kitchen to sell to libraries who will sell them in their turn to entice people into worshipping in the temples. However I’m probably just as conceited about my work as the chefs are about theirs, so no winners here:)
I hope and pray you believe I was having a warm Sunday pm post-prandial laugh when I wrote the above
! At the same time I don’t 100% agree with you re the ‘temples’! We all have our own ‘stories’. In one of my previous chapters of life I was married for quite a few decades to an ardent foodie who wanted to experience, and had the wherewith to do so, at the ‘hatted’ restaurants all over the world. We were not ‘enticed’; we read and learned and chose; we did not ever ‘worship’, but we quietly learnt 
! We did not think in terms of ‘wads of currency’, but just regarded ourselves as very fortunate to be young, able to travel and have the money to experience. At a much more mature age I now find myself hugely and joyously ‘advantaged’ in not pretending but actually knowing, largely due to the very many absolutely brilliant chefs I was fortunate enough to meet: they were not all showoffs JUST out for your dollar 
! Looking at your last sentence: do there have to be ‘winners’? Warmly across more than one ocean!!!!
That’s fair comment. I also spent a very fortunate life and privileged life which enabled me to enjoy the same dining experiences as yourself. I was also a well known London food photographer so I spent a good deal of time with chefs in their kitchens and in my studio. I loved the bang, clatter and raucous noise at Kensington Place when Rowley Leigh was just getting his signature dishes together whereas I hated the self importance of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant or the arsey elegance of Nobu. I liked the guts of good eating with people like Alistair Little and Neal St Restaurant before the Carluccio takeover. The St John and Moro are my ideals, and the Mark Hix at the Caprice could do it too. I’ve ranted on again. It’s just a choice thing and I don’t think food warrants this worship unless you’re very, very hungry and I mean starving for lack of this precious commodity:)
Beautifully shot, Roger. You’ve captured Summer on a spoon.
Precisely and exquisitely arranged food looks wonderful in a magazine but that’s where it should stay. I don’t want an entrée that’s 5 inches tall or so complicated that the server relays the chef’s instructions for how to enjoy it. If that’s necessary, it’s already too late.
I think you said it all, John. Spot on:)
hear, hear Roger. Comfort and sensuality first, vacuous vanity later…
Glad of your support, Kate:)
Irresistible – fresh fruit and cream running over the edge of the spoon. No other arrangement needed.
It looks and feels right to me:)
simply perfect! it wants for nothing! (but my mouth.)
That’s a sign of good things to eat:)