Carving the Thanksgiving Turkey, or the Easter Ham is common, but veggies not so much.
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Fruits and vegetables can be beautiful. Ask any artist who’s painted a still life. But for Japanese chef Takehiro Kishimoto, produce is his canvas and a knife is his paintbrush.
On his extremely popular Instagram account, Kishimoto carves everything from radishes to avocados. Some he turns into elegant flowers such as carrot peonies or chestnut roses. On occasion, he sketches popular anime characters into eggplants and apples. Other times, he etches geometric patterns into cross-sections of avocados and broccoli stalks.
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Many of Kishimoto’s designs are inspired by traditional Japanese patterns. Typically, such patterns are woven into cloth or embroidered, and can convey meanings and connotations. One, called bishamon tortoise, consists of upside-down Y shapes. Kishimoto carved that into an avocado. Another variation on bishamon, called kumikikkou, he carved into a papaya. Both are based on the patterns of a tortoise shell. They symbolize longevity and were used on warriors’ clothes. Another, maze-like design he has etched into broccoli and cauliflower is called sayagata. Sayagata has roots in ancient Buddhist art, and it originally came to Japan on Chinese fabrics hundreds of years ago. Why did Kishimoto choose these traditional patterns? The answer is simple: He thinks they’re cool.
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Kishimoto, who is from the city of Kobe in southern Japan, started carving a little more than three years ago, and began posting his work on Instagram in mid-2016. At first, he says, he carved simple shapes, but eventually graduated to more difficult designs. He uses a sharp, thin knife, and the time each fruit or vegetable takes varies. For broccoli, it’s about an hour. Softer avocados takes two hours, while apples take three.
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It appears the softer the veg/fruit the longer it takes although size and the design may be why. With those times I don’t see how
he could be doing it for restaurant clientele, even a high end place. Since this is raw stuff, I remember what Julia Child said, “It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it.” So I guess he does it for shits and giggles, and it’s not expensive because he can eat them when he’s done, ever what he cut out.
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