An Appetite for the East

May 17, 2019

I have drawn my way around the world, discovering some of the world's iconic cities, breathtaking natural landscapes and pockets of peace and tranquility as I go.  I love drawing buildings and towers, bridges and boats, as well as the wildlife with whom we share this world.  But within my Cityscapes you will often find food that heralds from a particular region, whether it's a local crop or a celebrated culinary dish.  We connect with a place through what we consume.  I've recently created a series of German Cityscapes printed on Canvas Tote Bags for national book retailer Thalia and each one includes a local delicacy ... and often brew!  

My illustration of Dusseldorf champions the local dish: Rheinischer Sauerbraten, which one must wash down with Altbier of course.  And here within my design you can see a couple doing just that!

I also created illustrations purely celebrating food and have created a series of designs made on dishes from specific countries in Asia:

My Hong Kong Dim Sum illustration showcases the country's street food and speciality snacks that locals and visitors love ... me included. I make a beeline for a little street stand selling Dan Tart in downtown Sai Ying Pun whenever I'm in Hong Kong ... I cannot resist!

Over the water, it's easy to see how the Dan Tart has evolved from the Portuguese Tart of Macau. As a Portuguese colony, Macau has the cultural heritage legacy of Portugal within its architecture and food.  It was on a business trip to Macau a few years ago that I had a wonderful meal that inspired me to visit Portugal and I think the mouthwatering Portuguese Tarts had something to do with that decision!

Head south and you can discover the delights of Singaporean cuisine through my Singapore Shiok! illustration.  Seeing this design brings back vivid memories of being sat in the marina, eating chilli crab and getting the sticky, spicy sauce all over my face and fingers. Yum yum! We see the influence of food from China in Singapore but also how the Dan Tart has incorporated local fruit and evolved into a Pineapple Tart!  I guess you can also see how I love my pastries :-)

I also love to bake and unsurprisingly I'm rather good at pastry (lots of practice).  My handy Pineapple Tart recipe illustration shows you the way to perfect, pastry heaven ...

Discovering foods from around the world is part of the wonderful experience of travel and one that I share with globe trotters and culture vultures like me.  Bon appetit!  Guten Appetit! Smakelijt Eten! Enjoy!

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