Robot waiters C

Life&Times Restaurants in China turning

to Star Wars-esque helpers
C4
Wednesday,
December 29,
2010

Adding to the registry

Entertainment C8
Also see: Talk Show Topics, Annie’s Mailbox

Confidence slides
Business C5
Also see: Market Roundup, Stocks
AP PHOTOS
A broccoli forest from the book “Food Landscapes” by Carl Warner is shown. In his book Warner con-
structs lush forests from broccoli, evocative seascapes from salmon and pastoral Tuscan farm scenes
For the family from pasta and Parmesan.

Holiday feast
Playing with food
C
enjoyed by all Photographer creates landscapes from the things we eat
hristmas was only a few days ago, and I’ve
already had so many people asking me how BY MICHELLE LOCKE bread, the region’s iconic
my Christmas dinner went. ASSOCIATED PRESS ingredients.
I think it went great, though the timing of cook- “There’s something
Carl Warner never told about the authenticity of
ing my beef tenderloin did not go off as I had his kids not to play with
planned, and then the meat shot up 20 degrees in it,” he says. “If I had some
their food. strange kumquat in the
9 minutes when it had barely been budging for a “They’d make smiley
half an hour, so the middle of an American
faces from onion rings,”
meat turned out landscape, it doesn’t fit.”
says the London- based
medium instead of
medium rare.
Carroll Kitchens photographer. “It’s a won-
Scene construction and
photography can take any-
However, because derful thing to do. I do it all
where from a couple of
it was an amazing the time.”
hours to several days. For
cut of beef from my In fact, he’s made a living
Fishscape, a photo made
favorite butcher, from it. Warner, whose
entirely of mackerel, bass,
Bullock’s Country new book is “Food Land-
scapes,” constructs lush whelks and other seafood,
Meats, even at shooting had to take place
medium it was in- forests from broccoli,
credibly tender and Carrie Ann Knauer evocative seascapes from in one day, for obvious rea-
moist, though not salmon, and pastoral Tus- sons (fish at day two under
as pink- colored as I can farm scenes from pasta the lights? not a good idea).
would have liked. My initial frustration was and Parmesan. Clouds of The London skyline —
quickly overcome by the taste, and when my fa- soft bread or mozzarella The book cover of Carl Warner’s “Food Landscapes” think Big Ben’s tower out of
ther pointed out that he was having seconds (he float in the sky, rice peb- is shown. green beans — took days to
is pretty regimented in his diet and portion con- bles scatter walkways, po- construct.

“It’s providing joy

trol), I knew that it really had turned out deli- tatoes become boulders. By Warner keeps the items
cious. And the leftovers have been good as well, combining the techniques fresh throughout his shoots
thanks to the horseradish and chive cream sauce
that I made to go with it.
of classical painting and
the sensibility of Salvador
and it’s inspiring kids by keeping the studio cool
and photographing the
The Cornish game hens from Christmas Eve din-
ner were quite a hit as well. Only one of my guests Dali with some basic Pho-
toshop, Warner delivers
to try foods they haven’t scenes in layers: dress the
foreground, shoot.
had ever had one before, and we all really enjoyed
the rich, gamey flavor and petite size of the birds. still life art that is haunt- tried before.” Dress the middle ground,
shoot, then Photoshop all
We were a bit confounded though on how to cut ing, playful and auda-
such a small bird and eat it politely, so I broke the ciously real. Carl Warner of the layers of the scene
ice and started eating it with my hands first, and It started a decade ago On his artwork together.
others soon followed. That really is my style with a stroll through the Warner has taken hits
though — as much as I think I like the finer things, market and a realization over the years for “wasting”
fridge and make a little and what they’re made of. food. He notes that what is
comfort and convenience almost always win out in that Portobello mushrooms world out of it,” he says, “If I’ve got something in
the end. look a lot like trees on an still edible after shooting
“what can people do with a there that people don’t rec- gets parceled out to the
I know it’s cliche to go on a diet in January, but African savannah. whole world full of stuff?” ognize then it defeats the
I’m actually looking forward to a more rigid di- Since that first photo, crew and, if there’s a lot of
Warner approaches his object,” he says. “They’ve
etary routine next month after all the abundant Warner has created a body it, to shelters. But he also
tabletop models as mini- got to be able to realize
food available (and impossible to pass up) during of work that hovers some- bristles at the notion that
theater sets, and uses sim- that everything’s made of
the holidays. where between art and his work wastes food.
I think I was good about limiting myself to one ilar tricks of perspective. food.”
commercial food photog- Parsley fronds and spinach Indigenous ingredients “There is a certain
or two cookies at a time. However, everywhere I raphy. amount thrown away, but
turned there was another plate of a different kind plants frame the fore- also contribute to the ef-
“The jury is still out on ground, while diminishing fect. you can’t compare it to
of cookie. I’ve had major dessert overload, and
whether this is art or not, pathways lead the eye to A scene of a Chinese what restaurants and su-
after New Year’s Day I’m going to try and give up
dessert for a month. for me as well as others,” the back of the scene. boat and dock uses soy permarkets throw away,” he
But not until after New Year’s Day. I’ve got a he says. He regards his He shoots in close, using beans, mushrooms, fortune says. “And I don’t consider
party to go to New Year’s Eve, and I’m sure there work as a celebration not a lens that foreshortens the cookies and other Asian my work a waste of food.
will be some irresistible desserts there, and New only of food, but of the scene, creating remarkably items. Warner conjures the It’s providing joy and it’s
Year’s Day we’re going to my parents’ house to see human imagination. “If I 3- D shots that look exactly American dustbowl with inspiring kids to try foods
my father’s extended family. can take the contents of my like what they depict — meat, cereal and a loaf of they haven’t tried before.”
I’ve still been really craving to try and make my
own marshmallows, and probably coat them in
chocolate and put them on kabob sticks for a party,
but I think, in light of my sugar overload, that I
should wait maybe until February.
In the meantime, here are some holiday-ish
recipes that I think would be good to make before
we all get in a diet zone. Enjoy!
Make fast food healthy at home
Cranberry salsa and cream cheese spread Fish nuggets an option for quick meal
16 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces unsalted butter BY JIM ROMANOFF available in the freezer sec-
2 chopped green onions ASSOCIATED PRESS tion of your grocer and
4 ounces can jalapeno peppers, finely chopped brands such as Boca offer
For too many of us, the great meaty- tasting ver-
½ to 1 fresh jalapeno, chopped holiday season isn’t just
Ï cup sugar sions.
about spreading glad tid- Don’t forget that most
¼ cup chopped cilantro ings and joy. It’s also about
1 lime, juice and zest fast food burgers are all
the spreading of the waist- about the toppings, many
line. of which can be quite
Please see Feast, C2 To keep the joy but battle healthy.
the bulge, consider making Arrange a platter of
CALLING ALL COOKS healthy homemade fast tomatoes, pickles, onions,
food. shredded lettuce and other
Select your favorite recipes to share with These diet-worthy dishes toppings for your family to
our readers. To submit a recipe, e- mail it to won’t tie you to the kitchen, assemble their own burg-
Carrie Ann Knauer at carrie.knauer@carroll but also won’t weigh you ers.
countytimes.com, or mail it to Carroll down. And be sure to include
Kitchens, c/o Carrie Ann Knauer, 201 Railroad Consider having a burger some low- fat cheese and
Ave., Westminster, MD 21158. Include your night where you serve pre- reduced- fat mayo, as well AP PHOTO
name, phone number, address, e- mail address made veggie burgers rather as ketchup and mustard. Crunchy fish nuggets are shown. To keep the joy but
and the best time to reach you. than the fatty beef ones. battle the bulge, consider healthy homemade fast food
There’s quite a variety Please see Healthy, C3 this holiday season.