ISTD 2018 - Wabi-Sabi no Washoku
Brief - Food for Thought
Awarded Merit and membership entry to the society
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Japanese cuisine is said to be truly modern yet steeped in tradition. It is simultaneously both simple yet complicated, plain yet sophisticated. The Japanese turn their food into ‘theatre’ and this has lead to an explosion of popularity in the West over the past ten years. In the modern era however, food from the land of the rising sun has now gone way beyond just sushi.
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Traditional Japanese food has roots dating back to 300 BC but it was not until the isolation period that lasted over 220 years that Japanese food evolved to become its own. Since the period ended, western influence has had a rippling effect on the way Japanese see their food. They combine their heritage with modern tastes to create delicious yet sometimes bizarre cuisine. Japan is a culture that is truly idiosyncratic and has the food to match it.
This publication explored the subject of Japanese food from the traditional to the modern. From the cultures strict etiquette, traditional foods and it’s modern twists which are mixed with real anecdotes about Japanese cuisine.
Designed as two contemporary books ‘Wabi’ and ‘Sabi’ in a Japanese style bound in a five hole noble bind. When put together, the name of the publication joins together to make ‘Wabi-Sabi no Washoku’ and translates into ‘The imperfect and transient nature of Japanese cuisine’. The term ‘Wabi-sabi’ is an ancient Japanese philosophy focused on accepting the imperfect and transient nature of life. I chose this term so each book in this publication contrasts and harmonises with one another, as well as sounding similar to the word ‘Wasabi’ bringing it full circle.The content is split between two books. ‘Wabi’ focuses on traditional etiquette. ‘Sabi’ focuses on the food itself and stories from the modern era, to give the reader a true understand of Japanese food culture.
