Fresh Fruit

 

Fresh fruit is a lovely and healthy way to end a meal. Here I present pawpaw (papaya) in the way that Japanese people present melons. Pawpaw and rock melons are abundant in sub-tropical Queensland. I used a frangipani (which are in many gardens in Queensland) as my “seasonal touch”. I love the way the skin is cut 2/3’s of the way along so that it is easy to pick up and eat.

The glass plate looks like a slab of ice evoking coolness. Japanese people use a lot of glassware and blue and white china serving ware in summer to create a summery look.

 

I restyled the pawpaw onto a black octagonal lacquer ware style plate to give a more formal look, perhaps for a dinner party. I then added some purple perilla (a Japanese herb with a mild fresh minty flavour) that is available at major supermarkets in Australia.

The pawpaw (or other fruit) could also be served with tooth picks or lovely handcrafted bamboo sticks as pictured here on the vintage imari Japanese plate.

Pineapple on skewers is something I have seen at street stalls in Japan.  A good way to pass around some pineapple after a BBQ.

 

 

 

Fruit is always “served” in Japan. You don’t see people walking around biting into an apple. It is eaten at breakfast time, lunch and dinner and for snacks. A bowl of mandarins is often on the table in winter. Many places in Japan sell direct to the public as the grapes pictured here were.

Grapes in Hiroshima prefecture