KITSCH AND CASHMERE

Eye candy comes to our television in the form of Nigella Lawson who coos to the camera in her latest cookery programme. I love it! And I am the only person of my circle of friends who does! "It isn't a real kitchen; it's a shed made up as a film set!" ... "the 'friends' sitting down for a meal at the end are actors".

I sit in amazement as she proclaims "Your family will just love it when you present them with this creation I am about to show you!" Really? FantasyLand as far as my experience is concerned!

Dream on ... I fancy myself as a Domestic Goddess so I put this cookery book (cookbook, to my North American friends) on my internet Amazon Wish List last year and received it for a Christmas present. I love it! It makes me laugh! But I have discovered something. She talks about 'food kitsch'. I mean, she says this of herself, i.e. some of her recipes.

Now what, exactly, would you call 'food kitsch'? I have asked a few friends and they say "Well, for example, hundreds and thousands [sugary, multi-coloured pin sized sweets that go on top of cake or trifle].

As far as I can see kitsch is about, perhaps, gawdiness, say Hallowe'en orange icing on cookies? or falseness. I give an example, to my way of thinking, below.

Anyhow, here's Nigella, a good lookin' lassie, make no mistake (very much cashmere and cut glass). And, blow me, if she didn't demonstrate a dish that my mother produced in the 1950's or 60's - Grasshopper Pie!

We are talking about cooking with a can of this or a bag of that; in this case, a bag of marshmallows. I mean, I remember when mini-marshmallows came in around the mid 1950's. Oh, it was quite exciting! (You put them into Jello and thought it was wonderful!) Anyhow, she refers to this as 'food kitsch'.

Now ... I want to do a test. Be honest, do you think that this creation above might fall into the category of 'food kitsch'? Come on ... yes or no?! (You can see, roughly, that it is vegetables that appear to be in soil served on a light coloured plate or perhaps it is bread.)

What's the scoop?

Well it is all here. You can't be bothered to look? Well I am here to tell you that this is a dish from not just ONE of the top 50 restaurants in the the world for 2010, but THE top one! For this year, 2010, it is, according to The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants, NOMA in Copenhagen. This is one of their 'signature dishes'.