I was thinking about how much food is the basis of dialogue. I received the gift of onions and squash from my friend’s allotment and I’d promised potatoes from my veg patch in return. This itself prompted a conversation about growing but also prompted a conversation with a woman in the nearby seat, so impressed with the produce.
As it turned out, the potatoes were few but there were beetroot and spring onions so I turned it all into a borscht inspired soup and will share it with my friend over a conversation soon.
I’ve long been impressed and inspired by the gesture of art events with food and I provide snacks and home baked cakes at Art Lab. Whilst I was artist in residence at 34 Boar Lane, Leeds, there were ‘junk food fine dining events’ alongside exhibition openings. Helen the curator considered everything from the table decor, the seating and layout to the lighting, along with close corroboration with the chef. Coming from a catering background also (9 years through college, uni and postgrad self-reliance), this seems like a natural progression. Perhaps what I should do, time permitting, is make my interviewees/interlocutors a cake.
