Teena on Etsy asked me if I would be willing to do one recipe using Banh Mi some day.
Photo Gilles Tran
It was surprising for me to learn that this sandwich in Vietnam was partially made of french ingredients : The bread is baguette and the spread is often mayonnaise, but also The laughing Cow cheese ( in french La vache qui rit: french kids have been eating tons of this cheese, which is absolutely not a cheese, but many children loved it because of its soft taste. I bet its success comes from its packaging design, and because of its name ! )
This sandwich, since french colonialism in Indochina, is combining the baguette and La vache qui rit cheese with native Vietnamese ingredients, such as fresh cilantro, chili pepper and pickled daikon and carrots.
Photo : http://nycfoodguy.com/
I didn't like the way I was painting the soy sauce and spoon on the top left of the illustration,
so it has been replaced by this piece of vintage envelope :
I am not drawing animals very often, because as soon as I see any kind
of animal, I see him in a Tex Avery cartoon. Nothing I can do about that,
they always make me laugh.
Dali Lobster Telephone 1936 (also known as Aphrodisiac Telephone)
And Gladys, from Amsterdam, emailed me some weeks ago; she received a beautiful letter from Shangai, and asked me whether I would paint a lobster recipe on it !
Wow ! A LOBSTER ! The goal was not to have a cartoon lobster, I said to myself. His life ends in a pan, he is becoming scarlet red, so I must keep him his own dignity.
I went to the asian store this weekend, with my friend-lobster, he was a good guy and helped me, prior to being steamed.
Well, I really had fun at painting this " Steamed lobster " recipe, thank you Gladys, your painting will soon be on its way to Netherland !
I love Paris, walking in Paris, see how parisian trees are blooming, even if we, parisians, are snobish and unpleasant, stuck to our black dress code. I love the beauties of its architecture, the way the air becomes moisty close to the river Seine, how romantic.
This shop is a tribute to my city. I am always so happy to go away from it, but still, as soon as I am coming back, even more if it is overnight, my heart is dancing and smiling.
Glad to meet you there, in this new shop, and in Lucileskitchen store of course !
Yesterday, Paris was covered by snow and parisians were smiling ( wait ! something very important is supposed to occur when you see a parisian who is NOT grumbling )
Brigitte Bardot in swimming suit !
Do you smell the mimosa fragrance coming from la Côte d'Azur ?
Back from the snowy streets, I started a work inspired by this man's work : Mr Yamashita.
He is japanese and is living in France not so far from Paris. He is a gardener, a very specific one, since three-stars chefs from the most famous restaurants cook his unique vegetables.
He grows remarkable japanese vegetables. The seeds are brought directly from Japan and, unlike industrial growers, are chosen for flavour rather than durability.
When he comes to the restaurants with his delivery, he is choosing himself which vegetable, how many of each one, and how much he will charge for them. Chefs love him :
Look at him in this video, when he says with his charming smile : You have to hope a lot ! Il faut beaucoup espérer !
Vegetables are so inspiring for painting; I am a fan of this kind of guy, he is a real artist; people say that he is a jeweler of vegetables.
In Asafumi Yamashita's book, I read that it is considered to be particularly good luck to dream of Mount Fuji, a Hawk, and a Nasu, the japanese eggplant, on New Year's Eve, the first dream of the new year...
I already said here how lucky I was to have so many nice customers. 2 months ago, Gladys, from Amsterdam sent me an email with a link to this BBC program :
This video is such a travel to China, and I wish I could be in this very place just at the moment :
Thank you Gladys !
I enjoy the idea of cooking with bamboo; all I know about bamboo is draw and write with it so far.
My latest " on vintage letter " illustration is not about chinese food but vietnamese,
it is a PHO BO ( I can't type any vietnamese character on my mac, or should I say I don't know how to do it )( I am sure it is possible ) ( Aren't the vietnamese O or A with specific accent, looking like wings, irresistible ? )
