Customer Reviews

Play with Your Food

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Joost Elffers's terrific "Play with Your Food" is a wacky trip inside the imagination of someone who is equally obsessed with food and faces. Elffers, a Dutchman, has a typically European flair for the dramatic and shows it off to great effect with the fruits and vegetables he chooses to showcase in this marvelous book.

Picture, if you will, a wee family of bears carved out of zucchini--or a pensive carrot couple glancing askance at each other--or a shy banana. Crazy as it sounds, these things are not only possible but positively enchanting. Elffers manages to give each little edible face some human expression so that the photographs seem to show us not something we might find on our salad plate (or in our fruit bowl) but something we might see across the breakfast table as we look at our spouse or children.

Elffers's sense of humor and inventiveness is captivating. Highly recommended for anyone who dislikes eating their vegetables--they just might enjoy gazing at their vegetables instead, if Elffers is in charge!

My mother always stopped me from playing with my food. This book shows why she was completely wrong! From the front cover, with the cute lemon bear, through the pear rabbits and snow pea insects, to the winking pumpkin on the back cover, this book will astound you with its creativity.

The first part of Play with Your Food is an essay on the difference between seeing and looking. The main and largest part is photographs of hundreds of food animals made by the authors. The last part is examples and instructions on how to make your own food animals. It's fascinating to see how one can change a face from happy to sad to angry with only the small adjustment of eyes carved from almonds.

Play with Your Food is one of the only cute, adorable books I've ever read or looked at that hasn't made me ill. It provides laughter and creative project ideas for people of all ages. From toddlers to octogenarians, this book will delight.

This is such a fun book! It is a great coffee table book or children's gift. My children (ages 1, 4, 4, and 6) can sit and browse through it for the longest time. My one year old thinks it is absolutely hilarious and it's wonderful for encouraging the imagination. We have lots of fun making our own silly people and faces with food. I have given this book as a gift to other children before and, although the kids always like it, the adults at the party always seem to spend the most time looking at it. Definitely one of my favorite books.

Don't think for a moment that the insane food presentation ideas in this book are only meant to delight children; adults I've entertained become hysterical when served okra lizards or pigs carved from citrus fruits. Two caveats if you try any of these techniques: choose the right sized knife, and make sure it is sharp. Another good idea is to have spare food on hand; you'll ruin an attempt or two for sure as you slice your way up the learning curve.

Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com

If you wish to re-discover the sense of amazement you had when still in Kindergarten, if you want to share the -wow- with a child or friends, Joost Elffers is your guide. He takes you by the hand, while you create whimsical creatures out of bell peppers, garlic bulbs, bananas, leeks and more, without ruining food. Eat that dolphin-like banana, sautee a garlic swan, fill a stock-pot with some angry leeks and mousy yams. Joost Elffers lets you Play With Your Food without making you feel guilty.

Excellent, although it may have been directed toward children, it is a great source of information and pictures for catering and decorating food tables. I use it all the time and marvel at how I now look at fruit and vegetables prior to buying.

Whether they try any of these recipes or not, this book makes a creative gift and one that your friends will definitely enjoy. Either this one or the 1999 Play With Your Food Calendar is great when you're stuck on what to give.

If you have never had the pleasure of flipping through the pages of this book, then buy it today! At first glance, it is merely a whimsical, albeit beautiful, series of photos. However, upon closer inspection, the expressions on the faces really start to come across. And, yes, I'm talking about produce! This is a great book to put on your coffee table and share with your friends.

How inventive this artist is with "ordinary" fruits and vegetables. (Hey, maybe it'll get your kids more interested in eating them)

This is an enjoyable and fun book whether you only look at it or you actually prepare some of your own "play" food. Especially good for children, the ill, those who need to be encouraged to eat, or someone who is just feeling a bit down.