Photo By Sgt. J.P. Lawrence | The whole process took about an hour, but during holidays and special occasions, the...... read more read more
By Spc. J. Princeville Lawrence
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq — When Soldiers at Contingency Operating Base Basra enter either of the two chow halls on post, they are greeted by dozens of menu combinations, a salad bar, a sandwich bar, a grill and even an ice cream machine.
It's a veritable smorgasbord of plenty.
But when Soldiers take their eyes off their apple pie slices and barbequed pork ribs, they find they are also treated to another, subtler treat.
Scattered throughout the chow halls are bread alligators, garnished watermelons, culinary sculptures prepared daily by school-trained chefs from places as disparate as Sri Lanka and Nepal and even Iraq.
Fruit sculpture is a long-standing tradition in many Asian countries, and years of practice are often required to fully master the art.
In the United States, the closest comparison would be something like Halloween pumpkin carving, although at the high end, large fruit sculptures can draw large crowds in a manner similar to public ice sculptures.
Fruit carving can be done on such fruits as carrots, papaya, cucumbers, but watermelons are a popular choice because of their size, ease of carving and contrasting colors.
To show how the process is done, Jageth, a mustachioed, Sri Lankan restaurant chef, agreed to let us in on one of his watermelon carvings. After putting on his gloves, he gathered everything he needed: a watermelon, a carving knife, a cutting board and a lot of patience.
He began by laying the watermelon on its side and slicing off the top and bottom. Jageth then cut a star into the exposed top, and from there, he worked his way down the sides. Eventually, a honeycombed flower began to blossom from the melon.
At this point, Jageth paused before cutting a zigzag pattern around the melon's middle. He then cut another, parallel zigzag below that, and soon, little watermelon diamonds began appearing. Then he cut out a little halo beneath the diamonds, and beneath the halo, arches.
After a little polishing work, Jageth was finally finished. Well, almost. For his final trick, Jageth carved a little button from a discarded melon piece and crowned his creation.
The garnished watermelon was ready for presentation. Jageth's gloves, once white, were now soaked through and through with watermelon juice, and Jageth took a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow.
The whole process took about an hour, but during holidays and special occasions, chefs like Jageth sometimes spend up to eight hours carving watermelons and baking and shaping bread animals.
They say the world is getting smaller and flatter nowadays, and as usual, the dinner table lies at the forefront of globalization. Soldiers from America can now find themselves working in Iraq, eating Mexican or Chinese food prepared by Sri Lankan and Nepalese chefs.
Those same Soldiers, if they so seek, can see the fruits of a fine culinary education in these garnished watermelons, in these masterpieces, in these treats for the eyes as well as the taste buds.
Bon appétit.
| Date Taken: | 01.18.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.18.2010 02:05 |
| Story ID: | 44038 |
| Location: | BASRA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 452 |
| Downloads: | 361 |
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