A feast for the eyes

""The arrangement of Japanese dishes is traditionally an aesthetic and creative act. The result is an unsurpassed harmony between food and vessel, a harmony that captures the character of Japanese cuisine," observes Tsuchiya, chief curator of the Suntory Museum of Art in Japan. Here he explains techniques of arranging foods in season for presentation at dining and suggests types of vessels to be used: strategically placed mounds of vegetables, sliced fish and horseradish are served on flat earthenware dishes, square and round ceramic bowls contain delicate arrangements of various foods, soups are spooned into covered lacquer bowls, sake is poured from porcelain bottles into porcelain cups. A historic discussion of Japanese foods and utensils spans 8000 b.c. (the Jomon period) to the present. Color and black-and-white photos depict beautiful antique and modern utensils and provide visual examples of artfully arranged meals, making this volume itself a feast"--Publisher's Weekly, November 1 Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.