(LATE) LUNCHTIME INTERVIEW: DRAWN AND DEVOURED PART 2

Yeah, I thought that’d get your attention. And I thought you’d be ready for more. It’s the rest of our interview with Katherine, from Drawn And Devoured. 

In the second — and final — installment, we learn that the mega talented eater, illustrator and all-around cool person is still into chocolate chip cookies; she remains an adventurous Thanksgiving hostess; and, yeahs, she’s a lady with a sense of humor. Just watch out. If she meets you for dinner, you’d better not be boring. That’s unforgivable! 

NFC: You mentioned that you like to cook. What do you love to make? What’s more interesting for you, as an artist and cook — the process of making or the outcome? 

D&D: When I cook, I like to experiment with all kinds of food, trying my hand at curries, roasts, strange stuffing, crazy desserts (most recently Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies). I guess I’m a bit of a show off- I love to cook, but without someone to feed, I usually make salads or simple steamed foods. Give me a table to set, though, and I go a little nuts. For a while I used to throw a fancy dinner every couple weeks for my friends, just to try out different recipes I’d been eying, but that all ended in a thanksgiving pumpkin disaster last year!

NFC: You’ve brought this on yourself, but now you have to tell me about your pumpkin disaster. It sounds gooey. 

D&D: It was sort of a two-part disaster. I really, really wanted to throw an all-out Thanksgiving for my friends, since we were all students away from home at the time. I also used to live in Australia briefly, where they’re big on pumpkin to eat. Around this time I was in a HUGE low environmental impact phase, so I decided I was going to buy all the ingredients from the local natural foods store, where everything is local or organic. OW, my wallet! It was so expensive, I had to take a break from hosting dinners for a while, and that was the first part of the disaster. The second part was that the pumpkin I bought was not the same kind as what they use for cooking in Oz. I also put it in everything. EVERYTHING. Stuffing, roast veg, pie, mash, seeds. And it was sweet, and soggy. The stuffing was, frankly, disgusting. The meat turned out good, but just about anything with pumpkin in it went untouched, except for the crunchy seeds. Even I couldn’t keep up a brave front — it just wasn’t good food! Next time I brave a big meal, I might be a little less overzealous with the magic ingredient of the night. It was a really fun experiment, though, and I am all about experiences. Or am at least trying to be.

NFC: Your work is so lovely. What inspires how you portray the food (it doesn’t necessarily feel strictly realistic, which I think is a good thing)?

D&D: If you go back to maybe the first three entries in Drawn and Devoured, you’ll see painful realism! Or rather pseudo-realism. I was still figuring out a good style for the blog, and sometimes I find it hard to remember I already HAVE a solid style when I start a new project. Eventually that took over, and now D&D (my affectionate abbreviation) is what it is.

NFC: I love the subtle humor embedded throughout your blog — the comics, and your coffee snob mentioning made me laugh out loud. When you’re working on a project, how do these funny moments present themselves? Do they come out after-the-fact, or are they very much a part of your eating experience? 

D&D: It’s really that I’m the opposite of a food snob, or even a food connoisseur like James Chatto, that has me cracking wise. I don’t think I’m that funny, but I know my vocabulary for food is only slightly above average (maybe?), and want to put something in the written portion of D&D that makes people really want to read it. Actually, in the upcoming Bunners post, the drawings are a bit ridiculous even by the usual standards. That came out as I drew it, though sometimes the humor happens at dinner, and I make a note. The ones where I do a review without company are the worst, because it’s so much easier to lampoon myself than my guests.

NFC: How can taste and smell influence color? How can memory and experience enhance or alter taste? How do these ideas work into your practice?

D&D: When I’m making a post, a couple things go into it, like the general vibe of the place (this usually helps me pick a dominant colour, so it’s boring if a place is tricked out IKEA-style in all white- blah). The food, of course, inspires me. Crazy foods, things that look and taste like nothing I’ve seen before, can create a whole different layout. If I’m dealing with food from a certain culture, that might also affect the styling a bit, but most of my drawings are very off the cuff and instinctual.

NFC: I have to ask. What’s worse: Boring food or boring co-diners? 

D&D: Boring co-diners are worse, for sure. It can ruin a mood and a meal for me. With bad food, I can just go find something else, or leave it be. Food is less complicated than people like that.

Thanks, Katherine, for letting us link to your lovely work!