When I heard about the new exhibition Comics in the Kitchen at Orbital Comics, I pictured infinite possibilities. Would we see posters picturing the most shocking Chew‘s visions, after he’s eaten a soup of forbidden meat? Or would we be presented with one of Yukihira Soma‘s delicious recipes that would cause visionary ecstasy to whomever tries them? A Marvel themed lasagna feast or a super-powered noodle soup? My imagination went far, but didn’t stray from the comic-themed, as if by being at a comic book store the exhibit should have been about the favourite heroes their customers are familiar with. Instead, the main star was indeed food itself.
Grabbing a bunch of food loving illustrators, the Orbital staff asked them what they enjoy cooking these days, and the result is a collection of mouthwatering illustrations, complete with instructions for the recipe. The styles were various, from manga to monochrome, from water colours to graphic prints, real recipes with exact measurements and ingredients, like Gazpacho or Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, to recipes and stories of imaginative nature only, like Cooking with the Bread Cat. “At Orbital most of the staff are foodies,” explains one of the organisers, Camila, “so we thought it would be a great idea to celebrate it with an exhibition.” Framed for the viewers, all illustrations are gratifying for fellow illustrators and comic connoisseurs like Orbital usual crowd, but also mouthwatering for the foodie who knows nothing about comics and enjoys good humour and that style of art, with a smile rather than a pretentious, serious face.
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Blender & Basil 