LE MARCHE ...HAUTE COUTURE?
"Classical music is playing softly in a shop in central Tokyo. Uniformed members of staff are polite and attentive to the needs of customers, who are ushered to chairs whilst the employees crouch next to them and take their orders. All of this is taking place in the most elegant of surroundings, with high ceilings, tasteful lighting and beautiful displays. It is what you might expect from a high end retail establishment, but not, perhaps, what you may picture when you think of a greengrocers, which is what this is. " -digital hen
This article describes the very exclusive food shop in Tokyo called Senbiyika.
To me this is the very definition of Japanese sky-high sense of service and painstaking attention to detail. Seen in every realm of Japanese life, it is most acute in the presentation of food.
At Senbiyika the melons are exactly the same size and shape, the stalks trimmed to a very precise length, the color constant always.
Not a blemish. Not a bruise. Not a dent.
A melon sorbet is precisely shaped and accessorized.
This Senbiyika approved grower trims his melon plants so as to leave only the melons that are at one specific height off the ground, ensuring that they will all get the same amount of sunlight. Exposition to the sun is controlled by sun "hats" carefully placed on each fruit.
Melons are not the only produce on offer presented like precious objects.
Cherries are chosen for their size, color and shape, just like pearls for a necklace.
As are lemons...
...and gelatin desserts!
images via bbc world
It may all seem over-the-top and somewhat objectionable in a global context where poverty and malnutrition is the norm in so many countries. Yet I cannot but admire the care and effort put forth in this search for "the best".
au revoir.
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