Shen Yun's kitchen in Shanghai is a place of magic, where food doesn't fill the stomach but feeds the eyes. She is a food stylist working for TV and movies. Her job is to make food look their best in photos and videos.
"We are what we eat," she laughs, "But in my line of work, we love to eat what we feel. That's what makes my job interesting." For Shen, food is more than things we need to stay alive. It is a collection of feelings or memories. Growing up in a typical Chinese family, her most valuable memories always come from food. A slice of pizza calls up a joyful day at the zoo, while wontons (云吞) are grandma's comforting hugs in a bowl of warm soup.
When styling food, Shen is meticulous, taking care of the smallest things. For a close-up photo of Chinese tea eggs, she had to use a brush in order to perfect the brown patterns on the eggs. Steam (蒸汽) helps to make the eggs look fresh and hot, so she put a cup of hot water under the eggs. All the careful work doesn't make real food, but makes her photos inviting for the eyes. When looking at her work, the viewers will feel like they are in a comfortable morning in a Chinese home.
Shen says the real challenge is to keep the balance. "Making food look beautiful is easy, but the real skill lies in making it both inviting and real. It takes patience and love to create and catch that moment of food."
①brush ②food ③viewers ④Chinese family ⑤camera
