Flowers in Your Food

[Big Boy]

We have a special occasion on Wednesday, and I thought I'd push the boat out by visiting a decent restaurant. It seems that every restaurant I consider, and look up online, the food is decorated with flowers. Personally, although it looks nice, I find the thought of flowers in my food to be quite a turn-off.

I actually thought it was just a photo marketing thing, and flowers weren't actually served. Then I went to an up-market place for breakfast a few weeks back, and my scrambled eggs had flowers growing out of them.

So what is it all about? I've skipped past a few restaurants today because they are advertising flowers in their food. I think this is only something I've encountered in Hua Hin. Is this a global trend, that is only just happening, and I'm too old to appreciate it?

[joelle]

We have a special occasion on Wednesday, and I thought I'd push the boat out by visiting a decent restaurant. It seems that every restaurant I consider, and look up online, the food is decorated with flowers. Personally, although it looks nice, I find the thought of flowers in my food to be quite a turn-off.

I actually thought it was just a photo marketing thing, and flowers weren't actually served. Then I went to an up-market place for breakfast a few weeks back, and my scrambled eggs had flowers growing out of them.

So what is it all about? I've skipped past a few restaurants today because they are advertising flowers in their food. I think this is only something I've encountered in Hua Hin. Is this a global trend, that is only just happening, and I'm too old to appreciate it?

Not just a Hua Hin thing, the UK and other countries also use flowers
https://www.healthygreenkitchen.com/ess ... -pictures/

[bigston]

Its most likely this years fad
like years gone by of ,,,,
nitrogen bubbling away
being incinerated by flames
silly patterns of squeezed sauce stuff over the plate
its just marketing to make you, or some people to go,
ooow, isn't that nice
it soon will pass...

[migrant]

I enjoy cooking so look at some of the mags, shows etc. The idea of edible flowers in the food has been around for many years in restaurants in the states, maybe just hitting Thailand. Personally I've never found any of the flowers having much taste so if not well incorporated in the food I just brush them aside.

[Big Boy]

I have no problem with people wanting to experiment with flowers in their food. What I object to is every item on a restaurant's menu containing flowers. Some, yes, but when flowers in food isn't your thing, every item on the menu having them is too much.

Maybe I just didn't notice in the days before Internet, and every item on the menu has a full living photo. A sprig of parsley on my food is enough to put me off

[HHTel]

Is this a return of the 'Flower People' from the 60's.

Remember San Francisco!

[pharvey]

Edible flowers have been served in dishes at home and in restaurants for donkeys - the former for health and nutricion, the latter more as an ongoing fad IMO. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the whole lah-de-dah "flower arranging" on food with the sole purpose of beautification and lifting prices in restaurants, but I do enjoy a more subtle approach shall we say....

The LHG enjoys her (long...) walks and foraging in the countryside and as such comes back with plenty of foodstuffs including edible flowers that we'll enjoy mainly in salads - think the likes of wild chives, coriander flowers, wild garlic flowers, Elderflowers etc.... There's an absolute multitude. Yes, they can be decorative, but they also make damn fine eating too!

[Benroon]

Its most likely this years fad
like years gone by of ,,,,
nitrogen bubbling away
being incinerated by flames
silly patterns of squeezed sauce stuff over the plate
its just marketing to make you, or some people to go,
ooow, isn't that nice
it soon will pass...

'sauce' ??? you surely mean jus

[Big Boy]

Edible flowers have been served in dishes at home and in restaurants for donkeys

Yes, of course, but in every dish on the menu? I looked at 5 upmarket restaurants online earlier today. Every dish was served with flowers according to the menu photos.

[pharvey]

Yes, of course, but in every dish on the menu? I looked at 5 upmarket restaurants online earlier today. Every dish was served with flowers according to the menu photos.

Yes, that's a fair point..... Perhaps there's a replacement for the "side salad" on the cards?

[STEVE G]

Is this a global trend, that is only just happening, and I'm too old to appreciate it?

I don't go to fancy restaurants in Europe but the more down to earth places that I do visit definitely don't serve flowers.

[Big Boy]

Well, we chose one of the 5 venues, and went last night. Yes, there were flowers, but not too many, and they were easily moved to one side. Unusually, I chose the duck (I never choose duck), and it was the tastiest duck I'd ever had - well worth a few flowers on the plate.

NB: I don't normally take photos of my food, but I made an exception, just to illustrate the flowers.

4.jpg (82.79 KiB) Viewed 661 times

[buksida]

There are currently two very popular TV shows airing here - Master Chef Thailand and Top Chef Thailand, the mrs is glued to them. It appears that these restaurants are trying to replicate what they've seen on TV, prioritizing food appearance over quantity probably to appeal to the Bangkok hisos (and cut costs ... flowers are cheaper than food!)

[joelle]

Well, we chose one of the 5 venues, and went last night. Yes, there were flowers, but not too many, and they were easily moved to one side. Unusually, I chose the duck (I never choose duck), and it was the tastiest duck I'd ever had - well worth a few flowers on the plate.

NB: I don't normally take photos of my food, but I made an exception, just to illustrate the flowers.

4.jpg

If you don't mind my asking where did you finally go? as I am looking for a place to celebrate a birthday.
That duck confit looks delicious.

[Big Boy]

We chose S Kens in the end - somewhere I drive past every day, and have been promising myself a visit for a couple of years. Definitely the tastiest duck I've ever tasted.