I have been photographing our family's annual Japanese New Year's Celebration in Los Angeles for over ten years. What I have learned while doing this is that not only the final products, but the processes of participation, preparation and presentation, are beautiful acts of artistic creation.
This has helped me develop a real interest in food photography. Not the type that is staged, posed and specially lit, but is live just-as-it's-happening food photography. What I see in many of my images is how visually beautiful the steps are in creating beautiful food. To that end, I want to share that beauty with you as you scroll down to see the images.
Over three to four days, the magic happens. There are multiple shopping trips to various supermarkets and to the Japanese markets for everything needed. No one forgets that about one hundred friends and family will be arriving on New Year's afternoon to share this wonderful food.
All the members of this multi-generational, multi-ethnic family have their tasks assigned and they work alone and in teams.
Grinding the seeds by hand with the suribachi (mortar) and wooden pestle produces an aroma that makes you smile.
There is a real skill in knowing how to slice the fish for sushi and sashimi, as well as the octopus. The family members and friends who work on this have become true masters of this artistry.
And don't forget to clean up.
Kagami Mochi is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration. It is typically composed of two flat, round mochi (rice) cakes (a small one sitting on top of a slightly larger one) shaped like kagami (“an old-fashioned kind of round copper mirror”) and a daidai (a Japanese bitter orange) with an attached leaf on top. The roundness of the mochi is said to symbolize fulfillment within the family. The stacking of the pieces are variously said to symbolize the going and coming years, the accumulation for another year, the human heart "yin" and "yang", or the moon and sun.
Every year there is a lobster in the beautifully designed centerpiece for the food table. The lobster symbolizes long life.
New Year's Morning
Ozoni
Ozoni is a special soup with Mochi (rice cake) in it that is traditionally eaten New Year's morning. The other common ingredients include Kamaboko (a fish cake with a pink outer coloring), nori, shiitake mushroom, shingiku (chrysanthemum leaves) and green onion. The broth is usually a fish broth, or shiitake broth for vegetarians.
And so begins New Year's Day. A day we look forward to every year. A day of love, friendship and wonderful food (including quite a few other dishes and desserts that are not included here). My thanks to our family for teaching me about Japanese food and tradition and for allowing me to photograph them every year at their artistic best.
All the images are ©2008 - 2018 Marty Cohen www.martycohenphotography.com