It's All About West

Page 32 It’s All About West Swindon
a ubiquitous
and valuable
material in
Beautiful Bamboo
Japan.
Bamboo serves
by Carole Hallett Mobbs
many functions
in the kitchen
“So extensive is the part played by where numerous
bamboo in the Japanese domestic simple woven
economy that the question is rather, baskets are
what does it not do?” used for cooking
Basil Hall Chamberlain, or storage. The
‘Japanese Things’. reason it is
used so much
T
his quote is incredibly accurate;
in cooking is
bamboo is used for nearly everything
that it has no odour or taste so does not
here. It grows both in the wild and
spoil the ﬂ avour of the food, neither does it
cultivated for commercial purposes,
absorb ﬂ avours such as garlic. It is also heat
decorates many a garden or public space
and water resistant. Other bamboo kitchen
and has uses for everything ranging from
implements include sushi-making mats,
food to building materials, practical items to
chopsticks, ladles, graters and even cups.
artistic handicrafts.
Basketry is another facet of bamboo
In temples a bamboo ladle is dipped
use that is rarely seen outside Asia. Humble
into water for washing hands as an act of
and basic woven baskets are used to carry
puriﬁ cation, while lowly disposable bamboo
everything from rocks to pet beetles. At the
skewers are used in bulk by the catering
other end of the scale, incredibly complex,
industry.
delicately formed works of art are created
A primitive grass, bamboo grows
to hold Ikebana arrangements (the art of
incredibly fast usually reaching its full
Japanese ﬂ ower display). It takes years to
height within one year. One species grows
learn and perfect this beautiful art with at
so quickly that its growth can actually be
least 10 years to learn the necessary skills
observed as it grows over 1 metre in 24
to create the most basic of Ikebana baskets.
hours.
Bamboo recycled from old house rafters is
When a new shoot emerges from the
much sought-after by basket makers for its
ground it is already displaying its mature
beautiful deep reddish-brown patina.
width and it’s these tender, young shoots that
This miniature masterpiece (about 12cm
are used for food. While most of the world
high) is made entirely by hand using a
enjoys edible bamboo shoots sliced and sold
single slim piece of bamboo. It has only one
in tins, here we see the entire conical shoot
purpose which is to whip powdered green
for sale languishing in iced water to keep it
tea and hot water into a perfect froth.
fresh.
As well as practical uses bamboo is
While the fresh shoot is tender enough
seen as a design motif everywhere such as
to eat, the stem of a fully-grown adult plant
on stationery, food packaging, kimono and
is strong enough to create scaffolding many
ceramics. It is a symbol of strength, purity
storeys high. We don’t see this in Japan by
and uprightness combined with ﬂ exibility and
the way; standard metal scaffolding is used
as such represents personal aspirations.
here.
Lighter than wood, cheaper and easier
Bamboo’s strength has been favourably
to replace, bamboo is the perfect renewable
compared to steel yet it can also be split
resource for everything. Its boundless uses
into incredibly ﬁ ne and delicate strips barely
from the elegant to humble, commercial to
wider than a hair. This means the plant can
personal, make it hard to ﬁ nd something that
be used to make various elegant items of
can’t be made from bamboo.
high quality and staggering beauty. It is
See www.japanory.com for more tales from Tokyo.
this versatility that has made bamboo such
To Advertise please call 01793 859604 or e-mail info@itsallabout.org.uk
Issue 5 West.indd 32 30/07/2009 17:04
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