Photographer: Billie Hara
Weekly Theme: Gift
Categories: B&W, Billie, Gift
Tags: chicken, food, japanese, okakodon, rice
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Date take: October 23, 2011
Film: N/A
Camera: Nikon D-90
Lens: 18-105mm
Focal Length: 45mm
Exposure Time: 0.067 (1/15 sec)
Aperture: F/4.8
ISO: 1600
Macro:
Edited: PhotoShop CS3
About the Photo
Over the past week, I've been thinking about "gift." I had the usual objects I could photograph: a present, a balloon, a cake . . . those things that could represent a party (or a gift). Yet at the same time, I've been thinking much about "home." I have returned home--my hometown--after a few years of living elsewhere. It's been clear to me that old adage, "you can't go home again" has some truth in it. What does this have to do with a photograph of food? Many years ago, I lived in Japan. Living there changed me forever. Part of that change is a keen awareness of difference, of diversity, of discrimination. I have the skills (yes, I believe these are skills) to understand others' perspectives (or I get close). When I think about home, I have to remember that the others around me have not had the gift of living elsewhere, or experiencing difference, of believing that their voices are not the only ones that have merit. I have that gift. With food? This dish is called, "Oyakodon," a chicken and egg dish. The dish represents a chicken and an egg, obviously, but the Japanese see their relationship to each other . . . a parent and a child. That sounds odd. It sounds odd if you've never been there to understand their culture.
