Food History

Today was the day the photographer came into my rather messy flat and took shots for Sunday’s Canberra Times. He rang 40 minutes early and said he would be there in five minutes (oh, how I wish tradies did this!) and I asked him if I could have ten and he gave me fifteen. This meant I could finish my block of work, which was a very good thing.

I am now much photographed. I now have a table full of food history paraphernalia.

The photographer was very good and very professional and dealt with my unphotogenic self with patience and good humour. It was interesting that he put to the side unusual things that looked modern-style commercial or plastic but kept quite common things that were a bit more colourful. This means that I can lay bets on the photo having my tin with its many spices or my antique teapot and the moustache cup. I didn’t need to introduce him to the moustache cup, you see – he introduced himself and got me to hold it.

What were the things he didn’t want in the picture? The hand washing implement (very Jewish). If I had a silver or brass one it might have been different, but mine’s a pretty purple plastic so he put it to one side. He didn’t want the pack of Community Coffee or the Colman’s mustard advertisement, either. And he was regretful that my facsimiles of the Virginia Gazette wouldn’t come out, though he did use them as background. He also used as background my reproduction 17th century coffee cup, my 1950s salt and pepper shakers, my Food history handout and an empty container of Gundowring icecream.

What was curious was that he noticed I was more relaxed when I held a teapot and a cup. Funny the things that relax us, even a little.

Now I’m relaxing more than a little. I really, really hate pictures of myself and they’re inevitable. I’ve learned over the years that the ones to hate least are the ones by newspaper photographers. They tend to know their stuff and get pictures that are more comfortable to live with. I won’t be truly relaxed until Sunday, when I can see myself staring out of the page or (maybe, if I’m lucky) see the article with no picture. I don’t think there’ll be no picture, though.

I’ll report back, I think, just to tell you if the Gundowring Icecream container made it into the final cut. I’m drinking some of my Community Coffee in apology to it for being left out. And now I must get back to the rest of my life – the small flurry of excitement is over.

PS This picture of the cup is by Donna, not the Canberra Times photographer, just in case you were wondering.