Fruit carving: a beautiful and intricate art
London, United Kingdom (SCA_UK)

Mai soong kha everyone!

My father has always told me that 'you learn something new everyday'; whether or not you are aware of it is something else entirely. I believe that we are infinitely capable of learning new things, though we risk losing what we have already gained by not actively remembering.
What on earth am I getting at?

Recently, I had my memory jogged by some photos from the very active and talented members of the Shan Cultural Association of the United Kingdom (SCA_UK) of something that I had long forgotten, but had always wished to recall someday: fruit carving.

During one of my first visits to Myanmar in the late 1990s, I stayed in a small town in Sagaing Division, with my hotel/hostel located near a temple. It became a ritual for me to wake up early, down a thick cup of coffee and prepare myself for the procession of monks gathering alms along the route to their temple. Then, one Friday afternoon, as the heat rose and activity levels - mostly mine - dropped, I noticed that the town was particularly quiet. There was no one in sight except for a buzz at one distant end of the main street. I followed the sound and found dozens of women actively chatting in a circle as they sliced, shaped, shaved and gored various pieces of fruit - papaya, watermelon, etc. - with a variety of knives and other tools. I was entranced. And, by late evening, they had produced spectacular works of art - an array of flowers, birds and even ancient Buddhist scenes (from the more skilled carvers) - that, together, formed a vertible (and edible) fruit gallery. I took pictures of it and had hoped to write something about it someday, but my bag fell off the boat and into the Irrawaddy.... The rest is history.

Until recently.

Members of the SCA_UK held a fruit carving evening recently in London: to remember, to practice and, most importantly, to share this amazing and creative skill with others. The photo above - taken by Nang Zune Pan Aye (thank you) - is an excellent record of some of the pieces produced that afternoon/evening. There are other and equally amazing photos around, and I will be sure to include them in future posts. For now, enjoy the watermelon flowers...

Lastly, there is some need for clarity: fruit carving is not uniquely Shan. Other ethnic groups in South East Asia - the Thai, Burmese and Lao - also actively and artistically carve fruit. This unique art form also appears to be intricately linked with Buddhist festivals - such as the Swan Tor Long in Mon State - and usually takes place in a marathon of fruit carving in the days and evening before the festival. There are other festivals - a friend has mentioned seeing something similar in Northern Shan State - that involved fruit carving and I am on the hunt for further information. If anyone has witnessed or knows of any such activities, please feel free to let me know at your convenience. Thank you for your help.

Well, that is all for now. For those of you, most likely North Americans like myself, fruit carving is much, much more than jack-o-lanterns at Hallowe'en - they are beautiful works of art.

Mai soong kha,

Naw Liang

P.S. Further details on Swan Tor Long will be available in the next post. I promise

P.P.S.S. A brief dig uncovered some interesting links to fruit carving. Most of all was the discovery of professional fruit carving artists in South East Asia, such as Htay Htay Win (Myanmar), as well as a variety of print and online guides, including this site from Thailand. Finally, for more photos of this intricate food art, please visit here.