Film & Food Lore

Artist/Writer Preserves Food Lore 

Fruit is a folklore staple. Think of fairytales like Snow White (poisoned apple)  or superstitions about peach tree branches over doorways to protect against evil. Although such food lore-related examples are considered to be long ago and far away, they are very much alive today as part of our folkloric fabric because we have found ways to bring them into our everyday lives. This is the secret sauce of all folklore: the ability to adapt to current needs of a society.

Take for instance, the creative work of Jenny Wong. A traveler and writer whose fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous publications, including ARC Poetry Magazine, Vallum, and Grain Magazine,  she recently created a multimedia series of mini films based upon her own poetic work.

We recently e-chatted about her Compostable Morsels productions so that I could learn more about her process:

 Q: What inspired you to create these delicious films? Why these specific foods?

 A: It was a very organic (ha!) process.  The first poem “tiger lily” was written during a virtual Japanese poetry workshop.  I adored how the short forms felt, that hyper focus of existence within a particular moment. Afterwards, I was constantly writing snippets about household items and foods in the fridge (it was 2020, so I wasn’t getting out much). 

Q:  How familiar were you with the food lore surrounding the fruits you wrote about?

 A: The apple is the one I’m most familiar with.  There’s so much lore surrounding it.  A symbol of autumn and harvest, a forbidden fruit, and, as you mentioned, a poisoned instrument of fairy tale, to name a few.

Q: In the first one, "apple | Compostable Morsels"  you peel an apple. What was your goal for the poem?

A: This is the only film where the title is not mentioned in the poem.  It’s never directly stated that an apple is being pared.  I could’ve chosen a potato perhaps, but the apple holds so much power.  I wanted to offer a gentle reminder: see what’s beneath the skin (which is so much of what we are, but not everything), perhaps what lies beneath may be better left unlabeled and just experienced.

Q: Before watching “lemon| Compostable Morsels" I thought of the proverb (another folklore category) “When you get lemons, make lemonade.” In this film the poem tenderly holds the lemon. What does the lemon represent?

A:  Ah, the lemon.  Back in 2016, I visited Crete and stayed in a little port city called Chania.  There were streets lined with lemon trees and the ripening fruit gave off the most gorgeously indescribable scent.  Sometimes, when I smell a lemon (which only faintly  resembles those) for a brief moment, I am a little closer to the sea and just a little happier. 

Q: Did you write the poems first and then make the films? Did the films in any way change the poems?

 A:  The poems came first, selected from a subset of short poems.  The films didn’t change the poems, but they did inform my decisions on which poems to use.  I wanted the films to have a cohesive feel and envisioned a fixed setting like a cutting board or a plate. In the end this was quite practical and simplified the filming logistics. Basically, the poems that revolved around something on a plate were chosen.

Q: Do you plan to create more mini films?

A: Absolutely!  I’m currently working on a standalone short poetry film which I hope to release later this fall.

 To learn more about Jenny Wong, click here.

 Here is her Compostable Morsels Playlist:

apple | Compostable Morsels https://youtu.be/qYpOou6j0DI

tomatoes | Compostable Morsels https://youtu.be/tpjjuH0z6AI

tea bag | Compostable Morsels: https://youtu.be/_rTJW0hARgU

peach | Compostable Morsels: https://youtu.be/tIEW1pQgLnE

tiger lily | Compostable Morsels: https://youtu.be/XRS-Aphs4EQ

table scraps | Compostable Morsels: https://youtu.be/JIFKIPhRDXw

lemon | Compostable Morsels: https://youtu.be/EgoazBqv3ZI