Kae-Sa-Luk: Cantaloupe Dipping Bowl

Part Two
Cantaloupe Dipping Bowl

Pam Maneeratana
Master of Kae-Sa-Luk

The second bird that I’m going to show you how I put it together. At this time is not only a centerpiece is you can use is as a deep bowl like Guacamole or vegetable deep. So I use Cantaloupe or Honeydew. It’s the same effect because inside is hallowed. So let’s try the Cantaloupe.

First of all, I have to level the Cantaloupe first so when I put it on the table it will not be broking, now it’s fine. And then I will use my carving knife, we will make a draw cut right here, and you will be able to lift this part off. Forget about this part at this time, and you can use a spoon, scoop the seed off.

So now we get the bowl, you make sure that you get all the seed off and you’ll be able to use this at the bowl. Put Guacamole in put all the deep off, with the salad dressing in, and put it on a nice table. We got that, and now we have to divide the head, this is the body of the bird, imagine that, remember always have your imagination engine running.

So normally I use yellow squash in order to make their head of the bird but I already showed you on the first bird. When I walked in the Podia store yesterday, looking for some supply to these kinds of things, and then I was stopping at the forest sections, and then I see one kind of flowers and it inspired me. And that flower is bird of paradise. So I’ve been thinking if this one will be the beak of the bird, and this is the crown, if I attach into this, can you see now, it is a bird?

So what it is we have to length this one to make it more light and nice in order to do that. This is nice, let us cut it a little bit so---to make it like pointed. And all you have to do is stick in to that, but sometimes if you can see that the skin of the Cantaloupe or the Honeydew maybe thick so you may have to use your knife to help you out. So get that hard part off, stick this one in. Now you get it. So in order to make sure that there is no eyes on to that. Use a toothpick, hook that across the head, and then cut off the excessive part.

Use blueberry, now you get their eyes, look at that. So we get to head, the body, now we go for the tails. I already show you how to make the Peacock tails, but this time, let utilize your left over vegetable in your refrigerators. Broccoli, Cauliflowers, they are contrast color, and we can use that on the tails.

The Broccoli is very hard, so I will put the bamboo stick into it first. Snip the end so it will be pointed and easy for me to punch in to the Cantaloupe. Coordinate the color is a key.

Every time that I do the centerpiece, I never stay in the same way that I always do. I always think outside the box. Think if I can use this, if I can use that, and I try it but sometimes it doesn’t work but sometimes it works, and gives me a new idea of new centerpiece.

Let’s use the Broccoli here and then, okay. There is no perfect space that you can plan the head. Every single time is come by, try it, take it out, and tries it again with something else, and now you can see that our bird has the very nice tail. If you add the tails here a little bit more, will be great.

So we have green, white, and yellow, what if we do this? Try this one, longer, snip some part, so it’s easy to punch it in, and then we use chili tomatoes in, see? Who say we cannot do it? Anything, we can do anything as you see it fit, and you have your supply allow you to do so.

These kinds of centerpiece is—I called it as left over refrigerator supplies centerpiece because running to the forest and try to buy some flowers, money is maybe not bad but you know, you don’t have time, and we need to do it in a make up time. And this one is project of make up time.

I have a lot of apprentice that asked me that” how about, can we—is this centerpiece is edible?” Yes it’s edible because all of the supply that we used is edible, but I never suggest anyone to eat this kind of centerpiece because if it’s not quite, you know, free from contamination with your hand that might have bacteria or germs. And you work, and once you put it on the table people will be amaze in your centerpiece, and they always come in, and touch to make sure that this is Broccoli. This is Cauliflowers because they don’t believe their eyes. Once they touched it, all they sniff because they want to make sure this is real Cantaloupe, is not plastic. So that kinds of things that I will not suggest anyone to eat the centerpiece just use it as it a centerpiece at deep bowl but to eat. Do make it an ethical piece. We have to go with a different philosophy like a different way of setting. You have to clean your hands first, and you have to clean all food and vegetable, and make sure that this is edible piece, and let anyone know that this cannot be eaten.

So we are almost done with this. Let me add some more color onto this. Did you see the tip of this end? And sometimes when they keep coming to this centerpiece and try to get it deep out of this bow. And this tip if you don’t cover completely, it could hurt the kids. So what it is, is that we will try to cover it up very nicely in order for no one cannot be able to get hurt by that.

There is another idea, when you need these kinds of centerpiece and you like to put some message on to that, look what I have. I brought this from the Adam Craft Store, and we bound to hang it in to this, and give them a message of this party. Your idea is never limited, when ever you walk to the Podia store or to Adam Craft Store, let your engine of imagination run on, and put all things together, there’s no right and no wrong, it’s just beautiful, try it out and learn from your mistake.


Transcription by: Scribe4you Transcription Services