When I was little, I shoved raisins into my pancakes, making tribal patterns. I emptied sugar packets on top to add an extra flare. Then a waitress looked at me with disgust.
Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to play with your food?
Needless to say I didn’t return to that restaurant. The moment the waiter judged my artistic masterpiece as a juvenile offense, it was a quick goodbye. Little did she know that “playing with your food” would evolve into a lucrative, multi-billionaire industry.
Maybe I wasn’t the protégée I thought I was; however, Stephan Brusche has it figured out.
Brusche, a 37 year-old graphic artist living in the Netherlands, is credited for discovering the love affair between the banana and the ballpoint pen. From the classic Beatles Abbey Road to the endearing long-necked giraffe, Brusche has mastered the art of playing with food. “Fruitdoodles” (otherwise known as banana art) has grown into a calendar, book and Instagram with 21k followers. Brusche is even working with Chiquita and Mashable to promote a worldwide Fruitdoodle contest on April 15th (mark your calendars).
Big shout out to Brusche for adding “banana artist” to my ever-changing list of dream professions.
Photo courtesy of Stephan Brusche
Photo courtesy of Stephan Brusche
Photo Courtesy of Stephan Brusche
I talked to a few “pre-professional fruitdoodlers” (they’re spearheading a new major) at Duke, and asked them to give it a shot. Full disclosure: the results weren’t as magical as Brusche’s. However, he did have some flattering comments.
Photo by Izzi Clark
Brusche loves this “clever use of the peel.”
Photo by Izzi Clark
“The caterpillar is cute, nice use of the shape.” PSA—this one may or may not have been mine, not that I’m asking for credit or anything.
Photo by Izzi Clark
Brusche praises, “I’ve seen a lot of dolphin banana doodles, but this one is the nicest by far. It looks really poetic somehow. I wish I had thought of this approach.” I think I can say that’s the first—and last—time I will ever hear someone call a “dolphin banana” poetic.
Photo by Izzi Clark
“I loved the zipper one, very clever.” I’ll be sure to pass this along to my roommate, who stole the idea from the internet . . .
Photo by Izzi Clark
“I like the monkey one also because I myself made something almost exactly like that one.” I promise we didn’t know! [insert embarrassed monkey emojis].
I sincerely apologize to all the mothers, waitresses, and potential dates for officially endorsing “food play”.
Be sure to check out Brusche’s Instagram, website and these other related articles for more inspiration:
- 5 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with a Banana
- Mesmerizing Pancake Art You Won’t Be Able to Stop Watching
- Six Doodles You Can Complete with a Slice of Fruit