One Bite One Bird - This is the publication I submitted for ISTD 2018 assessment and was awarded ISTD Membership with Merit.

Concept

This publication examines a traditional delicacy enjoyed by gourmands all around the world, which draws outrage from animal rights activists and disgust from people who happen across it through different types of popular media platforms of the time. As public displays of eating the ortolan is but wiped out as the bird is protected by French law and EU regulations. Revealing the culture surrounding the tiny songbird, that is no bigger than your thumb.

Physical interactive outcome / Dining experience

A major component that has pushed the story of the ortolan from just another barbaric culinary dish to a world renowned experience that any worthwhile gourmand dreams to experience. To the cult like ritual of consuming the bird under a linen napkin to hid yourself from God, so that God cannot pay witness to this ‘sinful’ act. To the gluttonous act of eating the bird hole, in one mouthful, eating the Brains, Bones , Innards and everything in between. The overload to taste buds, with joyous flavours like hazelnut and buttery fat to the gory as when you chew done on the ortolans bones they cut the inside of your mouth, which means your own blood joins the party, combining itself with the ortolan. To the final factor the psychological aspect of the experience as the person eating the ortolan is forced to face their own morals for devouring this tiny thing which arrived on their plate through means some would describe as barbaric cruel means and their own personal struggle through self-reflection on the own mortality.

The miniature book that is inside the cocotte represents the cooked ortolan. This book is designed 100% edible. As the digital inks are made primarily with linseed oil, soybean oil, or a heavy petroleum distillate as the solvent (called the vehicle) combined with organic pigments. The pigments are made up of salts of multiring nitrogen-containing compounds (dyes), such as yellow lake, peacock blue, phthalocyanine green, and diarylide orange. The Paper is made from Waffer printing paper and the cover which made to represent the oily skin of the cooked ortolan and also the strange areoma is produced from a recipe involving:

Cupcake World Hazelnut food flavouring
Dr. Oether Glycerine
Dr. Oether Gelatine
XO Armagnac
Knoss Chicken Stock Pot

 The typographic napkin is to be used just like the napkins are used by people when they eat ortolan. The napkin is to be unfolded and placed over the readers head, secluding the reader away from the rest of the people in the room, just like the napkin used for the meal its to create a little capsule for yourself so that all of the aromas and tastes are captured in the space before you as to the same for all the typography in the miniature book.

Context

I first came across the ortolan as I was originally researching the concept of ‘The Last Meal’ and  came across an article detailing the last meal of former French President François Mitterrand who was President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office of any French president. The Man for his last meal on this Earth decided to gorge himself on two ortolans. After consumption, Mitterrand refused to eat anything afterwards, dying eight days later after his meal.

The catching and cooking, but not consumption of the ortolan is illegal through EU regulations introduced in 1999 and poorly enforced by the French government. EU regulations where introduced after a massive population drop, even leading to complete depletion in some areas.

The ortolan is caught in the south of France. The bird when trapped, goes through force feeding tripling its body weight, then is drowned alive in a special regional brandy called Armagnac, believed to marinate the bird at the same time. 

The bird is consumed whole, in one mouthful. Brain. Bones. innards.

The ortolan is a French delicacy reviled for its immersive eating experience. Stemming back to the ancient roman times, when Rome expanded its empire to the southwest of France. Detailed accounts have survived since antiquity of the gourmet delights of eating songbirds of every description, with the Roman voluptuary Lucullus consuming them while dining within his aviary. For important feasts in the Ancient World it was not uncommon for up to 5,000 ortolan, thrushes and larks to be served at one sitting.

The person eating the ortolan is forced to face their own morals for devouring this tiny thing which arrived on their plate through means some would describe as barbaric cruel means and their own personal struggle through self-reflection on the own mortality.