Some food, some drink.
Kansas City Kawaii: The Amezaiku Creations of Joy Joy Confections.
Abstract: Amezaiku (?? ?) which means "craft candy" is a centuries-old Japanese art that's part taffy pulling, part glass-blowing, and completely captivating (especially to us folks that might be just a little otaku). Ai Carver, proprietor of Joy Joy Confections practices this time-honored craft in the Kansas City area, and I spent a day with her to learn what it takes to be a sugar sculptor.
Purpose: If you're one of the fifteen people that have
read my bio,
then you'll know that what I'm trying to do here is more
than just shameless self-promotion.
There's more to food in Kansas than just my
kitchen; and as my kids get
older, the plan has always been for this house dad to get out
of his casa more often and start really experiencing the hidden
treasures of culinary diversity in the Sunflower State.
I love it when a plan comes together. It just so happens that my friend
Ai Carver has gone into business creating candies using the
techniques of amezaiku, a traditional form of Japanese artisan
candy-making. Each piece is interesting, detailed, and crazy-cute
(and you know something's gotta be downright adorable when even a
heterosexual dude finds it noticeably so). Ai's been refining and
perfecting her style
of amezaiku
relentlessly for the last couple of years, with attention to
detail that extends all the
way down to the formulation of the candy base she's scalding her
fingertips with as she creates some of the most intricate pieces of art
that will ever cross your palate (that is, if you can bring yourself to
actually eat them). I spent a good chunk of a day watching Ai do her
thing, learned a whole lot about the background of her craft, and even
got to try my hand at a little amezaiku myself. Here are some of the
interesting things I learned that day:
Observation:
- Ai tells me that it is generally accepted that what became amezaiku originally began in China. The first records of this craft being done in Japan originate from the city of Kyoto over 1200 years ago. Back then, the candy sculptures were given as religious offerings in temple celebrations (you didn't think you'd get out of here without a history lesson did ya?).
- Ai is a designer by trade. She has a degree in design, and her
style has always gravitated to physical media such as paper, clay, and
stone (she's
even done a little welding too!). In other words, sugar became
another media for her to conquer. That's not to say however that what
Ai does is by any means easy. Amezaiku is a craft that is
inherently meant to be taught as an apprenticeship, which means
oversight and scrutiny from a master in the trade. As you can imagine,
amezaiku senseis are in short supply in the Midwest, so in order to
really learn the craft, Ai had to find an instructor that was first
willing to teach her remotely- like over 8,000 miles remote. To
properly follow-up and really begin to refine what she learned, Ai
spent two months
back home in Japan where her weekends were consumed with four-hour rail
commutes and intense six-hour cram sessions with her sensei.
- The base recipe for this confection is translated roughly to English as "soul of candy", and given how few people understand the techniques to produce that soul, the references to intangibility seem quite appropriate. Traditionally, this type of candy is based on a rice syrup recipe, and the techniques to successfully reproduce those recipes are closely guarded secrets in the trade. As the right kind of rice syrup, called "mizuame" or "water candy", ain't all that easy to find in bulk in the middle of the United States, Ai's been experimenting with different blends and derivations to get a suitable analogue. Currently, her work is based on a corn syrup recipe (No, not the high fructose stuff; what kind of company do you think I keep?), as corn seems to behave the same way as rice does where inverted sugars are concerned.
- Did I mention that the soul of candy has to be kept at 190F to be
usable while sculpting? Go stick your fingertips in your freshly
brewed cup of coffee and then imagine using a medium of that
temperature
for an hour or more at a go (in other words: kids, don't try this at
home).
Results: As having personally tried to do what she
does, I'm gonna go on record as saying that Ai doesn't give herself
near enough credit for the level of craftsmanship that she puts into
each one of her creations. If you're in the Kansas City Metro Area, and
you're looking for a unique and memorable sort of entertainment for an
event, then look no further than Joy Joy Confections.
Receptions, parties, and corporate events would all be great candidates
for
an amezaiku exhibition. Likewise, if you'd like to purchase a few of
Ai's creations for yourself or as a gift, the Reading Reptile Children's
Bookstore in the Brookside area of Kansas City keeps her wares
in-stock.
If you don't happen to live in
the Kansas City metro,
Ai tells me that she's in the process of working out the details
with regards to packaging and shipping. So, be sure to get over to her
website
to drop her a
line, or give
her a like on Facebook so that you'll be the first to know when
she's ready to start shipping!
Notes: Full disclosure statement (as per my terms of use): If having to drive nine hours round-trip jibes with your idea of getting something for free, then I guess I'm obliged to say that I did receive some complimentary samples of Ai's creations during the course of the interview. Jealous? ;-p
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