The King's Cook

Image Transcription:

[ What initially appears to be a painting of a rotund chef in a traditional uniform, mounted in an ornate gold frame and hanging on the wall is-- Upon closer inspection-- a window into a real life kitchen. The optical illusion is helped somewhat by the stark difference in lighting; the chef and the kitchen are under cool-toned florescent or LED lights, while the room where we sit is illuminated in soft warm lighting with darker stucco walls, creating the illusion that the kitchen scene is a sun-faded painting. The chef himself wears a double-breasted white chef's jacket with sleeves that are deeply creased from being pushed up habitually. The buttons strain against his considerable bulk and the toque sits on his brow snugly. His pale face is creased in concentration as he tips a fry basket into a pan and a cloud of steam billows upwards. A clear squeeze bottle of oil sits at his elbow and various metal handles and kitchen appliances clutter the sleek industrial kitchen. The bottom of the "frame" is a shelf, suggesting that this is less of a fine dining situation and more of a fast-casual restaurant where management installed the window to get food out as fast as possible to customers. ]