PRESENTATION

What The Water Gave Me by Frida Kahlo

Painting description:

The painting depicts someone in a bathtub (only shows the legs). In the water are mosquitos, plants, trees,a volcano with a building erupting from it, birds, a skeleton, people (mostly women) and depictions of naked women. A very small detail is a line rope tied from a person's arm to a woman's neck to a boulder and finally to another rock, in which insects and even a person is balancing on. There is also blood leaking from the bathtub faucet and a part of the person's foot is cut and bleeding. No part of the painting is very bright but there is a lot of detail that you have to look closely to see.

Surrealist Characteristics:

The characteristics of surrealism in this painting are the joining of objects in unusual places, the reversal of natural laws, and changes of scale.

Meaning: This painting represents life and death, happiness and sadness. Frida had once said about the painting: “It is an image of passing time about time and childhood games in the bathtub and the sadness of what had happened to her (Frida) in the course of her life.” This work of art takes many parts of Fridas identity including her cultural and political identity and intertwines them with her love, pain, loss and everything in between. It shows all these things while she sits and soaks in all of it.

Why I like this painting:

I like this painting because it has such a raw representation of pain and struggle. It isn’t unsettling unless you really look at it closely and once you do it's easy to figure out the true meaning.The medium she used was oil paint which I really loved because of her refined skill with it to bring her creation to life. It is a powerful piece of art with so much emotion and experience knit into it.

CHURROS

The food I chose was churros. Churros are fried pastries with a soft interior, usually in cylinder format. They can be dipped in cinnamon sugar, chocolate, whipped cream or can be eaten plain.

They are a very diverse food because they can be eaten with all sorts of toppings. They are also commonly eaten with hot chocolate.

Historical backround

Churros first originated in China as a salty pastry served for breakfast. The Portuguese recreated them and brought the recipe to Iberia adding sugar rather than salt. During this process the name was changed and was named after the churra sheep, and their horns which had a similar shape. The churro became very popular among the Shepherds who traveled and lived in mountains and the plains and didn't have access to fresh bread. Churros soon became very popular among people in the towns and spread as a very common dessert.

Recipe

Ingredients for churros

250ml water
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter (diced into cubes)
1 tbsp (13g) granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup (141g) all purpose flour
1 large egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
Vegetable oil for frying

For coating:

½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
¾ tsp ground cinnamon

Whisk together ½ cup sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and set aside
Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium high heat to 360 degrees
Add water, butter, sugar and salt to a large saucepan, bring to a boil over medium high heat
Add flour, reduce to medium low and cook and stir constantly with rubber spatula until mixture comes together and smooth

5.Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes

6. Add vanilla and egg to flour mixture then blend with an electric mixer and blend until smooth

7. Transfer to piping bag and pipe mixture into preheated oil, into about 6 inch lengths

8. Let fry for about 2 minutes until golden brown then transfer to paper towels to dry briefly and then roll them in cinnamon sugar