Kitsch Is Cozy
A recent issue of the New York Times included an article titled “Fake Food Is Trendy Again.” It was illustrated with numerous photographs of—you guessed it—fake food, notably fruit and vegetables (though there was a candle in the shape of a pot roast) made from plastic or wax.
The Times allowed reader comments on the article. Many people said the images of fake fruit made them nostalgic for childhood visits to grandma’s house, or childhood in general, when such decorative effects were more common. Some even said they themselves owned and displayed fake fruit. Many others, however, said fake fruit was tacky, had always been tacky, and would always be tacky. And/or kitschy.
I have fake fruit, and I bring it out every fall as a sort of harvest display, heaped in an interesting metal basket. It was sitting on a table in my house from the beginning of October until recently, when it was replaced by Christmas decorations.
I bought my fake fruit at a rummage sale in a little town along the St. Lawrence River on a driving trip to Canada with my husband, but lots of fake fruit is now available on eBay (along with almost anything else that a person can think of).
My fake fruit consists of a banana, a pear, an orange, a red thing that isn’t shaped like an apple but is the wrong shade of red to be a plum, a white thing shaped like an orange, and a bunch of grapes the scale of which doesn’t match the other fruits. Each grape is about as large as a small tangerine.
I have always called my fake fruit “pin fruit” because each fruit consists of a fruit-shaped base covered with large faceted beads anchored with straight pins. The facets make the beads kind of sparkly. Each piece of fruit, except the banana, has one or more green leaves made of rubbery plastic. The grapes have leaves shaped like actual grape leaves.
EBay sellers offer many types of beaded fruit, mostly not like mine but rather fruit shapes coated with small glued-on beads, which create an iridescent effect. But there are some batches of fruit like my pin fruit. One seller describes his offering as “Vintage Mid-Century Beaded Pinned Faux Fruit.”
I suspect that at one time kits existed, containing all the materials to make a particular piece of fruit. I say this because the “Vintage Mid-Century Beaded Pinned Faux Fruit” on eBay look exactly like my fruit, even down to the rubbery plastic leaves—though the variety of fruits is different.
I obviously am not of the school that considers fake fruit tacky, or kitschy. But even if it is, there can be a coziness about kitschy things, as opposed to the aggressively tasteful but impersonal interiors that sometimes result from the ministrations of professional decorators.
Curious objects like pin fruit personalize a house, and they imply that this particular dwelling has been furnished and decorated for the comfort and enjoyment of its particular inhabitants and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of the decor.
Also, my pin fruit remind of a very enjoyable driving trip to a beautiful neighboring country. And these days, who knows when any of us will be able to travel anywhere ever again?
I just put up a new Yarn Mania post featuring the hand-knit Christmas tree ornaments that came out when the pin fruit went away: https://peggyehrhart.com/category/yar...
The Times allowed reader comments on the article. Many people said the images of fake fruit made them nostalgic for childhood visits to grandma’s house, or childhood in general, when such decorative effects were more common. Some even said they themselves owned and displayed fake fruit. Many others, however, said fake fruit was tacky, had always been tacky, and would always be tacky. And/or kitschy.
I have fake fruit, and I bring it out every fall as a sort of harvest display, heaped in an interesting metal basket. It was sitting on a table in my house from the beginning of October until recently, when it was replaced by Christmas decorations.
I bought my fake fruit at a rummage sale in a little town along the St. Lawrence River on a driving trip to Canada with my husband, but lots of fake fruit is now available on eBay (along with almost anything else that a person can think of).
My fake fruit consists of a banana, a pear, an orange, a red thing that isn’t shaped like an apple but is the wrong shade of red to be a plum, a white thing shaped like an orange, and a bunch of grapes the scale of which doesn’t match the other fruits. Each grape is about as large as a small tangerine.
I have always called my fake fruit “pin fruit” because each fruit consists of a fruit-shaped base covered with large faceted beads anchored with straight pins. The facets make the beads kind of sparkly. Each piece of fruit, except the banana, has one or more green leaves made of rubbery plastic. The grapes have leaves shaped like actual grape leaves.
EBay sellers offer many types of beaded fruit, mostly not like mine but rather fruit shapes coated with small glued-on beads, which create an iridescent effect. But there are some batches of fruit like my pin fruit. One seller describes his offering as “Vintage Mid-Century Beaded Pinned Faux Fruit.”
I suspect that at one time kits existed, containing all the materials to make a particular piece of fruit. I say this because the “Vintage Mid-Century Beaded Pinned Faux Fruit” on eBay look exactly like my fruit, even down to the rubbery plastic leaves—though the variety of fruits is different.
I obviously am not of the school that considers fake fruit tacky, or kitschy. But even if it is, there can be a coziness about kitschy things, as opposed to the aggressively tasteful but impersonal interiors that sometimes result from the ministrations of professional decorators.
Curious objects like pin fruit personalize a house, and they imply that this particular dwelling has been furnished and decorated for the comfort and enjoyment of its particular inhabitants and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of the decor.
Also, my pin fruit remind of a very enjoyable driving trip to a beautiful neighboring country. And these days, who knows when any of us will be able to travel anywhere ever again?
I just put up a new Yarn Mania post featuring the hand-knit Christmas tree ornaments that came out when the pin fruit went away: https://peggyehrhart.com/category/yar...
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