The freelance creative has been gaining fans for her adorable drawings of iconic dishes and drinks from Hong Kong’s best restaurants, cafes and bars
Food brings unparalleled joy to our lives, and the world right now is definitely in need of some whimsy—particularly during a time where the restaurant and bar industries are continuously being impacted by the ongoing pandemic. Over the last few months, the cheerful, punny drawings of local illustrator Catherine Yeung have captured the attention of food lovers on Instagram.The freelance creative specialises in food illustration, and also runs her own jewellery design business; drawing was initially a hobby for stress relief from her day job, but has ended up becoming part of her vocation.
See also: 5 Artists To Know From The Gen.T List 2020
Her distinctive style turns recognisable signature dishes and drinks from popular restaurants around Hong Kong into cute, anthropomorphic cartoon characters—one of her most recent is a depiction of the Carabineros prawn hotdog from Spanish restaurant Pica Pica, wittily captioned “Ha ha”, a homonym for ‘prawn, prawn’ in Cantonese. Another punny favourite of ours is of a piece of char siu (from The Legacy House) being picked up by chopsticks—the caption reads “Hi…are you my mom?” cleverly referencing a classic insult beloved of exasperated Cantonese mothers, who tell their offspring that they would have rather had given birth to a piece of barbecued pork than to them.
Below, Yeung talks to us about her craft and her favourite dishes and drawings so far.
How did you come up with the concept of drawing cute, anthropomorphic food items?
When I was a kid, I wished my toys would come to life and talk to me. What if food can communicate or even have their own lives? The presentation of the food is always an inspiration for me to create stories for them. And I wish to spread positivity through my illustrations during the pandemic.
What do you enjoy drawing most, and what do you find most challenging?
Drawing is borderless, and there is no right or wrong. It is a perfect medium for me to express my thoughts and imaginations. Finding a balance between food illustration and jewellery design is quite challenging at this stage—they are like chalk and cheese.