Love/Hate No.1, Bitter gourd,acrylic on canvas board

Love and hate are such emotions which lie polarized across an axis. And there are a few foods which evoke one of these two emotions in most people. One such food, a vegetable widely found in Asian cuisine is the bitter gourd. While many bitter plants found in nature are poisonous, there are a few which are good for our health. Bitter gourd is one such veggie. Often forced upon small kids who instinctively dislike the bitter taste. But many do start liking them as they grow up.

Some also completely abandon it when they have more power over what they consume. If an adult eats it either it is because they love it, or because they know it’s health benefits, ‘a bitter pill to swallow’. One will be hard pressed to find someone who neither likes it nor dislikes it.

If art is something that should provoke an emotion, this is a very apt subject. This is titled Love/Hate No. 1, Bitter Gourd. There will be more in this series.