Divided into subheadings 'The Parsley Garnish' 'La Nouvelle Cuisine' 'Transgressions' the author explores the role of food and decoration -- pictures on plates -- in Australian (and wider) cuisine from the 1950s through to the 1990s. Refers to Marinetti's The Futurist Cookbook of 1932. Examines photographs of food and the paradox of indulgence and self denial.