Presenting the 2011 “fooku”, Portland Food and Drink’s annual food haiku contest.
Sharpen your pencils and wax poetic! You can read winning entries from the past below; they are wonderful.
The rules are pretty simple. Your entry must be in haiku format. The ancient art of haiku requires precision: a five syllable first line; seven syllable second line; and five syllables third line. Many haiku features a last line that works like a friendly elbow in the ribs. We only ask that your entry is about food or wine. Bonus points if it is about wine.
A syllable is a part of a word capable of being pronounced by a single impulse of the voice. I’m sure someone can explain this more simply than me, but it’s the way the word rolls off of the tongue. “Cat” is one syllable. “Be-cause” is two. “Syl-la-ble” is three.
Anyone?
Check out the winning entries from past years below for ideas and to get the feel of haiku. Have fun! Please leave your entries in the comment section of this post.
Some winners from previous years:
2009
By Mark:
Morning coffee brews
Melting butter on warm toast
The furnace kicks in
By Maria W.
Give me some pasta
forkfuls of love and ruin.
The wine’s nearly gone.
By Maria W:
Farmers Market says
“no dogs this year.” May I bring
Spot, my truffle pig?
2008
By MySwanDive:
inhale swirls of cab
palate warmed, bask in the fire
newly lit like me
By Zac Stafford:
He cooked with passion.
The real reason we broke up?
Knives in dishwasher
2007
By CookForHire:
sound of meat browning
feel of knife through vegetable:
a true cook’s reward
By Womby:
at last, no jacket
instead, i grab sunglasses
soon come the favas
By Truth:
airy is the crumb
earthy, this crust of Pearl
heavenly, the smell
2006
By Fathom:
Now forego the fork
Hold close this slice of heaven
Perfect on a crust
By Pam:
Champagne, strawberries
and you, here in my warm bed.
Who cares if it rains?
By Witzend:
How bad could it be?
Real bad. Think Hung Far Low bad.
Ok, fine! YOU choose.
John Book says
Consume the spirits
Cuisine teasing to the eye
Spirits consume us
Megan says
Modernist Cuisine –
The cookbook lover’s wet dream.
Goodbye, tax return….
Inspired2cook says
What is the deadline for the Fooku Contest???
Food Dude says
It will close Sunday April 17th.
polloelastico says
Drunks fight at strip clubs
At night to remind us that
Food comes from Portland
Scott says
Thirty year old wine
Stems cracked off the good glasses
We sip from stained mugs
Anh says
Very robust taste
Good pairing with this meat course
Charles Shaw really?
M Labrise says
PDX P.I.,
crying dame, missing morels—
a Pinot film noir
Dave Taube says
Nectar of the gods
Pours slowly into my glass
Oregon pinot
Julie Spilker says
So is chocolate
Two syllables or three? Asks
grammar-retentive.
Food Dude says
Three! Cho-co-late :)
Pam says
Two! Choc-lat.
F.I. Goldhaber says
Truffles
Rooted from damp earth
a little bit of heaven
sautéed for dinner.
Craig Clark says
Glass of wine to start.
Bottle of wine for dinner.
Glass of wine to end.
Craig Clark says
Pin stripes and straw hats.
I scream! You sream! We all Scream!
Bring in “The Zoo”!
Kassie Halpin Robinson says
Fresh, raw, exquisite:
Salmon’s salt, tang, rests on pearls.
Wasabi bursts through.
PDX2CDG says
Little children are we
waiting springs first offering
impatiently
PDX2CDG says
spring has a promise
it has yet to deliver
so i sip my wine alone
PDX2CDG says
oops
CO says
Sake-water, rice, yeast,
The world raises a Choko,
Solidarity
Sean says
Oregon Pinot
The hype of ’08.
The elegance of ’07.
Just keep my glass full.
Adam Z says
Nutritious for you
textures may reveal a clue
bug crunch, tastes good too
sweet meat says
Chateauneuf-du-pape
The first sip like a spring kiss
Memories of sun
friedalighthouse says
Gotta eat less meat
How well can a vegan dine?
Daydreams of pulled pork
Kristin Winslow says
Pronunciation?
You said, “Willamette, dammit”
I just drank and smiled
Kristin Winslow says
This one instead if possible:
Pronunciation?
You said, “Willamette, dammit”
drank my wine smiling
Thanks!
AmandaAngelaMarjorie says
sips bubbly and cooks
sizzling greens in garlic cloves
low spring moon hangs full
AH says
Cooking – an event!
Unless he goes out of town.
(Then I make popcorn.)
Pam says
Melting on my tongue
Fois Gras, reminding me that
Life is worth living.
Michelle says
Taste of the Nation
Benefit for the hungry
Superb food and wine
Kristin Winslow says
Pronunciation?
You said, “Willamette, dammit”
I just sip and smile
What's for supper? says
The comfort of food
Shared with family and friends
Saved me this hard year.
Dave says
if I spill my wine
is it funny to call it
alcohol abuse?
Marshall Manning says
Fifty five dollars
For young vine Oregon wine?
Pass the Burgundy!
tobyr says
Oysters and bubbles
Truffles ushered by Eyrie
Fernet to settle
JJD says
invite over friends
enjoy delectable treats
laughs pair well with food.
Alex says
Under the street light,
lime, pork, and corn tortilla
disappear quickly.
Alex says
Is it ok if I do more than one?
I remember home,
in packets of chips and tea;
Uwajimaya
Summer says
rich hues of eggplant
filling the glass to the brim
scent of pepper hangs
Vivalavivie says
I whimper for Weingut
And beg for buttered biscuits
But bark for no one
Vivalavivie says
Whimper for Weingut
And beg for buttered biscuits
But bark for no one.
foodieinportland says
Sancerre with oysters
pairs with romance and divorce
memories burn bright
Jessica Poundstone says
Pork skin, pork belly,
trotters, rillette and pork pie:
pig love (happy sigh).
Jessica Poundstone says
Garden State, Whiffies,
Addy’s, Koi Fusion, Namu:
Portland’s carts so rule!
Julie says
Drink wine, eat roast lamb
Hard boiled Egg with Charoset
Passover praises.
Julie says
SUZZ has stolen my idea ….it’s not fair. See her poem, mine was submitted first. :(
Julie
Food Dude says
Don’t worry… it’s quite a bit different from yours
PDX2CDG says
how many can we submit……..I think I’ve got it!!
Scott says
Another brunch joint?
Long wait with jobless hipsters?
Blarg. I’ll eat at home.
laura says
San Diego thinks
they beat Portland for craft beer
Arrogant Bastards!
PDX2CDG says
nice!
PDX2CDG says
when happenstance sparks the fire
sipping from the glass
warm days ahead friend
Josh says
Hops, barley, and wheat —
the far superior treat.
Why bother with wine?
suzz says
Sip divine red wine
Devour tender lamb roast
Graze on sweet, ripe fruit
Tracy says
Uncork the bottle,
Let your secrets flow –
Happy our hours’ delight.
Food Dude says
Great entries this year! Keep them up!
Pat Scheans says
Lovely vintages
Now come in screw-off, not cork
Speed is everything
Gina B. says
A glass of syrah
food and drink tastings galore
the perfect night out
tina says
Looking in my Wine
I see how food is divine
To hunger no more
Lionel says
Hark! Our fare awaits…
nom nom nom nom nom nom belch.
Delicious, indeed.
Clinton says
long before cities
we gathered around cook fires
as one to break bread
Clinton says
bacchanalia:
Mason jars of cabernet
and your tannic smile
Clinton says
Zeus can’t trump the babe
who transformed the humble grape
to heady wisdom
Clinton says
tell Dionysus
this year’s grapes brought us close to
apotheosis
Clinton says
from sky to soil, from
root to vine, from press to vat,
from tongue to mind: wine
Zin says
Beautiful Wine
How Glorious your taste is
As we meet again
Dave says
my wine disappears
but I haven’t had any
the cat is happy
Dave says
we get his updates
telling us of great events
pdx pipeline
PDX2CDG says
lamenting the rain
driving force on window pane
where art thou summer
Michelle says
weeks spent on haiku
it’s finally judgment day
i hope you like mine