This is a submission for Frontend Challenge - Comfort Food Edition, CSS Art.
Inspiration
When I first read Comfort Food, my mind immedi...
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It keeps giving things up the longer you look, so I went and read the CSS 👀
The soot sits where smoke would actually collect. The firewood pushes out past the mouth, the way it does when you keep feeding it in. Small things nobody would miss if they weren't there.
The lighting is the part I would have got wrong: warm highlight low on the phulka, shadow up top. Fire lights from underneath, and redoing that by hand is work nobody sees.
It took me a while to work out that the bread wants tapping. I had just been hovering over it, waiting for something to happen.
Thank you for making this, and for the kitchen behind it 🙂
Thank you so much, Michael! 😊 I really appreciate you taking the time to read through the CSS as well as the story. It means a lot that you noticed those little details. The soot placement and the firewood pushing past the mouth were both small details, so I'm really glad you noticed them.
The phulka's lighting is the one I'm proudest of getting right, fire lighting it from underneath instead of the usual top-left glow. And I love that your first instinct was to hover and wait, most people try that before realizing it actually wants a tap.
Thank you for noticing the kitchen behind the CSS too, that part means a lot to me.
Not only the CSS animation, but the background story was interesting too! Everyone has their own food memories from childhood. As a Japanese person, mine might be rice and miso soup. 🍚🤤
Thank you so much! 😊 I love how food memories can be so different for everyone, but somehow the feeling behind them can be so similar. Rice and miso soup sounds like such a comforting childhood memory. I love how certain foods can take us straight back to childhood. Rice is definitely something I can relate to, I love it too! I’ve never actually tried miso soup, but I love cooking and trying different dishes, so now I’m curious to find a recipe and give it a try.
Shubhra, I loved this ❤️ Even though I’m from South India, I’ve always loved having phulkas, so seeing them as the center of this beautiful childhood memory made me smile. The way you connected the food with the warmth of the kitchen and the people you shared it with was really lovely. And the CSS recreation of the chulha and phulka makes it even more special.
Thank you so much, Hemapriya! 😊 I’m really glad the memory came through. It’s funny how a simple food can carry so many memories of home, family, and those little moments we don’t realize we’ll miss later.
Thank you for reading the story and for taking the time to try the CSS recreation. It means a lot.
I am from Rajasthan, and I really love the taste of rotis (pulkas) made on this. When the temperature drops to 0°C, there is nothing that feels more like a blessing from God than this. Your design is truly amazing. ❤️
Thank you so much! 😊 And thank you for sharing this. I can imagine how comforting a hot roti from the chulha must feel when the temperature drops that low.
There’s something about food cooked over that fire that just feels different. Your photo brought back the same kind of warmth I was trying to capture in my piece.
This really got me. The line "I wasn't missing the recipe, I was missing the winter kitchen" says something a lot of us feel but never quite put into words. And getting the lighting right on the phulka, warm light from underneath instead of the usual top-left glow, is such a small thing that makes the whole scene feel true instead of just decorative. Beautifully done, both the story and the CSS.
Thank you so much! 😊 That really means a lot to me. I’m so glad that line resonated with you, because that feeling is really the heart of the piece. And yes, the lighting was one of those small details I really wanted to get right, so I’m happy you noticed it. Thank you for taking the time to look closely at both the story and the CSS.
What a touching story. I suddenly remembered my mother's cooking (the best there is). It just hits right home. I opened your codepen link and I was not disappointed. I immediately felt the warmth. Your story is what makes your entry one of the best. It is intentional and genuine. Rooting for your entry to win!
Thank you so much, Elmar! 😊 I’m really glad the story brought back a memory of your mother’s cooking. That’s exactly what I hoped this piece might do, because some food memories stay with us for reasons that have nothing to do with the recipe itself.
And thank you for opening the CodePen and for your kind words about the entry. It really means a lot to me.
😍😍😍
It keeps giving things up the longer you look me to , taste is hard
Congratss
Excellent bro
I also wanted to learn how to build thia please.