On the Table - Just Served

food sites for June 2012

2012-05-21T16:48:00.001-04:00

Last month was apple blossom time in the Hudson Valley.

For the first time in the last decade, May has passed without a single morel. We don't know why (it certainly wasn't for lack of looking). Perhaps it was the very weird weather we had this year (warm early, then cold and dry, then cold and wet alternating with hot and dry), or over-harvesting, or the fact that the woods are over-run with garlic mustard (an invasive plant that disrupts mycorrhizae in the soil). Whatever the cause, it's made for a Spring that doesn't seem like spring at all.

If this is what global warming has in store for us, we're not liking it one bit.

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. Just Served dishes out more than reasonable people want to chew -- but, if you're feeling particularly unreasonable, and don't want to wait for these newsletters, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter. Our Facebook and Twitter friends already know about our recent blogpost, "Sage Advice," which is a kind of addition to our new book, Herbs: A Global History, and includes a recipe that is not in the book .

Our latest completed book (Sausage: A Global History, for Reaktion's Edible Series) is written and edited (another huzzah!) and was sent to the publisher a few days after the contributor's copies of the herb book arrived. We're currently working on two other books that are not food-related, but definitely fun to write.

Leitesculinaria has reposted several of our articles (the entire list is available here, along with several more noteworthy pieces on food history & science.

This month's quotation from On the Table's culinary quote pages --

"In the vegetable world, there is nothing so innocent, so confiding in its expression, as the small green face of the freshly-shelled spring pea." William Wallace Irwin

Gary

June, 2012

PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.

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----the new sites----

11 Vintage Cookbooks (1861-1920)

(brief looks at each book – with images of their covers and links to complete texts)

Dining with Duncan

(Jan Whitaker’s blogpost about Duncan Hines, the man who said, “I would like to be food dictator of the U.S.A. just long enough to padlock two thirds of the places that call themselves cafes or restaurants.”)

Famous Food Critic: The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat

(biographer Thomas McNamee remembers Craig Claiborne)

Great Recipe Swindle, The

(a blog post, in The Guardian, about the inherent difficulties in writing -- and following -- recipes)

History and Techniques of Napkin Folding, The

(remarkable article in edible geography, with photos and video)

Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, The

(a culinary non-profit set up to support other culinary non-profits, featuring a detailed biography)

On Their Stomachs

(a review, in The New York Times, of Lizzie Collingham’s book, The Taste of War)

PARMESAN.com

(official website of "the Undisputed King of Cheeses")

Recipe for a Roman Diet

(bioarchaeologist Kristina Killgrove’s article on what we can learn from skeletal chemistry; link to "Bioarchaeology of Roman Seafood Consumption")

Winter Banana, Northern Spy & King Luscious: Apples in America

(apple history from Cornell University's Albert R. Mann Library)

--how-to (inspirational or otherwise) sites for writers/bloggers --

10 Things to Consider When Choosing an Ad Network

12-Point Marketing Strategy

Chip Kidd Offers Book Designing Tips

Getting Started on Your Food Blog

Is the writing dream over?

Opinion: Faking It

Rise of E-Reading, The

Serious Nonfiction in the Digital Age

Whose Fault is it When a Recipe Doesn't Work?

----yet more blogs----

Delights and Prejudices

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, Human Cuisine, and Herbs: A Global History are currently available.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

___________________________

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #140" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

The Hunting of the Snipe

2012-05-18T10:50:00.000-04:00

Once, while riding in the backseat with a coupla' Texas cousins, the conversation turned to the best hunting techniques for snipe. Back home, up north, I knew about snipe; they were brown-spotted, streaky-looking birds that ran along sandy shorelines on legs that looked too long and flimsy to hold them up, let alone run.

As I listened, it was clear that the Texas variety was a different animal altogether.

These elusive creatures seemed to have more in common with the armadillo tribe than any snipe I ever saw. Perhaps it was living in the vicinity of oil wells and pipelines -- and the sort of men who worked in such places -- but Texan snipe had an inexplicable fascination with the smell of burning sulfur, like when you lit up one of those old-fashioned strike-anywhere matches. They could also be lured close to a hidden hunter by softly calling "snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe…" into the darkness.

I'd never heard of a wild animal that was so egotistical as to know, let alone answer to, its name. On the other hand, I'd never heard of a bird that looked like an armadillo and liked the smell of burnt matches.

Still, their enthusiasm for the hunt led me to believe that these snipe must be very good eating, so I was more than willing to try my beginner's hand at capturing a bagful of them.

We spent the rest of the afternoon gathering supplies and working out our hunting strategy. The supplies were easy: a large grocery sack and a box of kitchen matches for each of us. The strategizing fascinated this neophyte, and I paid careful attention to every word of my more-experienced cousins. It was clear that they knew a lot about the ins and outs of snipe hunting.

For one thing, it made no sense to try to track them or run them down; they were just too wily and quick for that. The most effective method was to sit quietly in a likely spot in snipe country, armed as described, calling softly and lighting matches just in front of the open grocery sack. I was warned to be careful not to hold the matches too close to the bag (that was obvious, even to me -- if the sack got burned, what would I use to carry all the snipe I caught?).

I also learned how efficient my cousins were. In order to best cover the snipe terrain, we would spread out to learn where they were congregating. Whoever caught the first snipe would then call out to the other hunters – then everyone would form a circle of gradually-decreasing diameter, driving the snipe toward the waiting bag of the first successful hunter.

I so wanted to be that snipe hunter.

We waited anxiously for it to get dark, when we (or rather my sixteen-year-old cousin) could drive us out to the hunting grounds.

Now Callahan was, at the time, a dry county – and the only place a thirsty Texan could get a drink was in a private club. There was just such a place, a mile or two outside of Clyde. It was a sign- and window-less cinderblock building surrounded by mesquites, only identifiable because it sat in front of a pile of empty Lone Star cans as big as the building itself. This, I was surprised to learn, was prime snipe country. No doubt it had something to do with all the smokers (and the constant lighting of matches) among the club-members.

Since I was the honored guest on the hunt, I was given the best spot. It was well away from the security light of the clubhouse, on flat sandy ground, surrounded by exactly the kind of brush that provided ideal cover for the secretive snipes. They got me set up, making sure I had everything I needed and understood the night's strategy. Then they went off to find suitable spots to hunt.

I felt bad for them, knowing that they were not as likely to be successful, since they had given me the choice location.

It was a moonless night, but the broad Texas sky was full of stars and their light was more than enough to make out the surrounding mesquites, slightly darker than the sky. I opened the bag slowly, being careful not to make too much noise with the stiff brown paper. I laid it on its side, placing a few small stones inside so that its bottom was flush with the ground. When the mad rush of a snipe happened, I wanted to be sure that it didn't run under the bag.

I lit the first match. Barely louder than a whisper, I began calling "snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe" into the darkness.

Another match, and slightly louder, "snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe…"

Nothing yet. I wondered if my cousins were having any better luck. Of course not – I would have heard them yell if they had.

Another match, and slightly louder, "snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe…"

The stars slowly wheeled around the sky, and my matches were running low, but still no sign of the first snipe. Then I heard it.

A very faint moaning sound.

My cousins hadn't mentioned the kind of noise that snipe made – or perhaps they did, but I hadn't been paying close-enough attention?

There it was again, a little louder.

What if it wasn't a snipe, but some other animal, possibly a territorial longhorn, or some other dangerous beast for which I was unprepared? The moaning faded away a bit, suggesting a change of direction. Maybe the creature had found some more interesting prey. No, it was getting louder again, heading straight for me.

That was no animal.

It was a pick-up truck.

It stopped not far from where I sat, matchless in the wilderness. My grandfather walked over to me, cursing softly in the darkness. "Damfool kids. What the hail would the sheriff say if he found him out here all by hisself?"

Food Sites for May 2012

2012-04-22T15:38:00.001-04:00

Dogwood (Cornus florida "Cherokee Chief")

April is nearly done, yet its famous showers made their first appearance only last night. With more rain expected today and tomorrow, we trust there will be morels in our future. We already have May flowers in profusion, but those fungi are fussy about matters fluvial.

We promise, literally, to limit alliteration henceforth.

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. Just Served dishes out more than reasonable people can swallow -- but, if you're feeling particularly unreasonable, and don't want to wait for these newsletters, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter. Our Facebook and Twitter friends already know about our recent blogpost, “Who, If I Cried,” which has nothing to do with food, but is vaguely writing-related.

In Other News: The book launch party for our latest book, Herbs: A Global History in NYC has been cancelled, due to union-management difficulties. We’re neither union nor management, BTW – just collateral damage. The book, however is out (huzzah!) and about -- even if I haven’t seen my contributor’s copies yet. There’s a sample passage, “Savory Weeds,” in Roll Magazine.

Our sausage book (also for Reaktion's Edible Series) is written and edited (another huzzah!) and almost ready to be shipped to the publisher – we're just looking for a few more illustrations. That’s a sly hint for any of you who might possess such things and might also be willing to share.

"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, as always, with only unintentional academic correctness) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria has reposted several of our articles (the entire list is available here, along with several more noteworthy pieces on food history and science.

This month's quotations -- a few wise words soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages:

"There are old mushroom hunters, and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters." Anonymous
"Nothing more than mushroom identification develops the powers of observation.” John Cage

Gary

May, 2012

PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.

----the new sites----

Case Study: The Art of Charcuterie

(an illustrated look at the processes used by makers of bacon, ham, and sausage)

French Terroir Strategy, and Culinary Modernism, The

(Rachel Laudan’s writing is often an abbatoir for sacred cows; here’s her review of Carlo Petrini’s book, Slow Food: The Case for Taste, in Food Culture and Society – in PDF format)

From Three Continents: Black-Eyed Peas in Mexico

(Rachel Laudan's researches into the migration of the lowly cowpea)

Brooklyn Brainery

(blog and cheap classes about food and similar distractions)

Dishing about Food Writing

(Bill Daley, in The Chicago Tribune, introduces seven food writers worth reading)

Dr. Chase's Recipes, or, Information for Everybody

(complete text of the 1864 book)

Flavor

(magazine about the foods of Virginia)

Historical Uses of Honey as Food

(illustrated lecture by Louis Grivetti on the appearances of honey in art & literature, in all cultures)

Looking Back: A Century Ago, Automats Designed a New Way to Dine

(a reminiscence in Edible Manhattan)

Truly Food for Thought

(Jan Ellen Spiegel’s article, in The New York Times, about university food studies programs)

Tsiosophy

(history of, and literature about, tea -- especially in Chinese poetry)

--how-to (or inspirational) sites for writers/bloggers --

foodblogforum

Making Microformats Manageable: The New RecipeSEO Plugin

Seven Tips for Designing an Ebook Cover

Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow, The

And, in the interest of journalistic fairplay, some things that could be considered the opposite of inspirational (depending on what one makes of them):

Are Food Blogs Over?

Cooking from Every Angle: Advice for Future Food Writers

----yet more blogs----

Culinary Anthropologist

Four Pounds Flour

Hogwash: Thoughts on Food and Life

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, Human Cuisine, and Herbs: A Global History are currently available.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

______________________________

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #139" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Who, if I Cried

2012-04-11T22:48:00.004-04:00

"Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angelic orders?"
(first line of Rilke's Duino Elegies, found in a notebook left on a park bench)

I know what you're thinking: "Is this going to be one of those hokey stories that pretends to be someone else's lost manuscript?" -- but you're mistaken. It is true, however, that the notebook ploy is totally bogus. There never was such a notebook.

In reality, the words just appeared in a dream, in one of those near-waking moments that seem incredibly significant, but fade away by the time the dreamer climbs into the shower. The words floated down to me, just as they had to Rilke, as he walked along the beach, below Duino Castle. Perhaps the poet really believed that they came from some terrible angel… but me?

Not a chance.

I know they had just been drifting around in my subconscious for the past forty-odd years, waiting to serve some new purpose. But what if there had been a lost notebook on that hypothetical bench? What if it had contained nothing except that single line of poetry? What could we make of it?

First, there's an excellent chance that our would-be diarist was a young man. The line reeks of the kind of yearning that only the young can carry off with any measure of believability. On the other hand, the line could have been left by another poet -- but poets, like paleontologists, are just adults who never out-grew their youthful love of poetry (or dinosaurs, which amounts to the same thing). We all wrote poetry at some point in our lives (how else would we have known that we were really suffering?). However, like so many other passions, the urge to commit one's longings to paper tends to fade over time. Whether the longings themselves fade, or simply lose their brutal newness, is another issue, one perhaps better left for some other time.

What about that single journal entry? Why might someone have chosen that particular quote… and nothing else? Was it meant to be the beginning of something larger, something so important to the journalist that he could not bear to lose it? And yet, lose it he certainly did. Was it something the journalist was barely "still able to bear," even though "it calmly disdains to destroy" him? And how did he intend to answer Rilke's existential question? Was it the beginning of a new poem? A novel? A confession of terrible angst-driven obsession?

Perhaps it was nothing more than a mnemonic device… but of what was it intended to remind the poor suffering soul? Was the mere act of writing it down sufficient to burn the reminder into the writer's consciousness -- and that's why the notebook was left behind?

What if something else happened to cause the abandonment of the notebook? Did the mistress of the writer's distress suddenly appear (for that matter, are we justified in assuming that such a mistress was ever involved)? Did she say, or do, something that made the notebook's lone entry superfluous?

If so, perhaps the notebook wasn't lost at all. Perhaps it was abandoned -- an inconsequential bit of jetsam, tossed over the side just as the diarist was, himself, swept away.

Tongue in Cheek: Cannibal Humor

2012-04-08T00:43:00.004-04:00

I once overheard a conversation between two store clerks. One regaled the other with an imaginary dialog between two cannibals who were eating a roasted clown. I began to eavesdrop in earnest.

The clerk delivered the punch line: "Does this taste funny to you?"

Affecting a tone of seriousness, I asked if they were talking about cannibalism. They appeared slightly embarrassed, but admitted that they were. "But there are no more cannibals," I corrected. Their embarrassment deepened perceptibly. It was clear that they felt themselves to be in presence of a cranky old guy with no sense of humor. They were trapped, and would be forced to wait the situation out. Pity did not prevent me from continuing.

"I ate the last one this morning!"

They were victims of a form of cannibal joke that typically involves some form of entrapment.

Mark Twain's short story, "Cannibalism in the Cars," relates his encounter with a passenger who had survived a cannibalistic episode on a train full of congressmen, stranded in a blizzard. After seven days without food, they decided that someone must die that the rest might live. Being good parliamentarians, they entered into a series of nominations, in which the qualifications of each for office were discussed. After six ballots, and some battles over amendments,

"Mr. Lucius Harris of St. Louis, who [was] well and honorably known to all of us" was elected to the post of "dinner." He was prepared for office while the remaining congressmen began electing breakfast. Debate was interrupted by "the happy announcement that Harris was ready."

At this point, the congressman waxed eulogistically,

"I liked Harris. He might have been better done, perhaps, but I am free to say that no man ever agreed with me better than Harris, or afforded me so large a degree of satisfaction."[1]

After listing the gastronomic qualities of the congressman's esteemed colleagues, the story was cut short by their arrival at his destination. The politician departed with a genteel farewell,

"I must bid you good-by. Any time that you can make it convenient to tarry a day or two with me, I shall be glad to have you. I like you, sir; I have conceived an affection for you. I could like you as well as I like Harris himself, sir. Good day, sir, and a pleasant journey."[2]

W.C. Fields, the curmudgeon's curmudgeon, responded, when asked how he liked children, "Boiled or fried." When he said, "I never met a kid I liked," he was probably not talking about eating them. He was less ambiguous when he quipped, "Madam, there's no such thing as a tough child—if you parboil them first for seven hours, they always come out tender."

"Hear about the cannibal who had a wife and ate kids?" "When do cannibals leave the table? When everyone's eaten." "Did you hear about the cannibal who loved children? He just adored the platter of little feet." These are old jokes, admittedly—but there are older ones.

Near the end of Petronius' Satyricon, we encounter the will of the wealthy, but inept, poet, Eumolpus. He couldn't take his wealth with him, but could leave something of himself behind to keep company with his money:

"With the exception of my freedmen… all those who come into money by the terms of my will shall inherit only …[if they] slice up my body into little pieces and swallow them down in the presence of the entire city…"[3]

While certain that greed would ensure his final request, he added this encouragement to his beneficiaries: "I warn my friends not to disregard my last wishes, but to eat my body as heartily as they damned my soul."[4] Eumolpus helped them swallow the bitter pill he prescribed: "Just close your eyes and imagine that, instead of human flesh, you're munching a million."[5] He added, "The people of Saguntum …when Hannibal besieged them, took to eating human flesh, and did so, moreover, without the slightest hope of getting an inheritance out of it."[6]

Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is one of many works that address the political consumption of the weak by their oppressors. In suggesting a solution of the "Irish Problem" by feeding Irish children to English gourmands, he phrased it in a way that -- like Eumolpus -- made it easier to swallow:

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.[7]

Ambrose Bierce once defined a cannibal as, "A gastronome of the old school who preserves the simple tastes and adheres to the natural diet of the pre-pork period."[8] In an 1868 essay he ruminated, with characteristic tenderness,

Our uniform vanity has given us the human mind as the acme of intelligence, the human face and figure as the standard of beauty. Of course we cannot deny to human fat and lean an equal superiority over beef, mutton and pork. It is plain that our meat-eating ancestors would think this way, and being unrestrained by the mawkish sentiment attendant on high civilization, would act habitually on the obvious suggestion. A priori, therefore, it is clear that we ate ourselves.[9]

He continued, linguistically,

Observe the significance of the phrase "sweet sixteen." What a world of meaning lurks in the expression "she is as sweet as a peach," and how suggestive of luncheon are the words "tender youth."' A kiss is but a modified bite, and a fond mother, when she says her babe is "almost good enough to eat," merely shows that she is herself only a trifle too good to eat it.[10]

Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary has a more substantially fleshed-out definition than that of Bierce. It includes:

The nations we call civilized have done right not to put their vanquished enemies on the spit; for if we were allowed to eat our neighbors, we would soon eat our compatriots, which would have grave consequences for the social virtues. But civilized nations have not always been civilized; all had long been savage… It was superstition that caused human victims to be immolated; it was necessity that caused them to be eaten.[11]

Voltaire' Candide (and sidekick Cacambo) encountered the Oreillons, a tribe of South American cannibals, who

…were heating a large cauldron of water, others were preparing spits, and all were shouting,

"He's a Jesuit, he's a Jesuit! We'll have our revenge, and eat a good meal! Let's eat Jesuit, let's eat Jesuit!" …Seeing the cauldron and the spits, Candide cried out, "Ah, what would Dr. Pangloss say if he saw what pure nature is like? All is well, I won't argue about it; but I must admit it's a cruel fate to have lost Lady Cunegonde and then be roasted on a spit by the Oreillons."[12]

Candide asks Cacambo to explain "How horribly inhuman it is to cook men… how unchristian…." Cacambo, instead, uses logic: it's normal to want to kill one's enemy, however

"If we don't exercise the right to eat him, it's because we have other things to make a good meal of. But you don't have the same resources as we do, and it's certainly better to eat your enemies than abandon the fruit of your victory to crows and ravens."[13]

He concludes his argument by telling the cannibals that they are mistaken in thinking that they have captured Jesuits. The Oreillons, more reasonable than Candide, are persuaded by Cacambo. They release their prisoners, treat them as honored guests, and toast them with cheers of "He's not a Jesuit, he's not a Jesuit!"[14]

In Anthony Burgess' novel The Wanting Seed, the protagonist, Tristram Foxe, lives in an overpopulated future that has reverted to ancient sources of protein. He encounters a soldier who talks about his source of food:

"It's officially called tinned pork," he said. …but the canning makes it seem civilized.'"…"It would seem," said Tristram, "that we're all cannibals." "Yes, but, damn it all, we in Aylesbury are at least civilized cannibals. It makes all the difference if you get it out of a tin."[15]

Burgess' application of civilizing techniques to cannibalism is carried even further by J.P. Donleavy. His The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival & Manners, deals with problems not often covered in etiquette books. He seemed to have the Uruguayan plane crash in mind when he wrote about

The regrettable possibility therefore must be considered of ingesting one of your fellow passengers. This you may really find foul making to contemplate, especially with the type that might be sitting next to you these days on group charter flights. But here is a rare opportunity to find qualities objectionable in the living quite beneficial in the dead.[16]

On the other hand, one might find oneself seated next to some vision of loveliness

…who makes your mouth water to eat. Under no circumstances is it permissible to allow any expression of this appetite upon your face. It is bound to be the most sickly visage imaginable. You may freely, however, contemplate her delightfully eating you.

He reminds us that, given the chance to eat said vision of loveliness, we should

Be mindful not to exhibit any relish while ingesting the gorgeous body, hungry as you may be, and never smack or lick your lips over her dainty viands. …Of course, fair is fair, and some allowance can be made for the normal healthy enjoyment of a bite to eat.[17]

Donleavy, in a kind of quid pro quo, once announced that, after his death, he wanted his body sealed up in a huge cask of beer, to be consumed by his drinking buddies all around Dublin.

Americans are traditionally squeamish about eating organ meats. Combining that reluctance with our national unease about sexual matters, the consumption of Rocky Mountain oysters takes on overtones of dare-taking. Such squeamishness is sometimes indulged in for pleasure, and we can to skip from aversion to aversion when it suits our whims. Consider this joke about a

…man [who] went to a gourmet restaurant in the great bull-fighting city of Barcelona. He was reading the menu and saw an item he didn't recognize, something like "Orbs of the Ring." …he was told that they were bull's testicles, broiled and sliced, and that the restaurant had an exclusive contract with the arena to supply them fresh from the day's contest. Well, the man ordered them and was served two large circular slabs of meat, which he very much enjoyed. In fact he liked them so much he returned each day and ordered them. One day, instead of the usual large slices of meat, he was served several small pieces of meat about the size of grapes cut in half. When he asked the waiter why, the water shrugged and said, "Sometimes, the bull is not the loser."[18]

Another, shorter, exercise in castration anxiety: Two cannibals are enjoying a meal. One of the cannibals keeps laughing and laughing between bites. Finally, one of the other cannibals looks up from his meal and asks why his companion is so happy. The other cannibal smiles and says "Oh, I'm just having a ball!"[19]

At least two tongue-in-cheek cannibal cookbooks exist: Wendy and Kimberly Spurr's Alferd Packer's High Protein Cookbook (1995), and Karl Würf's To Serve Man: A Cookbook for the People (1979). Würf's book is loaded with recipes for dishes like Scrapple of Man, Hungarian Ghoulash, Hunter Stew, Mannerschnitzel, and Homme Bourguinon -- complete with coy little headnotes like this one for Shepherd's Pie:

This ...recipe was invented for shepherds, rather than to be made of them, although it might have had some applicability to cattlemen's and sheepmen's feuds (see also Texas Chili with Cowboy).[20]

Jokes touch places that are hidden from view, but not far from consciousness. Sometimes, the first time we recognize that something is true is when we hear it in a joke. The always-irreverant Bill Maher may have exposed the truth behind these cannibal jokes: "…a good joke is telling a secret that everyone knows but no one has yet said out loud. That's why it gets a reaction."[21]

Notes

[1] Twain, Mark. "Cannibalism in the Cars," in Neider, Charles. (ed.). The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1957, p. 14.

[2] Twain, in Neider, p. 15.

[3] Petronius. The Satyricon (Arrowsmith, William, trans.). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1959, p. 181.

[4] Petronius, p. 181.

[5] Petronius, p. 182.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Swift, Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal" in English Prose of the Eighteenth Century. (Moore, Cecil A. ed) New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1933, p. 225. The notion that the rich and powerful might literally consume others, is oft repeated. Patrick Bateman, the cannibal yuppie featured in American Psycho is just one popular example.

[8] Bierce, Ambrose. The Devil’s Dictionary. Mount Vernon, NY: The Peter Pauper Press, 1958, p. 14.

[9] "Did We Eat One Another?" in Bierce, Ambrose. The Sardonic Humor of Ambrose Bierce. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1963, p. 193.  Once, Ralph Waldo Emerson was pontificating about the horrors of cannibalism, at the same time as he was carving a roast for his dinner guests. One of those guests, Bronson Alcott—a confirmed vegetarian—asked. "But Mr. Emerson, if we are to eat meat at all why should we not eat the best?"

[10] Bierce, 1963, pp. 193-194.

[11] Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary, (Gay, Peter, trans.) New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1962 pp. 86-88.

[12] Voltaire. Candide. (Bair, Lowell, trans.) New York: Bantam Books, 1962, pp. 85-87.

[13] Ibid., p. 87.

[14] The word "Oreillons" has among its meanings, "ear muffs." Voltaire, perhaps, intended to draw attention to the Panglossian habit of muffling inconvenient evidence—just as Rousseau would have to have done to support of his Noble Savage conception? Ironically, the reports of Jesuits about native life in the New World provided just that kind of inconvenient evidence.

[15] Burgess, Anthony. The Wanting Seed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1962 (first American edition, 1963), pp. 171-173.

[16] Donleavy, J.P. The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival & Manners. New York: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, 1975, p. 70.

[17] Ibid, pp. 71-72.

[18] Demas, Chuck. "Orbs of the Ring." Online. posted to the ChileHeads listserv, 12 September 1997. (ChileHeads Digest V4 #120 ), n.p.

[19] "Nothing Like a Good Joke," Prairie Home Companion, online at http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/, accessed 11 January 2008.

[20] Würf, Karl. To Serve Man: A Cookbook for People. Philadelphia: Owlswick Press, 1976, p. 21.  More faux cannibal recipes can be found in Allen, Gary and Ken Albala (eds.). Human Cuisine. Charleston, SC: Booksurge, 2008.

[21] "Sunday." The New York Times Magazine, May 28, 1995, p. 10.

What, Exactly, are Herbs?

2012-04-01T11:02:00.005-04:00

And how are they different from "spices?" It would be wonderful to have simple and straightforward answers to these questions but, unfortunately, no such answers exist.

The term "spice" doesn't even exist for botanists. And the adjective "spicy," like "hot," can refer to so many different sensations that it no longer serves a useful descriptive purpose. The word "herb" means too many different things to different people. Botanically-speaking, herbs are non-woody vascular plants that die or waste away after flowering. For cooks and gardeners, that definition is useless.

Gardeners know that some "herbs" (rosemary, sage and thyme) become woody with age, and don't "waste away" -- and laurel (bay leaves) are picked from an actual tree. Cooks distinguish herbs and spices by the parts used: "herbs" are foliage or flowers; while "spices" come from bark, seeds, or roots. In practice, "herbs" are grown in our gardens, while we import spices -- usually from the tropics.

Any set of rules we choose is bound to be plagued by exceptions. Mustard and coriander seeds are treated as spices, but they thrive in our gardens, and their leaves are used like "herbs." Fresh young mustard leaves serve as salad herbs, while older leaves are slowly cooked pot-herbs. We sprinkle cilantro sparingly, as a fresh herb, while Vietnamese toss so much on their dishes that it's practically a salad. Thai cooks treat leaves, stems and roots of cilantro as distinct ingredients… and rarely use the seeds.

We think of cloves as "spice," yet they are the unopened buds of flower, which -- by some definitions -- suggests "herb." Europeans only know clove in this form, but Indonesians use leaves, twigs, and bark. Various parts of the clove tree provide seasoning, food, perfume -- and even cigarettes called kretek -- all made with one or more parts of the tree. Eurocentric "spice" seems wholly inadequate when seen from the perspective of the Indonesians who harvest it.

While most of us think of cinnamon only as a spice (the inner bark of a tropical tree), the ancient Greeks and Romans took a broader view. They imported vast quantities of leaves, called phyllon and malabathrum, from a tree that is closely related to the one gives us cinnamon. These leaves have a stronger cinnamon presence than the bark, so perhaps our question should be, "why did cooks stop using these leaves?"

One answer is that they didn't -- they're still commonly used in the cooking of South Asia (Bhutan, India, and Nepal).

Our distinction between "herbs" and "spices" is an accident of geography, history, and contemporary modes of transportation. Those we call "herbs" have been grown, historically, in European gardens. Before the Age of Exploration, "spices" could only be obtained only through a series of intermediaries, who preferred to keep the knowledge of their sources proprietary. These sources were so mysterious that Europeans believed that they grew only in the Garden of Eden. Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper were imported from distant lands, on the backs of camels trudging along secret spice routes, or – later -- on very small ships. The costs imposed by the spice traders, and the dangers they faced along the way, forced them to choose only the most densely-flavored parts of tropical plants. Handling huge volumes of leaves and twigs was simply not cost-effective.

__________________

This is excerpted from Herbs: A Global History, a new volume in Reaktion's Edible Series of single-topic books on food and drink. It's scheduled for publication later this month, but can be pre-ordered in hard cover or for kindle.

Food Sites for April 2012

2012-03-26T17:42:00.006-04:00

'tis practically April Fool's Day, a date that should be recognized as a National Holiday (at least in those years in which national elections are held). However -- as we already provide an ample supply of foolishness -- we shall resist the temptation to wax frivolous on matters political; they have an adverse affect upon both appetite and digestion, and we can't have that, can we?

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. Just Served dishes out more than reasonable people want to chew -- but, if you're feeling particularly unreasonable, and don't want to wait for these newsletters, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter. Our Facebook and Twitter friends (are we called "twits?") have already heard about our recent article -- "Much Ado about Mush," in Roll Magazine -- but it can also be found here.

The first draft of our sausage book (for Reaktion's Edible Series) is done. Alas, it's far too wurstig for a slim volume, so we're remorselessly trimming the fat and cholesterol.

A Quiet Little Table in the Corner is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria has reposted several of our articles (the entire list is available here, along with several more noteworthy pieces on food history & science.

This month's quotations -- soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages -- are all from Ambrose Bierce. ("Why?" you might wonder, "Is there something special about the date, something significant that I should -- but don't -- know?" It's simple: we like the disappearing curmudgeon, and it's our newsletter -- so we get to put in whatever we like.

DELIBERATION, n. The act of examining one's bread to determine which side it is buttered on.

LAUREL, n. The laurus a vegetable dedicated to Apollo, and formerly defoliated to wreathe the brows of victors and such poets as had influence at court.

NECTAR, n. A drink served at banquets of the Olympian deities. The secret of its preparation is lost, but the modern Kentuckians believe that they come pretty near to a knowledge of its chief ingredient.

RAREBIT n. A Welsh rabbit, in the speech of the humorless, who point out that it is not a rabbit. To whom it may be solemnly explained that the comestible known as toad in the hole is really not a toad, and that ris de veau à la financière is not the smile of a calf prepared after the recipe of a she-banker.

RUM, n. Generically, fiery liquors that produce madness in total abstainers.

SATIETY, n. The feeling that one has for the plate after he has eaten its contents, madam.

Gary
April, 2012

PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!

PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.

PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.

----the new sites----

à la carte
(a huge collection of articles by Peter Hertzmann, mostly about French cuisine)

Confederate Receipt Book
(a collection of recipes, from 1863, in the Duke University Libraries)

Describing Food
(a glossary of effective adjectives)

Experts "Taste Wine Differently from Others"
(John-Paul Ford Rojas' article, in The Telegraph, that’s suggests that wine experts may be supertasters)

Film on Food; Foods on Film
(extensive list of films about, or that feature, food -- with brief synopses; a downloadable PDF)

Food
(chefs, cuisines, ingredients, recipes, and techniques -- plus a blog and FAQ; all from our friends at the BBC)

Foodie Bugle, The
(e-zine about "...simple, frugal, seasonal food and drink from farm to fork, from soil to shop, from grape to glass")

Iran: The Land of Bread and Spice
(Anissa Helou's Salon article on the glories of "Persian" cuisine)

Kentucky Receipt Book
(text of Mary Harris Frazer's 1903 cookbook, for various e-book readers)

Recipes with No Name
(Fabio Parasecoli's article, on Huffington Post, remembering Brazilian foods past, and experiencing academic guilt over forgetting the dishes' creators)

Rise and Fall of White Bread, The
(Aaron Bobrow-Strain's article, in Slate, on how a symbol of purity became a metaphor for non-adventurist caucasians)

Sailu's Kitchen
(vegetarian recipes from India)

Special Report: Tastes of the Union
(Bret Thorne's article, in Nation's Restaurant News, on chains' efforts to adapt company menus to regional tastes)

Taste of Sound, The
(Barb Stuckey's article, in Salon, on ways that ambient sound affect our perceptions of taste)

Those Fat Tails
(the skinny on fat-tailed sheep)

Ultimate in Heirloom Wheat Arrives at Seed Vault, The
(Dan Charles's article about some of the ways we're preserving a little of our pasts)

What Would Great-Grandma Eat?
(Aaron Bobrow-Strain's article, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, about resistance to change in eating habits -- despite knowing the effects of one's current diet)

----how-to (or inspirational) sites----

Cookbooks Used to be for Cooking. Now They are for Looking.

How Do You Cite a Tweet in an Academic Paper?

It's the Era of Crowdsourced Recipes -- Long Live the Cookbook

Kindest Cookbook, The

And, perhaps, a bit less inspirational (unless you've got some other ideas up your sleeve):

Godin to Authors: You Have No Right to Make Money Any More

----yet more blogs----

Cookistry

Dare to Eat a Peach

Food and Think

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine are currently available.

Advance orders for Herbs: A Global History , in print, or in the Kindle edition, get a substantial pre-publication discount.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

________________

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #138" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2012 by Gary Allen.

Food Sites for March 2012

2012-02-24T15:31:00.006-05:00

This winter is one for the books. Before January was gone, crocuses (croci?) had sprouted, and we have had actual blooms for over a week already. Before today, February had delivered just 1/2 inch of snow, and we've only accumulated two inches more this morning. Some wild greens (like bitter Garlic Mustard) are already showing.

We're grateful, naturally, but the whole thing is decidedly weird.

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. We (regretfully) realize that even readers such as our own do not possess unlimited tolerance. Just Served dishes out more than reasonable people want to chew -- but, if you're feeling particularly unreasonable, and don't want to wait for these newsletters, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.

Facebook friends who follow our soi-disant "progress" have already been exposed to a miniscule scrap of doggerel, "A Revelation of Sorts" -- but it can also be found here. Facebook and twitter friends have also been alerted about the book launch party for our latest book, Herbs: A Global History. If you're interested in joining the festivities (and can't think of anything better to do), you can find details here.

The Roger Smith Cookbook Conference was delightful, giving us a chance to reconnect with old friends, as well as meet new ones, and put faces on virtual friends we've had for years. If you missed any or all of the panels, videos of the conference are now available online.

Meanwhile, we're still stuffing words into our sausage book (for Reaktion's Edible Series). The book is already longer than the contract specifies, and there's still much to be written. Writing, like sausage, is a delicate balancing act between juicy plumpness and just too much fat.

Speaking of too much fat, "A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being academic-speak for "yadda yadda yadda... whatevah") directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria has reposted several of our articles (the entire list is available, along with several more noteworthy pieces on food history & science.

This month's quotations -- soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages -- revel in procrastination (with an over-the-shoulder glance at one of the more recently expired New Year's celebrations):

When it comes to Chinese food I have always operated under the policy that the less known about the preparation the better. ...A wise diner who is invited to visit the kitchen replies by saying, as politely as possible, that he has a pressing engagement elsewhere. Calvin Trillin

When I'm at a Chinese restaurant having a hard time with chopsticks, I always hope that there's a Chinese kid at an American restaurant somewhere who's struggling mightily with a fork. Rick Budinich

Chopsticks are one of the reasons the Chinese never invented custard. Spike Milligan

Gary
March, 2012

----the new sites----

American Food: A Call for Culinary Independence
(Josh Ozersky's article in TIME Magazine)

Archive for the "Cuisine Articles" Category
(articles on Moroccan cookery)

Art of the Menu
(many individual articles about graphically-elegant menu designs)

Cake Recipes
(from Godey's Lady's Book, 1860)

Christmas Dinner
(from Godey's Lady's Book, 1860)

Eating Alone
(Tucker Shaw's article in the Denver Post; "There's nothing quite like sharing a meal with someone you love - yourself")

English Housewife, The
(transcription of Gervase Markham's 1683 book)

Food Industry in Italy, The
(a report by four professors at the University of Bologna; in PDF format)

Impact of Slow Cooker Cuisine, The
(Megan Elias looks at a device that has gone in and out of fashion, for centuries)

In Italian Food, What's Authentic and Does It Really Even Matter?
(Sara Jenkins article in The Atlantic)

Inquisitive Eater, The
(online food magazine from The New School's Writing Program and Food studies program)

People Read Menus Differently Than Everyone Thought
(Paula Forbes writes about recent research into one of the sacred tenets of the restaurant industry; includes a link to the original study)

Recipes
(from Regency England, late eighteenth-early nineteenth centuries)

Renaissance at the Dinner Table, The
(Dr. Alessandro Giacomello's essay, notes, and recipes from fifteenth-century Germany and Italy)

Sip for the Ancestors, A
("The True Story of Civilization’s Stumbling Debt to Beer and Fungus;" series of articles in Scientific American's blog, on the origins of agriculture)

USA Pears
(pear recipes, nutrition, and press releases from The Pear Bureau Northwest)

What's on the Menu?
(view, search within, read about -- and even help the development of -- the New York Public Library's online collection of historic menus)

----how-to sites for writers/bloggers ----

Here are a few Facebook groups that might interest food writers:

Cookbook Friends
(this is a closed group; it's by invitation only)

Food Pursuit

Writers and Readers United - Living Wages for Lit!

----yet more blogs----

Hunger and Thirst

Pilgrim Seasonings

White on Rice Couple

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine are currently available. Advance orders for Herbs: A Global History can also be taken.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

—————————

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #137" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2012 by Gary Allen.

A Revelation of Sorts

2012-02-21T08:33:00.004-05:00

Editor's Note: Rarely, very rarely, Sanscravat seems to be on the verge of something akin to enlightenment. This, unfortunately, is not one of those times.

Like most of us who scribble, from time to time I find it necessary to pursue gainful employment of some other sort altogether. It's a sacrifice I make to support my writing habit.

The other day, just before leaving work, I made a stop in the bathroom. As I switched on the light and closed the door, it occurred to me that I was still "on the clock." In a flash -- much like the one Gautama experienced under the Bo tree -- I realized that I was earning more money by producing urine than I ever do by writing.

Clearly, I should be cutting back on the verbiage and increasing my fluid intake.

Food Sites for February 2012

2012-01-30T19:02:00.005-05:00

We've been lucky this winter... so far, very little snow and only a few days of bitterly cold temperatures. While February is when we're most likely to get heavy snows, it's also a time when the world begins to show signs of melting -- and so do we.

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. We don't want to wear out our welcome with a lot of unsolicited blather.

If, in a moment of reflection and/or guilt, you feel the need for self-flagellation, you can always find a literary lash at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for these newsletters to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.

Aside from the blog, we have published a couple of other pieces online (at more respectable venues). Roll Magazine is now available in electronic form only, and its second non-print issue contains "Eating Our Way Through the Holidays."

The Roger Smith Cookbook Conference (at which we'll be moderating the panel on cookbook editing) is now sold out. You can find details about the event at its website. Good news: videos of the conference will be posted on the hotel's website afterwards.

The index for our latest book, Herbs: A Global History, have been proofed, and the Author's Queries have been addressed -- so all I have to do is wait for the book to come out on April 15th. There's going to be a kind of publication party (with dinner!) on April 30th in NYC -- and we'll post more details as they develop.

Meanwhile, we're still at work on the sausage book for Reaktion's Edible Series. The book is already longer than the contract specifies, and there's still much to be written. We foresee a lot of snip, snip, snip in our future...

"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria has not posted our article about the tradition of eating Hoppin' John on the New Year's Day. They had too many other good articles for the season… so it'll run NEXT December (mark your calendars now, while you're thinking about it). The entire list of our currently-posted Leitesculinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.

This month's quotation (from On the Table's culinary quote pages) is a slightly-veiled allusion to one of the holidays that falls in the month of February:

"Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. It is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits." Baron Justus von Liebig
Gary
February, 2012

----the new sites----

Can Traditional Cuisines Survive Without Servants?
(another of Rachel Laudan's thoughtful essays)

Chef-opedia
(biographies and news about top chefs)

Culinary Impact of the 1964 World's Fair, The
(how some bungled management led to a change in American eating habits)

French Food in the US
(articles about French agriculture, gastronomy, and traditions; from the Embassy of France in Washington)

Glossary
(Italian culinary terms, in English; from La Cucina Italiana)

IFAQs
("InFrequently Asked Questions (and some answers) on foods, words and languages;" from Andrew Dalby)

Meaning of Gourmet, The
(Megan Elias ponders: what's in a word)

Mexconnect: Cuisine
(articles and columns on, and recipes for, Mexican regional food; in English and Spanish)

Modern Brewers Recreate Ancient Beer
(Miguel Civil's original article, in The Oriental Institute News and Notes, about Fritz Maytag's famous "Ninkasi" experiment)

Not Your Mother's Breast Milk
(Monica J. Casper contemplates commodification and more at The Feminist Wire)

Oldest Bread in Britain
(archaeological evidence that barley bread was baked in England 5500 years ago)

Pasta Graduates From Alphabet Soup to Advanced Geometry
(Kenneth Chang's article on the topology of pasta shapes, in The New York Times)

Recipes and Dishes: What Should be Copyrightable?
(food historian, and former lawyer, Cathy Kaufman, discusses the fine points of the question; first presented at the Oxford Symposium of Food and Cookery in 2009; requires free registration)

Scientists Reveal Fundamental Difference in East Asian and North American Approach to Flavour
(Randy Shore's article, in The Vancouver Sun, with a link to the original article published in Nature)

Spaces of Banana Control
(Nicola Twilley's article, for Edible Geography, on the business and evolving technology of banana ripening)

Thirty Thousand-year-old Evidence of Plant Food Processing
(recent archeological article in the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences)

Transportation Library Menu Collection
(menus from airlines, cruise ships, and railroads; in the collection of Northwestern University Library)

Very Real Danger of Genetically Modified Foods
(Ari LeVaux's article, about genetic information being transferred from food to humans, in The Atlantic)

----changed URLs ----

Apples of New York, The

Foodsite Magazine
(formerly Food Site of the Day)

----how-to sites for writers/bloggers ----

As you'll soon notice, this month we've included a lot of links about a subject that might seem threatening… but is really our friend. Grammar is not just about making our writing "behave properly;" it's about thinking clearly, in order to write clearly enough to be easily understood by our readers.

Grammar Girl

Grammar Guide, The

Grammar Monkeys

Grammarphobia

My Blog Is Also Paying My Bills

Slot, The

Writing the Book

Not exactly a how-to article (since most publishers don't give writers a choice), but if you've ever written anything even vaguely academic -- or even read such stuff -- you'll want to read this:

From the Editor: On Footnotes

----yet more blogs----

Cookbook Man, The

Cookbooks for Dinner

Deepfeast

Food History Jottings

Marmaduke Scarlet

Quirky Gourmet, The

Vintage Cookbook Trials, The

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine are currently available. Advance orders for Herbs: A Global History can also be made. Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

——————————

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #136" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2012 by Gary Allen.

On Healthy Living

2011-12-11T11:27:00.006-05:00

Lemon curd with plump blueberries and real whipped cream.
Hattie's Chicken Shack, Saratoga Springs, NY

Editor's Note: Once again, Dr Sanscravat has thoughtlessly spewed the sort of comment that is bound to attract unwanted attention from people who feel strongly about such things. The man is a mass of unbridled self-indulgence who cares little about the well-being of himself -- let alone anyone else. Since he's so fond of quoting Mark Twain, perhaps we should preface his rant with Twain's advice on the subject: "The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not."

A while back, I read an article that said that coffee contained something-or-other that increases one's chances of contracting cancer of the pancreas. It took about two seconds of reflection before I understood the import of this news: enjoy coffee today, and everyday, and -- just possibly -- contract a nasty disease sometime in the future.

After those two seconds passed, another thought occurred. Imagine that, when I finally arrive at the last moment of my life -- after carefully eschewing coffee for decades -- I discover that I'm dying with a perfectly healthy pancreas, a pancreas for which I no longer have any use, earthly or otherwise. How would I feel about that?

Obviously, I'd be pissed-off for having cheated myself out of years of pleasure, just because of the possibility of something unpleasant occurring.

I know that some people actually enjoy exercise, and there are folks that just don't care for cream, butter, wine, rich desserts, and similar indulgences. I know it but don't really understand it. I can live with that level of uncertainty.

What puzzles me is all of those people who do enjoy such things, but deny themselves out of concern for their health. They struggle to add five years of unsatisfactory old age to their lives by sacrificing five years of pleasure when they're still young enough to appreciate it.

What's the sense in that?

Food Sites for December 2011, Issue 135

2011-12-10T15:47:00.011-05:00

The end of a year is a time for reflection, which can be a bittersweet experience. We, however, will spare you the sturm, drang, and yanking-out of beard-hairs that are likely to go on around here. Instead, this issue is a humongous (which is to say, slightly larger than usual) gift-wrapped package, just begging to be ripped open.

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. We don't want to wear out our welcome with a lot of unsolicited blather. This month we spared you much of our usual folderol (not entirely, of course; see below) -- and instead featured an excerpt from Sasha Gong's and Scott D. Seligman's new book, The Cultural Revolution Cookbook: Simple, Healthy Recipes from China’s Countryside.

If, in a moment of reflection and/or guilt, you feel the need for self-flagellation, you can always rely on Just Served to lend the requisite literary lash. It currently flaunts a non-food essay (one of Dr Sanscravat's typical curmudgeonly rants), an apologia On Children. If you don't want to wait for these newsletters to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.

Aside from the blog, this month we've published another piece online (at a more respectable venue). Roll Magazine is now available in electronic form only, and its first non-print issue contains our article, "Preserving Apples."

The Roger Smith Cookbook Conference is coming up in NYC, February 9-11, and we'll be moderating the panel on cookbook editing (with some fantastic panelists, BTW). You can find details about -- and register for -- the event at its website.

The index for our latest book, Herbs: A Global History, has been proofed, the graphics and their captions are done, and all of the Author's Queries have been addressed -- so all we have to do is wait for the book to come out on April 15th. There's going to be a kind of publication party (with dinner from recipes in the book!) on April 30th in NYC -- and we'll post more details as they develop.

Meanwhile, we're plugging away on a sausage book for Reaktion's Edible Series. The freezer at Chez Sanscravat is packed with andouille, chorizo, and other assorted encased meats (needless to say, we don't plan to have our cholesterol checked until well after the book is completed).

"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in the broadest possible sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria will be posting our article about the New Year's Hoppin' John tradition, on or about December 27th, but we don't have a link for it yet. The entire list of our currently-posted Leitesculinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.

As this is being written, the year is winding down. So this month's quotations (from On the Table's culinary quote pages) look back at some of the anonymous -- and oft contradictory -- wisdom that has come down to us from auld lang syne:

"The belly rules the mind." Spanish Proverb

"When the Muslim is not hungry he says, we are forbidden to eat monkey. When he is hungry he eats a baboon." Yoruba proverb

"Manage with bread and butter until God sends the honey." Moroccan proverb

"Man who stand on hill with mouth wide open, waits a long time for roast duck to fall in." Chinese proverb

"Eat butter first, and eat it last, and live till a hundred years be past."  Old Dutch proverb

"What butter and whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for." Irish proverb

"It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend, one's present or future thirst, the excellence of the wine, or any other reason." Latin Proverb

"The best cure for drunkenness is whilst sober, observe a drunken person." Chinese proverb

Enjoy your holidays, and let's meet again in the new year,

Gary
January, 2011

----the new sites----

All Things Sweet and Sugary
(an introduction to the baked goods and confections of Morocco)

Ancient Greek Trading Vessels Carried More Than Wine
(using DNA to learn about ancient trade; archaeology meets CSI)

Apocalx
(a search engine for recipes)

Artisanal Wheat on the Rise
(Smithsonian Magazine article about people raising long-forgotten strains of wheat)

Beer Archaeologist, The
(brewing some well-aged beer via experimental archaeology; an article in Smithsonian Magazine)

Books
(a bibliography of books about restaurant history, from Jan Whitaker)

Cooking May Have Driven Human Evolution
(an article in Archaeology, based on work that appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

Craving Earth - A Diet Mystery
(article on possible reasons for pica, geophagy, in The Sydney Morning Herald)

Eating Appalachia: In Search of Real American Cuisine in Hidden Hollers
(the first in a series of pieces on American regional cuisines, from Kathleen Willcox at Eat Me Daily)

Feedstuffs Food Links
("connecting farm to fork," articles, factsheets and podcasts on all agricultural topics)

Foie-gras Production
(article in The Economist that asks "How much is too much?" And "Why [are] some duck livers... delicious, and others nasty?")

Food and Recipes of Wartime Europe
(excerpts from Margaret Patten's We'll Eat Again and Post-war Kitchen)

Food We Eat Might Control Our Genes
(article in Scientific American about the presence of traces of the foods we eat in our RNA)

Guide to Culinary Arts Colleges
(two chefs have created this searchable database of places to obtain degrees or certificates in professional cooking)

It's Out After 170 Years, the Secret of Worcestershire Sauce... Found in a Skip
(sometimes food history is done by digging through the trash, literally)

Jeno Paulucci, Pioneer of Frozen-food Business, Dies at 93
(“What could be more American than a business built on a good Italian recipe for chop suey?”)

Journal of Gastronomy, The
(the American Institute of Wine & Food's former magazine, now partially available -- along with some other important gastronomic periodicals -- online)

Lucky Peach
(McSweeney's quarterly of food writing)

Pizza is Not a Vegetable
(Benjamin Phelan's article, in Slate, about how and why we call some plant parts "vegetables," but not others)

Porn on the Cob
(Ari LeVaux's Atlantic Monthly article about huitlacoche, corn smut)

Reading American Menus: A Virtual Exhibit
(historic menus serve as primary sources to show that "...the restaurant developed in a unique tension with American institutions and that the physical and social forms are clearly linked to larger phenomena...)

Reading, Apps, and the Myth of Cookbook Obsolescence
(Elissa Altman's take on why cookbooks will never disappear)

Sausage Peddlers, Vagabonds, and Bandits
(Clifford Wright on the charcuterie of the Mediterranean region)

Sourashtra Recipes
(dishes and spice mixtures from the Palkars of Southern India)

Through the Isinglass
(Intelligent Life's Christopher Hirst revisits Isabella Beeton's classic cookbook)

Uncle Phaedrus
("Consulting Detective and Finder of Lost Recipes, with the Hungry Browser Irregulars")

----how-to sites for writers/bloggers ----

5 Tips to Finding a Literary Agent

Erosion in the Paid Media Pyramid, The

Is There Too Much Food Writing?

----yet more blogs----

Food Through Time

Kevin Kossowan: From the Cellar, Wild, Garden, Local Farm

Out to Lunch

Tangerine and Cinnamon

Z Tasty Life

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

________

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #135" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.

Come the Revolution... Great Food!

2011-11-29T16:04:00.010-05:00

Sasha Gong and Scott D. Seligman have written a beautiful new -- and will be published next week -- Chinese cookbook. It has some wonderful dishes, many of which you won't find in your local take-out joint, 'though you maybe surprised to find some old favorites in simpler (but tastier) form. We're posting a section of the preface, and two recipes from:
The Cultural Revolution Cookbook: Simple, Healthy Recipes from China’s Countryside.

Jin’er, Guangdong, 1969:
Re-Education by the Peasants

The Cultural Revolution, launched in mid-1966, greatly radicalized the already fanatical political atmosphere in China. During this chaotic period, my siblings and I rejoined our parents in the city of Guangzhou, but in 1968, both my parents -- and those of many of my friends -- were sent to camps for "re-education through labor," something that happened to the majority of the nation’s intellectuals. My siblings and I -- we were 14, 12, 10 and 6 at the time -- had to live by ourselves in the city. We had a very small allowance from the government, which matched exactly the official poverty line. My sister -- later an economist -- took care of the finances, and I became the family cook.

Food was scare and rationed. Every morning, I went to the market and waited in several lines to buy it. A few times a week, children from several families would put our meager rations together and create a variety of dishes. On one very memorable occasion, nine of us made more than 300 dumplings, dividing the food evenly among ourselves. Cooking was among very few enjoyable activities in those dark days. From time to time, I found satisfaction in making simple dishes, such as Tofu with Scallions and Sesame Dressing.

In 1969, Chairman Mao Zedong ordered high school students to resettle in the countryside, beginning the exodus that would eventually send 17 million to rural areas. At age 12, I was too young to be covered by this policy, but I was soon sent with about 100 others my age to a village elsewhere in Guangdong called Jin'er to be "re-educated" by the local peasants. And what a re-education it was! From 1969-1971, I learned to work in the rice fields and to plant vegetables. My team was also charged with building a school and cooking for hundreds of people in communal kitchens.

Faded slogans still adorn this building in Jin’er more than a quarter century after the end of the Cultural Revolution. This one reads, “Rely on ourselves, fight hard and re-make Jin’er.”

In Guangdong as in Hunan, nearly everything we ate was locally produced. Rice came from the village paddy, vegetables from family plots and meat from the pigs raised on the collective farm. It was actually processed food that was considered exotic and was highly prized. Machine made noodles, for example, were served only on important occasions such as birthdays. Noodles are a traditional Chinese symbol of longevity, so a bowl of them with one or two eggs was our version of a "birthday cake." Canned food was a luxury only a small number of well-off, urban professionals could afford. One can of the Chinese version of Spam was considered so nutritious that it could fetch two months' worth of meat rations. Apart from its high price, processed food was rare because of the difficulty of transportation. Things like noodles and crackers could be found only in the county seat, a four-hour round trip by bicycle.

For a short time, young people who had been sent down from the urban areas were assigned to eat with the villagers. Before long, however, the peasants protested, because we ate too much -- far more than the ration coupons and money we brought in could buy. So the authorities decided to set up a communal kitchen. We rotated in groups of seven for 10-day stints in the kitchen, during which time we did the cooking instead of going to work in the field. So everyone got a chance to learn how it was done, and few took advantage of the position by filling their bellies at others' expense. We learned to make the most out of a relatively small palette of available ingredients, including cooking oil, soy sauce, salt, scallions, ginger and a few vegetables. I became particularly proficient with a knife, learning how to slice and chop efficiently. But mostly I learned the surprisingly wide variety of dishes and tastes that could be made with just a few, fresh ingredients, and how to get the best flavors out of what we had.

Sasha Gong

Recipes from the Book

Food Photography by Charles Cohan Fischl

Stir-Fried Corn and Pine Nuts

Corn was considered low-class, coarse food during the Cultural Revolution, in large part because Chinese corn was far less sweet than today's American variety. The occasional ear of sweet corn that appeared was highly prized and used in dishes like this one.

Ingredients

2 ears of corn on the cob (or 2 cups -- 328 g. -- of canned or frozen corn kernels)
1 scallion (spring onion)
1/2 cup (70 g.) pine nuts
2 Tbsp. (30 ml.) cooking oil
Pinch of salt

Method

Place the two ears of corn in their husks in a microwave oven. If the corn has already been husked, wrap it in a wet paper towel first. Microwave for three minutes on high. Remove the husks and silk, or the paper towel, and allow to cool. Then cut the kernels off of the cobs. (If you are using frozen corn, just let it thaw until it is at room temperature; canned corn may be used right out of the can).
Slice the scallion on the bias into small pieces about the same size as the corn kernels.
Place a wok over medium flame and add pine nuts without using any oil. Stir-fry them for a minute until they turn slightly brownish, then remove them from the wok and set them aside.
Add oil to the wok and heat it until it just begins to smoke.
Add the scallion pieces and stir-fry very briefly -- 10 seconds is enough. Then add the corn and stir-fry for 30 seconds more.
Add salt and then return the pine nuts to the wok. Make sure the ingredients are well-mixed and warm. Remove and serve.

Food Photography by Charles Cohan Fischl

Spicy White Radish Salad

The Chinese seldom eat vegetables that have not been cooked thoroughly, but this one is an exception. These large radishes -- which you can often find in American supermarkets -- are especially sweet and lend themselves to being eaten raw. Topping this dish off with a large spoonful of crushed, roasted nuts will add even more flavor and texture.

Ingredients

1 large white, Daikon radish (if unavailable, 2-3 turnips may be substituted)
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 slice ginger (about the size and thickness of a quarter)
1 tsp. (5 ml.) vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. (30 ml.) sesame oil
3 Tbsp. (45 ml.) soy sauce
3 Tbsp. (45 ml.) dark vinegar (but white will do)
1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. (5 to 15 ml.) hot sauce, to taste (Chinese cooks use a paste made with hot peppers, but Tabasco sauce maybe substituted)

Method

Wash and peel the radish and slice it into strips about 2-3 inches (5-7 cm.) long and 1/4 inch (6mm.) wide. Crush the garlic and chop the ginger, mixing them together into a smooth paste.
Mix all the ingredients (except the radish) together and add them to the garlic-ginger paste. Blend them well into a sauce.
Arrange the radish pieces on a serving plate, cover with the sauce and serve.

On Children

2011-11-16T11:33:00.006-05:00

Every once in a while, Dr Sanscravat decides to share an opinion on some subject that is troubling him. I suspect it's merely to get rid of the offending thought -- which only means that his readers are then stuck with it. This is one of those occasions.

A failed attempt to force tiny humanoids on Dr Sanscravat.
He will have none of that, thank you very much.
(Photo by revenge-starved former child, Aaron Rester)

I'm often asked how I can hate children. It is, of course, the wrong question -- or rather, it is based on faulty premises.

First, lingering under that seemingly simple question's surface is the implicit, and somewhat smarmy, assumption that it's somehow wrong to dislike the snotty-nosed, sticky-fingered, self-absorbed little cretins.

Second, I don't actually hate them.

But I sure as hell don't trust them.

They weasel their way into our lives with feigned cuteness, and stay there by immediately recognizing and manipulating our weaknesses. If our species really deserved to be called sapiens, we wouldn't fall for their puerile scams.

If needed, I can provide reams of evidence that reveals their nefariousness, their unbridled duplicity, not to mention their overweening -- and under-weaned -- ids. I will, however, cite but a single example -- albeit one that has had a profound impact upon the development of my opinions on the subject.

Some forty-odd years ago, I agreed to baby-sit for the five-year-old offspring of some friends, while they -- no doubt -- exercised a better option. I am well-known for my generous and caring nature, so of course I wished to entertain the tiny human, and perhaps stimulate his nascent neurons. In the spirit of bonhomie, I taught him to play chess.

The little bastard took my queen.

food sites for December 2011

2011-11-09T14:01:00.010-05:00

"Gourd," one of our old pencil drawings.

I know, we're not even halfway through November, not even close to December... but Hallowe'en and Election Day are gone, and the stores are filling up with Christmas stuff already. Thanksgiving and Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and New Year's will soon be taking a toll on our time (and waistlines), so we're sending out the December issue a little bit earlier than usual.

First, some breaking news:

The Roger Smith Cookbook Conference will occur in New York City in February, and we'll be moderating the panel on cookbook editing (with some fantastic panelists, BTW). You can find details about -- and register for -- the event at its website.

The galleys for our latest book, Herbs: A Global History, have been proofed, and the Author's Queries have been addressed -- next comes a last-minute look-over and indexing, then wait for the book to come out on April 15th. There's going to be a kind of publication party (with dinner!) on April 30th in NYC -- and we'll post more details as they develop.

Meanwhile, we're writing another book for Reaktion's Edible Series -- this time on sausage. Which means a LOT of sausage meals here at Chez Sanscravat.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program, already in progress:

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. We don't want to wear out our welcome with a lot of unsolicited blather. Speaking of which... if NPR's Susan Stamberg can trot out her mother's scary cranberry sauce recipe every year at Thanksgiving time, we can haul out our own Hoary Holiday Horror. If, after reading such tripe, you still feel inclined to experience more of that sort of hogwash, you can surrender what's left of your dignity at Just Served.

Truly impatient mortifiers-of-the-flesh can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.

"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is a directory of our other writings (replete with misleading descriptions to befuddle the unwary) -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting -- sometimes with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.

Since we're still in denial about this whole holiday thing, this month's quotation (from On the Table's culinary quote pages) avoids the entire subject:

"Food writing is writing full stop, and the best of it does what good writing always does, which is to create an alternative world to the one you currently inhabit."
Kathryn Hughes

Gary
December, 2011

----the new sites----

Are Cookbooks Obsolete?
(remember when "apps" meant "appetizers"? Julia Moskin's article in The New York Times)

Beef or Venison: Which Tastes Better?
(amusing, because there's an element of truth in the article... even if there's no such organization as "U.S. Venison Council")

Civil War Diet, The
(a master's thesis by Matthew Brennan; a PDF document)

Cook 'n' Scribble
(food writing classes with Molly O'Neill)

Dessert Dictionary Project, The
(a growing database of international sweets and desserts, by Michael Krondl, author of Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert)

Eatologies
("eating journal and scientific exercise;" easily digestible food science news)

eatology
("a closer look at the art of eating;" articles, recipes, Q&A, blog, how-to videos, consulting for restaurants, training for cooks and bartenders of all skill levels)

edible geography
(food studies articles by the new generation of food scholars)

From the Victory Garden: American History Told Through Squash
(Sarah Dickert -- a Smithsonian Gardens Intern -- writes about several heirloom varieties of squash)

Italian Salami: Italian Charcuterie
(history of Italian charcuterie, descriptions of vast numbers of regional examples, the connection between San Francisco and salami)

Mindful Carnivore, A
("Thoughts and stories from a vegan-turned-hunter;" website and blog of author Tovar Cerulli)

Night New York's Chinese Went Out for Jews, The
("How a 1903 Chinatown fundraiser for pogrom victims united two persecuted peoples;" could Scott D. Seligman's article explain the origin of Jewish fondness for Chinese food?)

Pastry Paris
(an excerpt from Susan Hochbaum's book)

Project Foodie
(blog, articles, and recipes from recent magazines and cookbooks)

You Eat Meat, So Why Not Blood?
("Chefs strive to warm up diners to the red stuff;" Chris Nuttall-Smith's article in Toronto's Globe and Mail)

----how-to site for bloggers ----

Tips for Creating Fabulous Photos of Food

----yet more blogs----

BTP

Cheddarbound

Dash of Bitters, A

Food Studies

Homo Gastronomicus

Hunter:Gather:Cook

Jennifer Wickes

Sustainable Eats

truffleandmushroomhunter

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

--------------------

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #134" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.

Food Sites for November 2011

2011-10-18T14:25:00.015-04:00

Dried Indian Corn, Rhinebeck, New York

As October drifts into November, frost takes its toll in our gardens -- but, at the same time, sharpens our appetites for hearty dishes we haven't thought about since last spring.

In the interest of blatant self-promotion, we have to announce that we'll be reading as part of Drink[dot]Think's evening of intelligent imbibing on Wednesday, October 19, in NYC's SOHO. Don't worry... there will be other, more respectable writers on the program.

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. We don't want to wear out our welcome with a lot of unsolicited blather. This month, our readers are lucky enough to escape our relentless voice, and find instead a guest author on our blog. Our friend Francine Segan has posted about her sweet new cookbook, Dolci. However... should you feel an irresistible pull toward the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we usually post, you can surrender to that attraction at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for these newsletters to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.

In other news, the edited text, illustrations, and captions for Herbs: A Global History are done, and staff at Reaktion (the publisher) is hard at work putting the book together. The galleys have arrived, and all the Author's Queries have been addressed -- next comes indexing, then all there is for us to do is wait for publication on April 15th, 2012.

We're currently writing another book, for Reaktion's Edible Series, this time on sausage.

"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.

Here's this month's eclectic bunch of quotations (n.b., "eclectic" -- a fancy word for any collection of items that probably had no business being collected in the first place), soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.

"To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living." Anthony Bourdain

"Leading specialists agree that food is the number one cure for hunger." Stan Freberg

Nonetheless, we refuse to take this personally:

"Mellow nuts have the hardest rind." Sir Walter Scott

Gary
November, 2011

----the new sites----

American Indian Health and Diet Project (AIHDP)
(A University of Kansas study, using traditional indigenous foods eaten by Native Americans)

Brewing in Colonial America
(first of a four-part history by Gregg Smith)

COLLECTION: Medieval and Anglo Saxon Recipes
(selections from Michelle Berriedale-Johnson's The British Museum Cookbook)

Deep Thinking About the Future of Food
(Justin Gillis' blog post in The New York Times)

Food Heritage Sites
(links to "...sites and food-related exhibits are also... where people, especially students and children, can connect with food")

Foodhistory.com
(articles, etc., from food historian and publisher Patricia B. Mitchell)

Haggis: History
(everything known, or presumed to be known, about the "Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!")

Imperial Dining - History of Court Dining
(French-inspired cookery in fin de siècle Russia)

Lady Logie's Recipes
(formerly unpublished recipes from eighteenth-century England)

Pennsylvania Brewery Historians
("Researching Pennsylvania's Brewing Heritage Since 1980;" links to exhibits and events)

Queens County Farm Museum
(dating to 1697, it's "...New York City's largest remaining tract [47 acres] of undisturbed farmland ... the only working historical farm" within city limits)

----yet more blogs----

5 second rule

Crumbs on My Keyboard

Decolonizing Diet Project Blog

Food Studies

Hungry Passport

Kate Sonders Blog

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

__________________

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #133" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.

Something Sweet On the Table

2011-09-26T22:20:00.013-04:00

Our friend Francine Segan has a new cookbook, and now she's a guest blogger here. If you know her previous books I'll bet your mouth is watering at the mere mention of it.

Dolci: Italy’s Sweets

New cookbook on Italian desserts

A tavola non s'invecchia.
At the table you don’t grow old.

My latest cookbook is just hitting bookstore shelves this week! I'm so thrilled. It's filled with fun Italian foodie sayings like the one above, plus tidbits on Italian lifestyle, history trivia, and over 100 recipes.

Full disclosure though -- NONE of the recipes in this book are actually mine.

That might sound odd coming from a cookbook author, but it's true. It takes a village to raise a child? Well, it sure took an entire country to write this cookbook!

I gathered the recipes from all corners of Italy, from hundreds of generous, enthusiastic Italians, eager to share their country's culinary traditions. They opened their homes, kitchen cabinets, recipe files, and hearts to me. The recipes come from all of them, and the result represents their work as well as mine. Each person spent many hours with me, either in Italy, on the phone, via email, or on Skype. They helped me comb through details and nuances until finally, I was able to recreate reliably what I had so enjoyed in Italy.

Here are two recipes that use the wonderful fall fruits -- apples and grapes. The apple cake is so delicious it's the book's cover photo. The grape focaccia is a classic Florentine mid-morning or late afternoon snack. Schiacciata -- meaning, "flattened or squashed" -- is the term they use in Florence for foccacia.

Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake
Torta di Mele

From: Dolci: Italy's Sweets
By Francine Segan (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2011)

Pareva la torta di Nonna Papera!
Looks like Grandma Duck's cake!

Said of a particularly pretty cake or pie.

At first glance it may seem like a huge ratio of apple to dough and you’re going to be tempted to cut down on the apples. Don't! It looks like a lot of apples, but they magically meld into the batter. You'll love the result. The top half of the cake is chock full of tender apples that float over sweet moist cake.

Deceptively simple, exceptional results.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
7 ounces, about 1 1/3 cups, all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
2/3 cup, plus 1 Tablespoon, granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Zest of 1 lemon
4 large or 5 medium apples, about 2 pounds total

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an eight-inch cake pan. Beat 2/3 cup of sugar and the eggs in a large bowl, using a whisk or electric handheld beater, until creamy and light yellow. Beat in the flour, milk, baking powder, baking soda and zest. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Peel and core each of the apples. Dice one of the apples on sprinkle the dices over the batter. Cut the remaining apples into thin slices. Spread the slices over the diced apples in the pan in a neat pattern. Scatter thin pats of butter over the apples and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for about one hour, until dark golden and cooked through.

Grape and Rosemary Focaccia
Schiacciata all’Uva

Serves 6
From: Dolci: Italy’s Sweets
By Francine Segan

Mangiare il fumo alle schiacciate
Tuscan expression meaning to be quick

This dessert is actually two focaccias, one baked right over the other, topped and stuffed with plump grapes. The bottom crust bakes thin and crisp while the top puffs up tender and cakey. Some of the grapes collapse a little and release pools of pretty purple juice, while others stay whole.

When you take a bite, you get the satisfying chewiness of bread, crunchy in spots, plus the warm grapes, which burst in your mouth. It's sophisticated and rustic at the same time. Scrumptious on its own, it goes well with a dessert cheese or a glass of red wine.

Ingredients

10 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary
1 packet, 1/4 ounce, fast acting yeast
10 1/2 ounces, about 2 cups all-purpose flour
11 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 pounds black seedless grapes, stems removed
2 teaspoons anise seeds

Method

In a small saucepan, heat four Tablespoons of the oil and rosemary until warm. Allow to cool. Reserve.
Sprinkle the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water and let rest until it bubbles, about 2 minutes. Sift the flour onto a clean work surface or in a large bowl. Make a hallow well in the center and fill with the yeast water, reserved rosemary oil, three Tablespoons of the sugar and salt, and slowly begin to incorporate the flour into the center hollow, until dough forms. Knead the dough until smooth and rest it in a lightly oiled bowl until it doubles, about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour two Tablespoons of the olive oil into a rectangular baking pan, about nine-by-thirteen inches or fourteen-by-ten inches.
Put the grapes into a bowl and using a large fork or potato masher, gently mash about half of the grapes, leaving half of them whole. Don't mash them to a pulp! Just gently break the skin.
Take slightly more than half of the dough and roll it out to fit the baking pan. Put the dough into the pan and brush with the Two tablespoons of remaining olive oil (if you like, you can use a branch of rosemary to brush on the oil). Top with 1/2 of the grapes. Sprinkle with fourT ablespoons of the sugar and one teaspoon of the anise seeds.
Roll out and hand stretch the remaining dough to fit the pan. It will be thin. Put the dough over the grape layer. It's okay if it doesn’t fully cover the bottom layer. Spread with the remaining two Tablespoons of oil, remaining grapes, sugar, and anise seeds. It's okay if the grapes roll off onto the sides of the pan. It all comes together nicely as it bakes.
Allow to rest for 20 minutes before putting it into the oven so the ingredients can absorb and the dough settle. Bake for about one hour until golden brown on top and cooked through.
Allow to rest at room temperature, in the baking pan so the focaccia can absorb the grape's juices. Serve at room temperature.

Sites for Food Writers, October 2011

2011-09-20T15:50:00.004-04:00

Granny Smith Apples, Rhinebeck, New York

We're on the cusp of September and October, when the bright flavors of summer produce are still available and the deeper ones of Autumn are just beginning to appear -- it's a great time to be visiting farmer's markets and roadside fruit stands.

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. We understand that many (OK, most) folks have better things to do with their time than wade through countless unwanted e-missives, so we don't add ours to that pile. One of these uncalled-for tales, "Chili Cook-off Judge," appeared last month. We really like chili… but it is possible to overdo it. We also entered an essay, "On the Cheap," in a contest over at Snooth, and actually won a prize -- despite knowing very little about wine. However... should you feel an inexplicable craving for exactly the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we periodically post, you can satisfy that urge at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for this newsletter to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.

In other news, the edited text, illustrations, and captions for Herbs: A Global History are done, and staff at Reaktion (the publisher) is hard at work laying out the book. The galleys should arrive shortly -- then all there is for us to do is wait for publication in the Spring (well, almost all... we are at work on another book for Reaktion's Edible Series, this time on sausage).

"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is now part of the On The Table site. At the moment, it's an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.

We must be feeling strangely spiritual -- or so it would seem from these selections that are soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.

"Gluttony is ranked with the deadly sins; it should be honored among the cardinal virtues." Elizabeth Robins Pennell

"God doesn't care what you eat." Martin Luther

"God, yeah. If you had your beloved pet murdered, the least you can do is eat it." Johnny, Lord Acton (when asked if he ate the pigs he raised)

Gary
October, 2011

PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!

PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.

PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and, frankly, incredulous) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.

----the new sites----

American Cookery by Amelia Simmons
(full text of the first US cookbook)

Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
(all sorts of nutritional information, including demographics and economics)

Chefs Move to Schools
(USDA program to "...help chefs partner with interested schools in their communities")

Choose My Plate
(the replacement for the old food pyramid)

Ein Buch von Guter Spise
(Alia Atlas's translation of the fourteenth-century German cookbook)

Food Rules
("Once the province of how-to cooking shows, food media has extended its reach -- but has it become too big?" Lorraine Ali's article in Adweek)

Future of World Food and Nutrition Security, The
(from the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD)

Guide to Federal Records
(how to search US government archives)

Six recipes from The Medieval Kitchen
(Edward Schneider's translation of a book by Odile Redon, Françoise Sabban, & Silvano Serventi)

----changed URLs----

Basil 

Chocolate Traveller Magazine, The 

Eye on Nutrition

Food Security Learning Center

International Food Information Council Foundation, The (IFIC)

Organic Nutritional Advantages Questioned Again

Ravensgard Food and Culinary Arts

Research Resources

Short History of Spice Trading, A

Sweet Oranges: The Biogeography of Citrus sinensis

Wheat People: Celebrating Kansas Harvest 

----how-to blogs----

Blog posts about blogging -- and writing, design, photography, promotion, and ethics -- can help us become better, and possibly more successful, writers (i.e., having more people read our stuff). Here're a recent favorite:

What’s Behind the Food Photography Trend?

----yet another blog----

Meera's Blog

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

_______________

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #132" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.

Chili Cook-off Judge

2011-09-06T16:45:00.007-04:00

Recently, we've been corresponding with Gina Hyams, who is working on a project involving chili cook-offs. It reminded us that we once acted as a judge in one of these traveling side shows (we almost typed "floating crap game," but thought better of it -- for reasons that might become obvious later). We had this opportunity because of the intercession of Chef Jim Heywood, known far and wide as the purveyor of Big Jim's Hogbreath Chili. Jim is so renowned that Paul Bocuse once referred to him as LE ROI DU CHILI.
(and yes, before you ask, great chefs DO speak in All Caps)

We could go on for some time about Big Jim, but this is a family-oriented site (OK, vaguely family-oriented). Big Jim's language, while colorful and extremely amusing, is not well-suited for the kind of dignified audience that frequents these pages.

After our judicial experience, we jotted down some notes -- so that anyone who was curious about the inside workings of these events, or might even be considering participating in one, could make a more informed decision. Those jottings follow, forthwith.

__________

Beer is free for judges -- a keg from a local microbrewery was provided. This, no doubt, is supposed to ensure the proper judicial objectivity. There was some idle talk about "cleansing the palate," but everyone seemed to understand that this smokescreen was used in approximately the same manner in which incumbents talk about term limits.

The actual judging was simple: First, judges were not allowed to eat chili before the judging (this is so that they can actually stand the stuff). There were thirty-five little numbered buckets o' chili, divided between two tables. Each judge got a score sheet. The chili was anonymous; the ballots were not. Irate chili-cooks may track down any judge at their leisure and wreck what vengeance they will.

Anyway, the judges write down their impressions: "too greasy," "too salty," "habaneros, while piquant, are not classic," "meat cut irregularly" -- note that ground meat or beans are automatic disqualifiers -- "too soupy," "too dry," "off color," "only a gender-challenged Yankee (or someone from Cincinnati) would be foolish enough to add cinnamon to chili," "smells strangely of burning rubber," and "what the hell is that kiwi doin' in there?" -- refined analysis of that sort.

We circled the tables a coupla' times, being careful not to actually retch over the bad ones. Supposedly, this was meant to avoid influencing the other judges -- but it was really so that we would not be alone in the emergency room for the post-game show. At the end, the judges indicated (at the bottom of the form, between the grease stains) which three they disliked least.

That's all there was to it -- except to stop for a bit more palate-cleansing, and bolt for the Port-o-sans, upending the occasional baby buggy, as necessary.

On Sweetening Tainted Meat

2011-09-01T00:57:00.002-04:00

(with a tip of the beret to The Old Foodie)

Back in 1824, when most of us didn't have refrigerators, there were times when the chops we were planning to have for dinner might have gone off a bit.

Taking them out to the backyard for a short eulogy -- and a longer dirt nap—might seem like the appropriate response today, but in Jolly Old England they had other plans. Egerton Smith advised—in his weekly paper, The Kaleidoscope; or, Literary and Scientific Mirror -- that he had found, "by many experiments, that meat entirely fly-blown has been sufficiently purified to make good broth, and had not a disagreeable taste, by being previously put into a vessel containing a certain quantity of beer."

I sometimes (and others, frequently) consider me, the utterly-uncredentialled Dr Sanscravat, to be tainted meat. Would Smith's methods serve to sweeten me?

Soaking in beer surely seems worth a try.

Among the shortcomings of antiquated receipts of this sort is their regrettable penchant for vagueness. Really, now, "a certain quantity?"

What sort of measurement is that?

In the interest of science, I believe it only prudent to approach the experiment in a modern quantitative manner, and to add said beer, one pint at a time, until the desired level of sweetness is obtained.

_______

Editor's Note: The "doctor" promised to document every stage of his experiment and submit a full report, forthwith. However, the last time he conducted a similar experiment, with much the same set of intentions, he was but eighteen years old, and kept no notes whatsoever. He did, what's more, amuse/dismay his entire collection of of aunts with a protracted series of heaves -- dry and otherwise -- at a huge family picnic.

Food Sites for September 2011

2011-08-30T09:50:00.003-04:00

Fresh Peaches, Rhinebeck, NY

As we write this, August is coming to an end and -- while we're not yet tired of fresh corn and tomatoes -- glowing peaches are the darlings of the moment. Peach Gelato. Habanero Peach Preserves. Peach Chutney. We've made them all, and Grilled Peaches can't be far away. At the same time, we know we're on the threshold of September and fall produce and flavors -- perhaps those grilled peaches should have some cinnamon to foreshadow the seasonal change? Maybe some more peach preserves, this time with crystallized ginger?

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. We understand that many (OK, most) folks have better things to do with their time than wade through countless unwanted e-missives, so we don't add ours to that pile. One of these uncalled-for tales, "On Eating Raccoon," appeared last month. It's not likely to make Raccoon Ragu a culinary fad. "Criminal, Really Criminal" does not really concern food writers, but does address the writing skills of some of our colleagues. However... should you feel an inexplicable craving for exactly the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we periodically post, you can satisfy that urge at Just Served . If you don't want to wait for this newsletter to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter

"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.

Finally, just in case you thought we haven't paid quite enough attention to a certain fruit, here're some peachy musings -- on, or soon to be added to, On the Table's culinary quote pages.

"One does a whole painting for one peach and people think just the opposite -- that particular peach is but a detail." Pablo Picasso

"The ripest peach is highest on the tree." James Whitcomb Riley

"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education." Mark Twain

And something to listen to, if you're so inclined: "Peaches en regalia" (Frank Zappa, from Hot Rats)

Gary
September, 2011

PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!

PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here .

PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.

----the new sites----

Aesthetes and Eaters
(special issue of Invisible Culture on food in, and as, art)

Astor Center
(a place for food and wine lectures, demonstrations and conferences; "...a new approach to education, a new way of exchanging ideas, a new forum for discussing that which brings us together around the table")

Elizabethan Homebrewing
(typically well-researched and documented account from the Society for Creative Anachronism)

Food Republic
(e-zine that "...explores the new culture of food through stories, interviews, global conversations, and experiences")

Food in Tudor England
(just one of many topics in this site devoted to Tudor History)

Food in Tudor Times
(part of a collection of British curricular support documents)

Fooles and Fricassees: Food in Shakespeare's England
(article accompanying an exhibit held, in 1999, at the Folger Shakespeare Library)

Gazzetta Gastronomica
(online magazine of Italian cooking; in Italian)

Jacobean Food
(spit food, pies and chewitts, wafers, ices, and cordials from the time of James I)

Poison Party
(Anastacia Marx de Salcedo's article, in Slate, on why spoiled food doesn't necessarily cause food poisoning, and that the foods that do, don't necessarily taste dangerous)

Pyramid and Protein
(how, and what, did Egyptian royalty feed all those pyramid builders?)

Specialty Produce Daily, The
(a compendium of what's new and noteworthy in the food blog world)

What We Eat in America
(nutritional database, covering foods and supplements, from the USDA)

----changed URLs----

100 Top Restaurant Review Sites For Restaurateurs

cdkitchen.com

Chowhound 

Cookbooks Online

Cyber-Kitchen Recipe Archives

Food & Drink

Foodieview

Frogmore Stew and Other Lowcountry Recipes

Sausage Recipes

Wine Taster's Glossary, A

----how-to blogs----

Blog posts about blogging -- and writing, design, photography, promotion, and ethics -- can help us become better, and possibly more successful, writers (i.e., having more people read our stuff). Here're some recent favorites:

Coin of the Food Realm

Digital Food Photography

Star Wars and Photography

Whither the Cookbook?

----yet more blogs----

Culinary Librarian, The

Delicious Prose

Feiring Line, The

it!: Food Meditation

Matt Bites

Plain But Wholesome: Adventures in Mormon Pioneer Food

Recent College Grad's Guide to Wine, The

She Simmers

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

__________

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #131" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.

Criminal, Really Criminal

2011-08-20T15:06:00.003-04:00

One of our correspondents forwarded a list of alleged criminal acts, two of which are included below:

Bumpus, Tennessee
A bank robber in Bumpus, Tennessee, handed a teller the following note: "Watch out. This is a rubbery. I hav an oozy traned on your but. Dump the muny in a sack, this one. No die packkets or other triks or I will tare you a new naval." Dr. Creon V.B. Smyk of the Ohio Valley Educational Council says such notes are, lamentably, the rule. "Right across the board, we see poor pre-writing skills, problems with omissions, tense, agreement, spelling and clarity," he moaned. Smyk believes that the quality of robbery notes could be improved if criminals could be taught to plan before writing. "We have to stress organisation: Make an outline of your robbery note before you write it," he said. "Some of the notes get totally sidetracked on issues like the make, model and calibre of the gun, number of bullets, etc., until one loses sight of the main idea -- the robbery."

Bent Forks, Illinois
In Bent Forks, Illinois, kidnappers of ice-cube magnate Worth Bohnke sent a photograph of their captive to Bohnke's family. Bohnke was seen holding up a newspaper. It was not that day's edition and, in fact, bore a prominent headline from some years before. This was pointed out to The Kidnapers in a subsequent phone call. They responded by sending a new photograph showing an up-to-date newspaper. Bohnke, however, did not appear in the picture. When this, too, was refused, The Kidnappers became peevish and insisted that a photograph be sent to them showing all the people over at Bohnke's house holding different issues of Success magazine. They provided a mailing address and were immediately apprehended. They later admitted to FBI agents they did not understand the principle involved in the photograph/newspaper concept. "We thought it was just some kind of tradition," said one.

Educators agree that such mix-ups point to poor reasoning and comprehension skills, ignorance of current events, and failure to complete work in the time allotted.

These poor criminals are scapegoats who signify the failure of our educational system, and of the government that pays for our educational system, and of the society that pays for the government that pays for our educational system. In a sense, our democratic system guarantees that we get the kind of criminal class that we deserve.

As teachers, we have been wasting our time frittering over issues such as proper pedagogical performance, standardized testing and such. As citizens, we moan and groan (depending on our political outlook) about the over-crowding of our prisons, the escalating financial burden on the taxpayers, the disproportionate sentencing of minorities. We are harangued -- endlessly -- by politicians who want to make names for themselves over these issues, which ultimately leads to our paying more tax money for more ineffectual solutions to the problem. These seemingly disparate complaints, cutting across political demographics, can all be answered by one simple assertion: we need to keep these people out of jail.

All sorts of rehabilitation schemes, fostered by liberals and conservatives alike, have failed -- for one simple reason. We have been telling criminals what not to do. Any parent can tell you that if you order a child not to spill his chocolate milk, he will focus his entire attention on the mental picture of spilled milk -- with inevitable results. This is a pedagogical technique that is doomed to failure.

As the warden so eloquently said to Cool Hand Luke, "What we have heeya is a failya to kamoonnikate."

We have not provided them with something else to do. We have not provided them with the means to do it. Can we expect anything but failure? No, the solution lies in a totally different approach than has tried before. We must train them to be useful and productive citizens, working in their chosen professions, and above all else: keep them from returning to jail. How can we accomplish this?

Simple. We need to train them in the skills they will need to succeed. In the examples cited above, a few simple lessons in rhetoric and logic would have made all the difference. Do you see where this is going? We need, not less criminals, but better criminals -- the kind that are not constantly being caught, clogging up our judicial system. To do this, we must focus on the most needy students: those who are already incarcerated.

We can train them in the refinements of their craft, the little things that spell the difference between a Mercedes and Maximum Security. One might object that this sort of training goes on every day in the joint -- one prisoner educating another. While it is a well-intentioned start, there is a fundamental error underlying the current model. We have losers educating losers. We don't have the best-qualified teachers in place.

We need to do two things to remedy the situation. First, educational professionals need to run the programs. Trial and error are educational techniques, to be sure, but rather inefficient (unless one's goal is to maintain over-crowded prisons at their current level). Trained educators can speed the learning process in even the most challenged students. Second, since (presumably) these teachers are masters of the techniques of pedagogy, not larceny, we need to encourage the cooperation of real experts. How can we compel the better class of criminals, those who are never caught, to act as trainers for their unfortunate colleagues?

Every great artist wants recognition for his work. Let us reward the best by granting them complete immunity from prosecution in exchange for community service -- not someone else's community, but their own. Not only will this raise the standards of criminals everywhere, but it will automatically guarantee that the master criminals will never tie up our courts (and after all, the cases brought against this class of criminal are the most difficult to prove, since they are the most skilled in avoiding prosecution -- through intelligent use of alibi, prudent parsimony with incriminating evidence, as well as the judicious application of extortion, etc).

Eventually, there may be no need for prisons at all. These drains on the public purse could become self-financing institutes of higher learning, like the Harvard Business School. Talented young students could be encouraged to enroll early. This would have the added advantage of removing them from our schools, where they currently disrupt the work of non-criminal students. These non-criminals would quickly become more successful, thereby earning more money as adults, which will -- in turn -- produce better profits for the criminals.

One might argue that we would still wind up being robbed, only by thieves instead of politicians. I would counter that the skillful exercise of criminal talent is more satisfying -- even to the victim -- than the patently bogus dissimulation of professional politicians. The cost might be the same, but the quality of life would be vastly improved.

Everyone benefits in this best of all possible worlds.

On Eating Raccoon

2011-08-19T11:06:00.015-04:00

Image Source: "The Coati-Mondi and its Cousins," by the Reverend S. Lockwood, PhD, in Popular Science Monthly, Volume 2, December 1872

Once, some 40 years ago, when I was young and new to hunting, I found I had an opportunity to shoot a plump raccoon. It was a long and tricky shot, so I was pretty proud of my trophy.

I planned to make a feast of the beast, so I took it home, skinned and dressed it (or rather, un-dressed, it; why did removing an animal's skin come to be considered as "dressing?") on our kitchen table. I was rather surprised -- 'though, in retrospect, I don't know why -- at how much fat there was. After trimming away most of the fat, the raccoon didn't have nearly as much meat as I had hoped. Little did I know that the limited supply of meat was a good thing.

After cooking it for some time, we dug in to our first taste of wild raccoon. Why specify "wild?" No one in his right mind would farm-raise raccoons.

First of all, they're a nasty brutish bunch who would, no doubt, prefer to eat their handlers -- or would, if they did not so much despise us.

Second, when not thinking about eating us, they would much prefer to eat our food. Or our garbage. Either way, raccoons have an innate ability to make a mess of anything we hold dear. Inviting them to be a part of our lives is just stupid. It reveals an over-weaning lack of foresight.

Third, it's one thing to raise an animal that prefers to eat as we do (pigs, for example), when the food we get in return is worth it. Few would argue that trading excess corn for bacon and pork chops is a bad idea. It's quite another to convert perfectly good food into raccoon flesh.

Raccoon, at least the one I ate, tasted like very old and stringy beef -- perhaps the dessicated flesh of some super-annuated ox, an over-worked creature who might very well have expired in mid-furrow. Aside from the poor quality of the meat, a certain amount of residual fat remained, despite my earlier efforts to remove it. This fat had the remarkable property of not melting in the mouth -- so that, long after eating the raccoon, I was convinced that someone had coated my tongue with tallow, or possibly axle-grease.

Needless to say, the raccoon tribe has been safe from my predations during the past four decades. I have not yet had, nor do I expect anytime soon to have, an urge to experience another bout of ring-tailed dyspepsia.

Food Sites for August 2011

2011-07-31T11:32:00.002-04:00

A field of sweet corn, Hurley, NY

Much of the past month was brutally hot -- which I've used as my excuse for procrastinating on whatever passes for real work. August, which promises more of the same, is upon us but local corn and tomatoes are everywhere... and, with lots of fruit for home-made gelato, the heat doesn't seem quite so oppressive.

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. We understand that many (OK, most) folks have better things to do with their time than wade through countless unwanted e-missives, so we don't add ours to that pile. One of these uncalled-for tales, A Culinary Baseball Quiz, appeared last month. There was also a rather odd love story, Wheeling, with a culinary spin. However... should you feel an inexplicable craving for exactly the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we periodically post, you can satisfy that urge at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for this newsletter to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.

A Quiet Little Table in the Corner has moved to a new location. At the moment, it's an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria continues the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.

Here's this month's food for thought, stolen from some of the best and brightest, and soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." Lewis Grizzard

"Vegetarians are people who cannot hear tomatoes screaming." Joseph Campbell

"The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves." W.C. Fields

Gary
August, 2011

----the new sites----

Caribbean Foods 101
(recipes from the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico)

Corporate Document Repository
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' archive of "documents and publications, as well as selected non-FAO publications, in electronic format")

Epicurean, The
("A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art Including Table and Wine Service, How to Prepare and Cook Dishes, an Index for Marketing, a Great Variety of Bills of Fare for Breakfasts, Luncheons, Dinners, Suppers, Ambigus, Buffets, etc., and a Selection of Interesting Bills of Fare of Delmonico's, from 1862 to 1894. Making a Franco-American Culinary Encyclopedia;" text of Charles Ranhofer's book)

European Network of Regional Culinary Heritage, The
(site promoting the local and regional foods of Scandinavia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine; available in 10 languages)

Food and Beverage
(free subscriptions, for professionals, to 26 trade magazines)

Food Stories
(interactive lessons in food and culture, with sub-divided sections on major topics: Food and identity, shopping for food, food production and technology)

Historic Recipe File
(an archive of recipe clippings, 1960s through 1980s, in the Milwaukee Public Library)

MC Parma i Musei del Cibo
(four museums, devoted to Parmigiano Reggiano, tomatoes, Prosciutto di Parma, and salumi; in Italian and English)

New England Chowder Compendium, The
(scanned documents, decade by decade, from the Beatrice McIntosh Cookery Collection in the library of the University of Massachusetts)

Pulmuone Kimchi Museum
("...established in 1986 to study the culture of kimchi, the archetypal Korean food, to promote kimchi inside and outside of Korea;" in Korean and English)

Study Says Salt Intake and High Blood Pressure Not Related
(this European study does not reflect American eating habits, but is just part of the arguments for-and-against salt in the diet)

"What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?"
("The Government’s Effect on the American Diet," an exhibit at the US National Archives; press release here )

----changed URLs----

Museum der Brotkultur

Nordljus

Southern Food & Beverage Museum

----how-to blogs----

Blog posts about blogging -- and related topics, such as writing, design, photography, promotion, and ethics -- can help us become better, and possibly more successful, writers (i.e., having more people read our stuff). Here's a recent favorite:

Is IACP for Food Bloggers?

----yet more blogs----

Dinners and Dreams

Good Cooking for Hard Times

Running with Tweezers

Spice Spoon, The

You Fed a Baby Chili?

----that's all for now----

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably-brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

________________

"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #130" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.

Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.

Wheeling

2011-07-19T09:29:00.004-04:00

"Sir, I have some information on that break-in at the courthouse."

"What's that? Oh, right -- the perverts. What's their story?"

"Well actually, sir, I'm not sure that I would describe them precisely as perverts."

"Really? And what would you call a pair of freaks found, practically naked, at three o'clock in the morning, in a courtroom?"

"Well sir, I think what I meant to say was that there may be more to their case than mere B & E -- or, for that matter, Indecent Exposure."

"It was all a misunderstanding, perhaps?"

"Well, no, not exactly. But I've interviewed them both and I don't think that they fit the description of our usual breed of sexual deviants. For one thing, they seem to be in love."

"Ah. That would explain why they were naked -- except for the sex-harnesses they attached to opposite ends of a courtroom."

"Belaying seats, sir."

"I certainly don't see how..."

"No, belaying seats. What they were wearing. Secured with nylon webbing slings and alloy carabiners, sir. It's pretty standard climbing gear."

"Sure. Just the sort of thing I would choose to wear on a date. Frankly, I'm having a hard time trying to avoid thinking about the sort of deviant sex act that might require such equipment."

"That's just it, sir. I don't think they intended to have sex. At least, not exactly."

"Just a young man and a maid on an innocent frolic -- that just happened to end up with the department finding them in flagrante delicto. Is that what you're saying? Sorry. A couple of twenty-year-olds found naked together in the middle of the night -- why on earth would I think that sex might be involved?"

"That's the point, sir -- sex is involved, in a way -- but not the way you think. You see, they really love each other."

"You already said that. I got it. Young innocent love. What I don't get is why the ridiculous matching S & M outfits."

"Belaying seats, sir."

"Belaying seats, then. Why the belaying seats?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, sir. They were not planning to have sex at all."

"What was that, some kind of weird Tantric suspension of orgasm?"

"You surprise me, sir."

"Why -- you think you're the only person who ever read a book?"

"No, not at all -- it's just that even one Tantric sexual practice seems an unlikely tidbit of information for you to know about."

"That's neither here nor there. What's the deal with the seats?"

"Well, sir, it seems that they would plan their weekends, in great detail. Each weekend was intended to be a different kind of event, part of a series of competitions of a sort, in which they competed only against themselves..."

"Like a Sexual Olympics?"

"…in which they competed only against themselves, as a team, with the goal of achieving ever higher levels of bliss. It was not exactly sexual bliss, though. It was more like they had discovered that mere sex could not adequately express their devotion to each other."

"Sounds perverted to me."

"Perhaps. I don't know. Maybe. Really, sir, you should try to see that this is not about perversion -- not, at least, the kind that you mean."

"OK, OK. I get it -- I'm the yahoo and you're the intellectual. Please, please, Professor Brain -- show me what I've been missing all my life."

"Sorry, sir, I didn't intend to sound so condescending. These 'Olympic events,' for lack of a better name, are always staged in public places -- places that have been charged with a great deal of human emotion: sports arenas, the stock exchange, dangerous intersections. They like to have their trysts 'jump-started,' as it were, by the emotional energy that they believed charged these places, even when they are abandoned. Especially when abandoned."

"Hence, the courtroom."

"Exactly."

"Do you think you might say exactly a little less often? And what special event was planned for Saturday night? What emotional heights were they planning to ascend in their belaying seats?"

"It's a little difficult to explain."

"Try me. By the way, I've noticed that you've stopped calling me 'sir.'"

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again, sir."

"That's alright -- it was beginning to get on my nerves anyway."

"Thank you, sir -- oh, sorry."

"No more apologies -- just tell me about the perps and their goddamn seats!"

"Of course. Well, I must begin by saying that the belaying seats were only incidental to Saturday's event."

"But that's all they were wearing!"

"Yes, but you must understand that most of the event was carried on in their heads -- physical equipment was, for the most part, unnecessary."

"I'm afraid to ask…"

"Yes, sir, I understand that this may be somewhat -- abstract -- but it is very real to our perpetrators."

"…but is this some kind of goddamn mind game? Is that what you're telling me?"

"I think that your term mind game may be apt, sir. They do compete, in a quite cerebral manner, but only against their own history of ecstatic accomplishments."

"Do you think you might be able to explain to me what they were doing, without being quite so abstract yourself?"

"I did tell you that this would be difficult, sir -- but I'll try. "

"Please do."

"Try to imagine a pair of huge, monumentally vertical, wheels, aligned facing each other, as if they were mounted on the same axle. Think of the wheels as twin Ferris wheels. In your mind, the young woman is fastened, with her climbing gear, to the top of one of these wheels. Facing her, attached to the top of the other wheel, is our young man. The two wheels are separated by a space that is roughly equivalent to the distance that separated them in the courtroom. The wheels are not locked in position, they can rotate, albeit slowly. The scene you are imagining is the one they carefully established in their own minds at the beginning of Saturday's event."

"Jesus…"

"Quite. The stage, as it were, was set. One of them, as if entertaining the other, suggested that they might have a little something to eat. No doubt, setting up these elaborate mental props engenders an appetite. You see, of course, that this appetite, imaginary as it might be, is a metaphor for the appetite they have for each other."

"…Christ…"

"They decided to cook something together. One, let us say the young woman, suggested an ingredient, say oranges. She moved her imaginary oranges to her right on the wheel. Her reaching caused the imaginary center of gravity to shift to the left, and the wheel began to turn, ever so slowly in that direction. They were moved by thinking about the complex of color and aroma and tart-sweet flavors of these virtual Valencias, just as the imaginary wheel was moved by their imaginary weight…"

"…almighty."

"…the young man suggested another ingredient, let us say basil. He placed the fresh imaginary herb, redolent of clove and cinnamon and mint, to his left. They savored the effect of that ensemble of scents, how they combined with and informed the dish of imaginary oranges. His motion, like hers, caused his wheel to begin to rotate slowly, but to his right. The two wheels were slowly, majestically turning, in unison, moved, in a sense, by their warming passion…"

"I knew there'd be sex in this someplace."

"…they inhaled deeply, the warm organoleptic confluence of fictional flavors infusing them with a kind of charmed glow that they could never attain through mere sexuality. She gazed across the space between them, first suggesting, then besprinkling some virtual pinenuts. Her wheel accelerated slightly, as they felt the tender resistance of the tiny kernels, the rich, round, fatty sweetness and faintly resinous perfume of the toasted nuts. The heady mixture of orange and basil, was filled out, made substantive by this seemingly whimsical garnish…"

"What the hell does organoleptic mean?"

"…the young man, seeing his love's wheel slowly advancing ahead of him, sensing that the dish they are assembling was beginning to lose the edge provided by the basil he had contributed, rushed to add another element. He chooses thin slices of red onion, their acrid translucency a powerful counterpoint to the sweet aromatic properties of their phantasmagorical foodstuff -- a dish seemingly suspended in the air between their enhanced sensibilities. A tiny transient shock passed through her, but she discovered in the raw heat of the onion, an enchanted mirror that revealed aspects of the orange/basil/pinenut she hadn't noticed before. He saw her tiny shudder and feared, for a second, that the onion might be too much -- but was reassured when the wheel beneath him picked up speed and momentum, first catching up with the progress of her wheel, then edging past it…"

"You know …"

"...concerned that the disparate elements of the dish could begin to fragment and drift apart, she tried to unify the flavors, round out the acidic sweetness of the oranges, soften the raw heat of the onions, allow the basil's heady influence to spread to all parts of the dish. Coyly alluding to the uncrossable space between the two wheels, she chose extra virgin olive oil. He was awed by the depth of her insight into their dish, touched by her obvious concern for his contributions -- even though he suspects that they were clumsy and insignificant by comparison with hers…"

"… I think I've had a salad like this."

"…almost as if the olive oil had moistened mighty -- if fictitious -- bearings, both wheels began to spin freely, the couple whirling through aerial expanses previously unimaginable -- even for them -- in breathless acceleration. Only the consciousness of their mountaineering equipment prevented them from being hurled into the immeasurable depths of the ecstatic hereafter."

"Omigod!"

"Yes. I think that about covers it."

"What do you mean, ‘I think that about covers it?' What happens next?"

"Nothing… or rather, we don't know. Our officers interrupted the event at that point, sir."

"Goddamed meddling fools! Wait a minute -- you interviewed these people separately?"

"Of course. S.O.P. -- by the book."

"And they described the details of this event the same way?"

"Yes. They used different language, but it was plain that they had both had the same experience."

"And they do something like this every weekend?"

"Yes -- of course, they are in jail at the moment."

"Did they seem -- put out -- at being interrupted in the courtroom?"

"Not really. I think they believe they can stage an event whenever they like."

"Surely, being in jail puts a damper on their enthusiasm?"

"Not so far, sir."