3 replies to this topic

[maggiethecat]

Mnemonics are devices to help us remember, and God knows I need them. Blame it on age, aged single malt or a youth spent in blasting brain cells, but I find it difficult to remember where I left my ankle bracelet, let alone the order of taxonomy in biology. Luckily, I do remember that:

Kids prefer cheese over fried green spinach. To wit: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

There are many useful aides-memoires that feature food. Does spelling of the word “necessary” still necessitate a run through Spell Check? Not if you remember that ”Not every chef eats sardines. (Some are really yummy.)”

Or perhaps you can’t remember the notes represented by the lines on the treble clef stave (bottom to top):
(E, G, B, D, F)Every Good Boy Deserves Flageolets.
And the notes represented by the spaces between the lines:
(F, A, C, E)Furry Animals Cook Excellently.
Let’s say you need to calculate the area of your Pecan Pie, and find that you‘ve forgotten pi to twenty-one numbers. This is an elegant classic, and I love it because it’s all about the food:

“Now I wish I could recollect pi.
“Eureka,” cried the great inventor.
Christmas Pudding, Christmas Pie
Is the problem’s very center.”

Count the letters in every word, and assign it a digit. That’s 3.14159265358979323846, mon patissier!

So here’s the challenge: Write a mnemonic for a memory bete-noir, using food and cooking language. Let’s remember the planets in order from the sun outward: "Maggie’s violet eggplants make Jacques stay up nights –perhaps." Or, write a mnemonic to help you remember some food or wine lapse that embarrasses you every time, like forgetting the names of those vineyards in Burgundy. Meurseault, Monrachet, Chambertin, Pommard, Beaune, Pouilly-Fuisse, Corton….

Actually, I could use a mnemonic to remember how to spell mnemonic. Hmmm. Maggie never eats meat on nights in Calabria?

Help a sister out, and remember to post them here.

[maggiethecat]

Heaven knows I'm flexible with deadlines, but let's shoot for July 17th.

[maggiethecat]

Heaven knows I'm flexible with deadlines, but let's shoot for July 17th.

More flexible than a Slinky, but less than the leaves of a yet-to-be-poached artichoke.

Give it a shot, Peeps! The Smackdown may become a much more serious competition in the future, and why not? The writing and intellectual skills on this site demand it. So let this bit of frivolity be a chance to get your name in lights, and add a cool cookbook to your library.

And start thinking about the next topic: "What I Ate This Summer." Three thousand words.

[Dave the Cook]

Winners of Round 22 announced here.