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Carolyn, I was pleased to see our Gastronomica chronicler take home the prestigious Golden Gullly award! I especially liked your use of "wild rice" as 3 beats! Up here in Northern Minnesota where the real, (wild), wild rice grows we tend to slur it into two syllables. Congratulations SB

one sick cow the whole world 6.3 billion people All I can say is, WOW! And we call the cows "mad"?

Carolyn, You're going faster than I can remember to comment! Keep up the good work. SB PS: Just in case I forget, I gotta go on record saying how much I loved the "Tomato Eater" cover on the Fall 02 issue.

wow!

You are absolutely right - I did forget to include those... mea culpa. My comment was not intended as criticism, I assure you. I'm in awe of your undertaking this task! THANX Again, SB

Because stuff would freeze during shipping? SB (has had that problem here in Northern MN)

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" Or a PearBear for that matter. While it's certainly appropriate to compare the quality of Harry & Davids pears, and other products, against commonly available supermarket items, comparing their monetary value is not, especially if you are the recipient. Harry & Davids' products are usually given as gifts. I don't know about anyone else, but my parents taught me that it was rude to subject gifts to an monetary appraisal? My family has done business with Harry & Davids for nearly fifty years. Their Gift Baskets are part of my earliest Christmas memories. No other fruit, of however much more spectacular quality or value, would be the same. SB (happy to know there is something called "a pear advocacy group")

The issue of Winter 2002, Volume 2, Number 1 was my favorite thus far. Cover Lunch by George Tooker, 1964 Tooker, of the Magical-Realist movement, creates muted-toned, crisply-outlined figures in a haunting, prosaic situation. Another New Yorker-esque cover. That's about the highest praise I can give. I'm looking at it again now and I'm still not sure if it's supposed to be an odd angle mirror image or not? One little thing Carolyn hasn't mentioned. I like having the thumbnail bio's of the Contributors, which I usually find myself referring to about a third way through an article. Cartoon Black-and-white rendition of a dog, talking to a cat, “My ideological bent is, and always has been, towards food.” Maybe it's not NY quality, but I like cartoons, especially featuring talking animals. Eat Art: Joseph Beuys, Diet Roth, and Sonja Alhäuser at the Busch-Reisinger Museum by Shin Yu Pai A review of an art exhibit based on an exploration of edible and organic materials. With a half-page, full-color photograph of Joseph Beuys’ Capri Batter, Germany, 1985, depicting a yellow light bulb set next to a lemon. I like yellow light bulbs and lemons too! Essay Messages in a Bottle by Barbara Kirschenblatt-Gimblett A somewhat sappy remembrance a deceased friend. Includes six recipes mentioned within the eulogy. "Somewhat sappy", but giving the magazine a dimension not obvious in previous issues that becomes more apparent in the future. Inventions The Patented Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich: Food as Intellectual Property by Anna M. Shih Surprisingly interesting account of how the J.M. Smucker Company’s Menusaver division obtained a U.S. patent for a “Sealed Crustless Sandwich.” {Disclaimer: I was aquainted with Ms Shih, the author of this article, via another Discussion Board, and in fact, it was she who alerted me to both Gastronomica and eGullet. This was her first published work, and she has since had several other pieces printed in newspapers and magazines, including the most recent Gastro.} "Food as Intellectual Property" is a concept that's hard to grasp. At first, to those of us who enjoy food as other than mere subsistence, it sounds frightening. Maybe we'll be sued for passing on Grandma's Tuna Casserole recipe, unaware that she originally filched it from Kraft? Ms Shih, a patent attorney by trade if not choice, manages to reduce the complexity of the theory and application of patent law in this example to a very understandable level, and does indeed produce a "surprisingly interesting account". On a side note, I've notice that attornies tend to be over-represented in the ranks of part-time and aspiring food writers, perhaps because this is one of the few educational programs that still requires cognitive writing skills? Photographs Heavy in White by Lynn Bianchi Brief commentary by photographer Bianchi about her work utilizing a corpulent model being served by “normal”-shaped women. Anyone unfamiliar with the photographer’s work should take a look: <http://www.lynnbianchi.com/> Includes a full-page, black-and-white Servitude 1 and Lalique both from 1998. Once again, I'd hate to slight the photos, which are always interesting and well presented just because I don't know much about either the tecnical or artistic aspects of photography. Investigations Alaska’s Vanishing Arctic Cuisine by Zona Spray Very extensive history and culture of Eskimo cuisine. With a half-page, black-and-white photograph of a seal oil dish used to light sod or snow houses and warm prepared foods and a half-page, full-color photograph of sealskin poke filled with meat, dried fish, and seal oil, and a quarter-page, full-color photograph depicting the modern-day technique of rendering seal oil from blubber. I enjoyed this article, perhaps because my nephew's son and his wife currently reside in a remote Eskimo village, where she teaches and he does contract mechanical engineering via the internet. The area they're in is barely a generation removed from the original Eskimo culture, and their stories lent me a little better understanding of this article. Remains of the Day Shelf Life by Jeanne Schinto Venerable food collections that occur out of happenstance - why do people save old food. With a quarter-page, full-color reproduction of a Smithfield can of Pork with Barbeque Sauce. Another quirky piece, quite in keeping with my mental image of the magazine. Memoir Memories of an Exiled Shetlander by Ethel G. Hofman Article as title describes - rather makes me long for Scotland and that food. Also includes a glossary of Scottish food words and three recipes; Shetland Bannocks, Coconut Cake, and Fried Gefilte Fish. Although Shetlanders are more directly realted to the Scandinavians than the British, (the islands were gifted to Scotland in 1469), being one-fourth Scotch myself I enjoyed this reminiscense. Archive On Being Married to M.F.K. Fisher by Joan Reardon Author Reardon comments on text by Donald Friede (Fisher was his fifth wife, Friede was Fisher’s third husband) from a manuscript held in a private collection of Kennedy Friede Golden. With a full-page, black-and-white photograph of M.F.K. Fisher grilled at Bareacres and a full-page of three black-and-white photographs of M.F.K. Fisher in the kitchen at Bareacres and with Donald Friede, Anne, and Kennedy, 1947. What can I say? Other than perhaps Julia, there is nobody in the food world I hold in higher esteem than MFKF! As I stated, my favorite issue thus far, and one of the best of all time! (Okay, so there have only been 12 total)

Carolyn, Once again, thanks for undertaking this project. I'm not even able to keep up with my short running commentary. The issue of Fall 2001, Volume 1, Number 4 was probably the first completely composed after the release of the first issue, given the long lead time of a magazine like Gastro. While a distinct literary style hadn't yet emerged, it was becoming obvious that the articles being submitted were going to influence the publisher's direction. Cover Meat Weapon by Andres Serrano, ©1984. A photograph of Laurence Fishburne, hefting a hunk of meat like it was an AK47. The cover will no doubt be recalled as a seminal feature in the magazines developmental history. Words don't do it justice, but I believe it's still featured on the web site. I'm surprised it hasn't been marketed as a t-shirt yet. (I'd buy one!) Since I'm enough of a food writing groupie to always enjoy articles about the modern icons, my favorite pieces in this issue were: Memoir Laurie Colwin: A Writer in the Kitchen by Willard Spiegelman A look back on the life and writings of Colwin. With a full-page, full-color photograph of Colwin at her garden gate. American Icon Julia and Me by Nancy Cobb Chronicle of meeting the Grande Dame. With a half-page, full-color photograph of the author and the High Priestess. I also like historical pieces like: Origin Boston Cream Pie by Greg Patent Recipe sleuthing determines the origin of this uniquely-American cake, called a pie. Included in the article is the Parker House recipe. With a half-page, full-color photograph of a pretty-great-looking sample, plus a quarter-page, black-and-white reproduction of The Boston Herald announcement of the opening of the Parker House, 1856. (I even tried, not entirely unsuccessfully, to make one!) Archive What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking by Rafia Zafar Commentary on the book, What Mrs. Fisher Knows… originally published in 1881. With quarter-page reproduction of original title page. Notes on Vintage Volumes The Cook – An Early American Culinary Magazine by Jan Longone Looking back on an early (1880s) food journal. With a quarter-page, black-and-white reproduction of a cover from September 21, 1885, and a quarter-page, black-and-white reproduction of the Weekly Retail Market Report, same date as cover. But for me what really made this quarter's offering fly was the concluding article: Lagniappe Water Toast by Ashley Shelby The lost art form of an alleged Indiana delicacy. It's written in a simple, almost Reader's Digest-like style, and is actually about nothing at all. Juxtaposed against the scholarly and socially redeeming contents bounded by this piece and the powerful cover it boded well for Gastronomica's future.

Summer 2001, Volume 1, Number 3 This was perhaps Gastronomic's weakest issue ever, understandably so because of the effort already exerted to insure the first and second issues made as strong an initial impression as possible. Additionally, since the magazine hadn't yet developed any formal patterns, (or distinctive voice. so to speak), this quarter's seems somewhat disjointed, and obviously consists of pieces that had been removed from consideration for inclusion in the first two issues. Had this been your first exposure to Gastronomica, you may have passed on becoming a regular reader, but I felt the following parts lived up to my expectations and carried the effort forward. "Vegetable Paper by Michelle Ticknor A brief description on the manufacture of paper made from sliced, dried vegetables. With a one-third page, full-color print of Beets and a full-page, full-color photographic detail of Carrots." I don't know where else this would have appeared. "Food for the Bawdy: Johann of Bockenheim’s “Registrum Coquine” by Luigi Ballerini A history and commentary on a fifteenth-century cookbook written by the chef to Pope Martin V. Extremely well-annotated." This alone was worth the price to me. I'm fond of historical works presented in Gastronomica's style, which is scholatic without being too academic. "Professor Blot and The First French Cooking School in New York (Part 2) by Jan Longone A conclusion of the article started previously in the Spring, 2001 issue." Another historical piece, continued from the previous issue. ”A Honey of Roses”: The Culture of Food in Shakespeare’s Day by Hona Bell A review of the book Fooles and Fricassees: Food in Shakespear’s England, edited by Mary Anne Caton, with an essay by Joan Thirsk. With a half-page, full-color depiction of costumes from the time of James I and a half-page, black-and-white frontis and title page from Hannah Woolley’s The Queen-like Closet (London, 1675). " Every book review segment contains at least one title I would love to own if I had a perpetual Amazon Gift Certificate, but this is another one I never bought. Like I say, not an altogether great example, but the endeavor was still in an obviously formative stage. THANX SB

I'm enjoying this Thread from even further up North. I had just recently noticed that my menus were rather seasonal too. Just last week, while talking with my butcher, I decided it was time to make Pot Roast again. I guess the corollary sign in Spring would be the first appearance of my macaroni and tuna salad? Up here on Minnesota's Iron Range our Winter generally starts two to three weeks earlier than it does in Southern Wisconsin, and last two to three weeks longer besides. Although today it's sunny with a near record setting temp of 50 degrees, November first it was -11, and we've already had 13" of snow! Probably the anticipation of Winter, (or is it prolonged sorrow over the ending of Summer), is worse than the actual fact. Like you say, you get use to it, and the cold weather is condusive to more cooking, and especially baking. I have a large garden outside my shop which will be celebrating its 100th planting in a couple of years. This season we got it in late, and most of the tomatos didn't ripen on the vine, but because of some unusually mild fall weather I was able to pick lettuce until October! THANX, SB

Once again, thank you for taking on this Herculean task! Spring 2001 was the first issue of Gastronomica I received. A fellow food writing enthusiast from another Forum had alerted me to the magazine's existence, and given me some general idea as to its content. (This person, who also posts on eGullet Baords, has contributed several articles to Gastronomica since, and I'll point them out when you get to the particular issues.) What struck me first was the cover. Being a long time New Yorker reader I've always thought highly of publications that use their front covers to make an artistic statement rather than just advertise contents. Gastronomica has already had several very intriguing covers that could stand alone as food commentary in their own right. Looking back on my first exposure to the publication, these parts stood out. I'll have to admit that "A Feast For the Eye", featuring the huge gnawed cubes of lard and chocolate, still has me baffled. I was almost tempted to submit a counter-piece featuring 600 lb blocks of Velveeta and Spam! The poetry reminded me again of the New Yorker, and I say that as the most lavish praise I can give a periodical. The articles on coriander and bedbugs, eggbeater history, Prof Blot's Civil War era French Cooking School, and Zola's notes on vegetable stalls are typical of what would come to be expected as standard Gastonomica fare, although later issues seem to have developed stronger themes for each issue. The photographs, (and interior artwork), are always first class, whether as pieces themselves or accompanying a written article. The book reviews are interesting and entertaining, and have enticed me to purchase several of the reviewed works. The Lagniappe, (a small gift given to a customer by a merchant), is a nice touch which, along with the cover, helps establish a unique personality for the magazine. I look forward to your outines of each issue, and will add my comments on those, and each new issue as it's published, as well as remembering to elaborate on my views of Gastro's particular position in the world of food publications which were previously expressed on another eGullet thread. THANX SB

One more thing I'll always be thankful to my parents for; they used to take me and my younger Brother and Sister out to dinner about once a month, starting when I was eight or nine, and my siblings two and five years younger. Often it was to the local hotel restaurants, at the time the nicest places to eat in our area. We were taught how to behave while dining in public, and I can remember how proud my folks would be when others would come over to the table and compliment them on how well mannered we were. I've tried to advance this cause myself, although I don't have children, by sending my compliments, usually via the waitstaff, when I see a family dining with well behaved children. I also recall the maire d' of the Flame Room at the Minneapolis Raddison Hotel, at that time on of the fanciest restaurants in Minnesota, making special arrangements for us to dine there an hour before the official opening time to circumvent the liquor laws. The staff made a great fuss over us, and we were all thrilled by the fancy decor and elaborate meal, which included the obligatory early 1960's vintage flaming-something-or-other-I-forget-what. I will remember to thank my parents for one more special thing the next time I see them. SB

A list of stores by State where you can purchase Gastro: http://www.gastronomica.org/gastro/pages/s.../bookstore.html SB (its worth subscribing though)

What I find most annoying in dining companions is anybody who will berate or chide the waitstaff over matters outside their control. None of you ever worked that end of the operation? SB

Incorporate him into your "mice en place"? BTW: Today Is.... Saturday, November 8 (Hevensday, Blotmath 17 in the Shire) "National Abet and Aid Punsters Day" SB (I could hardly wait!)

CT, I'm pleased to see somebody (other than me) has taken on this project! As a fan of "Gastro" I've recently been engaged in a brief debate as to the magazine's journaliistic merits with FG on another Thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...=2&t=28539&st=0 I was paging through my back issues last night in preparation for composing a follow-up piece, and now at least I know where to post it. THANX SB

Thank you both for your attention to my concerns. I really didn't intend to discuss Gastronomica, per se, but only siezed upon your dismissal of it as illustrating what I believe to be the general practice of proscribing the boundries of food writing in a fashion I think forcloses some impending interesting developments. I'll read the proffered link and try to more clearly define my views either under that heading, in a new, similar Thread, or at some other venue that appears appropriate. The sheer magnitude of all the discussions simultaneously undergoing on eGullet is impressive, but as a relative newcomer I can tell you it's a daunting task to venture forth with anything more than quick quips and general comments, let alone to consider innitiating new Threads. THANX SB

Thank you. I've yet to initiate a Discussion on this Board, partly due to unfamiliarity with the protocol. After rereading this Discussion, I have to think that although the Thread seemed to fray somewhat on the second page, my allusions to alternate definitions of food writing, using Gastronomica Magazine as an example that had already been introduced, helped to weave the topic back together. (Sorry about the cheap literary trick. It is Halloween?) So, operating within your domain, would you suggest the subject be introduced as a General Food Topic, as it's one of the broader categories available, or moved to the Media section, which seems obvious but I'm afraid could serve to constrain me later in expanding my thoughts, similar to what appears to have happened in this instance? THANX SB PS: Bux, got ya!

While it was not the overt intention of my Reply, neither was it entirely unintentional. I have never read Petits Propos Culinaire, (Timely Little Food?), nor am I familiar with the academic journals you cite. Since I'll readily admit that the more scholasticly toned articles in my collection of Gastronomica will probably lie unread forever, I'll grant your point that the magazine may not be "doing a very good job" in that regard. Perhaps my comparative unfamiliarity with academic food writing enables me to sense an altogether different theme at Gastronomica that might not be obvious to better educated readers, and we can avoid arguing about our personal tastes in reading material and initiate a more expansive discussion? Although it may seem preposterous to offer the comparison of an upstart like Gastronomica to such an august journal as The New Yorker, that publication's reputation is not based on anybody being able to define "what it's about", but rather on how "it" is presented. {In an aside, I'll point out that Gasto's cover art does evoke comparison to one of The New Yorker's most salient features in what I believe to be a most credible manner} If, in consideration of your time and (cyber)space, you will allow me to stipulate that there are particular examples I could cite to illustrate my point, I'll purport to note the evolution of a "voice" in Gastronomica's eclectic articles that speaks to the development of a more inclusive basis for what food writing is considered be, harkening back to the ancient philosopher/food writers, which was the point I had wished to stress in my original Reply. THANX SB

Bux,Oct 30 2003, 12:42 PM] "One can't help but have the impression there's thought behind the post." I just wanted to try out the old saw, "You can fool some of the people .....". THANX SB (gotta learn how to use the little smiley faces some day)

I believe your dismissive attitude towards Gastronomica Magazine concerning its credentials "in the world of food writing" are based on a mistaken assumption. Why that journal has to be a "food magazine" by some arbitrary definition of the genre is an open question. Gastronomica as a publication actually expands the realm, or, more accurately completes a circle begun by ancient priests and philosophers who were the original food writers. In attempting to define one's own being they discussed food in all its manifestations as a component of self. Bypassing prehistoric cave drawings, which featured the hunt, and Egyptian heiroglyphics, which were largely involved with documenting the production and storing of food, a good example of this can be found in one of the earliest actual writings extant. As Mark Kurlansky points out in the Introduction to "Choice Cuts", much of the Old Testament is devoted to how "the Hebrews were to define themselves as a distinct people" through specific diet. Kurlansky's book also contains several other sections dealing with early philosphers as "food writers". On the other hand, most of the earliest acknowledged food writers, Brillat Savarin, Escoffier, Larousse and especially Dumas tended to treat their primary subject as de facto philosophers. This existential view of food, (you are what you eat expanded to its absolute limit), conveys the idea of food being of greater importance to us than just for the fuction it provides to the rest of the plant and animal kingdom. Food thus becomes one of the defining aspects of human existence. The broad scope of articles presented in Gastronomica offers a venue for authors not necessarily even aware of the boundaries of modern food writing, and interesting fare for readers wishing to explore categorical expansion of their own consciousness. As such, Gastronomica, even in "dead tree" format, is perhaps a more modern purveyor of "food writing" than even eGullet, which, with all due repsect for its educational and entertaining Forums, is still only a faster method of relating information within the same old 20th Century perimeters. Whether it is part of the University of California Press, and for-profit or not, seems rather irrelevant. It's not unusual that an eccentric publication produced to such high standards wouldn't be immediately presented as a commercial proposition, but if enough people are willing to accept the philosophical undertones of Gastronomica's style it may indeed prove to be a harbinger of what comes to be defined as "food writing" in the 21st Century. THANX SB

I'll tell you something about Julia. Even when teamed with Emeril, (and it was a repeat of a 2001 show), she can carry a whole Thread on eGullet without anybody posting sarcastic or demeaning comments. That says a lot about the respect she has from the food community. SB (it also says a lot about eGullet) PS: of course, a certain Steve P hasn't been heard from in a while

I agree 100%. Jamie Oliver's outgoing personality has actually worked against him among more "serious" Food Network viewers, but anyone who harbored doubts about his qualifications or motives should be satisifed after watching this show. Anybody who has ever worked at opening a new restaurant, or even just been involved in hiring kitchen staff, will appreciate the amount of effort he puts forth. And all while doing his regualr television show and attending to celebrity functions at the same time, to say nothing of becoming a Father!

Okay, just so you all know. Rick Bayless only took the gig after I turned it down. SB (espoused out)