Spring 2004, Volume 4, Number 2 Cover Homme (1920), by Man Ray. Jedermann Collection, N.A. Image © 2004 Man Ray Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris. Photographic image of a now-antique hand-crank egg beater. From the Editor The Way We Live Now by Darra Goldstein “We stop to savor the moment, to contemplate the vigor of vegetables, the sensuality of sausage.” Contributors – Mini-biographies. Borborygmus – Rumblings from the World of Food To the Editor Persian Miniatures by Najmieh Batmanglij, Washington, DC. Commenting on the Fall 2003 article “Haft Awrang” by Katie M. Ziglar. Correcting several points in Ms. Ziglar’s article. Mock Foods Deborah L. Miller, St. Paul, MN. Commenting on the Spring, 2003, “In Praise of Mock Foods” where Ms. Miller adds to the discussion with Midwestern insight and includes several recipes; Mock Apple Pie and Elephant Stew Pottles by James Semple, London, UK Commenting on the Fall, 2003 article “Coffins, Pipkins, and Pottles” by Mark Morton. Mr. Semple suggests that Mr. Morton may have missed some of the definitions of the word “pottle.” Mr. Morton responded and added some additional definitions. Alan Davidson (1924-2003) by Tom Jaine A eulogy and mini-biography of food writer, Davidson. A Coming-Out Party by Judith Hausman How the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture organized a fund-raiser for Outstanding in the Field Support for Sharpton by Kevin Canfield “This is the story of how a man who was running for president helped [the author] discover the best soul food in Harlem.” Symposium of Australian Gastronomy – by Paul Van Reyk “Foods, Fears, Fads, and Fantasies” was the theme of the 13th annual event held in February. Salon Series of Stags’ Leap Winery A small blurb on how owners Horance and Minnie Mizner Chase restarts a celebration of visual, performing, and literary arts. Orts and Scantlings Strange Cousins by Mark Morton The surprise of how some apparently disparate words are closely akin. With a one-half page, full color photograph of a stunning, golden bagel with sesame seeds. Feast for the Eye Martianmallow – Food for the Inner Alien by Marion Lee and Thomas Beischer A very odd story regarding conceptual artists Shirley Tse and Dan Frydman and their piece as part of an exhibit entitled In The Polka Dot Kitchen which ”explores the impact of mock recipes, hyper-realized food presentation, the pleasures and dangers of food consumption, and various foods themselves as a medium of art making and visual expression.” With a full-page, color photograph by Shirley Tse and Dan Frydman, Martyianmallow depicting a large, flat, white floating thingy in a swimming pool. Poetry Today’s special dish by Nina Lindsay It was the morning’s sweetness, a cold wind on warm air and the papery smell of wisteria, that tempted me to homemade tortellini for your lunch. But now, broth Poem continues for another 12 lines. Classics Still Life with Frittata by Teresa Lust How the Italian frittata permeates modern antipasti menus, art, and literature. With a half-page, full color reproduction of Carlo Magini’s (1720-1806) Sumptuous Table with Frittata and Bread. Politics ”GM or Death” – Food and Choice in Zambia by Christopher M. Annear Very powerful, controversial story of how Zambia’s president banned genetically modified (“GM”) foods, including those imported for famine relief. With a one-third page, full-color photograph of Woman with baby selling non-GM tomatoes. Mansa market, Luapula Providence, October 1999. A one-third page, full-color photograph of Zambian President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa during his July 2002 visit to the Lunda-Kazembe Mutomboko Ceremony in Mwansabombwe, Luapula Province, Zambia. A one-half page, full-color photograph of Mr. Nason L. Chibwe displaying non-GM cassava root grown on his farm in Kansele on the Luapula Plateau during his independently organized agriculture show and farmer workshop, October 1999.. Memoir Motherfood by Jan Zita Grover Yet another look back on a mother’s cooking after the passing of the parent. This one from the perspective that the surviving child experiences cooking in Minnesota. Bibliography Over the Top – The Extravagant Confectionery of J.M. Erich Weber by Francine Kirsch Great story with much historical investigation into an early confectionery artist and his writings, mostly written for the trade at the time (1890s). With numerous, outstanding illustrations; a two-thirds page, full color photograph of a typical torte from Weber’s ‘Torten-Kunst’ (1922), described in German, English, French, Spanish, Swedish, and Danish on the page facing the plate;a half-page, full-color photograph of Unusual cakes. Color plate from ‘PRA-KO-KU.’ Horseshoe, vine, and clover leaves, fish; and a half-page, full color photograph of Weber’s interpretation of an English wedding cake; on the right, his interpretation of the traditional pyramid-shaped centerpiece. Plate 83 from the 1923 edition of ‘PRA-KO-KU.’ Investigations Romanced by Cookbooks by Anne L. Bower How the general reader can enjoy simply perusing and reading a cookbook without ever actually cooking a recipe from said book. This article looks into the phenomenon of the book consumer obtaining these books not as a kitchen resource, but as art and enjoyment. Illustrations include a two-thirds page, full color reproduction of Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge’s InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook cover, published in Memphis, TN, by Terrace Publishing, 1997; and two smaller reproductions of covers, Norman Douglas’ Venus in the Kitchen, originally published in 1952 and reprinted by Bloomsbury in 2003 and Barbara Cartland’s The Romance of Food published by Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1984. Food Stories by John Clark Oddly technical look at the development of Thai food in an Australia context. The author, John Clark’s website no longer has the Thai links working, which is a shame. His credentials are impressive however the article seems a bit more scientific than the average reader may potentially appreciate. There are numerous scientific hexahedrons mapping aesthetic values as antithetical pairs and three illustrations; one-third page high, full color: Dom Yam [is a} mild soup for which coconutmilk and stock are briefly brought to the boil before adding almost any kind of fresh fish. The coconut milk is then boiled just enough to cook the fish and to avoid creating an oily or overly creamy texture in the soup. The heat is then turned off, and fresh lime and chopped Chinese coriander leaves and roots are added. Technology Grinding Away the Rust – The Legacy of Iceland’s Herring Oil and Meal Factories by Chris Bogan An exciting, rousing adventure-like account of the author’s account of a local effort to build a the Herring Era Museum and his involvement with the museum. The story includes a history of the fishing industry in Iceland and the development of the use of industrial equipment. With a one-third page, full color photograph looking across at Sigló from the ruins of the Evangar factory while collecting bricks by snowmobile, January 2002. Plus, two additional one-half page, full color photographs of the massive concrete herring oil tanks at the Hjaltyrí ghost factory. The metal tank held fuel oil for the boilers in the room on the left, Summer 2002. and a shot of the author next to an American Blower Company blower, made in Detroit in the early 1940s. Ingólfsfjördur, Iceland, Summer 2003. Celebrations A Highland ‘Ceilidh’ by Ethel G. Hofman The Gaelic word ‘ceilidh’ means a social gathering. This is a relatively short article on what could have been far more extensive – a brief travelogue of the vicinity, an overview of the foods that are served, a description of the clothes that are worn, and some history on the events themselves. Although the article was too short for your editor’s likes, it did include two recipes: Whiskey Fruit Loaf and Hot Marmalade Pudding. With a stunning, one page, full color photographs (which looked like a painting!) of the Shetland Crofthouse Museum, Dunrossness, Shetland. There was an additional explanation that though this house is in Shetland, it is typical of the Skye dwellings where ‘ceilidhs’ were held. There was also a one-half page, full color photograph of George Macpherson, storyteller and historian. The Law When the IRS Came to Dinner by Elizabeth Williams Very interesting overview of the Supreme Court case United States v. Fior d’Italia, Inc. With a half-page, full color, close-up photograph (no caption) of a man’s hand on a menu and a pair of waitress’s hands, holding a notepad, taking the order. Photographs Scenes from American Life by Eric Futran Five black-and-white photographs in all; 1. One-third page. A middle-aged woman and man, standing behind the counter with some large jars set in front of them. Helena Fish Market, West Helena, Arkansas. – On the way to Memphis with my kids, I passed the exit for West Helena. “Birthplace of Sonny Boy Williamson,” I said to myself, and the next thing I knew I was inside this market shooting a picture of the nice people there. My kids were unimpressed. They wanted to know when we’d get to McDonald’s. 2. One-third page. Two men behind a large, outdoor grill one basting the meat on the grill and the other, drinking from a can. Taste of Chicago, July in Grant Park. – These substantial gentlemen were grilling slabs of ribs over open coals to entice the hundreds of thousands of people who visited this food festival. Our heroes kept themselves well hydrated as the meat sizzled and the crowd grazed. 3. Page-and-a-half. A medium- to long-shot of a diner’s booth seating. The booth on the left is empty, while the shot shows a large, elderly man sitting in the booth on the right. Diner in Cairo, Illinois. – Cairo is a river town at the bottom of Illinois, which time and the railroads have passed by. The downtown is full of deserted buildings – beautiful, sad examples of late-nineteenth-century commercial architecture. Metropolis, a town several miles down the road, got the gambling casino; Cairo was left with memories. Early-morning light shone through the blindsin this truck stop a few hundred yards from the Interstate. 4. Full page. A close-cropped shot with a white-aproned, rubber-gloved black man, clutching a very large fish. Bud at South Chicago Fisheries. – I photographed this place on South Stoney Island Avenue for a show on Soul Food at the Chicago Cultural Center. Customers pick out the fish they want from a large pool at the back of the store. Bud, or his friend Big Man, scoops the fish out of the pool, hauls it over to a table, and clobbers it with a sledgehammer. Then they fillet it to order. You can’t get fish much fresher than that. 5. Full page. A longer, angular-framed picture of a tall, thin, young white man, wearing a hair net, standing next to a large, rolling rack. Ryan Ruffy at Roth Käse, Monroe, Wisconsin. – Because I love cheese, I love cheese factories. Roth Käse is located in a town that also boasts Huber Brewery, the oldest independent family brewery in America, and Baumgartner’s a Swiss bar on the town square, where you can feast on a liverwurst, Limburger, and raw onion sandwich (topped with hot mustard, of course). Passages Lucien Robert – De Temps en Temps by Elizabeth Riely A rather meandering obituary of Lucien Robert, owner and operator of Maître Jacques, later known as Maison Robert, in Boston. With a full-page, black-and-white photograph of Lucien Robert at age thirteen, on the family farm in Normandy, dressed for his first communion. This was the year of his mother’s death. Origins ’Nebam Sirme’ – Preserving Milk and Tradition by Bronwen Bromberger Fascinating, well-annotated account of how African semi-nomadic herders produce and utilize a product, butter oil, or nebam sirme. With a full page, full color photograph of an older, colorfully-dressed African women selling nebam sirme at a weekly market. There is also a two-thirds page, full color photograph of a young African boy, holding a Coca-Cola bottle filled with nebam sirme. In Memoriam Linda Formichelli, Leftover Artist – 1969-2060 by W. Eric Martin editor’s note: I think this article is a joke of pseudo self-promotion. If you look at the website Two Writers.net, it is a promo site for freelance writers W. Eric Martin and Linda Formichelli. Both authors are very well published in hundreds of magazines, but it really makes me wonder why Gastronomica bothered with this. Martin writes an attempt at an obituary on Formichelli as a neurotic artist. Lame. Oh yeah, by the way, there is a two-thirds page, full color photograph of a sliced pizza. Chef’s Page From the Heart of the Yucatán – El Turix, Cozumel, Mexico by Rafael Ponce One of the more straight-forward accounts of a restaurant from a chef. With a one-third page, full color photograph of Rafael Ponce in the kitchen of El Turix. Notes on Vintage Volumes ”What is your name? My name is Ah Quong. Well, I will call you Charlie.” by Jan Longone Very intriguing account of the content and mere existence of early (19th and 20th Century) ethnic American cookbooks, including: Hindu Diatetics: With Hints on Cooking and Recipes by K.D. Shastri, MD, Minneapolis: Indo-Aryan Publishing Co., 1917 Mount Lebanon to Vermont by George Haddad. Rutland, VT: Tuttle, 1916 Jewish Cookery Book by Mrs. Esther Levy. Philadelphia: W.S. Turner, 1871. [Great American Cookbook] by Makis Guinis. New York: Atlantis, Inc. 1917 Svensk-Amerikansk Kokbok: Swedish-American Book of Cookery and Adviser for Swedish Servants in America by Carl Grimskold. New York: Otto Chils’ Print, 1888. 2nd Revised edition. Chinese and English Cook Book, San Francisco: Fat Ming Co., 1910. With a number of reproductions of book covers: Full page, full color title page for Chinese and English Cook Book. San Francisco: Fat Ming Co., 1910; and four, quarter page, all color: My Norsk-Dansk og Amerikansk Kogebog, Chicago: John Anderson Publishing Co., 1905; Greek cookbook cover, New York, 1917, Nová Domáci Kucharka, 1896, and Smaczne Ciasta, Przepsiy, 1910. Review Essay Bittersweet by Sidney W. Mintz. editor’s note – normally the Review Essay is a comparison of two books – this is a review of only one so it surprised me that it was not part of The Bookshelf. Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar by Peter Macinnis With a full-page, black and white reproduction from the book, ”This is the price of sugar in Europe.” Moreau Le Jenue, graveur Baquoy fils, Du sucre en Europe, Kehl 1787, Paris, BN, Res. Imp. In Jean Goldzink, “Voltaire: Candide, ou l’optimisme/Voltaire; suivi du texte apocryphe de 1760” (Paris: Magnard, 1985, p. 191). The Bookshelf Books in Review Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (Scribner Library of Daily Life) by Solomon H. Katz, Jonathan Katz, William Woys Weaver. California Dish : What I Saw (and Cooked) at the American Culinary Revolution by Jeremiah Tower. Food + Architecture (Architectural Design) by Karen A. Franck. Fried Butter by Abe Opincar. Pane e Salute: Food and Love in Italy and Vermont by Deirdre Heekin and Caleb Barber. Return to Paris: A Memoir by Colette Rossant. From Here, You Can't See Paris: Seasons of a French Village and Its Restaurant by Michael S. Sanders. Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop. It Asian Food: The Global and the Local (Consumasian Book Series) by Katarzyna Cwiertka, Boudewijn Walraven. It The British Housewife: Cookery Books, Cooking and Society in Eighteenth-Century Britain by Gilly Lehman. Bookends It How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science by Russ Parsons. Lagniappe Gastrabulary by Ken Albala and Lisa Cooperman Very funny recommendations on the addition of eight new words to the English language which would expand gastronomy’s vocabulary. Editor’s favorite: adipatry: the tradition of using animal fat as the primary cooking medium. From Latin ‘adeps,’ ‘adipis’ = fat, and the ‘patria’ = fatherland. With two, one-eighths page color reproductions from the artwork by Lisa Cooperman.
