DIGEST: Gastronomica

[srhcb]

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

[Carolyn Tillie]

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

That is very sweet of you, SB... You have been my constant on-going support on the Gastronomica endeavor, which I appreciate!

Cheers;

ct

[srhcb]

You have been my constant on-going support on the Gastronomica endeavor, which I appreciate!

Carolyn:

Actually, I haven't even kept up my slight contribution to this endeavor very well, and I'll try and catch up to you, "chronologicly", asap.

THANX SB

[Carolyn Tillie]

You have been my constant on-going support on the Gastronomica endeavor, which I appreciate!

Carolyn:

Actually, I haven't even kept up my slight contribution to this endeavor very well, and I'll try and catch up to you, "chronologicly", asap.

THANX SB

You've got some time -- I've got to spend the next few weeks packing and moving so I'll be lagging for a while...

[Carolyn Tillie]

Winter 2002, Volume 3, Number 1

Cover

Nigh (1998) by Emily Eveleth. Collection of Nancy and Robert Magoon, Aspen, CO., Courtesy of Danese Gallery, New York. The image is a side view of a jelly donut. At first glance, one might think it is a blurry photograph. It is, in fact, a luxuriously painted, minimalist image of a jelly donut. Similar images can be seen here: http://www.danese.com/Main/Introduction.html

From the Editor

Beyond Table Talk by Darra Goldstein

“How can the act of eating be made to work for social integration, rather than against it?”

Commenting on her attendance of meetings sponsored by the Council of Europe on how food can help change the world.

Contributors – Mini-biographies.

Borborygmus - Rumblings from the World of Food

Letters to the Editor

Of Goose in Gascony by Chitrita Banerji, Cambridge, MA – regarding the Summer, 2002 article by Edward Schneider adding a quote and reference from a Bengali cookbook on similar culinary practices outside of Europe. Parker Bosley of Parker’s New American Bistro in Cleveland, OH also wrote a letter commenting on Schneider’s article in which he translates some of his personal experiences with confit.

Dr. Konganga Thammu Achaya (1923-2002) by Rachel Laudan

A remembrance of the author of Indian Food: A Historical Companion among others.

Permutations in Color and Cuisine by Jackie Ivy

A review of Josef Albers’ exhibit with an accompanying dinner. Editors note: Albers was an art instructor at Bauhaus and taught students to develop an understanding of "the static and dynamic properties of materials . . . through direct experience." The article includes the menu inspired by his artwork as well as a quarter-page, full-color reproduction of Homage to the Square, 1969. Oil on masonite, 16x16 inches.

What’s In a Name? by Ken Albala

Very funny proposal to rename the emerging field of food studies with something more legitimate, like “escology.”

Culinary Exhibitionism? – Germany’s Beloved Black Forest Cherry Cake by Sharon Hudgins

An interesting account of the history of this cake with references to cookbooks in which it first appeared and a description of a museum exhibit devoted to the cake.

With a quarter-page, full-color photograph Kaffeelatsch, soft sculpture ensemble by Stefanie Alraune Siebert.

The answer to the puzzle “Nero Blanc’s Recipe for the Perfect Yule Log” from the Fall 2002 issue.

Utne Independent Press Award

Notification that Gastronomica was nominated for an award.

Orts and Scantlings

Linguistic Shrimps by Mark Morton

Continuing investigation of word origins as they are related to foodstuffs – in this case, words that describe small items.

With a half-page, black-and-white x-ray image of eight peanuts.

Feast For The Eye

Sonja Alhäuser’s Sweet Installations by Catherine Dupree

Sonja Alhäuser uses food as art. This article is a review of an exhibit held at the Busch-Reisenger Museum. We are introduced to Alhäuser’s work wherein she constructs large blocks of food as installation pieces where the art is often smelled before it is seen. Within the gallery, it is encouraged to eat the pieces and the deconstruction of the work is part of the art itself.

The article is accompanied by two photographs – both full-page and in full color. The first, ”Exhibition Basics” on opening day of “Eat Art” and The remains of ”Exhibition Basics,” several weeks later.

Poem

Macaroni & Cheese Survey by Terry Kirts

“In the mail this morning, a certified letter:

Your household has been selected to participate

In a very important study about macaroni and cheese.

And I think about the blue and white box, the pouch

Of day-glow powder, the lonely square of margarine melting”

Poem continues for another 41 lines.

Diet

Weight Watchers at Forty – A Celebration by Joyce Hendley

A retrospective, with a look at the organization over its genesis, growth, and need for change. With two recipes, Cannoli (Italian Pastry) and Tarte Tatin.

With a half-page, black-and-white before-and-after photographs of Nidetch with the comment, Nidetch encouraged all Weight Watchers meeting leaders to display their “before” photos to members, for inspiration. as well as a quarter-page, black-and-white photograph of Weight Watchers International, Inc., co-founders Jean Nidetch and Felice and Al-Lippert, in an undated photo.

Culture

Making a “Tsimes,” Distilling a Performance – Vodka and Jewish Culture in Poland Today by Andrew Ingall

Very interesting article that was not really about a beverage at all. The author creates a fictitious vodka and, under the pretense of asking customer at a Cracow café to rate three different vodka, permitted him “to enter into dialogue with Jews, non-Jews, locals, and tourists alike about the exoticization and objectification of Jews in post-Holocaust, post-Communist Poland.”

With a half-page, full-color photograph of Zydek vodka on the shelf at Roma Discount Wine & Liquor, New York, NY. and a half-page, full-color photograph of an unnamed gentlemen filling out the vodka questionnaire at the Ariel Café in Cracow.

Investigations

The Skinny on Fat by Susan Allport

Very long, in-depth article about the consumption of fat with citations of experiments on the importance of omega-3s and the bad omega-6s.

With a full-page, black-and-white photograph, circa 1930, of five men gathered around a fire in the snow with the caption, ”Finnish lumberjacks were extremely lean, despite a diet heavy in fat and calories, but their risk of developing coronary heart disease was extremely high.” and a half-page, black-and-white photograph of Eskimos in Prince Albert Sound, May, 1911.

Investigations

Train Oil and Snotters – Eating Antarctic Wild Foods by Jeff Rubin

Extremely well-documented article on various expeditions to the Antarctic and what was consumed. Besides commenting on the obvious (eating penguins and seals), there is much discussion on the psychology of the cold, the difficulty in butchery (“seal’s blubber…has a very strong, rancid taste and a most penetrating smell…”) There is included a recipe for Escallops of Penguin Breasts. Over two pages of annotated references.

With a half-page, black-and-white photograph of Charles Green, cook on Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, skinning an emperor penguin in the ship’s galley, a two-thirds page, full-color photograph of a male elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), the source of “snotters”, a half-page, black-and-white reproduction of Midwinter Dinner Menu. Winter Quarters, Commonwealth Bay, Adelie Land, June 21, 1912. Expedition leader Sir Douglas Mawson called this feast “a marvel of gorgeous delicacies, and a full-page, black-and-white woodcut entitled ”Pringlea antiscorbutica – an inestimable blessing.” – Kerguelen Cabbage.

Tribute

Culture Ingested – On the Indigenization of Phillipine Food by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett and Doreen G. Fernandez

The first part of the article is a eulogy to Doreen Fernandez with an overview of her place amongst culinary journalists by Ms. Gimblett. This is accompanied by a full-page, black-and-white photograph of Fernandez, undated. The second part of the article is about Phillipine food by Ms. Fernandez which includes a one-third page, full-color digital image entitled Patikim by Christina Quisumbing Ramilo. The article briefly touches upon methodology, names, ingredients, cooking processes, flavoring, social position, and the native cuisine. There is also five-page glossary of culinary words.

Working on the Food Chain

The Molecular Tourist by Lisa Jategoankar

Literal description of what one would find on the molecular level if one traveled into cells. A bit too scientific for your editor, even though the author made a valiant effort at writing “light” on such a subject, including a “letter to the editor” ending on their vacation within a cell.

With a half-page, black-and-white shots of microscopic bacteria within a plant and a one-third-page, full-color image of Trichomes (hair) on the surface of a geranium leaf.

Pastimes

Shark Bait by Jesse Browner

Interesting article about preparing and serving food for someone else, beginning with a premise of having to prepare food for those playing within a floating poker game. I found the article interesting because the author referenced Brillat-Savarin as well as Beowulf.

With a half-page, full-color photograph of a Poker game, New York City, April 2002.

Rituals

The Propitiatory Meal by Chitrita Banerji

Well-written, fascinating account of how the Hindu “belief in the suprasensory nature of food allows the meal to a ritualistic tool for propitiating the powers that affect one’s physical and spiritual well-being.” Includes a section of the Hindu Origins of the Meal as Appeasement, Voices in the Bamboo Groves, The Woman in White, The Male as God, and Power Through Marriage.

With a full-page, full-color (stunning) photograph of Food offerings made to a deity at the Swaminarayan temple in Kolkata and a one-third page, black-and-white woodcut of Jamaishashthi depicting several people seated around several dishes of food, with a few women bringing more platters, and one demurely spying in from behind a semi-closed door.

Illustrations

From the Series Consumed, Contained by Charles Beneke

A simple two-page spread of montage artwork by a University of Akron, Ohio printmaking professor; one entitled Savored with the subtext, We savored the sticky sweetness the rich sourness of a long slow rise and Dined with the subtext, Winter nights we dined on summer’s warmth saved in mayonnaise jars Mom had packed with tomatoes and snap beans.

Visionaries

Joe Baum – An Exaltation of Larks by Irena Chalmers

Joe Baum was an enigma amongst within the restaurant world from the 1930s to the late 1990s, from the Rainbow Room to Windows on the World. As this lengthy (ten+ page) article attests, he was a force to be reckoned with along the lines of Vatel in his ability to produce an event. The article is lovingly written by Ms. Chalmers who worked for Mr. Baum and has filled the tome with both witty and heart-aching anecdotes.

With a half-page, full-color photograph of Mr. Baum, holding a wine glass of ice water at his restaurant Aurora, 1987, a one-quarter page, black-and-white drawing of a Costume Design by Carrie Roberts, and a two-thirds page, full-color reproduction of a plate by Milton Glaser, Showplate design for Cellar in the Sky, 1996.

Americana

Hey, Waitress! by Alison Owings

An historical account of the quintessential American waitress through the eyes of one Ms. Verna Welsh – a one-time Harvey Girl.

With a quarter-page, black-and-white photograph of Verna Welsh.

Chef’s Page

A Family Affair – Naha, Chicago, Illinois by Carrie Nahabedian

Carrie was an executive chef for the Four Seasons in several California locations and describes how she and her family developed Naha.

http://www.naha-chicago.com/

The Bookshelf

Books in review:

Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food by Felipe Fernández-Arnesto

La cocina de los sentidos by Miguel Sánchez Romera

Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe: A Book of Essays edited by Melitta Weiss Adamson

French Gastronomy: The History and Geography of a Passion by Jean-Robert Pitte; translated by Jody Gladding

In the Devil’s Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food by Stewart Lee Allen

Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods by Gary Paul Nabhan

Eating Out: Social Differentiation, Consumption and Pleasure by Alan Warde and Lydia Martens

Packinghouse Daughter: A Memoir by Cheri Register

The Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab

Edible Amazonia: Twenty-one Poems from God’s Amazonian Recipe Book by Nicomedes Suárez-Araúz. A bilingual edition. Translated by Steven Ford Brown. Prologue by Marjorie Agosín.

Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor

Bookends

The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer by Ann Arnold.

Lagniappe

O Miracle Whip by Terry Kirts

An interesting poem about the ubiquitous condiment.

[srhcb]

Carolyn,

I panicked for a moment when I didn't see the link to Gastro wasn't in what had become it's customary spot, second from the bottom. I was afraid we'd been delisted for disuse! I was relieved to notice the real reason being that you have resumed your ambitiouis reviewing process!

I don't have my back issues handy, but I recall the article on Antarctic wild foods, and the description of "snotters" in particular.

My cousin's son is currently living in an Eskimo village north of the Arctic Circle where his wife is teaching. Similar animals are commonly eaten there. I don't remember if they've had elephant seal "snotters" or not, but they commonly receive payment in various exotic meats for providing after school piano lessons to the local students.

I'll check my back issues when I go home later today, and return soon with further comments.

THANX SB

[Carolyn Tillie]

Carolyn,

I panicked for a moment when I didn't see the link to Gastro wasn't in what had become it's customary spot, second from the bottom. I was afraid we'd been delisted for disuse! I was relieved to notice the real reason being that you have resumed your ambitiouis reviewing process!

I don't have my back issues handy, but I recall the article on Antarctic wild foods, and the description of "snotters" in particular.

My cousin's son is currently living in an Eskimo village north of the Arctic Circle where his wife is teaching. Similar animals are commonly eaten there. I don't remember if they've had elephant seal "snotters" or not, but they commonly receive payment in various exotic meats for providing after school piano lessons to the local students.

I'll check my back issues when I go home later today, and return soon with further comments.

THANX SB

Now how cool is that? I would love some first-hand accounts... My sister is an avid Arctic-reader (forty or so books) and the information in that article was essentially new to her as there are SOME notes on the traveler's eating habits, but not as much as one might expect.

Yes, I am glad to be back in Digest mode... It just took a while to get back into the swing of things after the holidays and the move.

[srhcb]

Carolyn,

My cousin's son is currently living in an Eskimo village north of the Arctic Circle where his wife is teaching.  Similar animals are commonly eaten there.  I don't remember if they've had elephant seal "snotters" or not, but they commonly receive payment in various exotic meats for providing after school piano lessons to the local students.

THANX SB

Now how cool is that?

Get this for cool. My cousin's son is a mechanical engineer, and he's able to work via the internet from a remote Eskimo village accessible only by a long flight. Some of the village elders grew up in the days of subsistence level hunting and travel by dog sled. Communication with the outside world came by ship maybe once a year.

I'll have to get his email adress and contact them for more information about the local cooking and eating practices. I know for sure they've dined on reindeer, musk ox, walrus and seal. In fact, the school year ends in late April to coincide with the opening of seal season.

SB (What wonderous times we live in!)

[jabolster]

It is so wonderful to see that others love this magazine as much as I do. Up until recently I've purchased my copies at Books-a-Million stores throughout Florida, but it seems that they have stopped carrying it. Any ideas on what we can do to influence some of the 'bigs' in the book world to start carrying it? Also, I am so awed by the work that goes into the digests of each issue. I've been looking for a source of this information for some time and cannot thank you enough for your time and effort. Let's eat our words.

[srhcb]

It is so wonderful to see that others love this magazine as much as I do. Up until recently I've purchased my copies at Books-a-Million stores throughout Florida, but it seems that they have stopped carrying it. Any ideas on what we can do to influence some of the 'bigs' in the book world to start carrying it? Also, I am so awed by the work that goes into the digests of each issue. I've been looking for a source of this information for some time and cannot thank you enough for your time and effort. Let's eat our words.

Since I live in a remote area, I have a subscription to Gastro.

If you like the eclectic style of Gastronomica you might also enjoy the book, "The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy", "20 years of the Best Food Writing from the Journal 'Petits Propos Culinaires'", a British publication which, if anything, covers even more unusual topics than Gastro.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...781451?v=glance

This book was suggested to me by an aquaintance from another food discussion board who has written several articles for Gastronomica, including one in the current issue, who almost introduced me to both that magazine, and this forum.

eG's Fat Guy is a big fan of "Petits Propos Culinaires", even to the point of denigrating Gastro, and although I don't agree with his assessment that's another matter altogether.

Enjoy,

SB

[Rachel Perlow]

If you like the eclectic style of Gastronomica you might also enjoy the book, "The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy", "20 years of the Best Food Writing from the Journal 'Petits Propos Culinaires'", a British publication which, if anything, covers even more unusual topics than Gastro.

Here is an eGulletified Amazon link:

The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy: Twenty Years of Food Writing

Please support eGullet by making Amazon links that give eGullet a commission. Click here for instructions. Thanks.

[srhcb]

If you like the eclectic style of Gastronomica you might also enjoy the book, "The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy", "20 years of the Best Food Writing from the Journal 'Petits Propos Culinaires'", a British publication which, if anything, covers even more unusual topics than Gastro.

Here is an eGulletified Amazon link:

The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy: Twenty Years of Food Writing

Please support eGullet by making Amazon links that give eGullet a commission. Click here for instructions. Thanks.

To: Rachel Perlow

Did you really read my Post or is eG able to detect an Amazon link in a post and reply with this message automaticly?

Just Wondering,

SB

[Rachel Perlow]

Every so often I do a search for books & products mentioned on eGullet and check to make sure the amazon links for them are eGullet commission links. When they aren't, I either edit the post or just post a new one, like I did above. I realized the other day, that including a link to the amazon link instructions might be helpful for those unfamiliar with the procedure (teach a man to fish...).

[srhcb]

Every so often I do a search for books & products mentioned on eGullet and check to make sure the amazon links for them are eGullet commission links. When they aren't, I either edit the post or just post a new one, like I did above. I realized the other day, that including a link to the amazon link instructions might be helpful for those unfamiliar with the procedure (teach a man to fish...).

Seems fair enough, although I think having a standard Reply, like the one utilized in this instance, would be preferable to "editting" somebody's post?

THANX

SB

[Carolyn Tillie]

Every so often I do a search for books & products mentioned on eGullet and check to make sure the amazon links for them are eGullet commission links. When they aren't, I either edit the post or just post a new one, like I did above. I realized the other day, that including a link to the amazon link instructions might be helpful for those unfamiliar with the procedure (teach a man to fish...).

Seems fair enough, although I think having a standard Reply, like the one utilized in this instance, would be preferable to "editting" somebody's post?

THANX

SB

Actually, I checked with Rachel and asked if she could edit my digests, adding links to Amazon for the books that I've already listed. Since I no longer have editing capabilities for these previous digests, I was hoping she could "edit" in the Amazon links...

She and I have already determined it would be too big of a job. From here on out, I am going to attempt to add in the Amazon links myself <keeping fingers crossed>.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Spring 2003, Volume 3, Number 2

Editor’s Note: The digesting of this volume marks the beginning at an attempt to provide Amazon links to all the books mentioned (when available). Help support eGullet with your Amazon purchase!

Cover

Salmon Heads with Lemon by Áslaug Snorradóttir (undated)

I always try to do a web search of the artists and provide links to other works so that you all get an idea of the images that get presented. In this case, the only links I could get were in Swedish and was subsequently unsuccessful. The image of the Salmon Heads are exactly that, except I can add that there are five of them, placed upright in decorative bowls, each with a lemon slice although one has its lemon slice in its mouth. The fish heads actually look like presentations.

From the Editor

Judging by the Covers by Darra Goldstein

“I began to hear about readers who felt that the cover had gone too far. Too far from what, I wondered?”

Introspection on reactions received from previous covers most notably that some were offended by the Fall 2002 image of a mustachioed man’s mouth

Contributors – Mini-biographies.

Borborygmus - Rumblings from the World of Food

Letters to the Editor

Recipes in Rhyme by Toby Sonneman – regarding the Fall, 2002 article by Jan Longone adding that his (Sonneman’s) own great-great-grandmother wrote two cookbooks in rhyme and offered a recipe example, Vanilla Snow with Strawberries.

Of Goose in Gascony by Randy K. Schwartz - regarding the Summer, 2002 article by Edward Schneider who asked readers to help determine why the document he recovered pays such little attention to the liver. Schwartz, an Ann Arbor, Michigan culinary historian, offers a suggestion.

Oily Vegetable Humor also by Randy K. Schwartz – writes a very lengthy reaction to the Ken Albala piece in Summer, 2002 entitled Insensible Perspiration and Oily Vegetable Humor: An Eighteenth Century Controversy over Vegetarianism. Ken Alba replied, also at legth.

A cartoon by Sidney Harris where two scientists are walking out of the MIT’s office of Genetically Modified Foods with one commenting to another, “If thinks go right for us, apples everywhere will become our intellectual property.”

Matters of Taste by Timothy Cahill

Announcement and review of an exhibit at the Albany Institute entitled Matters of Taste: Food and Drink in Seventeenth Century Dutch Art and Life of 55 Dutch and Flemish still-life and genre paintings. I would have loved to attend!

With a half-page, full-color reproduction of Pieter Cornelisz Van Rijck’s Market Scene, 1622.

Gluttony by Ray Boisvert

An account of French luminaries attempting to get the Pope to drop gluttony as a sin. Quite humorous, actually – in that they are serious.

The Cultural Meaning of Food in South Asia by Rachel Dwyer

How the Centre for South Asian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London launches a new project looking into the cultural meaning of food in South Asia.

Orts and Scantlings

Somdel Squaymous by Mark Morton

Extolling the virtues of flatulence.

With a one-quarter page, black-and-white reproduction of an advertisement from the Toronto World, March 23, 1918.

Americana

Pigging Out by Timothy C. Davis

An account of the Southern Foodways Alliance symposium on barbecue. A fine article, which could have been significantly longer than it was, in my humble opinion.

With a half-page, black-and-white photograph of Taylor Grocery, Taylor, Mississippi.

Feast for the Eye

Stalin and Wheat – Collective Farms and Composite Portraits by Victor Margolin

Interesting article about the propaganda magazine USSR in Construction, the Stalin Collective Farm in the Ukraine, and artists who created which appeared in the magazine.

With a two-thirds page, full-color Image of Stalin and crops, a portrait composed of grains millet, alfalfa, and poppy seeds.

Also depicted is a half-page, black-and-white photograph image of trucks spelling out 1930..

Aesthetics

In Praise of Mock Food by Patricia Roberts

Enjoyable account of mock food – from margarine to oysters, from turtle soup to mock turkey, and more. Quite fun.

With two half-page, full-color hand-colored photographs of Shells and A Fish Stick.

Poetry

Ripe Guavas by Katherine Case

Two poems, one entitled Mopti, Mali and the other Marrakech, Morocco. The first begins:

A sweet, fleshy smell suspended in twilight

over mud puddles and Benz buses – a stench

coating the half-hearted station house, where old men

scribbled ticket numbers on discarded scraps of paper

This poem continues for another 14 lines and the second is also 20 lines long.

Origins

A Roman Anchovy’s Tale by David Downie

How and why the humble fish originated in Rome and expanded to other continents. The article includes a recipe for Roman Salted Anchovies.

With a full-page, full-color photograph of twenty or thirty Anchovies on a blue background.

Investigations

The Political Palate – Reading Commune Cookbooks by Stephanie Hartman

Lengthy, ten-page account of communal eating in America from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Well-annotated and researched that includes recipes for Brotherhood Spirit in Flesh Soup, Flamenco Eggs – Like They Eat in Spain!, Heart in Surprising Sauce, and Peas Roll in Carrots and Mushrooms.

With a full-page, black-and-white photograph of a young woman, barefoot in the kitchen, next to a large workbench and almost a dozen pans filled with dough entitled Commune member with loaves of bread.

There is also an interesting photograph which is laid out atop two conjoining pages, black-and-white, entitled Communal feast depicting an overhead shot of several dozen people diving into a large offering of food set at a picnic table.

Gut Reaction – The Enteric Terrors of Washington Irving by Frederick Kaufman

How famed ghost writer Washington Irving REALLY began his writing career as a food journalist. With multiple excerpts.

With a half-page, full-color reproduction of John Quidor’s A Knickerbocker Tea Party, dated 1866, oil on canvas.

Also includes a one-third page, black-and-white illustration of Van Poffenburgh’s valor from Irving’s Knickerbocker’s History of New York, Volume I, illustrated by Edward W. Kemble, 1894.

Bockenheim Revisted by Luigi Ballerini

Amazingly in depth (12 pages!) historical investigation into the roasting of sponges (spongia tosta o usta). There is debate if the “sponge” is actually the root of the asparagus plant, eggplant, and more. The author sent out twenty-five invitations to a wide variety of academia (including Renaissance scholars, chefs, and philosophers) and provides all their various answers. Absolutely fascinating.

Illustrations include a quarter-page, black-and-white woodcut Leucosolenia primordialis (Olynthus form), after Ernst Haeckel and a full-page, full-color reproduction of ”Portrait of a Lady,” follower of Jacopo Tintoretto, ca. 1590-1610, oil on canvas.

Taboos

Great Apes as Food by Dale Peterson

Not for the faint-of-heart reader as the author discusses apes as cuisine. Well-annotated and I am personally thankful no recipes were offered.

With a half-page, full-color photograph of a Chimp hand with beer – misleading title in that it is a severed hand lying face up next to three open bottles of beer.

Working on the Food Chain

Colony in a Cup by Gregory Dicum

Concise history of the industrialization of coffee as a beverage.

With a one-third page, black-and-white woodcut of The original coffee cartel: Mocha coffee on its way to Alexandria, a depiction of a Masonic-like turbaned character standing next to a laden-camel.

A half-page, full-color photograph of a two hands holding fresh coffee beans with the inscription, the farmer plays a key role in your cup: these Mexican beans were hand-picked to ensure great coffee..

Peruvian Coffee, A Case Study by Todd Shapera

Continuing the coffee exploration, this author analyzes the agriculture of the coffee industry and its affects on those in Peru.

With a quarter-page, full-color photograph of Alejandro among the coffee plants.

Travel

What I Never Ate in India by Lela Nargi

Rather odd account of a traveler who DIDN’T eat notable dishes and how Westerners traveling through parts of India wouldn’t be able to get reputed dishes either. There is some introspection as to why some of these dishes were unobtainable, but the overall disappointment was hardly inspiring.

Ecology

Wine, Place, and Identity in a Changing Climate by Robert Pincus

Very in depth, scientific analysis on how climate change breaks the traditional links between Wine and Place with investigations into weather and viticultural adaptations. These are looked at through France’s Alsatian, Germany’s Mosel, and Austria’s Kamptal regions.

With a full-page, black-and-white set of charts depicting the variations between monthly temperatures which show predictions of climate change for twenty-year periods centered on 1990 and 2025 in three wine-producing regions of Europe.

Style

Tempting the Palate – The Food Stylist’s Art by John F. Carafoli

Well-documented look into the world of the food stylist – how photographs are staged, how food is made to look that much more appealing, how details like the direction of the silverware do not go unnoticed. Includes commentary on ethics.

With a full-page, full-color photograph of a Thanksgiving turkey, After the Shoot. (editor’s note: it still looks good!)

Chef’s Page

El Bohio – Illescas, Toledo, Spain by José Rodriguez Rey

Named a rising chef by Splendid Table in 2003, this is a loving account by a son who, along with his brother, Diego, carries on a family tradition.

With a half-page, black-and-white photograph of the author’s father, Diego, pictured with Ernest Hemingway.

Journey’s End

Darryl’s Last Meal by Jan Zita Grover

A one-page account of a dying man’s wish for a final meal reminiscent of one his mother and grandmother used to make. editor’s note: Although not specified, the tone of the piece suggested that Darryl died of AIDS – I’m guessing, however.

WWFOOD

Here We Come, World! Food Trends in Finland by Eeva Salonen

Very fascinating account of Finnish cuisine, from seafood to sweets and a note on wine.

With a one-page, full-color photograph of Finnish fish roe. Stunning!

Notes on Vintage Volumes

”As Worthless as Savorless Salt”? – Teaching Children to Cook, Clean, and (Often) Conform – By Jan Longone

Very full account of various children’s cookbooks – mostly an analysis on how adults should be taught to teach children but the books illustrated and used are all fifty to 150 years old. Extremely well-annotated.

With a full-page, full-color reproduction from The Mary Frances Cookbook: Adventures Among The Kitchen People – “Mary Frances took the hint and turned Toaster carefully over.”

Also includes two, quarter-page, full-color illustrations from Kritters of the Kitchen Kingdom and How to Make Them – Militant Corn-elia Cobb.

Lastly, a full-page, full-color depiction of Jell-O Girl tells how to do the daily exercises from The Jell-O Girl Entertains.

Review Essay

Literary Consumption – Ronald D. LeBlanc

A compare and contrast of two books:

Writing the Meal: Dinner in the Fiction of Early Twentieth-Century Women Writers by Dinae McGee and Food, Consumption and the Body in Contemporary Women's Fiction by Sarah Sceats.

The Bookshelf

Books in Review

Books review include

The Mystique of Barolo by Maurizio Rosso and Chris Meier

Barbera by Burton Anderson, Mario Busso, Maurizio Gily, and Donato Lanati

Vinum: The Story of Roman Wine by Stuart J. Fleming

Nature’s Perfect Food by E. Melanie Dupuis

Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas by Judith A. Carney

Food and the Rites of Passage edited by Laura Mason

Food Nations: Selling Taste in Consumer Societies edited by Warren Belasco and Philip Scranton

Fast Food, Fast Track: Immigrants, Big Business, and the American Dream by Jennifer Parker Talwar

Encyclopedia of Foods: A Guide to Healthy Nations by Dole Foods, the Mayo Clinic, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition

Chicanas and Latin American Women Writers: Exploring the Realm of the Kitchen as a Self-Empowering Site edited by María Claudia André

A Month of Sundaes by Michael Turback

Lagniappe

Kullerpfirsich by Nina M. Scott

The memories and joy of a German tradition of “rolling a peach” in champagne.

With two images – one quarter-page and the other slightly larger, both in color, depicting a kullerpfirsich sitting on a table next to what looks like a couple of Dresden china figures and the smaller image, a close-up shot of bubbles all over a peach.

[srhcb]

Spring 2003, Volume 3, Number 2

[From the Editor

Judging by the Covers by Darra Goldstein

“I began to hear about readers who felt that the cover had gone too far. Too far from what, I wondered?”

Introspection on reactions received from previous covers most notably that some were offended by the Fall 2002 image of a mustachioed man’s mouth

As a long time lavishly mustachioed man I took umbrage with those somehow offended by the image referred to! Although the choice to sport a mustache and be a gourmand is a private one, the unmustachioed can't appreciate the element of sacrifice required.

I, for instance, with my Fu Manchu styled facial decoration, haven't eaten an ice cream cone in twenty-five years!

SB (corn on the cob is really tricky too!)

[srhcb]

Spring 2003, Volume 3, Number 2

A cartoon by Sidney Harris where two scientists are walking out of the MIT’s office of Genetically Modified Foods with one commenting to another, “If thinks go right for us, apples everywhere will become our intellectual property.”

Rather sardonic humor when you recall the article from the Winter 2002 issue:

"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 Crestless Sandwich"."

[Carolyn Tillie]

I haven't eaten an ice cream cone in twenty-five years!

Sincerest condolences!

[srhcb]

I haven't eaten an ice cream cone in twenty-five years!

Sincerest condolences!

Thank you, although in all fairness I'd like to mention that by way of compensation my mustache has over the years procured many invitiations from women to engage in numerous interesting activities!

[Carolyn Tillie]

Summer 2003, Volume 3, Number 3

Cover

Georgia Peach by John Dunaphy, 1860. Oil on canvas. From the Miller Family Collection.

Once again, I always try to do a web search of the artists and provide links to other works so that you all get an idea of the images that get presented. In this case, nothing existed except references to the Miller Family Collection. The image (as I shall describe it), is a portrait of a young, black girl. In her left arm, she clutches a bag of peaches and in her right hand, held close to her mouth, an obviously just-bitten-into peach.

From the Editor

Possessing the Past by Darra Goldstein

“In desperate times people the world over sell their family keepsakes, and the internet is just the latest flea market.”

How a student’s purchase of an antique Russian samovar causes the editor to reflect over the intrinsic and sentimental value of keepsakes.

Contributors – Mini-biographies.

Borborygmus - Rumblings from the World of Food

Letters to the Editor

Mastic and the Columbus Voyage by Andrew Dalby – responding to Alice Arndt’s Spring 2002 review of his book, Dangerous Tastes, explaining a previously-unsourced speculation.

Arctic and Antarctic Survival by Nils Harald Moe, Tromsø, Norway – Commenting on several Winter, 2003 articles The Skinny on Fat and Train Oil and Snotters and commends his own book, Vi tar ett år til (We’ll Stay Another Year).

Cartoon by Donnelly – A couple seated at a table at an outdoor bistro. Woman says to Man, “You’re a nice California Burgundy, Harold, but I realized I need a cheap white wine.”

Why Do Ethnic Eateries Have Terrible Service? by Krishnedu Ray.

Title of article tells all about subject matter…

Our Daily Bread by Sharon Hudgins

An account of the German Bread Museum (Deutsches Brotmuseum) located in Ulm.

With a half-page, full-color, full-size model of a German bakery around 1900, at the Deutsches Brotmuseum in Ulm.

Food Zines by Anna M. Shih

A comment of those publications that survive sans advertisements.

Orts and Scantlings

”Crowdie Mowdie” by Mark Morton

“Crowdie mowdie” was formerly the name of a kind of porridge. The article proceeds to explain how a few words of endearment stem from our vast culinary history.

With a half-page, vertical sepia-toned photograph of a man and woman embracing, circa 1900 (digester’s guess).

Feast for the Eye

The Wedding Feast – Frans Snydes’s “Larder with a Maidservant” by Jill Meredith

Snyders is well known for elaborate, large still life paintings in the Flemish style. The article is well-researched and provides additional information about the artist, including the fact that his parents were restaurateurs and wine merchants.

With a half-page, full-color reproduction of Frans Snyders’ ”Larder with a Maidservant,” ca. 1630-40.

Poetry

Odds by Cassandra Cleghorn

Figs will grow farther north than you’d think.

Dried blood, fish scraps, cottonseed meal,

Lime, peat, and a moist soil dense enough

To block the eel worms.

Another fifteen lines after these four…

Origins

The Vinegar of Spilamberto by Doris Muscatine

How a small town has been engaged in the production of balsamic vinegar “for as long as anyone can remember…” Did it start there? Oddly, while the article references historical letters, the article is surprisingly lacking in actual footnotes.

With a one-third page, full-color illustration from a medieval herbal showing the cooking of must as it is done today in the area that produces balsamic vinegar.

Identities

Falafel: A National Icon by Yael Raviv

Tying falafel to Jewish nationalism and its prevalence in Israeli society. The article contains the lyrics to a 1949 song by Y. Zuckerman entitled Falafel plus a one-quarter page, black and white cartoon of a broken-down, street vendor with the caption, “A license? Don’t be silly, who would give me such a thing?” The article is well-annotated and for me, rather surprising (I had never considered falafel a particularly Jewish dish.)

Also, a half-page, full-color photograph of an advertisement of a falafel sandwich with an Israeli flag protruding with the caption, “Falafel – Israel’s national snack.”

Memoir

Cooking Lessons by Constance Hardesty

Sentimental account of a family’s eating habits.

Investigations

Postrevolutionary Chowhounds – Food, Globalization, and the Italian Left by Fabio Parasecoli

How food has become an important political and cultural agenda for opposition movements using Italy as its case study. Nine page article, well annotated.

With a half-page, full-color photograph of Stefano Bonilli and a half-page, full-color photograph of the Salone del Gusto in Turin.

Writing Out of the Kitchen – Carême and the Invention of French Cuisine by Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson

Well-researched and annotated, in depth article about the High Priest of haute cuisine. A delight to read.

With a full-page reproduction of a engraving portrait of Carême (circa 1845), a full-page engraving of The Old and the Modern Chef, and a one-third page reproduction of an engraving of a Carême drawing of Cascade de Rome Antique, a pastry creation.

Art

(small) Appetites by Stephanie Brody-Lederman

This artist is known for book arts and paintings.

Stephanie Brody-Lederman Website

Two, full-page reproductions of “Edgey (Orange),” 1995 and ”Fraises and Créme Fraîche”, 2001.

Culinary Exchange

Thai Egg-Based Sweets – The Legend of Thao Thong Keap-Ma by Su-mei Yu

Very beautifully written article of a culturally-important dish, complete with historical precedent.

With a full-page, full-color close-up photograph of Thong yib, ”Pick Up Gold,” in porcelain cups. Also a half-page, full-color photograph of a woman with a large bowl of eggs (dozens of them, really) with the caption, “Washing eggs for the sweets."

Libations

The Return of Zin by Jon Fasman

How the ubiquitous zinfandel grape continues to go through resurgent popularity with an investigation into the exploration into the oldest vines in North America.

With a quarter-page, full-color photograph of James Wolpert inspecting zinfandel vines in the Heritage Vineyard.

Health

Evacuation Day, or a Foodie is Bummed Out by Merry White

The trials and tribulations of experiencing a colonoscopy. Written in a rather humorous fashion that makes the subject matter slightly more accessible.

With a half-page, vertical engraving of ”The colon. From Andreas Vesalius, ‘De Humani Corporis Fabrica’ (1543). Reprinted from The Bremer Press, Munich, 1934.

Essay

Breakfast by Tim Morris

An introspection in one man’s morning routine.

With a half-page, full-color photograph of a fried egg, sunny-side up.

Photographs

Meat by Monika Malewska

This artist using the still-life genre in a rather disturbing fashion. Two photographs are reproduced, one is one-third page in size entitled ”Still Life with a Tongueon Pink Background. which shows a large cow’s tongue on a silver platter with a flower, a candle, an apple, and some butterflies around the pink satin background. The other, entitled ”Still Life with Cow’s Head #5 is a bit more graphic. The background is draped, colorful brocade and there is a vase of flowers, but the centerpiece of the photograph is a de-skinned, eye-protruding cow’s head. The artist’s comment is thus, “I am fascinated by the ironic and playful contrast between the typically repulsive subject of raw meat and traditionally beautiful elements such as flowers and colorful fruits. In combining the familiar with the shocking, I hope to bridge humor and horror and to create a realm of imagery, fantastic, mystifying objects that blur reality and dream.”

Shopping

Oyster Policy by Roy Owen

An account of New York’s Upper West Side institution, Citarella.

With a half-page black-and-white photograph that spans two pages, landscape-style.

Uprisings

Sourdough Culture by Lynn Harris

The passing of a venerable Air Force colonel begets an organization entitled “The 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter Preservation Society, otherwise known as Carl’s Friends” who maintain and share a bread starter.

With a half-page, vertical, full-color photograph of Colonel Carl T. Griffith.

Travel

Rock ‘n’ Roll Cooking by Duncan Holmes

Dining aboard Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer, a railway adventure from Vancouver, British Columbia to Banff and on to Calgary, Alberta or Jasper. Sounds like fun. Includes a recipe for Special-Order Muffins.

With a full-page, full-color photograph of GoldLeaf Service on the Rocky Mountaineer, and a half-page, full-color photograph of the Rocky Mountaineer’s galley.

Working on the Food Chain

Growing Food in Suburbia by Judith Hausman

How a New York City socialite is establishing a sustainable farm.

Chef’s Page

Life’s Pleasure – Arrows Restaurant, Ogunquit, Maine by Clark Frasier

How Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier left San Francisco to plant a garden in Maine – literally, as one of the first restaurants in the east to grow the majority of their own ingredients.

With a half-page, full-color photograph of the edible garden at Arrows Restaurant.

Review Essay

GM Foods – “Miracle or Menace?” by Lois Banta

A review of the book

Dinner at the New Gene Café: How Genetic Engineering Is Changing What We Eat, How We Live, and the Global Politics of Food by Bill Lambrecht.

With a half-page, full-color photograph of ”Centro International de la Papa (CIP).” World potato germplasm collection.

The Bookshelf

Books in Review:

The Immortal Dinner: A Famous Evening of Genius & Laughter in Literary London, 1817

by Penelope Hughes-Hallett

Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies and Gender Issues 5 (Fall, 2002) – Special Issue on “Gender, Food, and Survival”

edited by Norma Baumel Joseph

Milk of Almonds: Italian American Women Writers on Food and Culture

edited by Louise DeSalvo and Edvige Giunta

The Sign of the Burger: McDonald's and the Culture of Power

by Joe L. Kincheloe

Larding the Lean Earth: Soil and Society in Nineteenth-Century America

by Steven Stoll

Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture and The Fatal Harvest Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture

edited by Andrew Kimbrell

Salt: White Gold of the Ancient Maya

by Heather McKillop

Consuming Passions and Patterns of Consumption

edited by Preston Miracle and Nicky Milner

Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea

by Andrew F. Smith

Bookends

Additional book reviews of…

All About Ices, Jellies, and Creams

by Henry G. Harris and S.P. Borella

The Wines of Argentina, Chile and Latin America

by Christopher Fielden

Discovering Washington Wines: An Introduction to One of the Most Exciting Premium Wine Regions

by Tom Parker

Lagniappe

Thrill Food by John Markus

How a Beta Man tackles a deep fried Twinkie.

With a quarter-page set of three photographs: Reactionary shots – very funny.

Edited to fix issue date...

Edited March 30, 2004 by Carolyn Tillie (log)

[srhcb]

Carolyn,

Oops! Typo; this is the Summer 2003 issue!

It kind of confused me when went home and looked for my copy so I could reply.

THANX SB

[Carolyn Tillie]

Carolyn,

Oops! Typo; this is the Summer 2003 issue!

It kind of confused me when went home and looked for my copy so I could reply.

THANX SB

So right! Silly me... I use the previous issue's file to start the input and hadn't fixed that part. Fortunately, I was still able to get it repaired online. Thanks!

[Carolyn Tillie]

Fall 2003, Volume 3, Number 4

Cover

Girl with a Pumpkin (detail) by Fausto Zonaro (1854-1929). Courtesy of Sakip Sabanci Museum, Sabanci University, Istanbul.

editor’s note – You know I always try to find out about the art that is reproduced in Gastronomica and I found this cover quite interesting. It is a painting, almost in the pre-Raphaelite style, depicting a young girl, obviously walking in a garden, with dress slipping from one shoulder, clutching a large pumpkin. Quite beautiful.

From a Turkish website:” Born in 1854 in Masi, a village near Padua. He started his working life as an apprentice bricklayer. His need to earn money eventually came second to his artistic tendencies, and the young artist studied design in Lendinara. He then studied at the Accademia Cignora in Verona for a time, and then graduated from the Rome Academy of Art. The artist displayed his paintings in Italy in the late 1800s. he then went to Paris, and rented a studio at 36 Boulevard, Cilehy. Zonaro adopted the Bohemian artist life until 1891. He and his wife then moved to Istanbul from Venice in 1891, and settled down in a wooden house in Taksim. His most interesting works emerged during this period, with the paintings he made in central neighbourhoods of the city. During the Trablusgarp War in 1891, he moved to San Remo from Istanbul with his family. The artist died in 1929 in San Remo, and some of his works can be seen in some state and private collections in Turkey.”

From the Editor

Transitory Pleasure by Darra Goldstein

“Food ranks among the transitory pleasure: a fine meal is arguably the most fleeting art form.”

Contributors – Mini-biographies.

Borborygmus

To the Editor by Martha Hopkins.

Advising them that she loves the covers and not to worry about those who complain.

The Polynesian Big Mac by Korey Capozza

Small account of a little-known Polynesian delicacy colloquially known as lu-sipi, which means “taro-lamb” in Tongan but is actually a hodgepodge of bone and fatty meat from New Zealand Lamb.

La vie en verte by Cassandra Purdy

The rise of vegetarian restaurants in Paris.

Comer o no comer by Jane Canova

Description and review of an art exhibit in Salamanca.

Includes a half-page, full-color photograph of an installation piece by Wolf Vostell entitled Energia, 1973 where an old car (older than 1973) is surrounded by stacks of loaves of bread, wrapped in newspapers.

A cartoon by Sipress showing two women in a kitchen; one is using a food process, the other is looking at a Buddhist-like shrine with a figure surrounded by candles and flowers, installed over the stove. The one cooking says, “It’s not a saint, exactly. It’s Marcella Hazan.”

Cambodia: The Next Coffee Frontier? by Merry White

How the rise of the Cambodian Catimor (a hybrid of Robusta and Arabica beans) is turning Nescafé drinkers into “real” coffee connoisseurs.

Orts and Scantlings

Coffins, Pipkins, and Pottles by Mark Morton

A teasing article about words and phrases from A New Booke of Cookerie, published in 1615. Teasing because the author does not indicate if the book is available in reprint form or not. However, your editor has done a quick search and found it in PDF form for you here?

http://www.harvestfields.netfirms.com/food...erie%201625.pdf

With a half-page, vertical engraving of Spinach, from John Gerard, “The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes” (London: John Norton, 1597)

A Feast For The Eye

A Persian Banquet by Katie M. Ziglar

History and background into the art form of the miniature painting from Medieval, Middle Eastern texts.

With a full-page, full-color reproduction of ”Yusuf Gives a Royal Banquet in Honor of His Marriage” from a manuscript of the “Haft Awrang by Jami.” Iran, 1556-1565. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; 34. 2x 23.2 cm.

Also, a full-page, full-color reproduction of Riza Abbasi, ”A Barefoot Youth.” Iran, ca. 1600. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; 30.0 x 18.0 cm. Art and History Trust.

Poetry

There Is No Fat in Heaven by Caroline Banks

In a paper grocery bag

she places torn images of her mother,

the photos she took of her

in the casket at the funer.

Continues for 23 lines. Rather Baudelaire-like

Hunger

The Fine Art of Feeding the Hungry by Dianne Jacob

Ms. Jacob is on the board of directors of the Alameda County Community Food Bank and extensively discusses the trials, tribulations, and politics of feeding the hungry.

With a full-page, black-and-white photograph shows John Jackson sorts food and other grocery items in the Food Bank’s warehouse. He is one of hundreds of volunteers the Food Bank depends on to get the food onto warehouse shelves.

Two, half-page, black-and-white photographs showing various recipients of donated food. One is captioned, Every day, families in need sit down to a hot lunch at Oakland’s St. Vincent de Paul Free Dining Room, one of the Food Bank’s member agencies. The other, a husband and wife with two children is captioned, Vivian Hain and her nine-year-old daughter Jasmine regularly speak out on hunger issues on behalf of the Food Bank. Earlier this year, jasmine traveled to a press conference in Washington D.C., where she spoke about the importance of school meal programs.

Investigation

The Baptism of Wine by A. Lynn Martin

Fascinating analysis of the tradition of diluting wine with water – mostly from the 1300s to the 1700s. Extremely well-annotated.

With a full-page, black-and-white engraving by Jacques Lagniet depicting one man pouring from a pitcher into a wine barrel (we assume water into the wine) while a woman, standing next to him, is embracing another man who appears to be approaching. It is captioned, ”Il est bien sage, il met de leau dans son vin” (“He is quite wise, he puts water in his wine”).

Another half-page, black-and-white engraving by Pieter van der Heyden (ca. 1530-1572) after Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts ”Gula (Gluttony)” from the Seven Deadly Sins”. 1558.

Lastly, another half-page, black-and-white engraving from the Bibliotheque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes shows a mythical wine press.

The Sweet Seduction of Sin – Food, Sexual Desire, and Ideological Purity in Alexander Tarasov-Rodionov’s “Shokolad” by Ronald D. LeBlanc

”Schokolad” is Chocolate in Russian and it is also the title of a novella written by a Bolshevik in 1922. This article is an analysis of this book and the author intends “to show how this work of proletarian literature provides an edifying example of what Eric Naiman has called the “ideological poetics” that would come to dominate Soviet fiction during the decade immediately following the Bolshevik Revolution, when food, sex, and the body figured prominently in discourses about War Communism, NEP, and socialist construction.”

With a half-page, full-color chocolate wrapper pictured with the portrait of Lenin. Also reproduced are “four in a series of eleven candy wrappers designed by the great Russian poet Vladimir Mayokovsky and produced by the Red Army Star Candy Factory, Moscow, 1924. The wrappers depict victories by the Red Army during the Civil War, with verses by Mayokovsky urging citizens to defend the new nation.”

The Senses

Notes from a Wine-Tasting, Being an Inquiry into Sensation by Matthew Latkiewicz

An investigation into how to taste wine with an overview of the much-debated Wine Aroma Wheel, developed by UC Davis professor Ann Noble.

With a two-thirds page, full-color reproduction of The Wine Aroma Wheel. ©ACNOBLE 1990. Colored laminated copies of the wine aroma wheel may be obtained by A.C. Noble, acnoble@ucdavis.edu. Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, CA 95616, USA. www.winearomawheel.com

The Media

’La grande bouffe’ – Cooking Shows as Pornography by Andrew Chan

The title somewhat tells it all – how producers are lighting, editing, and producing food cooking shows and Chan, as the author, manages to draw the parallels between them and pornography, complete with innuendo and suggestive vocabulary.

Digester’s Notes on Illustrations: There is a very interesting, lengthy comment by Gastronomica editor Jane Canova on their attempt to procure rights to pictures from TVFN for this article. These two comments are ‘illustrated’ within ornate, full-color gothic frames. One is a full-page in size while the other is one-half page in size. Fascinating.

Photography

Home Cooks by Lynda Banzi

A series of six, full-color photographs depicting the simple act of people cooking for themselves, family, or pets, within their home. With commentary by the subjects.

• Full-page shot of a black woman (Tasha), with a pan of sautéed meat in one pan, but with her reaching over and stirring a pan of greens, with whom we suppose is her daughter, looking on.

• Two-thirds size, close-up of Tasha’s hands, cutting up the meat while still on the stove, in the pan.

Her comment: Some people cook just because they are hungry, but they don’t put their heart into the food. They don’t care what they make. I think it is important to pay attention to what you are doing and put love into a meal. When I cook, I get into it. I listen to gospel music and feel like I am in the presence of God.

• One-half page depiction of a man (Joel), blending food in a Cuisinart, with his dog standing behind him.

• One-half page floor shot of same dog, eating out of a large stock pot.

Joel’s comment: I started cooking for my dogs about two years ago. A friend encouraged me to try making their food and my vet had always recommended it. When I saw how much the dogs enjoyed it, that was argument enough to keep making it. It’s still more time and energy than feeding them off-the-shelf dog food, but they health benefits are worth it.

• Full-page close-up of a woman’s hands (Maggy), pulling pasta through a hand-crank pasta roller, with a man (Ed), looking on.

• Half-page overview shot of same couple, rolling tortellini together.

Couple’s comment: When we make tortellini, it’s an all-day project – cooking the filling, rolling the dough, and shaping the pasta. I learned from my parents and picked up a few tips from a cook in an Italian restaurant. You can’t buy anything in the store that tastes as good. It’s worth the effort.

Taste

Vegemite, Soldiers, and Rosy Cheeks by Kay Richardson

The history and sociology of the inimitable condiment.

With a one-third page, full color photograph of Vegemite in a jar, tube, and individual serving packet.

Vegemite as a Marker of National Identity by Paul Rozin and Michael Siegal.

Scientific analysis on the sociological influence of Vegemite, complete with Mean, Standard Deviation, and Correlation tables.

Origins

Argan Oil – A Moroccan Flavor Rediscovered by Kitty Morse

A young girl’s memories, as well as historical use, cultivation, production, and sale of argan oil.

With a one-third page, sepia-tone photograph of the author and “and her brother near argan trees in the Essaouira region of Morocco, 1957.”

Community

Starbucks and Rootless Cosmopolitanism by Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft

How some local coffee houses are fighting the influx of Starbucks into local neighborhoods.

With two one-third-page, full-color photographs, one internal and one exterior, of The Diesel Café in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusettes.

Personal History

Binge by Anna M. Shih

A one-page, personal account of ‘how to binge.’ Slightly painful to read.

Libations

Grüner Veltliner by Karen King

A beautifully-written account of the slightly rare Austrian grape, and the wine from which is produced.

Americana

The First Thanksgiving by Andrew F. Smith

Surprisingly, this article was not under the Origins sub-heading, an historical account of the true and actual beginnings of America’s Thanksgiving celebration.

With a half page, full-color reproduction of Jean Leon Gerome Ferris’ painting The First Thanksgiving, 1621, painted in 1919.

Two, one-third size, full-color reproduction from Puck magazine by J. Keppler, “Thanksgiving Day, 1885” and “Greetings of Thanksgiving.”

Pastimes

Matsutake Gari – Hunting for Mushrooms in a New West by Jessica MacMurray

Great article, complete with mythological references, on the hunting of this mushroom.

With a one-third page, black-and-white woodcut of an early description of matsutake and their ecology, published in an 1834 edition of KINFU (Fungal Notes, Ohara, 1994: 23). The original text of KINFU is held by the National Diet Library, Tokyo, call number 22.

A one-third page, full-color photograph showing an American white matsutake.

Chef’s Page

Chez Henri – Cambridge, Massachusettes by Paul O’Connell

Another in the series of articles from chefs on how they got into the business and established themselves. In this case, Paul O’Connell tells how he added a Latin flair to an established French restaurant.

With a one-third page, full-color photograph of the author In the kitchen with the chef, Nancy at Havana’s La Fontana Paladar.

Notes on Vintage Volumes

10 Ways to Cook Oyster Crabs and 9990 Other Recipes by Jan Longone

An historical look at a several series of cookbooks offered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries including “The Thomas J[efferson] Murray Series,” “The ‘365’ Series,” “The ‘Dame Curtsey’ Series,” “The Simple Directions Series,” and the “The Olive Green Series: Ten Thousand Early-Twentiety-Century Recipes for American Housewives.”

With a full-page, full color reproduction of 365 Foreign Dishes depicting a Chef Boyardee-like chef, twirling his up-turned moustache.

A two-thirds page, full-color reproduction of ”How To Cook Shell Fish,” by Olive Green.

Review Essay

The Obesity Epidemic by Susan Allport

A review/comparison of two books:

The Hungry Gene: The Science of Fat and The Future of Thin by Ellen Ruppel Shell and

Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser.

Chinese Food Culture Today by Chris Berry

A review/comparison of two books:

Appetites: Food and Sex in Post-Socialist China by Judith Farquhar and Between Mecca and Beijing: Modernization and Consumption Among Urban Chinese Muslims by Maris Boyd Gillette.

With a two-thirds page, full color photograph showing male mourners preparing to eat ‘meirimei’ funeral soup in the deceased’s home. Xi’an Muslim district, 1995.

The Bookshelf

Books in Review

The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy: Twenty Years of Food Writing from the Journal Petits Propos Culinaires Edited by Alan Davidson With Helen Saberi

Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver: Stories of Dinner as a Work of Art by Carolin C. Young

Caviar : The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World's Most Coveted Delicacy by Inga Saffron

The Apprentice : My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin

The Amish Cook: Recollections and Recipes from an Old Order Amish Family by Elizabeth Coblentz with Kevin Williams

Reel Meals, Set Meals: Food in Film and Theatre: Food in Film and Theatre by Gaye Pool

Food in the USA: A Reader Edited by Carole M. Counihan

The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking: One Hundred Recipes for the Fireplace or Campfire by William Rubel

Four Seasons in Five Senses: Things Worth Savoring by David Mas Masumoto

Leah Chase: Listen, I Say Like This by Carol Allen

Bookends

Saké Pure + Simple : Facts, Tips, Lore, Libation by Griffith Frost and John Gauntner with a Foreword by Andrew Weil, M.D.

But Wait! There's More! : The Irresistible Appeal and Spiel of Ronco and Popeil by Timothy Samuelson

Lagniappe

A Diner Slang Quiz

Your editor likes word games – in this case, a list of twelve slang words are given and the reader is set to match them against their real culinary phrase. Who knew Shivering Liz in the hay was really a bowl of strawberry gelatin?

[srhcb]

First; thanks again to Carolyn Tillie for undertaking this Herculean task.

This issue was interesting in that it contained several pieces dealing with uncomfortable aspects of food and eating. I'll comment on one I happen to have some special insight into:

"Personal History

'Binge' by Anna M. Shih

A one-page, personal account of ‘how to binge.’ Slightly painful to read."

I had the opportunity to read this article in it's final draft form, and to observe the change in inflection even minor editing can make.

Ms Shih's original version was written in the style of a recipe, quite different in both emphasis and physical presentation from the essay published. Combined with a few minor grammatical changes, and the addition of supplementary material to suit the essay format, this undeniably poignant work was effectively altered from one variant of that word to another.

From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

"Poignant"

2 a (1) : painfully affecting the feelings : PIERCING (2) : deeply affecting : TOUCHING

While the published version indeed adhered to the theme of the issue, I think it did the author an injustice, especially considering the intense personal nature of the subject matter.