Marion Cunningham Books & Reviews

[ingridsf]

Check this out:

"I always ate slowly, from a big tray set with a mixture of Woolworth and Spode; and I soothed my spirits beforehand with a glass of sherry or vermouth, subscribing to the ancient truth that only a relaxed throat can make a swallow. More often than not I drank a glass ot two of light wine with the hot food: a big bowl of soup, with a fine pear and some Teleme Jack cheese; or two very round eggs, from a misnamed 'poacher,' on sourdough toast with browned butter poured over and a celery heart alongside for something crisp; or a can of bean sprouts, tossed with sweet butter and some soy and lemon juice, and a big glass of milk."

from An Alphabet for Gourmets, M.F.K. Fisher

It makes me wonder if Cunningham was intentionally echoing Fisher; or wrote it as a private homage to a writer with whom she felt she shared a sensibility. Because the two excerpts seem too similar for it to have been coincidental.

[srhcb]

It makes me wonder if Cunningham was intentionally echoing Fisher; or wrote it as a private homage to a writer with whom she felt she shared a sensibility.  Because the two excerpts seem too similar for it to have been coincidental.

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A nice bit of research!

I could attribute the similar diction to their having similar sensibilities, although the "misnamed 'poacher'" phrasing is almost scarey.

Did MFK ever write about poachers?

SB (keeps him MFK at the office)

[ingridsf]

the "misnamed 'poacher'" phrasing is almost scarey.

Not to scare you more but I understood that reference! There's a special pan for "poaching" eggs that has little round cups that sit above boiling water. You break the egg into the cup, cover the pan, the egg cooks in the cup. My mom had one and Williams Sonoma still sells them. But they're not "real" poached eggs, as those cook in the water.

Good lord, it's like I'm Being MFK Fisher.

[srhcb]

the "misnamed 'poacher'" phrasing is almost scarey.

Not to scare you more but I understood that reference! There's a special pan for "poaching" eggs that has little round cups that sit above boiling water. You break the egg into the cup, cover the pan, the egg cooks in the cup. My mom had one and Williams Sonoma still sells them. But they're not "real" poached eggs, as those cook in the water.

Good lord, it's like I'm Being MFK Fisher.

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From With Bold Knife and Fork - A Recipe for Happy Hens:

"As for poaching, I cheat. I own a pan which makes two round steamed eggs, not poached at all, and another one which makes six slightly triangular ones, not poached at all."

MFK goes on to excuse herself for this "lazy compromise" on the basis of having correctly poached so many eggs as a young girl. She compares this to the "pusillanimous" argument she uses when explaining why she doesn't attend church services.

On the basis of this information I'm inclined to believe Marion Cunningham intentionally tried to evoke MFKF's work in the originally cited quote.

SB (always feels better after reading some MFKF)

[H. du Bois]

I always feel better after reading MFK Fisher, too. I feel she's letting me in on a delicious secret of how to eat (and live) well, without one smidgen of arrogance or "I shall show thee the way" about her - unlike the doyennes of domesticity who came behind her.

As for Cunningham, I don't own any of her books, but I have a great deal of respect for her philosophy of encouraging American families to cook and eat together, simply and well.

[srhcb]

As for Cunningham, I don't own any of her books, but I have a great deal of respect for her philosophy of encouraging American families to cook and eat together, simply and well.

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I don't own any Marion Cunningham books either, unless you count the Fanny Farmer book.

Maybe somebody familiar with Ms Cunningham's work could suggest which of her books would be of interest to MFKF fans?

SB

[Philanthrophobe]

I do think that Cunningham and Fisher share very similar approaches to food and eating. It's a very obvious element in all of Marion Cunningham's writing.

I love her cookbooks. I have Fannie Farmer, the FF Baking Book, Lost Recipes, and the Breakfast/Supper books. Because the recipes are easy to understand and unfailingly reliable, I've given her books to people who think they can't cook and feel daunted by the prospect of learning.

If I had to categorize her recipes, I'd say they're primarily comfort food and always about taste; there's little concern for presentation, as you might've gathered from postings upthread. Whenever I cook from one of her books I almost feel as though she's standing at my elbow.

Edited April 22, 2006 by Philanthrophobe (log)

[russ parsons]

sorry, this strikes me as a little silly and more than a little offensive. reading the two passages, i see no resemblance other than a contemplative tone. furthermore, there is no way you could mistake cunningham's body of work for fisher's. marion is a recipe writer who sometimes wrote very well. fisher was an essayist who occasionally included recipes. other than the fact that they were both well-brought up young women of a similar generation from southern california, there can be no confusing the two.

and please, if you're not a writer, perhaps you don't understand how hellish it is for someone to imply that your own thoughts have really only been copied from someone else. that is an accusation that should only be made in the face of solid evidence.

[Jennifer Brizzi]

Anytime a wanna-be cook asks me which cookbook to start with, I tell them Fannie Farmer. I have four editions (not all by Marion Cunningham), have been cooking for about thirty-five years and still refer to FF constantly.

I love the comprehensiveness of her approach, have the Breakfast Book (wonderful), Cooking with Children (love that title!), and Lost Recipes, which I haven't looked at yet.

Parenthetically, I've seen Cunningham in person a couple of times and think that besides my husband's Aunt Lina, she's the most gorgous woman of a certain age I've ever seen. Inspiring on many levels.

[Philanthrophobe]

Jennifer, if you like The Breakfast Book, you need to pick up a copy of The Supper Book--it's every bit as wonderful. One of my favorite recipes in it involves a dish that combines cooked peas and noodles with fresh tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. It sounds bizarre but it's really good, especially if you have real tomatoes!

And she IS gorgeous.

[srhcb]

sorry, this strikes me as a little silly and more than a little offensive. reading the two passages, i see no resemblance other than a contemplative tone. furthermore, there is no way you could mistake cunningham's body of work for fisher's. marion is a recipe writer who sometimes wrote very well. fisher was an essayist who occasionally included recipes. other than the fact that they were both well-brought up young women of a similar generation from southern california, there can be no confusing the two.

and please, if you're not a writer, perhaps you don't understand how hellish it is for someone to imply that your own thoughts have really only been copied from someone else. that is an accusation that should only be made in the face of solid evidence.

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Sorry if you took offense?

Please note the little Smilies grinning and winking.

I believe we meant to imply, if anything, the "great minds think alike". Personally, I would be thrilled to have anything I wrote compared to or mistaken for anything written by either Marion Cunningham or MFK Fisher, and I doubt if either of them would be/have been too greatly put out to have their works considered side-by-side?

SB

[ingridsf]

sorry, this strikes me as a little silly and more than a little offensive. reading the two passages, i see no resemblance other than a contemplative tone. furthermore, there is no way you could mistake cunningham's body of work for fisher's. marion is a recipe writer who sometimes wrote very well. fisher was an essayist who occasionally included recipes. other than the fact that they were both well-brought up young women of a similar generation from southern california, there can be no confusing the two.

and please, if you're not a writer, perhaps you don't understand how hellish it is for someone to imply that your own thoughts have really only been copied from someone else. that is an accusation that should only be made in the face of solid evidence.

←

When I wrote my post, I used words like "private homage." It's difficult to address criticism based on what I *didn't* write, such as "copied from," or what a reader decides was what I *really* meant. I didn't speak to Cunningham's body of work; it was a comparison of two brief passages. And I do see specific similarities beyond the tone.

I am a writer, of fiction and earn my living in the communications field. I like both of these writers very much and respect them. In my fiction, I have written short passages as private replies to another writer who wrote a passage that moved me particularly, or that I simply think is so interesting it compels a response. That was my take on this situation, no more. Call it influence, call it contributing to the ongoing literary dialogue among writers. It comes from a level of sympathy and respect that a reader may never recognize. Of course this isn't plagiarism; I never said --or, using my authority as the author of the post -- said it was, or implied.

Ingrid Tischer