Eating the Alphabet, A to Z

[Carrot Top]

Inspired by M.F.K. Fisher's "An Alphabet for Gourmets", I thought it might be fun to have our own banquet of words and food, from letter to letter, all along the alphabet.

We'll start with "A" rather than challenging the Way of Things, today, and each day to follow will bring along the next letter (just sing "The Alphabet Song" to yourself if you get worried about what letter comes next - I always do though am beginning to consider the melody a bit dreary).

Naturally we are setting a banquet of food. And the things that go along with it. Interestingly enough, in taking a quick look at M.F.K. Fisher's book, some of the chapter titles start with an idea rather than a food itself - Bachelors; Cautious; Gluttony; Happy; Kosher; Monastic; Romantic. . .and the storyline then follows through with the foods that connect with these ideas.

The choices are endless. Pick something posted already that piques your interest. Or choose something of your own. Tell recipes, thoughts, uses. Argue the merits of one thing or another, if you'd like.

...................................................................

I'll start, with

Anchovy

Anchovies are ugly little things when they are in the can. They are fearsome, dank, salty. The saying "Eating an anchovy is like eating an eyebrow" is quite apt. I understand that fresh anchovies are a different thing altogether, and have always wanted to try one. Haven't done it yet, though.

There are several recipes I adore anchovies (salted, canned) in, and nothing else will do as replacement. A dish of vermicelli tossed with a quick sauce of olive oil (no I can not use the abbreviation for olive oil, it sounds like a pompous train coming puffing self-importantly through the station), loads of garlic, hot red peppers, fresh plum tomatoes and a large handful of chopped parsley. It's actually my favorite pasta recipe. I love anchovies on pizza, too, but nobody else (usually) that I am around agrees with this, so that is a longed-for, once-in-a-while thing.

Pissaladiere. The very word seems to enclose anchovies within it.

Anchovy Paste. Makes me think of Britian. Old Britian.

The little cans are charming. I hope they never disappear, with the cute little keys attached to laboriously peel back the lid in a tight curl. The world will have lost something meaningful in an odd way, if so.

[srhcb]

The are many ways this could be done.

I could reply with "A is for Apple", and tell how my defacto grandson calls any roundish, reddish food item "apple" whether he likes it or not. He likes apples, but dislikes tomatoes, even though he refers to them by the same name.

Or, I could say "A is for AnnA", the Chinese-American Mechanical Engineer/Patent Attorney/Food Writer, who I met on another food themed discussion board, and who introduced me to eGullet. I had some of my favorite discussions about food and myriad other subjects with her.

As you can see, a thread like this could easily become disjointed and hard to follow, not that there's anything wrong with that. Maybe it would be best to have some sort of structure, aside from alphabetical order that is.

For instance, we could try and develop a menu? If the next post was as story based on "B is for Beef", we probably wouldn't later use "P is for Pork", "H is for Ham", "L is for Lamb" or even "S is for Steak", no matter how carnivourous we might be.

It might be a good idea, since all we have so far is anchovies, that the letter "B" to be used for an item not easily replaced or substituted for, and necessary for any good cooking? Of course, as Julia would insist, "B Must be for Butter"!

As you can see, the game will become harder and harder as we proceed thorough the lettters.

A copy of Larousse might come in handy?

Well, that's my contribution to what should prove to be an interesting idea for a thread.

SB (anyone got a good Butter story?)

[Pan]

I think "C" has to be for chocolate.

[Carrot Top]

Well then. Our menu is started. Anchovies, butter, and chocolate.

Why do I want to say "ouch"?

No butter story, SB?

No chocolate story, Michael?

C'mon, you guys. Reveal all.

[srhcb]

Well then. Our menu is started. Anchovies, butter, and chocolate.

Why do I want to say "ouch"? 

No butter story, SB?

No chocolate story, Michael?

C'mon, you guys. Reveal all.

←

I could have used "B" for beer, and had "C" for clarified butter!

SB (has plenty of beer stories)

[SuzySushi]

Or how about C is for Cilantro?

I believe it was in food historian Margaret Visser's Much Depends on Dinner that she expounded that there is a schism between "cilantro cultures" and "parsley cultures" and that people in one part or other of the world tend to favor one over the other.

I didn't come from a cilantro culture, but I loved the distinctive herb the first time I tasted it, and think a generous sprinkling improves the flavor of almost everything with the possible exception of dessert -- and I'm not so sure it can't be worked into that course. Other friends tell me it tastes like detergent.

[Jensen]

Other friends tell me it tastes like detergent.

←

Friends who obviously never had their mouths washed out with soap when they were children...

Count me in the cilantro camp!

D is for dragées (which will somehow figure into our chocolate-based dessert but I'm not quite sure how yet).

[srhcb]

Or how about C is for Cilantro?

I didn't come from a cilantro culture, but I loved the distinctive herb the first time I tasted it, and think a generous sprinkling improves the flavor of almost everything with the possible exception of dessert -- and I'm not so sure it can't be worked into that course. Other friends tell me it tastes like detergent.

←

Being one of those to whom cilantro/coriander tastes remarkably like soap, I would like the option either to use "C" for something else, or to submit another controversial food in a later letter?

SB ("V" is for Velveeta?)

[Milagai]

I'm too late to play my "A is for Asafetida",

but then I'll save it for "H is for Hing"...

Miraculous spice...

Are we at E now?

E is for Eggplant (in some form of entree) on

the menu.....

Milagai

[srhcb]

Well so far we've managed to include two of the very few foods I don't really care for; "C"ilantro and "E"ggplant. And to rell the truth, I'm not all that fond of "A"nchovies either.

If "O" ends up being "O"ysters, I may have to make plans to dine elsewhere.

SB (can we bump an item by virtue of suggesting another with a more powerful story component?)

[Jensen]

Just for srhcb then...a salad of completely different letters.

* slivered Almonds

* Bacon, cooked until crisp and then crumbled

* Cos (okay, I couldn't wait for L for lettuce or R for romaine lettuce)

* Dijon mustard vinaigrette

* poached Egg

Served with...

* sliced French baguette

* which has been rubbed with a slice of Garlic

Better?

[Pan]

Since "C" wasn't for chili, "H" has to be for hot peppers! You want a story, Karen? In Malay, there's a saying that goes like this: "Tak ada cili, tak ada rasa." That means "No chili, no taste"!

Edited January 14, 2007 by Pan (log)

[Carrot Top]

I always want a story, Michael. What is life like without stories?

........................

I'm not really sure what the new plan is here. Are we just writing a menu, without attached stories to the food?

It seems that the gathering of ingredients has begun, but I'm not quite sure what happens from there. I'm also not sure what ingredients are going to be used on the final menu (?) story/stories (?) as people keep wanting different stuff attached to the letters (eh. so what else is new ). All of the suggestions perhaps? As all are equally good offerings.

Here. Being naturally perverse, I'll add my ingredient.

"J" is for jingoism.

[Domestic Goddess]

K for Kalamansi

I'll add a story. When I was a child, there was a kalamansi plantation behind our house. The trees grew the biggest kalamansi fruits I ever saw . The daughter of the owner (they lived in the middle of the plantation) taught me how to peel the big, ripe ones and dip them in rock salt before popping in your mouth. My mouth is puckering up and at the same time, salivating at this moment.

We never had to buy kalamansi but my mother always gave 5 pesos to the owner's kids to gather her a basketful. We would enjoy freshly squeezed kalamansi juice diluted with a lot of water and sugar. My mother also fixed kinilaw (tuna or sometimes flying fish cerviche) which she would garnish with slices of kalamansi. It also perked up the taste of freshly caught fish, grilled over the fire by my Dad. The fish was caught early in the morning and bought by my Dad from the incoming fishermen during his early morning walks. There wasn't a meal that didn't include kalamansi. It was a staple on the sauces and dips that we have on our table (kalamansi with fish sauce, calamansi with soy sauce, etc.)

What's the one ingredient I really miss from my country? The lowly kalamansi.

Edited January 14, 2007 by Domestic Goddess (log)

[Pan]

[...]Being naturally perverse, I'll add my ingredient.

"J" is for jingoism.

←

Jingoism is a food now? I guess it's got a strong but crass taste and no subtlety?

[Carrot Top]

Naturally we are setting a banquet of food. And the things that go along with it. Interestingly enough, in taking a quick look at M.F.K. Fisher's book, some of the chapter titles start with an idea rather than a food itself - Bachelors; Cautious; Gluttony; Happy; Kosher; Monastic; Romantic. . .and the storyline then follows through with the foods that connect with these ideas.

←

Jingoism is a food now? I guess it's got a strong but crass taste and no subtlety?

←

Well. . .either I was whispering when I wrote the introduction above, or nobody wants to agree with the idea but rather to stick. firmly. to. food. items. only. Do. not. go. off. path.

Hey. If the idea was good enough for M.F. K. Fisher to try, I figured maybe someone besides me would like to give it a shot. I only started with anchovies, a direct food item, because I didn't want to sound too too very snotty. Heh.

I like your definition of jingoism, Michael. And I can even think of something to do that has to do with food and jingoism that is right on this very board at this very moment. Not a stretch. I didn't add a story of my own because I am not sure where the thread is going and don't intend to drive it any direction it doesn't want to go.

Are we writing a menu here? How is that happening. . .when the foods are finally collected, someone makes recipes from them that then will form the menu?

Are we following the alphabet and telling stories of foods as the letters go along?

I dunno. Don't ask me.

Guess we'll just wait and see.

[Carrot Top]

The are many ways this could be done.

I could reply with "A is for Apple", and tell how my defacto grandson calls any roundish, reddish food item "apple" whether he likes it or not.  He likes apples, but dislikes tomatoes, even though he refers to them by the same name.

Or, I could say "A is for AnnA", the Chinese-American Mechanical Engineer/Patent Attorney/Food Writer, who I met on another food themed discussion board, and who introduced me to eGullet.  I had some of my favorite discussions about food and myriad other subjects with her.

As you can see, a thread like this could easily become disjointed and hard to follow, not that there's anything wrong with that.  Maybe it would be best to have some sort of structure, aside from alphabetical order that is.

For instance, we could try and develop a menu?  If the next post was as story based on "B is for Beef", we probably wouldn't later use "P is for Pork", "H is for Ham", "L is for Lamb" or even "S is for Steak", no matter how carnivourous we might be.

It might be a good idea, since all we have so far is anchovies, that the letter "B" to be used for an item not easily replaced or substituted for, and necessary for any good cooking?  Of course, as Julia would insist, "B Must be for Butter"!

As you can see, the game will become harder and harder as we proceed thorough the lettters. 

A copy of Larousse might come in handy?

Well, that's my contribution to what should prove to be an interesting idea for a thread.

SB (anyone got a good Butter story?)

←

SB,

Could you explain your idea further? We have people suggesting food items but no stories, food items as suggestions for food items already suggested for the letter, food items with stories, and then of course there is me who wants to follow my original plan in some small fashion.

Who is supposed to be writing the menu, and when and how? Are they supposed to write recipes based on the ingredients posted? And when - at the end, or as the thread progresses? If there are alternate ingredients being suggested, who gets to choose the one used in the final menu if there is to be one? Are stories not supposed to be in this game, attached to the food? Do stories have any place in this thread? Does my idea of attaching food to ideas have any idea in this thread?

I can't see how the "game" is getting "harder and harder", nor can I see that it is getting any less confusing, though I don't think it even had a chance to get confusing in the first place. . .

KR (looking for direction here - where's your compass?)

P.S. I think for myself, I'm going to leave it up to you to head the direction and decide the format. I'll do the M.F.K. Fisher idea somewhere else, another time.

Edited January 14, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)

[Carrot Top]

Or how about C is for Cilantro?

I believe it was in food historian Margaret Visser's Much Depends on Dinner that she expounded that there is a schism between "cilantro cultures" and "parsley cultures" and that people in one part or other of the world tend to favor one over the other.

←

K for Kalamansi

What's the one ingredient I really miss from my country? The lowly kalamansi.

←

Suzi. . .that's a fascinating concept. . .I like to look at that sort of idea. . .

Domestic Goddess. . .your story put me in an unknown fairy-tale like place, and it was very beautiful. Thank you.

[Jensen]

I'd offer up a story for a jar of green tomato pickles but I don't want to get spanked again.

Carry on...

[Carrot Top]

I remember a poem once by someone named Jensen, a poem about a bar. Fond memories.

Carry on. . . Menus to write, things to cook!

[dockhl]

[...]Being naturally perverse, I'll add my ingredient.

"J" is for jingoism.

←

Jingoism is a food now? I guess it's got a strong but crass taste and no subtlety?

←

With a garnish of minced oath............

[Jensen]

I remember a poem once by someone named Jensen, a poem about a bar. Fond memories.   

←

LOL...not sure if it's me or not but you've laughed me out of my snit. Thank you. Here's my story about jars of green tomato pickles (written in 1998):

============

I’ve just spent a few minutes looking through my recipe box for my grandmother-in-law's recipe for green tomato pickles; I’d offered it to a friend after she complained that her tomatoes might not ripen because of bad weather. It’s a wonderful recipe. The last time I made it, my pickles took second place at the Luxton Fall Fair in the 'Miscellaneous Pickles' category.

Mixed in with my pickle recipes were records of all the canning I had done in years gone by. I liked to record what I canned, when I canned it, how many pounds of fruit or vegetable I used, and how many pints or quarts that amount yielded.

In 1989, I canned 54 jars of salmon. In September of that year, my husband broke his back in a workplace accident. One month later, our daughter was born.

The next year, I made 2 quarts of blackberry cordial. I put it in mason jars and took one quart to 'Welcome to the Family' party my aunt hosted for my sister and her new husband. I had to shake the jar to liquefy the cordial before it could be poured as the pectin in the berries had made the liqueur set up. We all laughed at how ‘hillbilly’ we were for drinking out of a mason jar.

In 1991, I tried my hand at pickled asparagus. My mum had been served a pickled stalk in a cocktail while on holidays and enjoyed it a lot. Since I couldn't find a recipe, I made up my own. When the pickles were ready to eat, my mum came over for dinner and we mixed ourselves Caesars with pickled asparagus ‘stir sticks’. I had used a little bit too much salt in the making and the asparagus came out puckered and wrinkled. Mum and I both agreed that, despite their wizened appearance, they were still crunchy and tasted wonderfully.

In 1992, I canned very little – just one batch of jam and my usual batch of beet pickles. My cousin, Carolyn, died that summer of lung cancer. She was 29.

approaching autumn –

green tomatoes

left on the vine

[srhcb]

I move that, as both recompense for a perceived snitting and reward for a fine story, we reserve the letter "P" for Jensen to use for "P"ickling.

Do I have a second?

SB (we did adpot Robert's Rules of Order didn't we?)

[srhcb]

"L" is for "L"ights

An ingredient in haggis, along with oathmeal.

Robert Burn's Day doth fast approach, and all good Scot's should begin to gather up the ingredients, and ro lay in a good supply of malt whisky.

SB (half Scot)

[dockhl]

I move that, as both recompense for a perceived snitting and reward for a fine story, we reserve the letter "P" for Jensen to use for "P"ickling.

Do I have a second?

SB (we did adpot Robert's Rules of Order didn't we?)

←

second