Because it´s Weekend again..
These really have to be the very best cookbooks in the world - Foods of the World, a series of 27 cookbooks published by Time-Life, beginning in 1968. The individual volumes were written by well-known contemporary food writers, and combined travelogues, recipes and fabulous food photography, which makes it required reading for anyone remotely interested in food culture and delightfully wacky pictures.
If you are someone who, like me, loves idle knowledge, you will appreciate it to find much of that in the text. Did you know that in 1968, there were only four chinese restaurants in Vienna, a fact that you can read up in "Cooking in China"? It might also come in handy sometimes to know that birds-nest soup actually requires a birds nest, and where you could find one in New York at that time. (At least it´s good fodder for conversation at a dinner party.) The recipe also advises you to remove all the tiny plumes with tweezers after having soaked the nest in water for three hours. See? Sound advice..
I particularly love "Cooking of Provincial France", written in 1968 by M. F. K. Fisher, who not only makes your mouth water with elegant and picturesque descriptions of different cuisines, but also describes heart-warming personal observations like the one of her french music teacher, who used to put bittersweet chocolate bars between two slices of baguette every morning, wrap it in paper, and then sit on it during lessons, so that she could consume the slightly warm and melted snack during her lunch break. I´m still saving this particular story for the day when all the kids were really well-behaved.
A whole chapter is about the the culture of dining in France, with tidbits thrown in like this one:
If you are someone who, like me, loves idle knowledge, you will appreciate it to find much of that in the text. Did you know that in 1968, there were only four chinese restaurants in Vienna, a fact that you can read up in "Cooking in China"? It might also come in handy sometimes to know that birds-nest soup actually requires a birds nest, and where you could find one in New York at that time. (At least it´s good fodder for conversation at a dinner party.) The recipe also advises you to remove all the tiny plumes with tweezers after having soaked the nest in water for three hours. See? Sound advice..
I particularly love "Cooking of Provincial France", written in 1968 by M. F. K. Fisher, who not only makes your mouth water with elegant and picturesque descriptions of different cuisines, but also describes heart-warming personal observations like the one of her french music teacher, who used to put bittersweet chocolate bars between two slices of baguette every morning, wrap it in paper, and then sit on it during lessons, so that she could consume the slightly warm and melted snack during her lunch break. I´m still saving this particular story for the day when all the kids were really well-behaved.
A whole chapter is about the the culture of dining in France, with tidbits thrown in like this one:
Aus unerfindlichen Gründen und für viele andere Kulturen vielleicht lächerlichen Gründen glauben sie, daß einem guten Hauptgang eine Kleinigkeit vorausgehen muß, die man Hors d´oeuvre nennt. Selbst wenn ein Mann sehr arm ist, erwartet er von seiner Frau zum kärglichen Mittagessen doch wenigstens ein hartgekochtes Ei, geschält, halbiert, schön mit einem Hauch frischem Pfeffer und mit einigen Gurkenscheiben dekoriert, das er vielleicht mit ihr teilt. Dann wird er sein Stielglas (...) absetzen, Messer und Gabel hinlegen und freudig auf den bedeutsamen Teil der Mahlzeit warten (...) Er würde sich beleidigt fühlen, wenn er von der Arbeit heimkommen und sich unvermittelt zu diesem köstlichen Gericht hinsetzen sollte.
I tried this with Hubby once. It worked. I can highly recommend it.
See what I mean by “wacky"?
You just have to love an author who titles the seafood chapter "Die Behandlung und Mißhandlung von Fisch" and goes on as follows:
Der Fisch blickt einen wegen seines schnellen Endes etwas vorwurfsvoll an, und man kann nur hoffen, daß er vielleicht zufrieden ist - wenigstens philosophisch gesehen -, so wohlschmeckend zu enden. In Frankreich tun das alle Fische.
Just everyone´s thoughts when eating trout, right?
Life goals: Wearing beaded sandals and a white skirt while collecting live bunnies for a ragout de lapin.
Ich aß einmal ein ganz köstliches und bekömmliches Abendessen, das mir von einer Bekannten vorgesetzt wurde, die so arm wie eine Kirchenmaus war. Sie hatte eine ganze Steige Salat von einem Ladeninhaber gekauft, der ihn gerade wegwerfen wollte, da er ganz offensichtlich seine erste Schönheit hinter sich hatte. (...) Dann dünstete sie die ganzen (Salat)Herzen und servierte sie mit einigen kleinen knusprigen Würstchen. Die Platte sah verschwenderisch aus, und das war es, was meine Bekannte, die kaum einen roten Heller besaß, brauchte, um sich reich zu fühlen. Mit einer Flasche ganz einfachem weissem vin ordinaire und einem Laib Brot nahmen wir ein wirklich äußerst zufriedenstellendes Mahl ein. Wir gingen später unserer Wege, überzeugt, daß das Schicksal uns nichts anhaben konnte, denn wir hatten an diesem Tag gut gespeist.
We can all relate to that, right?
So today it will be tiny radishes, served with butter, a pinch of salt and champagne, and Potage Parmentier. The perfect beginning of a weekend in spring. And always remember:
So today it will be tiny radishes, served with butter, a pinch of salt and champagne, and Potage Parmentier. The perfect beginning of a weekend in spring. And always remember:
Wenn man mit Würde speist, sind derart gut behandelte Kartoffeln ein Beweis dafür, daß es der Mühe wert ist, zu essen und zu leben.
All quotations and pictures from "Die Küche in Frankreichs Provinzen".
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