Cooking With Ideas

In Memory's Kitchen

Memory and food. We all know they are entangled - both in our own experiences and in the "literature" which has burgeoned over the years. Memoirs and cookbooks, novels and nonfiction - all have both reinscribed and rediscovered the ways past, present and future, memory and history connect. And, how together they keep us both metaphorically alive and connected - and more than metaphorically.

A major contribution to this which is both a historic document and a legacy of its own is In Memory's Kitchen. Edited by Cara De Silva, translated by Bianca Steiner Brown, with a foreword by Michael Berenbaum, this book's subtitle says everything: A Legacy from the Women of Terezin. This is, indeed, a cookbook like no other. 

First: what is Terezin? It was a town, a fortress and, in this reference, a concentration camp. Yes, wikipedia can illuminate the referent if you do not know. (Click here.) There is an extensive literature on this horrific history during the Shoah and this book is one aspect of that literature. It documents the survival tactic of some of the women imprisoned (and in many cases murdered) - through the use of memory and a focus on food even while starving. What survived was a copy of recipes - witness to both a demolished culture and, as or more importantly, to specific demolished lives. The survival of the manuscript itself is a testament to stubbornness - and the ways memory and food can do more than we might imagine in unimaginable - though very real and we must look directly at them - circumstances. 

This is a painful read. And, it is a worthwhile read. 

Feminism & Food on the Web

Another theme that snuck into Cooking with Ideas brings together several F words: feminism and food. As we know, there is a whole literature on women and food -- focused, e.g., on food history and women's relationship to it. And, there are many ways that the phenomena are connected (click here to get a sense of past explorations here on Cooking with Ideas connecting feminism and food either very directly or more  indirectly). And yet, there is more. 

A bit of a stroll around the web unearthed (is that a weird metaphor for googling around? it somehow makes it seem more intentional and more grounded -- and yet. . . ). In any case, I came across a few places (again a weird metaphor?) that you may wish to visit. 

First: the feminist kitchen. Don't you just love the name? Subtitled "musings on women and food," the blog is written by Addie Broyles who has a connection to the Austin American-Statesman and founded the blog in 2010 and more recently compiled and edited a cookbook. This may be the only blog I ever recommend that has a manifesto (click here to read it). It doesn't seem highly active, and hte book club/film series seems deceased, but hey. Have a look. And really: with the name "the feminist kitchen," well, its worth a look. 

Second: you may wish to venture out to this site. This is the site for Render - a print magazine and blog with a mission. The mission: to "smash oppressive systems in the food industry." And yes, while this sounds very Sublimation Nation part of Cooking with Ideas, the magazine is definitely and explicitly feminist. It is also, alas, gone - but you can review the archives here. And I think you will find it worthwhile. I did. 

Third, there is a Ms. Magazine blog piece from 2013 which is entitled "The Feminisphere: Foodies and Food Politics." It is available here if you are interested. It starts off with a few (three) short interviews with bloggers related to the aforementioned theme and then ends with a list of relevant blogs. Sister Vegan is the first interview -- and a very intriguing read (including a book the author did based, I assume on the blog itself.) While some of what appears in this piece are items long gone from the blogosphere (in the sense of there no longer being contributions), others are still with us. Hurrah. More on food and feminism. 

Overall: I have one huge (and I mean huge) complaint/query -- why are so many of these dead and why can I not find more on feminism and food. Is it that blogs are a dying species or is it my search techniques or do you have a better explanation? Help! Of course, I am grateful to those that continue teaching and entertaining us and pushing the edge; thank you Sister Vegan. And, oh readers, any suggestions welcome!

Queen Anne's Lace by Susan Wittig Albert

(Thanks to projects.ncsu.edu for the visual)

As regular readers of Cooking with Ideas know, I am a fan of Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series with its focus on herbs and plants. This one ran true to form -- informative, fun and truly worth the read. In fact, by some oddity, I ran into related information shortly after reading this and became convinced that a focus on herbal medicine was everywhere!

SPOILER ALERTS are not always easy to see when writing about mysteries -- and yet I want to avoid them. So, I try to be general. This book weaves history with current times together in an intriguing (and unusual for this series) way to address the use of various herbs for contraceptive or abortifacient reasons. (I hope we are not returning to an era where these are desperately needed everywhere -- though I know they still are in various areas of the U.S. and the globe.) In any case, there are a variety of such herbs -- and often relevant information is passed down in poetry, women's tales and more. They include, for example, rue and juniper. And, as you will have guessed, the title of this Albert book points to another: Queen Anne's Lace (aka wild carrot). In this case it is the seeds. 

And here comes the potential spoiler: as it often the case with herbal medicine, a little knowledge can be a bad thing. That is, there ar look-a-like plants and sometimes these are poisonous. In this case, the relevant seeds of Queen Anne's Lace look like the seeds of the wild hemlock. The latter is poisonous. 

Finally, I am avoiding the plot per se, which is as usual delightful and intriguing, filled with ruminations by the key character, but am not sure I should. As you will know if you are a reader of the series, China Bayles is a skeptic. And, that skepticism about spiritual matters is called into question in this volume. Together with the plant lore, this makes for a novel that got under my skin more than usual. I am grateful to Albert for writing it -- and making me think about my own sometimes knee jerk refusals to believe or take seriously various matters. 

So: this rumination is just that -- and I do recommend the novel. Read it. Albert has found another way for women to pass along information we may need -- though we are not in Margaret Atwood's Gilead yet. (For that reference. see The Handmaid's Tale.) 

For other mysteries by Albert, and my related views, click here. For a few words from me on a historical (non-mystery) novel by Albert, try here. And, for information on how to identify Queen Anne's Lace/Wild Carrot, try here. 

East Side Sushi

It has been a while since I posted about a food-related film. And, my partner kindly chose one that she thought I would like -- and as always, she was right! The film? Eastside Sushi,  a 2015 release. I recommend it -- as a lazy binging foodie film. 

The film is ostensibly set in Oakland, and features an array of actors and visuals of the city. The plot focuses on a young single mother, living with her father and her child, who is struggling to survive economically. While she has various jobs during the film, including cleaning gym equipment, for example, she is also a cook/chef with aspirations which are (seemingly) limited by her gender (women do not do XYZ) and her ethnicity: she is Mexican American. The pressure comes from various directions: her father wants her to focus on Mexican cuisine (despite his own low income job and SPOILER her experience of being robbed running his fruit cart) and she does not. Likewise, others expect her to focus on Mexican cuisine and the Japanese owner of the sushi restaurant she eventually joins is not in favor of either women or mexican american sushi chefs. (That it is not simply about Japanese is made evident by the presence of Korean and Chinese sushi chefs.) . 

As already leaked above, over the course of the film, Juana obtains a job in a sushi kitchen, and . . . . falls in love with a cuisine that she was not originally knowledgeable about. The details are less important -- and might spoil more of the film -- but two are worth noting: (a) a white (anglo) customer seems very clearly to define authenticity in a restaurant as about who -- the ethnicity - is doing the sushi preparation; so, authenticity is a key theme of the film. And, a second theme is an axiom her father offers (eventually): don't beat them at their game, beat them at your game. I like this axiom. Change the parameters and make it your game is what I heard. 

What else: the sushi is beautiful, the knife skills are wonderful, and there is a little "insight" into ethnic differences which does not focus on whiteness. YEs -- not a film focused on whiteness! Also, though there is a light romantic theme and a child involved, the film does not get saccharine nor is it utter;y predictable 

So: Eastside Sushi is worth a watch. Multiple thumbs up. 

Hello, My Name is Dana Cree

Dana and I met through a mutual friend -- and I have had the privilege of eating Dana's cuisine in both private and public settings (e.g., an unnamed friend's wedding and. . . Blackbird). I will never forget what it felt like when my partner and I were seated at Blackbird and, remembering a dietary restriction of my partners', a special dessert arrived.

And, we have dined alongside one another in several venues. I learn every time -- and I have fun. 

Dana is a James Beard nominated pastry chef, whose work has been recognized both in the US and beyond, and who has worked in settings as diverse as WD 50, Alinea, and various parts of the Publican arena, including Blackbird. She is known for her blog, ThePastryDepartment.com -- and has a lovely newish book entitled Hello, My Name is Ice Cream. 

I am thrilled that she agreed to appear on the blog -- and hope you will be as thrilled as I am. 

Bibliochef: You have done so much in your career as a chef, in Denmark and the US, as a pastry chef and a blogger, as a purveyor of ice cream and a chef at top restaurants as diverse as Alinea and WD 50, Blackbird and  .  . .  I wonder if you have a favorite moment or experience that you would share? 

Dana: I don't know, favorites are too hard for me, I feel guilty for all the other wonderful things I'm excluding. I've had a lot of successes, achievements, and met so many respected people in my time cooking. But I suppose the time I reflect on as being one of my favorites was my time at Kadeau, a summer restaurant on the island of Bornholm. My pastry kitchen windows looked out onto the baltic sea, and we collected a lot of the food from the surrounding region, either through foraging, or connecting with farmers and makers. My days off were so tranquil, I think I hiked every inch of the island, wether it was on a trail to an old castle, or just roaming the beaches. And they had one of my favorite ice cream shops and licorice makers on the island. It was heaven, pure heaven. And it was too good to last, they closed up shop for the season, and I had to return to the states to find a job. Alas, I never made it back. Although I dream of it every day. I think I left a part of me behind there, hoping it would pull me back one day. 

Bibliochef: The blog you established at ThePastryDepartment.com originally featured your voice as a way into the pastry department for those unfamiliar with it --  and now includes the voices of a variety of pastry chefs. If you could invite a guest blog from any additional person – living or dead, real or fictional  – who might that be? Why? 

Dana: I would invite Agnes B Marshall. She was a pioneer in ice cream in England, wrote some of the first recipes for ice cream in published cookbooks, and held patents for improvements in ice cream makers. This was all in the Victorian era long before refrigeration, and all the ice was being imported from nordic countries in the summers. I would love for her to share her discoveries with us, and I'd love to see what she could do with our modern equipment.

Bibliochef: I read recently that your grandmother was a home economics teacher. I have to admit home economics  was not my favorite high school subject (I blame that on the sewing portion). Did you take home economics? Do you see it as similar to today’s push to have school kids and others learn about food –like Alice Waters’ school initiative, for example? 

Dana: Yes my grandma Eva taught home economics, and my grandma Virginia taught mathematics. I couldn't cook without math, so they have both influenced me. I loved home economics, and I think we could benefit from their presence in our school curriculum. When I went to school it was mandatory for all genders, as was shop. We gained basic knowledge of tools in the kitchen and in the workshop, and because of that, I have a knowledge base for keeping a home. We seem to have eliminated any kind of practical life skills from our education in favor of testable curriculum. I would love to see our children gain practical knowledge, including basic cooking skills, food education, and nutrition. Without it, we are released into our adult lives, defenseless against the corporate push of processed foods as the mainstay of our diets, which I see as the major contributor to the American health crisis.

Bibliochef: I suspect you get asked often about the paucity of women chefs – and I also read your recent essay (found on Dana's blog) on the current rash of sexual harassment allegations in various industries, including restaurants and other parts of the food and hospitality industry. The essay itself might be your answer to this – but I have to ask: If you were to give advice to up and coming female chefs – what might that advice be? Are their good resources to know about? 

Dana: I would say, my advice extends to all genders. If we want an even playing field, we need to act as one. Sexually charged, sexist jokes hurt everyone, not just the target. For everyone, If you hear something try responding with "thats not ok" instead of laughing. Don't be afraid to use your voice, even if you don't think anyone is listening, or you don't see an immediate result. Just like sexism in the kitchen is infectious in ways people don't immediately see, so is your voice of resistance. If anything, it leaves you knowing you spoke up for yourself and for me, that alone is enough to boost my self esteem in ways that lift me through out my day. And you never know who else is listening, and how that message will carry on in them.

Then, remember, there is no kitchen that deserves to be elevated by your silence. No amount of stars, no ranking on the best lists. if they exist at the top while housing a culture of sexism, mysoginy, racism, bullying, or homophobia, they didn't get there fairly. They exploited a system and were lifted falsely. It doesn't matter how talented the chef is. Are they actually that much more talented? Or did they isolate, exploit, and step all over the other less aggressive talent around them? Don't waste your time. Find someone better. Lift someone else with your hard work talent who is going to protect you and lift you in return. 

And, don't be afraid to call people out. If you watch truly wonderful people make bad choices, you'll see them shift themselves when confronted with their misdeeds. They take it seriously, and take action to improve themselves. But they would never have the opportunity to grow if they weren't called out. The best of us still make bad choices. But we need to own them, and sometimes we need other people's help in seeing the error of our ways. We need those around us to help us see ourselves through their eyes. By saying "I don't like that. It makes me feel ______" We can amend our behavior. Those who lash out and victim blame when confronted with misdeeds, they may never grow up, so lets get out of their way and work with people who take the wellbeing of those around them seriously. 

Bibliochef: Thanks so much. I think much of what you have said will resonate -- it certainly does for me -- regardless of the "industry." Are there other steps to take to build the pipeline for more women chefs?

Dana: I don't know. I suppose men in the kitchen need to understand that they have to make space for women. They have been given more clout, and thrived in an environment that subtly, and not so subtly, made it too hard for women to succeed. It's hard to see when you're in the thick of it, struggling and working hard, that you're being lifted because someone else is being held down. All you can see is your own difficulty. I have seen women forge their way to the top, nothing was going to stop them. but I have seen more men lifted to the top without half as much effort, because their buddy was opening something and needed a second sous chef, or the chef "saw a bit of himself in them", which happens only happens when you share a gender. Or they became the sous chef because after 5 years that super talented girl couldn't take the unwanted touching and the space she left open was give to them. Ask this of men, you climbed to the top, was the space you filled only open to you because a women wasn't given the chance to be there? Or were you chosen impartially from a group of candidates that included women? If you never saw the pool of candidates, can you ever be sure what you have was earned fairly? 

I would encourage women to start a girls' club, lifting other women intentionally, until the playing field equals out. If the men aren't making space for us, we can make space for each other. We can continue to create opportunity until the culture shifts and equal opportunity exists without making space. And for petes sake, lets stop laughing with the guys, stop perpetuating the toxic joke culture that only leaves us behind. 

Biblochef: And, now to a totally different topic: ice cream! Can you tell us your first memory about ice cream – and if it is connected at all to your cookbook, Hello, My Name is Ice Cream (for a few remarks from me on the book, click here) and your ice cream line? (By the way, how did I miss you have an ice cream line? Or is there one?) 

Dana: You didn't miss my ice cream line, I don't have one. For a while I packed some pints for sale in chicago but I am not going to do that again until I can comply with the USDA standards for production. As for my first memory, I don't really know, it's just always been there in my life. Which is part of why I love ice cream so much- we can't even remember our introduction, it's always been with us. I have some distinct early memories, like ice cream socials at elementary school, where they would open up a square carton and slice you off a slab and serve it on a paper plate. Or demanding that my cake and ice cream be on separate dishes at my grandmas house. I remember always wanting chocolate ice cream, and watching my friend Colleen's dad pack ice and salt into an ice cream maker for home made strawberry ice cream. Mostly, I remember the popsicle truck and popsicles. maybe we were just a popsicle family instead. We always had a bag of twin pops in the freezer, but when the popsicle truck came around I could get a fudgesicle, or the chocolate and banana popsicle. 

Bibliochef: If you were recommending one essential gadget for everyone to have in their kitchen, what would it be?

Dana: An ice cream maker!!!!! 

Bibliochef:Ok, I should have guessed that!  I know you have been in and out of the Chicago food scene – that you are from Seattle and have been a chef or staged elsewhere, including Denmark as you noted earlier. Given that Chicago has been increasingly recognized as a foodie city, what changes have you seen in the city food scene in recent years? 

Dana: I've seen chefs parting ways with traditional fine dining and adding their creativity and high standards to fast casual restaurants, delivery services, and more economical concepts. I think the traditional lifestyle of a chef has driven some of our greatest talents from the kitchen, and they have sought other ways to continue feeding people and practicing their craft. 

Bibliochef: If you were doing a food tour for someone whose budget was unknown to you – or just making suggestions of must see/do food related detinations in the city, what would you recommend? 

Dana: I would suggest breakfast and pastries at Spilt Milk or bang bang, lunch at avec and lula, dinner at quiote and else, treats at spinning J and jenis splendid ice cream. And of course, a special trip to the publican with a group to order every dessert on the menu. 

Bibliochef: Wowzers -- how did I miss some of those? Next time I am in the city! And, now for a few more questions, ones that I ask everyone who is “interviewed” on Cooking with Ideas. What’s the absolutely best meal you have ever had? What made it the best meal?

Dana: One of the first cooks I worked with, Fernando, told me the number one meal of your life is the meal that is in front of you. It taught me respect for the food we have in front of us, and to remember how fortunate we are to have it. Instead of comparing meals and diminishing what we are eating, just to focus on what is in front of you and enjoy it for what it is. I stand by that, because after we consume a meal, it no longer exists, and all we have are memories of it. I'd like to keep my memories fond, and my heart open to enjoying what ever I am fortunate enough to be eating next. 

Bibliochef: I love that point of view. Thanks! So: What music, films, books related to food would you recommend? Why?

Dana: Hmmm..... I really loved the book Salt, it told about the history of the world through the lens of where we sourced salt. We can't live without consuming this mineral, and every civilization centered around accessing it. We really take it for granted in this day and age. I loved Ratatouille too. 

Bibliochef: What do you eat for comfort food?

Dana: I eat potato chips for comfort. And, ice cream. 

Bibliochef: I usually ask if people have a favorite restaurant in the Finger Lakes region, so let me know if you do! Otherwise, how about a favorite in Chicago or elsewhere?

Dana: Sad to say I've never been to the Finger Lakes, but my current favorite is cellar door provisions. i just love what they do, it's so well attended to, delicious, and it's a space I feel very comfortable dining alone in as a woman.

Bibliochef: What am I not asking that I should? What question have you never been asked that you have always wanted to be asked? What's your answer?  

Dana: Oh shoot I don't know! How about "If I had an extra puppy, would you want it?" and the answer is YES!

Bibliochef: Wowzers again! I do not, alas, have an extra puppy but if I ever do. . . . In any case, thanks so much for the "conversation!" As always, you have pushed me along to think and experience new things. And, I have to say": come visit the Finger Lakes! You can stay with us! 

For Dana's blog, click here. For others with Dana, including Saveur that calls her the new queen of ice cream, try here or, better, head on over to her digs in Chicago at publican and. . . eat!!! 

What She Ate by Laura Shapiro

As promised quite some time ago, some reflections on What She Ate by Laura Shapiro. . . . a book that follows after several by Shapiro I have reviewed here on Cooking with Ideas. 

Imagine a select few women from across history. Imagine that you can get to know them only by reading about them in archives and books -- and that you are able to get to know what they ate, what they cooked, and whatever they wrote about food. At minimum, you can find comments distributed here and here in their letters saying "I had this for dinner" or, perhaps more fully described entries in a diary or. . . Would you be willing to say that the food "tells their stories"? Would you have gotten to know something important about them by learning about their relations to food, the stories of their food lives? 

Laura Shapiro answers this question in What She Ate. Shapiro says, yes. That is, she chooses to undertake the effort to get to know 6 women through what can be found about their relation to food. 

The women? Dorothy Wordsworth, Rosa Lewis, Eleanor Roosevelt, Eva Braun, Barbara Pym, and Helen Gurley Brown. An odd list, perhaps -- a list which may say something about Shapiro herself? In any case, the book consists of introduction and afterword -- and one chapter for each of the aforementioned women. 

A few bits on each of them, perhaps? 

Who is Dorothy Wordsworth? Well, you likely have heard of her brother, the poet? The Lake Poet? William Wordsworth? If you have, you may have heard of her. Or not. She is his sister and was devoted to him (apparently) for years and years. And, her relation to the poet is expressed in part through her relation to the feeding (and care) of that poet across a life time (ending, or trailing off, as William gets married). 

Rosa Lewis is, I think, the woman in the list you are most likely to have heard of only if you are a foodie. Sure, if you are or were a Duchess of Duke Street fan, you have seen her fictionalized. A caterer with working class background, Lewis rose to serve kings and many other elite members of the British aristocracy and owned the Cavendish Hotel. I think I might find her an interesting person to encounter -- at least once. The reflections here include what feels like her descent after WWI into a kind of caricature of herself. 

Eleanor Roosevelt seems to be having a resurgence in popularity or am I just imagining it? Some time ago I read a novel by Susan Witting Albert retitled Loving Eleanor which focused on her relationship with Lorena HIckock. Yes, food appeared -- in many ways similar to those noted by Shapiro. I have to admit I always enjoy Albert's books (mostly those focused on food and herbs featuring China Bayles) and enjoyed this one as a change of pace. But I digress. (If you wish more digression, here is Laura Shapiro some years ago on Roosevelt and food.) 

Eva Braun was a name vaguely familiar to me, but in that vagueness I was wrong. She was the mistress (and eventually briefly the wife?) of HItler. Given today's horrifying resurgence of Nazis in the U.S. or all over the globe, it particularly horrified me to read about her. I wondered (in the back of my mind) and worried (perhaps just a tad more toward the front of my mind?) whether some readers would be honoring her and that vegetarian horror, his other followers and the vicious inhumanity that is Nazi ideology and action. I hope not. (For a bit on Eva Braun and food, involving Shapiro, click here.) 

Barbara Pym was and is another name I vaguely knew about but have never read. Yes, the novelist -- and no I have not read her work. I have no more desire to read her work having read about her than previously when I had not read about her. 

And last but not least: Helen Gurley Brown. Here we come again to a name I knew but about whom I knew little other than a kind of stereotype. Yes, I associated her with a variant on sexism and with Cosmopolitan. (IN this case, of course, I mean the magazine she edited for over three decades, not the drink, which I have a vague notion is named after the magazine?) 

Maybe this stereotyping or perhaps a better word is caricaturing by knowing just a tiny tiny bit about someone, is what Shapiro is trying to resist in the book? Certainly, the women come across as somewhat more human, though equally distant, to this reader. Once in a while, I asked myself whether this was a kind of gossip-y book on Shapiro's part. I think not, but I am not sure of my judgment. 

One more matter: the subtitle of this book is 6 remarkable women and the food that tells their stories. I am wondering about the significance of the word remarkable here. In some ways, the focus on food renders these historical figures less remarkable - and reminds us of the ways they are "just like us" or, at least, just like others of their eras. Perhaps? On the other hand, they are "famous" -- in various ways. 

And, Shapiro's afterword is telling: she writes of "all the food stories that will never be told." I like this. I think there is, indeed, an everyday-ness that is lost in many ways, once held in cookbooks and memories and diaries and letters and elsewhere (now perhaps even in blogs that are both living and long abandoned?). 

I did not find this list of women very satisfying, I have to admit. I neither liked them nor felt I learned much about those I knew anything about. Ok, I admit the chapter on Dorothy was engaging. But, to be honest, either I am not all that interested in reading more "snippets" and want more depth OR I was not persuaded of Shapiro's thesis this time (of the particular insight provided by looking at what they had to say and write about food) OR I am just bored and carried that into the book. Or, perhaps, the lives we all lead are more routine than we want to admit and our food foibles, while shaped by our era, not that much to write home about. 

It might be that the range of people -- this list of these six remarkable women -- was just not my cup of tea. I am not sure who would be more interesting. I am not sure if it is a kind of ennui taking over my world or a lassitude that I cannot identify or. . . if it is just a duller book than Shapiro wants it to me. And, a duller book than I wanted it to be when I chose it, along with Alice Waters' new memoir, at Talking Leaves Books in Buffalo. 

And you? If you could imagine finding six women to investigate in terms of their relation to food, who would you choose? Are you persuaded that you could learn something significant about them by investigating their relation to food? Would you invite them to dinner -- in your imagination? 

Are you, too, unsure and feeling that peculiar ennui? 

 

If you want more: 

For a review of Shapiro's book in the Washington Post by blogger Jennifer Reese of the Tipsy Baker, try here. I have to admit I found Reese's first sentence absolutely reassuring and . . . yes. I did not, though, read the book with as much alacrity as Reese. For an NPR interview with the author, try here. And, for a blog interview try here. 

What is Circulating in Your Neighborhood?

In my youth, or what I like to think of as my youth, what circulated as a result of people's gardens was a single, unduly prolific vegetable: the zucchini. One would come home -- wherever that was -- to bags of them in the foyer or on the porch or beside (if home and work were entangled) one's office doors. A spate of muffins and breads might follow -- either shared with you unwillingly by unnamed stealth bakers leaving things, again, on porch or beside door. Occasionally, the same might happen with tomatoes, but for sure, zucchini plants produced way way way too much zucchini. Or so we all pretended. 

The great American zucchini swap was so culturally relevant that various ways to deal with the glut of zucchinis are the fodder of websites and zucchini jokes of various sorts. 

I happen to like zucchini, especially in a sort of Indian version called sabzi. In fact, I have been known to buy zucchini for that very reason. But that is a mere digression from the topic at hand. What is circulating in your neighborhood? What circulated this summer and fall? 

What used to circulate, with equal vigor, of course, was Tupper Ware. It was used to carry leftovers from endless pot lucks or to send things home with people after . . . well, cooking too much. It seems to me that tupper ware was a first step away from utter waste such as plastic wrap for many of us, and then was replaced with glass containers of various sorts for. . . ecological reasons? A return to the more ecological practices of the past. Or, maybe we wised up and realized that plastic made things taste . . . weird? In any case, the eternal tupperware circulation like the circulation of zucchini seems gone except for the occasional bit of Tupper Ware that is stuck in a drawer and used occasionally to house leftovers in the fridge. (Left over zucchini?)  

Today, in Fall 2017, neither zucchinis nor tupperware are the favored share. Their circulation no longer marks us as hip or ecologically minded or foodies.

One's foyer is more likely to house Ball jars of various sorts with various preserves, pickles and jams in them, awaiting pick up or just dropped off.  I have the most amazing array of jams in the pantry, none of which I either made or bought. Occasionally, these days there is a bag from, say, Wegmans or Trader Joe's with various things being moved back and forth between households and friends. Some bags never return, just like the Tupper Ware of a past era, and just as was true then, it is not a bad thing that these circulate like an underground friendship circle. I might not see my friends but I know they are there IRL (in real life) because I am enjoying the fruits of their kitchen labors. 

I love zucchini, I admit it. But this new circulation is wildly more interesting. Who knows what will come next? Here's what has been in my foyer -- coming or going -- this year (so far):

*sauerkraut

*kimchi

*green tomato chutney

*sweet tomato chutney

*peach chutney (of various sorts) 

*tomato jam

*empty bottles of various sorts acquired from various places

*turnips

*garlic

*tomatoes

*potatoes

Absolutely no zucchini at all. No Tupper Ware. (Is that, by the way, one word or two?) 

What does all this mean? A few ruminations.

First: Most of what arrives comes from women, though a remarkable amount originates with Fellenz Family Farms in my case. I am not sure what the gendering of all this means, though I think it may not be differently gendered than the circulation of zucchini or tupper ware. 

Second: there is a particular materiality to this which challenges the disappearance of all social interaction into social media. (Yes, I too notice that everyone around me has her or his face shoved into her or his or their phone.) On the other hand, since I never see the people (I assume) that deliver or pick up what is in my foyer, perhaps this is just another form of our disappearance fro one another' lives? 

Third: is this revivifying of preserving and canning a nostalgia for something we never had or is it something else entirely?  

 

 

Re-Emphasizing the Biblio in Bibliochef! Coming Soon!

Coming Soon to this very blog, a few reflections on newish foodie books. Yes, I made a trip (For unrelated reasons) to Buffalo, and thus to a bookstore I have not been to for years: Talking Leaves. It is a great bookstore -- and so, yes, despite trying to downsize, we came away with books. Several feature food-related topics. So, my food-related reading habit is back and not just for the recipes I am seeking for sauerkraut and related fermented veggies! 

Here are two you can expect too hear about one of these days! 

Coming to My Senses: The Making of a CounterCulture Cook by Alice Waters. Though I had her sign a book for me when she was in Seneca Falls, it was not this one -- it was an older cookbook I owned already. So, this was a treat and I hope it is as dandy as I anticipate. 

Laura Shapiro's What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food that Tells Their Stories - is just what it says. I am looking forward to it because I think it will be in bite size chunks and thus readable by someone like me who is more than a tad distractible these days. I have read some of her other work and reviewed it here, so. . . yes, it seems just right! 

 

and probably more! 

I MET ALICE WATERS

Life is never quite complete, but one evening in September,  it got very close. I was in a room with amazing people - something I have been lucky to experience repeatedly in my life. This time it was a fairly intimate affair with people like Gloria Steinem, and the 10 inductees for this year's 2017 inductions at the National Women's Hall of Fame. My partner is co-president, so I was lucky. (Though she works very hard to make these events work.) 

The point, oh blog readers, is not that life is complete. I did though get a tad closer to thinking life is complete because I met Alice Waters. And, I was so very happy to do so. 

Many years ago, perhaps in the early or mid 1980s, I ate at Chez Panisse. The cost was a sacrifice -- and it was an amazing meal. I have eaten there on occasion since then -- certainly more times than I can remember. And, I have known the name Alice Waters for what seems like as long as food was a part of my life that made me happy -- as a cook, that is, and someone who likes to eat good food at good restaurants. Of course, not all good food is at high end places, I now know, but it was partly Chez Panisse and Alice Waters that taught me to imagine and to smile when I thought about food and making food. It was partly Chez Panisse and Alice Waters that makes me value our micro share in a CSA and the freshness that surrounds me in the Finger Lakes. 

I own a cookbook of hers -- Chez Panisse Vegetables which is more pristine than I want to admit for I have not cooked from it as often as I have read it. I took it out some time ago when I knew that Alice Waters would be here in upstate NY and I would be in a room with her. I have read and re-read it - the recipes are simple and straightforward. And, in the recipes, I can see someone who is focused on the ingredients not on the production of self into food. The simplicity is perfect for these days of encountering vegetables I have never cooked with at our (Fellenz Family Farm) Community Supported Agriculture share. They are perfect for the naked kraut I have in bottles, having processed them the day before yesterday and made (with help) a whole new batch, this time with turmeric and pepper. (I have never made kraut before as you know if you are a regular reader. If not, try here.) 

I do not know if the women inducted into the women's hall of fame this year all think of themselves as feminist -- as for women. I do not know if Alice Waters thinks of herself that way. I don't even know if all the women who volunteer for and/or work for the National Women's Hall of Fame do, though I assume they see themselves as feminists and are willing to use the f word in self description.

But I can most definitely say this: to have models of women who do things -- I know I should say achieve but that feels so pro forma -- I simply mean DO THINGS -- and to know, as an (aging) adult noticing that doing matters. Well, that is an achievement of a lifetime for me. Stepping away from the criticism of one another and the expectations of perfection just to see and notice. 

Having met Alice Waters makes me happy. Seeing her holding in her hand a tomato from Fellenz Family Farm made me happy. I needed that. I need that. I am thrilled to have her signature on my Chez Panisse Vegetables. And it was delightful to hear her speak of a delicious revolution and sustainability and more. But, even more, to have met her and seen her hold that tomato. That makes me happy. 

Thank you, universe. And, thank you, B who brings nice things into my world, including once upon a time, this blog.  

A Meal to Remember: Confluence

So, I often volunteer to do things for people and then am a kind of louse (I whine and resent the very activity that I volunteered to undertake). Just remember that: it is a subtext here which I am overcoming -- because I truly loved the meal that came as a result of supporting someone I love. I speak of the amazing meal at an event called Confluence, which the Corning Museum of Glass (which had a glass barge on the canal in Seneca Falls) undertook to support the National Women's Hall of Fame. There were tickets and there was fear of rain (yes there was a deluge before and after -- but not during!) -- and there was a silent and a live auction -- and there was music. But mostly: there was food, drink and an amazing meal overall. It was weeks ago now, perhaps even a month, but Confluence is still worth commenting upon. 

Featuring women everywhere - from women carpenters and glass blowers to women chefs, Confluence was a fascinating exercise in feminism and food (and more). The two chefs were:

Christina McKeough from Graft Wine and Cider Bar in Watkins Glen. Christina, and her husband Jonah, are best known for founding the popular Hazelnut Kitchen in Trumansburg. She is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a chef dedicated to sourcing local products whenever possible.

Karen Gilman from Dano's on Seneca Lake, where she is pastry chef and manager. (If you have never had dessert at Daon's you are truly missing one of my favorite things in the Finger Lakes: mohn torte.)

The menu was fully locally sourced (thorough the hard work of Jessica Giles of the National Women's Hall of Fame) and donated, and included an amazing array of items. I, for example, learned that radishes with a glob of butter on top is a delightful thing. Who knew?

I do not have the menu in front of me (and nor can I find the link), so you will have to be satisfied with what I can do in terms of descriptions. And, you will need to show up in 2018 for Confluence 2). 

First: there was a huge spread of cheese, charcuterie and noshes ahead of the meal where among other things I discovered the wonderment of radish + butter. I had a sparkler but cannot tell you whose it was. Alas for it was terrific as were all the pairings.

On food:  

Ahead of the meal there was a huge spread of local cheeses and meats, as well as pass around hors d'oeuvres. The latter included (the only bit I had): radishes with a dollop of butter. I am amazed to say that this was terrific. 

Vichyssoise with smoked fish -- terrific, smooth, and just the right temperature, which I find amazing given we were outside seated at a single (very) long table

Watermelon tomato salad w pickled onions and local feta from Black Pearl Creamery

    A comment on the salad: the darn thing has been described by my partner as "the best watermelon feta salad ever. Why is this a quibble? While I agree with her entirely, I also think mine is terrific. 

Sausage and pork belly with spaetzle and collard greens and apricot mustard: this was amazing. In fact, the group around liked it so much that we had to get a second plate (it was served family style). I love spaetzle so was particularly taken with that and, of course, the pork belly. The belly was succulent and served exactly like I like it in terms of the portion size. 

Desserts were made by Pastry Chef Karen Gilman as noted above. There were two desserts available and, I admit, I had several of the goat cheese cake with blackberry compote. Yum. I also had (piggy?) several of the layered apricot dessert. Both were terrific. The only thing conceivably better would have been Karen's Mohn Tart. 

On drinks -- Both the opening reception and the pairings that came with the full menu featured local wines and ciders. I feel guilty for not knowing who all donated -- because everything was donated both for the drinks, the food, and the chef's time and expertise. I know Hosmer and Atwater both donated liquids but cannot say for sure others. Mea culpa! I can say that there were lovely roses, white and reds -- and that the dessert one was an apple based ice wine. Amazing. 

So: if you hear of confluence happening again in Seneca Falls bringing together the Corning Glass Museum and the National Women's Hall of Fame -- and I think Confluence 2 will be September 2018 -- buy a ticket and come with your checkbook. Why? There was also an auction with amazing items including Corning glass blown right on the glass barge, and much, much more. 

As a final side note: the Hall is a worthy charity. Please join me in donating to them through their website. And/or come along to this Fall's Induction -- which, if you are a foodie, should be a blast since Alice Waters is one of the ten inductees.