Proust, Fast-Food Day, And A.J. Liebling's Words To Eat By
In The Food Almanac, Tom Fitzmorris of The New Orleans Menu, notes food facts and sayings for Wednesday, November 16, 2011.
Food Through History
It's always mystified me why the early Pilgrim settlers were always hungry. The oysters and lobsters alone should have taken care of them. In any case, the Pilgrims led by Miles Standish were on the verge of starvation on this date in 1620 when they uncovered a cache of corn. It had been hidden on what became known as Corn Hill by a tribe of Native Americans. The corn got the Pilgrims through the winter in Provincetown, allowing them to live to discover turkey the following year.
Today's Flavor
It's National Fast-Food Day. This too shall pass. In a nutshell, here's what's wrong with fast food: in order for it to be served quickly, it must be prepared in advance. While it waits for you to order it, it becomes terrible. Also, it removes the element of anticipation from eating. You don't have time to look forward to the meal. (Why would you want to, if it's a standard burger?) The wait itself is one of the things that makes great food worth waiting for.
Great Food Moments In Literature
Today in 1913, the first volume of Marcel Proust's À la Recherche du Temps Perdu (somewhat mistranslated as Remembrance of Things Past) was published. The whole work was inspired by a flood of memories Proust experienced when he ate a madeleine cookie with a cup of hot tea. The first-person protagonist has a very disturbed mind, but the language and insights are incomparable.
Gourmet Gazetteer
Grinders is a small farming community in the center of Tennessee, 60 miles southwest of Nashville. It's in a horseshoe bend of the Duck River, the longest river entirely in Tennessee, and a tributary of the Tennessee River. It therefore contributes to the water that passes through New Orleans through the Ohio then the Mississippi. The Duck River is teeming with life, including 50 species of mussels and more than 150 species of fish. The nearest restaurant to Grinders (which are sort of like po'boy sandwiches) is Fish Camp Restaurant, 10 miles upstream in Centerville.
Edible Dictionary
onion mum, n. — A medium-sized onion cut to resemble a flower, then coated with a batter and deep-fried. It's served with a mayonnaise-based dipping sauce. The onion is cut from the top down 14 to 30 times, each cut stopping about three-quarters of an inch from the bottom. The trick in making the onion "bloom" is to soak it in cold water for a few minutes. That makes the "petals" spread out. Although it's reputed to have been invented in Australia, in fact the first place it was ever on a menu was at Russell's Marina Grill in the New Orleans Lakeview neighborhood. It was shortly thereafter adopted by Copeland's and Outback, each of which claimed to have invented it. A lot of fuss about mot much: onion mums are usually very greasy, and much less good than standard onion rings.
Annals of Open Dining Rooms
This was not a nice day in New Orleans in 1960. Upon the integration of two public schools, an estimated 2,000 people turned out to protest, some violently. Shortly afterwards, desegregation in New Orleans restaurants occurred, with few incidents. Most restaurants took it in stride, if a little nervously. Restaurateurs who were there to see their dining rooms integrated recall the event as an anticlimax. A few restaurants became private clubs, to keep segregation going a little longer. Even those relaxed when it became clear that accepting anyone as a customer was an entirely good thing.
Food in Show Biz
George S. Kaufman, who wrote the screenplays for The Cocoanuts (and other Marx Brothers movies) and The Man Who Came To Dinner was born today in 1889.
Food Namesakes
I'm intrigued by two near-food names today, both of actors. Steve Railsback joined our world in 1948 today. Royal Dano was born on this date in 1922. So, for dinner, how about grilled fresh brook railsback, well-seasoned with garlic butter? After dessert I'll open up a port, cut some wedges of ripe Royal Dano cheese, and roast some pecans . . . Richard Coke Jr., an early Congressman from Virginia, was born today in 1790.
Words to Eat By
"In the light of what Proust wrote with so mild a stimulus, it is the world's loss that he did not have a heartier appetite. On a dozen Gardiner's Island oysters, a bowl of clam chowder, a peck of steamers, some bay scallops, three sautéed soft-shelled crabs, a few ears of fresh picked corn, a thin swordfish steak of generous area, a pair of lobsters, and a Long Island duck, he might have written a masterpiece." — A.J. Liebling, American journalist and gourmet.
Words to Drink By
"Take the juice of two quarts of whiskey . . . " — Eddie Condon, American jazz guitarist, beginning his hangover cure recipe.