Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, August 17, 2011

Published by Wednesday, August 17, 2011 Permalink 0

by Simón de Swaan

On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally’s cellar.Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of The United States of America

At the age of 33, Thomas Jefferson (1743 to 1826) drafted the Declaration of Independence. More a writer than an orator, he was elected President in 1800, serving two terms. Monticello, his house on the hill outside Washington, D.C., is known for its beautiful views over the Potomac and the surrounding countryside.

Click here to read his official biography on the White House website.

Cropped version of Thomas Jefferson, painted b...

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French Food Quote: Daily Food Quote, August 16, 2011

Published by Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

Noncooks think it’s silly to invest two hours’ work in two minutes’ enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.–Julia Child

Julia Child, (1912 – 2004), American cookbook writer, TV personality and tremendous contributor to the food world, introduced Americans to the techniques of French cooking with her classic book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volumes I and II.

Julia Child brought French food to post-war America. When her husband Paul was posted to Paris, she studied at L’Ecole du Cordon Bleu, and went on to form her own cooking school with fellow students Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. The threesome went on to write the 2-volume classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which covered all the basic techniques and dishes of classic French cuisine.

Julia Child, Miami Book Fair International, 1989

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Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, August 16, 2011

Published by Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Permalink 0

by Simón de Swaan

[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world’s sweetest smells…there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.-M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

Mary Francis Kenney Fisher (July 3, 1908 – June 22, 1992). a Californian by birth, was a prolific and well-respected author of 20 books, many of which dealt with the preparation, history and culture of food. She spent the first three years of her marriage in France, where she learned how to live and eat economically and was introduced to various wines, pastries and cheeses. This was to determine the path of her life.

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French Food Quote: Daily Food Quote, August 15, 2011

Published by Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

Nouvelle cuisine was so specifically French that it was, and still is, misunderstood in the rest of the world. You have to be dominated by Escoffier before rejecting him becomes meaningful.–Mark Kurlansky, Choice Cuts (2002)

Mark Kurlansky’s Choice Cuts features more than 200 essays on what great thinkers, writers, musicians and sometimes even foodies thought about food in all its forms throughout time. It is essential to any cookbook collection and serves as an amusing read at any time of the day.

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Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, August 15, 2011

Published by Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

by Simón de Swaan

Green beans, or string beans as they are usually called, must be done [boiled] till very tender — it takes nearly an hour and a half.Sarah Josepha Hale, The Good Housekeeper (1839)

Sarah Josepha Hale was an American writer and editor who wrote the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”  She is also known for campaigning for the creation of the Thanksgiving holiday, and Hale served as editor of Ladies’ Magazine from 1827-1836 and Godey’s Lady’s Book from 1837-1877.

Click here to listen to “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

Frontispiece from issue 41 of Godey's Lady's B...

 

 

 

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Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, August 11, 2011

Published by Thursday, August 11, 2011 Permalink 0
Cover of "The Importance of Being Earnest...

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by Simón de Swaan

You can’t possibly ask me to go without having some dinner. It’s absurd. I never go without my dinner. No one ever does, except vegetarians and people like that.–Oscar Wilde

Quote by Oscar Wilde, in “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895).

The “ Importance of Being Earnest”, said to be “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play’s major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways.

The official Oscar Wilde website can be viewed here.

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Rencontre avec des boulangers remarquables : Le boulanger de Kaboul

Published by Wednesday, August 10, 2011 Permalink 0

de Jean-Philippe de Tonnac

Click here to read this article in English

Dan de Mirmont, le boulanger de Kaboul

Comment découvre-t-on la cuisine et la panification à la française en Birmanie et décide-t-on de les faire connaître aujourd’hui aux gens de Kaboul ? C’est l’étonnant parcours de Dan de Mirmont qui réouvre son Bistro Bakery en octobre.

Ali, à droite, responsable de la
boulangerie-pâtisserie, et Zobaid,
à gauche, son assistant.
Dan de Mirmont, au centre.

 

Comment choisit-on de venir faire du pain à Kaboul ?

On n’y arrive pas en ligne droite. Il y a des détours. Si vous voulez un commencement, je vous propose la Birmanie.

Ça ne nous éloigne pas un peu ?

Vous verrez que non. Quatorze années d’un long flirt avec l’Union du Myanmar. Un grand bémol, les plaisirs de la table y sont comptés. Chose qui nous désole J., mon amie chinoise singapourienne, et moi. Bien qu’entourée de pays tels que l’Inde, la Chine, la Thaïlande, connus pour leurs cuisines, la table birmane offre peu d’émotions positives. Des vacances dans une petite maison au-dessus de Saint-Tropez et les merveilleux restaurants de l’arrière-pays nous apportent la conviction qu’il faut agir. Nous rentrons en Birmanie avec une soixantaine de kilos de livres de cuisine. Ni elle ni moi n’avons jamais mis les pieds dans une cuisine. Une sainte horreur des odeurs de graillons et des mains sales. Nous faisions jusqu’alors commerce de nos créations dans une très jolie galerie dans le centre de Yangon. Sans faire attention à ce que nous mangions.

Le début des apprentis cuisiniers est laborieux et difficilement supportable pour les amis, invités à goûter. Les cobayes s’y font lentement, vantent nos progrès et nous demandent progressivement de nourrir leurs soirées.

Continue Reading…

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French Food Quote: Daily Food Quote, August 10, 2011

Published by Wednesday, August 10, 2011 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

It took architects years to get established, to show that they weren’t just artisans, and that’s what I hope will happen with gastronomy. For some reason people don’t consider cooking a serious business, but it’s like any discipline, and it’s a passionate and fascinating one.Julia Child

Julia Child brought French food to post-war America. When her husband Paul was posted to Paris, she studied at L’Ecole du Cordon Bleu, and went on to form her own cooking school with fellow students Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. The threesome went on to write the 2-volume classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which covered all the basic techniques and dishes of classic French cuisine.

And indeed she proved to be right. It is only now, 60 years later, that cooking has established itself as gastronomy, and only when referring to a few great American chefs.

Read other French food quotes here:

Julia child1

 

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Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, August 9, 2011

Published by Tuesday, August 9, 2011 Permalink 0

by Simón de Swaan

If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe.–Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan (1934-1996), best known for his 13-part television series Cosmos, was an American astronomer and popular science writer. His motto was, “Our mission is to awaken the broadest possible public to the wonders of nature as revealed by science.”

Click here to see an excerpt of his television show.

 

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Food Art: Soba Noodles, A Zen Perspective

Published by Monday, August 8, 2011 Permalink 0

 “Preparing food is not about yourself and others. It is about everything!”
– Shunryu Suzuki


Click here for more pictures and a recipe for “Cold Soba Noodle Salad“.

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