On the Table - the curious home of Gary Allen, Food Writer & Dillettante

'tis practically April Fool's Day, a date that should be recognized as a National Holiday (at least in those years in which national elections are held). However -- as we already provide an ample supply of foolishness -- we shall resist the temptation to wax frivolous on matters political; they have an adverse affect upon both appetite and digestion, and we can't have that, can we?

Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much at the blog that isn’t sent automatically. Just Served dishes out more than reasonable people want to chew -- but, if you're feeling particularly unreasonable, and don't want to wait for these newsletters, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter. Our Facebook and Twitter friends (are we called "twits?") have already heard about our recent article -- "Much Ado about Mush," in Roll Magazine -- but it can also be found here.

The first draft of our sausage book (for Reaktion's Edible Series) is done. Alas, it's far too wurstig for a slim volume, so we're remorselessly trimming the fat and cholesterol.

A Quiet Little Table in the Corner is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.

Leitesculinaria has reposted several of our articles (the entire list is available here, along with several more noteworthy pieces on food history & science.

This month's quotations -- soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages -- are all from Ambrose Bierce. ("Why?" you might wonder, "Is there something special about the date, something significant that I should -- but don't -- know?" It's simple: we like the disappearing curmudgeon, and it's our newsletter -- so we get to put in whatever we like.

DELIBERATION, n. The act of examining one's bread to determine which side it is buttered on.

LAUREL, n. The laurus a vegetable dedicated to Apollo, and formerly defoliated to wreathe the brows of victors and such poets as had influence at court.

NECTAR, n. A drink served at banquets of the Olympian deities. The secret of its preparation is lost, but the modern Kentuckians believe that they come pretty near to a knowledge of its chief ingredient.

RAREBIT n. A Welsh rabbit, in the speech of the humorless, who point out that it is not a rabbit. To whom it may be solemnly explained that the comestible known as toad in the hole is really not a toad, and that ris de veau à la financière is not the smile of a calf prepared after the recipe of a she-banker.

RUM, n. Generically, fiery liquors that produce madness in total abstainers.

SATIETY, n. The feeling that one has for the plate after he has eaten its contents, madam.

PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!

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à la carte
(a huge collection of articles by Peter Hertzmann, mostly about French cuisine)

Confederate Receipt Book
(a collection of recipes, from 1863, in the Duke University Libraries)

Describing Food
(a glossary of effective adjectives)

Experts "Taste Wine Differently from Others"
(John-Paul Ford Rojas' article, in The Telegraph, that’s suggests that wine experts may be supertasters)

Film on Food; Foods on Film
(extensive list of films about, or that feature, food -- with brief synopses; a downloadable PDF)

Food
(chefs, cuisines, ingredients, recipes, and techniques -- plus a blog and FAQ; all from our friends at the BBC)

Foodie Bugle, The
(e-zine about "...simple, frugal, seasonal food and drink from farm to fork, from soil to shop, from grape to glass")

Iran: The Land of Bread and Spice
(Anissa Helou's Salon article on the glories of "Persian" cuisine)

Kentucky Receipt Book
(text of Mary Harris Frazer's 1903 cookbook, for various e-book readers)

Recipes with No Name
(Fabio Parasecoli's article, on Huffington Post, remembering Brazilian foods past, and experiencing academic guilt over forgetting the dishes' creators)

Rise and Fall of White Bread, The
(Aaron Bobrow-Strain's article, in Slate, on how a symbol of purity became a metaphor for non-adventurist caucasians)

Sailu's Kitchen
(vegetarian recipes from India)

Special Report: Tastes of the Union
(Bret Thorne's article, in Nation's Restaurant News, on chains' efforts to adapt company menus to regional tastes)

Taste of Sound, The
(Barb Stuckey's article, in Salon, on ways that ambient sound affect our perceptions of taste)

Those Fat Tails
(the skinny on fat-tailed sheep)

Ultimate in Heirloom Wheat Arrives at Seed Vault, The
(Dan Charles's article about some of the ways we're preserving a little of our pasts)

What Would Great-Grandma Eat?
(Aaron Bobrow-Strain's article, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, about resistance to change in eating habits -- despite knowing the effects of one's current diet)



Cookbooks Used to be for Cooking. Now They are for Looking.

How Do You Cite a Tweet in an Academic Paper?

It's the Era of Crowdsourced Recipes -- Long Live the Cookbook

Kindest Cookbook, The

And, perhaps, a bit less inspirational (unless you've got some other ideas up your sleeve):

Godin to Authors: You Have No Right to Make Money Any More



Cookistry

Dare to Eat a Peach

Food and Think



Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:

Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine are currently available.

Advance orders for Herbs: A Global History , in print, or in the Kindle edition, get a substantial pre-publication discount.

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.