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

We’ve been traveling, for the past three weeks or so, and have eaten well—and not-so-well—across some twenty states. Unfortunately, while driving along the Interstates, we find nothing but fast-food chains. Never-ending variations on the theme of fried flesh and starch. We search in vain for something raw or even fresh—and must often abandon all hope of finding any decent vegetables. However, by exiting the endless divided highway for back roads, some toothsome surprises may be encountered.
We suspect that there’s a metaphor here about food writing, but we’ll leave its discovery to you, gentle reader.
Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly—but there is much more at the blog that isn’t delivered automatically. For example, “A Study in Contrasts,” a recent exercise in self-indulgence, addresses some mixed feelings that one might experience when guided by one’s stomach. 
You can, if you wish, follow us on Facebook, and Twitter. Still more of our online scribbles can be found at A Quiet Little Table in the Corner.

This month’s quotes from On the Table’s culinary quote collection are all from another American traveler:

A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually waste away, and eventually die. Mark Twain 

After a few months’ acquaintance with European ‘coffee’ one’s mind weakens, and his faith with it, and he begins to wonder if the rich beverage of home, with its clotted layer of yellow cream on top of it, is not a mere dream after all, and a thing which never existed. Mark Twain

 Sacred cows make the best hamburger. Mark Twain

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20 Delicious Bug Recipes from Chefs
(Mandy Oaklander on the latest in creepy-crawly cuisine; in Time magazine)
Bro and a Philosopher Debate the True Meaning of a Sandwich, A
(it’s not a simple question to answer…)
Culinary Historians of Piedmont North Carolina
(meetings held at Flyleaf Books, 752 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill, NC)
Fruits and Vegetables Are Trying to Kill You
(Moises Velasquez-Manoff on recent research into the relationship between plant stressors and human health)
How to Read a Wine
(Dwight Furrow: “…when you taste a wine you taste the residue of geography and culture”)
Human Cheese
(experimenting with bacteria from our bodies to produce cheeses)
Let’s Eat Together: How Immigration Made British Food Great
(the gastronomic melting pot is not a solely American phenomenon)
On Food Labels, Calorie Miscounts
(Philip J. Hilts on a more scientific method for counting calories, in The New York Times)
Real North Carolina Barbecue
(“barbecue” is always a contentious subject, so don’t expect this article to mince words)
Science Giveth and Science Taketh Away
(Dwight Furrow on glass shape and the perception of wine)
Science: The Missing Ingredient in the So-Called Art of Cooking
(Cynthia Bertelsen’s plea for, and links to sources of, scientific literacy for cooks—and, by extension, food writers)
Shared Meals
(Jan Whitaker, on some of the less-than-savory things restaurants used to serve)
UC Food Observer
(food and agriculture news from University of California)
When Eating Dairy Was a Life-or-Death Question
(Susan Cosier on archaeological evidence for early cheese-making and the evolution of milk-tolerance in adults)
Why Comfort Food Comforts
(Cari Romm’s psychological insights, in The Atlantic)
Why (Western) Philosophers are Late to the Dinner Party
(philosopher Dwight Furrow considers the reasons other philosophers have so rarely considered food to be a worthy topic)
5 Ways to Get Publicity for Your Book (That Aren’t Related to Your Book Launch or Book Tour)
How to Start a Food Blog: 10 Tips from a Veteran Blogger
How to Start a Food Blog: A Step by Step Dummy Proof Guide
Kidnapped!* A Case of Plagiarism
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