Food Sites for June 2023
Sunday, May 7, 2023
It’s definitely cocktail season!
Our June issue is coming out very early—because we’re going on vacation and probably won’t be able to post in a timelier manner. We also plan to be busy occupying ourselves with whatever tourists do to amuse themselves. In keeping with the spirit of the thing, we’re sharing a number of libational links, so you can join us—virtually. If not virtuously.
(and yes, we made up “libational”—you needn’t bother looking it up)
We’ve never been able to limit ourselves to reading just one book at a time, but our affliction has only intensified. We’re now writing several at the same time—and, understandably, not completing any of them. Worse, we continue to distract ourselves by posting more Substack pages at the same time:
“Food for Thought” is a post about thinking, and thinking about, the unthinkable;
“If You Knew Scusi, Like I Know Scusi...” is something like an apology about apologies;
“Spring Hopes Eternal” is a kind of love story;
“Trinity” wrestles with ultimate mysteries and (as you might expect) loses.
In our spare time, we self-published a little book about ridiculously hot chiles, and other things we would probably have been wise not to ingest. Hot Hot Hot/Risky Business is the latest item from Penwipe Publishing.
You can, if you wish, follow us on Facebook (where, among other things, we post a lot of photographs), and Twitter. Still more of our online scribbles can be found at A Quiet Little Table in the Corner and other Substack pages. There’s even an Amazon author’s page, that’s mostly about our food writing.
Some entries to wet your whistle from On the Table’s culinary quote collection.
I like to have a martini, two at the very most. After three I’m under the table. After four I'm under the host. Dorothy Parker
There can be nothing more frequent than an occasional drink. Oscar Wilde
Remember gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne. Winston Churchill
Sometimes too much to drink is barely enough. Mark Twain
No amount of physical contact could match the healing powers of a well-made cocktail. David Sedaris
Writer’s block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol. Steve Martin
Gary
June 2023
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 who have pointed out corrections or tasty sites (this month we’re tipping our virtual hat to Roz Cummins), thanks, and keep them coming!
PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings or—if you’ve received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don’t wish to receive future issues—you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We’re happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we’ll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again.
— the new sites —
Almost-pioneer from Basel, The
(Michael van Orsouw’s article about the first Swiss food writer, Anna Wecker)
Ancient Rome Did Wine Very, Very Differently
(Josh Wussow, at The Takeout, explains why modern wine is better—and safer—than the stuff served in Imperial Rome)
(a galley of gorgeous garnishes, from Moss & Fog)
Curious Case of Colonial India’s Breakfast Curries, The
(Lily Kelting, at Gastro Obscura, on curry—whatever that is— and The Raj)
(Anne Ewbank’s history of lemonade, poured at Gastro Obscura)
(Christopher Doell, at Valet Magazine, on tequila's smoky cousin)
(history and descriptions, from Wikipedia)
History of the Dark and Stormy Cocktail, The
(from Bermuda, via Moss & Fog)
History of the Mai Tai Cocktail, The
(from Trader Vic Bergeron, via Moss & Fog)
History of the Negroni Cocktail, The
(from Florence, Italy, via Moss & Fog)
History of the Old Fashioned Cocktail, The
(from Louisville, Kentucky, via Moss & Fog)
History of the World’s Most Popular Cocktail, The: The Margarita
(from Tijuana, México—maybe—via Moss & Fog)
(Dwight Furrow sniffs and tells, at Edible Arts)
How England Became the “Sweetshop of Europe”
(Mimi Goodall‑in the University of Oxford’s The Conversation—demonstrates “the history of sugar is also the history of capitalism, of exploitation, of globalization, and of industrialization”)
In Texas, Barbecue Has Gone Global
(Gastro Obscura documents the explosion of multi-ethnic flavors now found in the Lone Star State)
(Sharanya Deepak’s article, in The Baffler, on what’s behind the Hindu/vegetarian “cow vigilantes”)
Issue 77, BEGINNINGS, Part 2: Onset of the Sugar Binge
(David Shields explains how sugar became an inexpensive commodity)
Oyster Stew, Sturgeon Soup: Historic Menus from Lincoln’s Inaugural to San Quentin Prison
(a Guardian account of an exhibit at NY’s Grolier Club)
(remember when we all thought—or wanted to believe—that alcohol was good for our health? Slate’s Tim Requarth is a party pooper)
(“Tips from the experts on sushi rules to follow,” by way of the BBC’s World’s Table)
Shocking Story of the Boureka, The: Israel’s Favorite Snack
(Aryeh Genger’s Aish article about pastries, both sweet and savory)
Sweet and Sour Origins of Amish Soul Food, The
(Sam Lin-Sommer, on Chris Scott’s fusion of Amish and African American cuisines, in Gastro Obscura)
Sylvester Graham, Health Food Nut, Makes Butchers and Bakers Go Crackers
(New England Historical Society’s post about the prototypical Puritan food prophet)
— inspirational (or otherwise useful) sites for writers/bloggers —
Conversation with the Memoirist and Food Writer Elissa Altman, A
Eating Invasive Species is More Adaptation Than Solution
Goodbye to the Bread Basket. Hello to the Bread Course.
How the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich (BEC) Became an Urban Go-To Breakfast
Ironies of the Food Revolution
Making P&A, pt.1: How to Write a Cookbook Proposal
May Sarton on How to Cultivate Your Talent
On Research: Writing as Cleaning Up a Mess
Preserving My Family’s Food Culture
Secret Roving Recipe Book Is the Ultimate Boomerang, The
Surprising, Overlooked Artistry of Fruit Stickers, The
Thrills and Spills: An Architect’s Absurdist Homeware—in Pictures
Visualizing Chairs Out of Fruit and Vegetables
What’s the Point of Reading Writing by Humans?
Why Does Food Taste Different When You Are Flying?
— podcasts, etcetera —
How a Restaurant Is Helping Diners Think Deeply About Immigrant Culture and Food
Smithsonian Scientist: I Found the 8th Wonder of the World in a Coffee Shop
Why Do We Eat Popcorn at the Movies?—Andrew Smith
— that’s all for now —
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
As an Amazon Associate, this newsletter earns from qualifying purchases made through it. These include our own books (listed below), and occasional books mentioned in the entries above. If you order anything via those links, the price you pay is not increased by our commission.
Occasionally, URLs we provide may take you to commercial sites (that is, they’ll cost you money to take full advantage of them), or publications that have paywalls. We do not receive any compensation for listing them here and provide them without any form of recommendation—other than the fact that they looked interesting to us.
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 for our own books:
The Resource Guide for Food Writers
(Hardcover)
(Paper)
(Kindle)
(newsletters like this merely update the contents of the book; what doesn’t appear here is already in the book)
The Herbalist in the Kitchen
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
Human Cuisine
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Herbs: A Global History
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
Sausage: A Global History
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
Can It! The Perils and Pleasures of Preserving Foods
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
Sauces Reconsidered: Après Escoffier
Terms of Vegery
(Paper)
(Kindle)
How to Serve Man:
On Cannibalism, Sex, Sacrifice, & the Nature of Eating
(Paper)
(Kindle)
How to Write a Great Book
The Digressions of Dr Sanscravat: Gastronomical Ramblings & Other Diversions
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Ephemera: a short collection of short stories
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Prophet Amidst Losses
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Future Tense: Remembrance of Things Not Yet Past
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Backstories: As retold by Gary Allen
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Tabula Rasa, Baby: (Not Written in Stone)
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Unbelievable: A Modern Novella
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Hot Hot Hot/Risky Business
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
______________
The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #272 is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication—unless with the author’s prior written permission—is strictly prohibited.
Copyright ©2023 by Gary Allen.
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