Food & Writing Sites for June 2025
Friday, May 16, 2025
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
On Shakespeare’s birthday, we published the third volume of Substack Lightnin’—an historic event that pales in comparison with the printing of The First Folio. We also managed to post several new Substack pages (destined to be part of Volume Four):
“Assuming Responsibility,” like in a dream;
“View from an Eight-terraced Summit,” on possibly dashed literary hopes;
“A Literary Announcement,” tries to cash in on a mere coincidence;
“A Curmudgeon Speaks of Love,” more pontificating by Dr Sanscravat;
“Mnemosyne,” speculations on memory and poetry;
"Time is but the stream I go a'fishing in...,” thoughts on silence and solitude;
“The White Whale,” on rereading Moby Dick;
“Better Late Than Never,” more bookish true confessions;
“Coincidence?” some philosophical speculating; and
“A Writer, Before Writing Anything,” a reminiscence;
You can, should you choose to, 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 includes food writing and anything else we manage to get into print.
In recognition of the new grilling season, some excerpts from On the Table’s culinary quote collection).
If the melting pot exists, the cheeseburger may well be its most palpable product; to take a bite of it is to take a bite of history... Elizabeth Rozin
Although the frankfurter originated in Frankfurt, Germany, we have long since made it our own, a twin pillar of democracy along with Mom’s apple pie. In fact, now that Mom’s apple pie comes frozen and baked by somebody who isn’t Mom, the hot dog stands alone. What it symbolizes remains pure, even if what it contains does not. William Zinsser
My favorite animal is steak. Fran Lebowitz
Sacred cows make the best hamburger. Mark Twain
Gary
June 2025
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 Cynthia Bertelsen—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 —
17 British Sauces and Condiments You Should Know
(according to Tasting Table’s Adrienne Katz Kennedy)
Art and Science of Decanting Wine, The
(Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen “spoke with experts” for Robb Report)
Bitter Truth: Why Has Chocolate Become So Expensive?
(several reasons, according to Alex Kozul-Wright, in Al Jazeera)
Eight Asian Sauces to Keep in Your Pantry, The
(the BBC’s guide to sources of umami—other than marmite)
Ethnic Food: The Other in Ourselves
(Paula Arvela’s 2013 paper in Food: Expressions and Impressions)
Expert Sets the Record Straight on Bourbon’s Biggest Myths, An
(Christopher Osburn’s 100-proof answer, in The Manual)
(“intelligent food journalism that helps make sense of the South’s extraordinary and complex culinary scene”)
Gene Edited Superfruits That Last for Weeks Heading for Our Shelves
(O brave new world, that has such fruit in it—according to The London Times)
How Much Should an Oyster Cost?
(Eater’s Amy McCarthy has the answer, alas)
How to Read a German Wine Label
(Emily Saladino decodes for us at imbibe magazine)
(a tribute to Fernand Point, by Jerimiah Tower)
(an excerpt from Suzette Field’s book, A Curious Invitation)
Why Chinese Food Doesn’t Care About Your Wine Rules
(according to Andrew Sun, in Vino Joy News; “pairing is harder when there are ten courses being served”—simultaneously)
(essay by philosopher Dwight Furrow)
(wow… is this overthinking, even with the help of AI?)
— inspirational (or otherwise useful) sites for writers/bloggers —
12 Incredible Images of Alcohol in American History
15 Vintage Sandwiches that Nobody Remembers Anymore
“A Practical Art”: An Archaeological Perspective on the Use of Recipe Books
Book Creation Process: from Concept to Finished Book
Cool Condiments: “Little Treat Culture” Leading to Boom in Preserves and Sauces
Culinary Memories: Othering, Connecting, and the Social History of Cookbooks
Dariusz Galasiński: Is Wine Hard to Write About?
How Readers Interacted with Recipes in the 19th Century: Some Musings
How to Read a Royalty Statement
I Met a Cheese Fortune Teller and She Told Me Where I Had to Travel Next
I Went to a Tuna Cutting in Atlanta. Here’s What Happened.
In India, Music Helps Spread the Message of Millets
Is Making Your Own Century Eggs Worth It?
Lab-Grown Meat’s Carbon Footprint Potentially Worse Than Retail Beef
Most Consumed Meat In The World Is Unexpectedly Not Chicken, The
Number of Calories in Every Common Spirit and Cocktail Ingredient, The
Paradox of the Restaurant Cookbook, The
Some Thoughts on Recipes and Copyright
Untitled (or: Tony Prieto, Possibly the Most Popular Guy in Asheville)
What Should We Have for Dinner?
Where Does Inspiration Come From?
Why Food Stories are Powerful and Why We Need to Tell More of Them
— podcasts, et cetera —•
28 Slightly Rude Notes on Writing
Hot Cold Food vs. Cold Hot Food Taste Test
— 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 are providing 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)
The Backstories: As retold by Gary Allen
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Tabula Rasa, Baby: (Not Written in Stone)
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Unbelievable: A Modern Novella (the Extended Edition)
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Noirvella: The Extended Edition
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Hot Hot Hot/Risky Business
(Paper)
(Kindle)
The Long & Short of It: A Miscellany
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Beer Taste & Other Disorders
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Galloping Gourmand: A Culinary Collection
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Substack Lightnin’: Volume One, The First Year
Substack Lightnin’: Volume Two, Second Year
Substack Lightnin’: Volume Three, Third Year
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
______________
The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #296 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.
As the author of this page—being a real living person—I have not used AI for any purpose (beyond routine spellcheck). Nor do I permit the use of any of its content for training of AI systems, or in the generation of AI content.
Copyright ©2025 by Gary Allen.
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