Herring (Clupea harengus)
May is about to bust out all over—as it does every year—and every year its intensity comes as a surprise. We pity those who live in parts of the year that have no Winter—because, without the relentless dreariness of that season, what would make the frenzy of May so ecstatic?
While celebrating the onset of Spring (and preparing to search for the first morels), we managed to post several new Substack pages:
“Thirteen Words…” on our rights;
“Floating an Idea,” a sample of a work-in-progress;
“On Re-reading…” on a bookish romance;
“Testing… Testing…” on learning to write recipes;
“The Table Was Set, But…” on an unfinishable book project;
“All Bluebirds and Butterflies” is like living in a fairy tale;
“Smart,” an attempt to understand the nature of genius; and
“Psychedelia Redux,” a short story (entirely fictional, we assure you).
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 May, several of our local streams are filled with spawning herring (hence this excerpt from On the Table’s culinary quote collection).
Some fishes become extinct, but Herrings go on forever. Herrings spawn at all times and places and nothing will induce them to change their ways. They have no fish control. Herrings congregate in schools, where they learn nothing at all. They move in vast numbers in May and October. Herrings subsist upon Copepods and Copepods subsist upon Diatoms and Diatoms just float around and reproduce. Young Herrings or Sperling or Whitebait are rather cute. They have serrated abdomens. The skull of the Common or Coney Island Herring is triangular, but he would be just the same anyway. (The nervous system of the Herring is fairly simple. When the Herring runs into something, the stimulus is flashed to the forebrain, with or without results). Will Cuppy
Gary
May 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 Sally Ekus—thanks, and keep them coming!
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— the new sites —
(Alexandra Plakias, at Aeon, on the creepy crawlies—and other questionable items—that may be on our future plates)
Between Subjectivity and Science: Rethinking Objectivity and Wine Tasting
(another thoughtful essay from Dwight Furrow)
Historical Cooking Measures and the Metric System
(Linda Anderman on one critical aspect of recipe-writing)
Inside the Strange Origins of Graham Crackers and Why They Were Invented
(John Kuroski, at All That’s Interesting, on why they were originally boring, on purpose)
Sticky History of Baklava, The
(John Moretti, on the multiple versions of this ancient Mediterranean treat, in The Smithsonian)
The Differences Between Barrel Proof, Cask Strength, and Full Proof Whiskeys, Explained
(VinePair’s answer, provided by Pete O'Connell)
What Do the Letters in SPAM Really Stand For?
(Lindsey Reynolds avoids a direct answer, in The Takeout)
— inspirational (or otherwise useful) sites for writers/bloggers —
10 Weirdest Craft Brewery Names in the U.S., The
12 Signs Your Seafood Isn't Fresh, According To An Executive Chef
Behind the Scenes: At the Dessert Table Photo Shoot
Does Guinness Beer Really Taste Better in Ireland?
Hidden Meaning Behind the Coffee Beans in an Espresso Martini, The
How Dining Out Differs Across Generations
New Era for Latino Cookbooks, A
Non-Fiction Proposal Guidelines
Notes From the Past: Modern Spirits Makers are Recreating (and Reinventing) Long-Forgotten Products
Oldest Ice Cream Shops in the US, The
Reason You Never See People Drinking in Beer Commercials
Recipe and Photography, The. The Sensual Appeal of Image-Word Relations in Cookbooks
Reflections Around an Old-Fashioned
Social Climbers: Is Non-Stop Content Creation Now What It Takes for Restaurants to Survive?
“There Is No Recipe, Take It Or Leave It”
Tyranny of the Algorithmic Palate, The
We’re Living in the Age of the Culinary “-Ish”
What It Will Really Take to Feed the World
— podcasts, etcetera —•
How Crunch Took Over Our Tastebuds
Inside the Booming, Bourbon-Driven Barrel Business
Rejection; What NOT to Do When an Agent Passes on Representing You
Room for Dessert? Here’s Why Your Brain Says Yes to Sugar
Science of Delicious, The: Nik Sharma & Dan Souza Reveal the Secrets of Recipe Development
Table for One: The Joy of Solo Dining
— 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
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The Herbalist in the Kitchen
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The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries
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Human Cuisine
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Herbs: A Global History
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Sausage: A Global History
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Can It! The Perils and Pleasures of Preserving Foods
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Sauces Reconsidered: Après Escoffier
Terms of Vegery
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How to Serve Man:
On Cannibalism, Sex, Sacrifice, & the Nature of Eating
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How to Write a Great Book
The Digressions of Dr Sanscravat: Gastronomical Ramblings & Other Diversions
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Ephemera: a short collection of short stories
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Prophet Amidst Losses
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Future Tense: Remembrance of Things Not Yet Past
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The Backstories: As retold by Gary Allen
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Tabula Rasa, Baby: (Not Written in Stone)
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Unbelievable: A Modern Novella (the Extended Edition)
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Noirvella: The Extended Edition
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Hot Hot Hot/Risky Business
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The Long & Short of It: A Miscellany
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Beer Taste & Other Disorders
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Galloping Gourmand: A Culinary Collection
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Substack Lightnin’: Volume One, The First Year
Substack Lightnin’: Volume Two, Second Year
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
______________
The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #295 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.
