Cath Kerry-Food
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Book Club, Anyone?

15/9/2019

14 Comments

 
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I recently mentioned having enjoyed Bee Wilson's book "The Way We Eat Now".  She touches on, among other things, the loss of the lunch hour, unhealthy "health foods", and our busy, busy lives. 

I've also just finished two books by Michael Booth – "Sushi and Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking" and "The Meaning of Rice: and Other Tales from the Belly of Japan." I admire his honesty in admitting that as a self-avowed Japanophile, he nonetheless finds the level of pedantry involved in the Japanese tea ceremony to be mind-numbingly boring. “I can’t quite see how watching a pedantic elderly woman take two  hours to make a cup of matcha (tea) will enhance my life.” Both books are riveting and got me into a week of ramen, okonomiake, chawan mushi and mochi.

I miss not being able to talk with friends about what I read.
 
Friends? I have friends.  Some belong to book clubs - crime, romance, dystopia, historical fiction, WWII  but what I really want is to be free to discuss my gastronomic readings  without anyone rolling their eyes.  So it's occurred to me. How about a book club!

I guess we'd meet once a month. Someone would make a suggestion for the next gathering.  How many readers? I guess 8 to 10 at the absolute most.  Would we have tea and madeleines or wine and anchovies on horseback?  So much to work out but the reading possibilities are endless. There's history, health, sociology, philosophy, biography, science... 

  • Of course we'd look at the classics like "The Physiology of Taste" by Brillat Savarin (Jean Anthem) (1755-1826) the person who said not only "Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are" but other treasures such as "Those persons who suffer from indigestion, or who become drunk, are utterly ignorant of the true principles of eating and drinking."
  • During the same era, Grimod de la Reynière (Alexandre Balthazar Laurent) (1758-1837), gastronome and first restaurant critic, wrote "L' Almanach des Gourmands".
  • We could even check out "The Science of Cooking & the Art of Eating" by Pellegrino Artusi (1820-1911) whose writings created a unifying sense of Italian cuisine.
  • Biographies;  should Gordon Ramsay have just stayed with football? Is Marco Pierre White still mad, bad and dangerous to know? (I'd love to find out.)
  • History - Marco Polo did not bring pasta to Italy from his  Chinese travels. What was Indian food like before the Portuguese Vasco da Gama introduced chilis in the early 16thC? Barbara Santich's "The Original Mediterranean Cuisine: Medieval Recipes for Today" is a great read  (and although we're not doing recipes, there are some good ones).
  • Were spices used in medieval times to cover up putrid food? (No)
  • Do you use napkin rings?
  • Danny Meyer ("Setting the Table; the Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business") or Charlie Trotter ("Lessons in Excellence") - two great restaurateurs.  I bet their waiters never ask "How's your day been, then?"
  • Can you land a good job if you are a HKLP?
  • Is ethical eating a middle-class fad? We need Michael Pollan's "In Defence of Food"
  • Are French children well behaved at table?
  • How was the fork received in England?
  • Why use chopsticks?
  • Did the worry over his third Michelin star push Berard Loiseau to suicide?
  • Do you fold your napkin at the end of the meal?
  • Why do we have salt and pepper rather than salt & cinnamon?
  • Should we avoid high fructose corn syrup? Read David Gillespie’s attitude to sugar in "Sweet Poison".
  • Can we afford to go organic?
  • Banqueting through the ages.
  • Can the early Greek philosopher Epicurus change your life?

The world doesn't need another cook book or another recipe.  They're already out there, somewhere in the cloud, in the ether or on a bookcase near you. But it would be lovely to gather with consenting adults in private and talk gastronomy.

What do you think? There could be chapters all over the country, all over the world. Let's get up a group.

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14 Comments
rozzi bazzani
15/9/2019 04:57:08 pm

Interesting idea. I'd have to miss the face to face gatherings (such a pity)...then I saw (all over the country,all over the world). Keep me posted if this book club is not dependent on living nearby in one state.

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Jessica Knight
15/9/2019 05:24:21 pm

Yippee Cath, brilliant idea. I'll be in that please. Don't mind where we meet as long as it's a reasonably comfortable chair and everyone has a sense of humour and no one takes themselves too seriously!! Life's too short, especially now...
Jessica

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Amanda link
15/9/2019 06:31:11 pm

Great idea, Cath. I'd certainly be interested in something like this - either online in real life, depending upon location.

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Deborah Lockwood
15/9/2019 06:49:00 pm

Great idea ! Could be difficult to find or purchase some of the books? . The bookclub I am in has a closed Facebook group which allows those who miss the meeting to read the ‘synopsis’ of the face to face and to comment. The discussion continues .. also it is a space for members to recommend books or comment on books read outside of the club.. anyway a great idea for a themed evening.

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Noel Twohig
15/9/2019 07:19:29 pm

Wonderful concept, count me in. Finding the books would be part of the fun and I would favour face to face discussion over an inter net chat.

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Louise aughto
15/9/2019 07:32:40 pm

Count me in. Sounds perfect - food, books, interesting discussion and, hopefully, a lovely glass of wine,

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Barbara
15/9/2019 08:39:28 pm

Great idea, Cath. Why didn't you or someone think of it earlier? Where and when?

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ROSA MATTO
16/9/2019 08:13:10 am

I'm in.

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Francene Connor
17/9/2019 10:47:35 am

Hi Cath, sounds perfect. I’m in 3 book clubs and I’m not sure another one would fit into my life. But, would love to be kept in contention. I love talking about food (and eating it) and have learned so much from your incredible blog. Look forward to more details.

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Mr Roger Haden
19/9/2019 02:05:31 pm

Hi Cath, When do we start?

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Cath Kerry link
22/9/2019 02:40:15 pm

Love to have you along and delighted that you now have the time. I'm just making some plans.

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Angela Bannon
25/9/2019 06:01:32 pm

Sounds wonderful. Not just the books but all the culture and history, the mythology and reminiscence around the subject. Keep me in the loop!

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Cath link
30/9/2019 11:31:47 am

I'll keep you in the loop and send you our readings and comments. You might be an occasional guest perhaps?

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Ragini link
29/9/2019 06:34:33 pm

Just what l always wanted

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