Book Board Chat

ahahaha! You people are cracking me up re: Rachel! Don't you think they would get smart and have Sally call since we all know who it is when we hear Rachel!

Sent this article to @bookleaves Ellen. Thought she might be interested in it given the couple of books that she has written, Learning to Cook in 1898: A Chicago Culinary Memoir (2007), based on Irma Rosenthal Frankenstein's manuscript cookbook, and set into the socio-cultural and economic context of 19th century German-Jewish community in Chicago, and From the Jewish Heartland: Two Centuries of Midwest Foodways (2011), the inaugural volume of the Heartland Foodways series at the University of Illinois. It is ironic that Ellen , who doesn't like to cook wrote these books and also published two articles on culinary-related topics: "A Menu and A Mystery: The Case of the 1834 Delmonico Bill of Fare"( Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture (Spring 2008), and a lengthy book review on Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History.

The "Menu and A Mystery: The Case of the 1834 Delmonico Bill of Fare" is a great article! It really reads like a mystery and she solves it! Swifty's place is right in front of Delmonico's and I sent him the article to read so that he wouldn't be fooled by any claims that he might hear about it. LOL A food critic from the New York Times contacted Ellen about the article and thanked her for getting to the bottom of it because he never thought the story rang true and a professor at a university contacted her to ask her permission to use the article as an example of what scholarly research was really all about. She (and her DH) lay things out so well and take you every step of the way. I fully understood why the professor wanted to use it as an example of fine research that was not only in-depth but not at all dull but exciting. The abstract doesn't do the article justice as it is such a fun read!

" Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture
Abstract: The one document in the history of American cuisine that is probably cited more frequently than any other is the so-called “1834 Delmonico menu” that situates an early Delmonico restaurant at 494 Pearl Street in Manhattan. Allegedly printed in 1834, this bill of fare is often touted as the first restaurant menu printed in America. It has been mentioned in a variety of other contexts, too: in histories of Delmonico's restaurant and of that quintessential “American” food, the hamburger, in discussions about the semantics of menu language, and as an illustration of early menu design. The prices it quotes have been used to illustrate historical food costs and inflation, and it has even been co-opted to tout restaurants aspiring to the standards set long ago by the famed restaurateur Lorenzo Delmonico. Our investigation suggests the so-called “1834 Delominco menu” was never issued by the celebrated Delmonico family. Rather, it was a handbill for a “cheap dining hall” called “Small Delmonico's,” at 494 Pearl Street, in New York City, owned and operated during the late 1880's by an Italian immigrant named Barnabo."

The subject of the two books written by this writer/bookseller make for fun topics to discuss re: what you find in books. I find a lot of recipes, both handwritten and newspaper clippings, in the cookbooks that I sell. And in other books, the usual bookmarks, invoices, notes, etc. No money yet however...reminds me of one of Satnrose's hints that as usual could be read two ways.

So anyway, I thought people here might be interested in reading this book review (summary also linked).

In Book News . . .

Handwritten Recipes: A Bookseller's Collection...
from "Fine Books & Collections by Rebecca Rego Barry, Oct. 18, 2012

What are the fine pairings of food and book? Is Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano a perfect complement to matzo balls? Are baked chicken legs best served with Catch-22? This is one of the delicious distractions to consider while paging through Michael Popek's new book, Handwritten Recipes: A Bookseller's Collection of Curious and Wonderful Recipes Forgotten Between the Pages (Perigree, $20). [Summary of book: http://tinyurl.com/cg9otsn ]

Apparently a closeted vegetarian was reading 365 Ways to Cook Hamburger (Doubleday, 1960) because she left a recipe for zucchini bread inside. Was a Betty Draper-type housewife reading Frank Edwards' Strange People whilst she whipped up macaroni loaf and apricot bavarian cream? Sour cream coffee cake with Less Than Zero is an odd combination, but two different kinds of pickle in The Spy Who Loved Me (NAL reprint, 1963) seems understandable.

Because some of the recipes are untested--let's call them vernacular--Popek goes the extra step and brings in experts for some of the more interesting dishes. Blogger Shannon Weber of A Periodic Table, for example, provides professional measurements and advice for a pineapple chiffon cake recipe that seems thoroughly worth trying out.

Many of these "found recipes" turned up in cookbooks, for obvious reasons. So for cookbook lovers, there's the added bonus of finding interesting new titles. Slenderella Cook Book by Myra Waldo (Putnam's, 1957) contained a recipe for Boston Prune Cake and Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing Dish Dainties by Janet M. Hill (Little, Brown, 1914) offered okra gumbo.

Popek, who runs Popek's Used and Rare Books in Oneonta, New York, seems to have a found a recipe for success in scrapbooking the paper ephemera he finds between the pages and among the stacks in his daily business. His first book, Forgotten Bookmarks (reviewed here last year- http://tinyurl.com/d4razbq), focused on letters, postcards, photographs, and other bookmarks he has uncovered. The handwritten recipes here were culled from the nearly 5,000 he has found in the past few years and are now published in color alongside the book (with a basic bibliographical entry) that each was in found in. For daring home cooks, food historians, lovers of paper and ephemera, this book is altogether satisfying. Bring one to your Thanksgiving host.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/cn7xtas

and ACK that should be "Take one to your Thanksgiving host!" The difference between take and bring seems to have fallen by the wayside in recent years.

A very early Good Morning from Penn's Woods where the rains have not yet started.

And yes, another long one so scroll if you don't like long ones. Except for a short post recently that received no comment, haven't posted since not much to say one way or the other.

We were planning on going to see Swifty in New York City today but changed our plans in light of Sandy. We went yesterday instead. Overcast the entire way and then just before we crossed the bridge into NYC, the sun was shinning and the skyline was glowing. DH put shelves in a very narrow broom closet in Swifty's kitchen. Truly a broom closet as that is about all that fits, a broom, a mop, and a bucket. It is a good thing that DH is slender because he never would have fit otherwise. Not even wide enough to turn around in. The shelves turn it into a mini-pantry instead of an ugly broom closet. Gives Swifty a place to store canned goods and the like. We told him that just the addition of the shelves should increase the value of his place by $5,000! LOL DH also cut off the closet doors in the hallway so that they would clear the rug runner. That floor must be sloped because one cleared nicely while the other didn't quite open the whole way. Something else on the 'not quite' finished list now. Still some other projects to do.

We took along the beautiful slab walnut coffee table that DH made for him. DH worked for many hours on it. Still some of the slab walnut left for a coffee table for LLB. Also took some large plants and plant stands. Swifty wanted some plants but a lot cheaper to buy here. He is really settling in and making this truly a home. No more moving every year or two.

Swifty was funny when I called him an hour before we were to arrive. Usually we call him about 1/2 before to make sure he is up, but he wanted an hour notice this time. When I asked if I woke him, he said no, that ConEd had already called much earlier to say if there was flooding the electric would be turned off. I am afraid that New Yorkers might be a bit jaded about the storm. The doorman sounded exactly like my son! "Oh, they said all of this last year and nothing happened." Since Swifty's place is a block or so from the East River there might be some flooding along the river, but the ground then goes up hill a little bit to where he is on the 9th floor. Swifty's flashlight doesn't work but he was unconcerned. He has a candle and said that in a place as small as his, it is not hard to find his way to the bathroom even in dark! When I mentioned reading by flashlight, he said that if he had no power he would just go to bed or if he wanted to read, he had a kindle and other tech things that don't need electric. Oh what a different world when reading by flashlight is in the dark ages! LOL

He did mention that if the power does go out for an extended period of time it will really put a crimp in the economy. While many places do have back-up generators, that doesn't mean everything would be business as usual. Heck, if the subways are shut down, people couldn't even get to work. He had received an email from the company where his company's servers are located outlining measures they are taking should 'the lights go out.' He forwarded it to the upstate company (guy he knows) asking why he had not received a similar email about where his personal servers are located. Within minutes, his friend shot him back the identical email with only the company name changed!

We ate 'brunch' at what is fast becoming our favorite place which @bookleaves (Ellen) had recommended on our first trip to Swifty's new place. It is only about 2 blocks from him and a nice Irish bar/restaurant. Once of those place where "George Washington" ate here, but only on the site. The original building burned down a long time ago. Swifty has gone back several times since he really likes the beer they brew there. DH was going to order the Shepard's Pie but when the Irish waitress (from Galway) said that the Number 1 favorite was the Colonial Chicken Pot pie, he switched. Next time we go, I am ordering that! Such a light flaky crust and so tasty. Very different and much better imo than the traditional PA Dutch Chicken Pot Pie that is common around here. Interestingly, the waitress (who also had spent one summer during college working in Chicago) had recently been to Hershey and Lancaster with her aunt and uncle. She was disappointed in the whole hyped "Amish" stuff. Many, many years ago when I was visiting Maine and talking to the waitress she said that she was planning on a trip to Lancaster the next month to see the Amish.

This trip we had the easiest time in traveling both ways - in and out, but esp. out. Usually it takes awhile but this was so smooth. We must have hit it at the right time. When we were leaving we saw that the signs for "State of Emergency" were already lit up.

@bookbase ~ Sandy On the way home just as we were crossing the state line from NJ into PA, there was a convoy of power company trucks on the other side of the road. Thought of you and how prepared the power companies are and helping each other out. When we got to Hershey saw another convoy of about 20 power company trucks heading in the opposite direction. One crew might be going to NJ and the other to NYC. Seeing them reminded me of my youngest uncle who retired from a power company several years ago. He had been sent to help out in New England when that brutal ice storm blanketed the East Coast and Canada. I think that was sometime in the '90s. He had remarked that he hoped he would never be sent on such a mission again. While I have always appreciated the work that is done by linemen and similar, but it did give me pause yesterday. People sit at home moaning and groaning about the lack of power and/or heat and/or water, but at least they are inside...or if summer heat, at least they are not out in the elements. Not only was I thankful that he was retired, but I really hoped that the 'younger guys' were the ones being sent and the older ones were left at home manning their own power company's needs.

@lovetohike ~ Irene Is Curt planning a trip back home to his old stompping grounds this week? He might need a canoe again! 😉

Well took me forever to write this and still no raindrops falling on my head...

Greetings from Penn's Woods,

I learned how to eat with chopsticks when I was in college. My brother who was in the Army taught me. Must be a skill that military people pick-up. Later I taught DH and we always ate with chopsticks when we used to do a lot of wok cooking back in the late '70s and early 80s'. Not a hard skill once you 'get it'. The key I found was making sure that you keep the one chopstick firm against your fingers and don't move that one, only the other. Maybe I'll dig out the old chopsticks and start using them again. I find that I eat a lot slower with them! LOL We have fancy ones and plain ones.

Jim(dainisjg) ~ Ellen @bookleaves has been to China several times in recent years. This summer she and her DH went to South Korea - not thrilled with the food!

In May she and her DH are planning on returning to China and doing a big trip to the Shaanxi province. Since China is huge she and her DH do it in sections. She would be an excellent resource person if you wanted to 'talk' to someone who has been to many parts of China. She may have already been to where you and your DW are planning on going and can give you some hints and tips.

For this trip, she has been is trying to decide if they will go thru Hong Kong or Beijing. If she decides on the latter, she it thinking of staying at a hotel that was built in a 500 yr. old courtyard building in a hutong.

Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel

http://www.doublehappinesscourtyard.com/

I put my vote in for Double Happiness!

Good Morning from Penn's Woods,

@Webmaster ~ While Grace Hopper is credited with the saying "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission", I emailed red.pt the owner of Little Yellow and the 'keeper' of Hey Little Boys and Girs [eriksbay did that one] asking permission to have the Banner post linked as a sidebar. I don't think it will be a problem. He seldom posted on the BB. That is why I posted it and people tended to think that I was the keeper of the Informational Banner post. I told him to let me know or to email you. He and/or his wife might be interested in joining too. In addition to your email that @bookleaves will receive I emailed her too. As her unpaid PR person, I say go for it! lol BTW she has written several other books that you might want to include if she gives the ok for a sidebar. Those earlier books were part of the BB history too. More on those later.

Most people are aware of who Grace Hopper, of the 'computer bug' fame is but in case some are not. Includes a bit of an Etymology for those who like etymologies.

"Rear Admiral Grace Hopper (December 9, 1906 – January 1, 1992) was an American computer scientist and United States Navy officer. A pioneer in the field, she was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, and developed the first compiler for a computer programming language. She conceptualized the idea of machine-independent programming languages, which led to the development of COBOL, one of the first modern programming languages. She is credited with popularizing the term "debugging" for fixing computer glitches (motivated by an actual moth removed from the computer). Because of the breadth of her accomplishments and her naval rank, she is sometimes referred to as "Amazing Grace". The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Hopper (DDG-70) was named for her."

Source & More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper

silkpurse & Liz Here is one that you both will know!

Can you recognize these last lines from books, fiction and nonfiction, old and new. The only thing they have in common is that they are at least fairly well known. Try to do it without googling!!"

oh, one other note...
We can definitely add permanent pages in the sidebar for things like the LIttle Yellow Post (@kathleen), recipes (@mingomom), or pages for significant accomplishments by our own members. For example, I'd be thrilled to have a page promoting @bookleaves new book (though I understand she would be too modest to ask for something like that).
I can add a link to the little yellow post tomorrow. I need to think about the best approach for recipes though I think it's a great idea, especially if there are some good rhubarb recipies.
If you have any more ideas for permanent pages, please let me know.