Roquefort Cheese
As a child I was somewhat mystified by my mother’s liking for century eggs, a Chinese delicacy known also as thousand-year eggs or Ming Dynasty eggs or pi dan. I did not find them to [...]
« Celui qui ne veut pas travailler ne doit pas non plus manger »
In an 1895 drawing of the Prison de la Santé (Paris) appear the words “Celui qui ne veut pas travailler ne doit pas non plus manger”—part of a protestant temple was being used as the [...]
Conviviality and the Lack Thereof
Talking about books with his parents and siblings during meals was a great influence in the life of the poet and novelist Bernard Leclaire (b. 1959), as he noted in an interview for the website [...]
The Village’s Bread Baker Is Thirteen Years Old
Mobilization in France during World War I meant that villages could suddenly lose their only bread baker, among other essential workers. As it was not customary for anyone to make their own bread at home, [...]
Meringue and a Mystery
A painted plate made by the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory would of course be well-designed, if not intriguing as well. Take for example the design called Les Meringues by Jean Charles Develly (1783 – 1849). In [...]