We were delighted to have our son and family with us for several days. With our lively granddaughters, 5 and not quite 1 ½, in residence, reading, writing, and other activities were shelved. E and I made blueberry pancakes (a tradition and each year she is more capable and engaged in the enterprise); we drew and colored with the markers I acquired (she’s good at art), and together (mostly her) we invented and played out innumerable scenarios with her growing collection of Calico Critters (her imagination goes into overdrive). F was somewhat engaged with our colorful oversized Lego-like blocks—could snap them together and smiled as she knocked down every tower—and also wandered about exploring and observing, always keeping one or both parents in view. These were just the inside activities.
Outside, the rocky coastline and flat pebbly sand were a draw for both girls. E focused on collecting sea glass, pretty shells and a variety of colored rocks and engaged with some neighbor kids. F discovered this new world by running her fingers through the sand, picking up and examining small bits, and even putting her face down into a wee tide pool. The other highlight of their visit (“the best day ever!” said E) was our trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. We go every year and E was anticipating it before she arrived.
Their children’s garden is fabulous! The little playhouse with child-size table and chairs along with wooden appliances stocked with kitchen equipment and play food is always a hit as was the story barn. In the barn, E made a beeline for the puppet theater and F located a broom and swept the floor and swept again. Dad also read several stories from the well-chosen selection of garden-related pictture books while Grandpa and Grandma gazed on fondly! I think it’s fair to say, “a good time was had by all.”
COLOR AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET
I like making the rounds at the weekly farmers’ market. The vendors are arrayed in a big circle on the town green, and while mostly it’s produce and flowers, there are also a basket maker, cheese mongers, a coffee purveyor, several pastry and bread stands, seafood and sausage vendors, an Asian prepared food booth, and an artist who sells her notecards.
I’ve been noting how colorful some of the produce is and one vendor in particular who pays meticulous attention to how his vegetables are arranged. There’s artistry in the results. Here’s a sampling of some of these colors.
Cooking in America and culinary consciousness changed in 1970. Among the notables and celebrities of the food world, there was a sea change. Veneration of and obeisance to French cooking as the gold standard was replaced by respect for a more liberated, less formal way of dining. Americans were stepping away from the casseroles and canned and frozen foods of the 1950’s and 60’s and celebrating fresh produce and local ingredients.
(www.arabchurch.com)
Leading this charge were Julia Child, cookbook author and TV personality (The French Chef), James Beard, teacher, consultant and author, and M.F.K. Fisher, food writer whose past had been all about France. Playing lesser, but equally important roles were Judith Jones, editor extraordinaire responsible for bringing Julia Child’s books to the public, but also those of Diane Kennedy (Mexican cuisine) and Madhur Jaffrey (Indian); and Richard Olney, a purist whose first book, Paris MenuCookbook, was a mix of good ingredients with a bohemian twist. He was the only one in this group who lived fulltime in France. The others all visited, some for weeks or months; in 1970, they all, plus Simca Beck, Child’s co-author, overlapped in Provence and shared cooking and conversation.
Luke Barr’s sort-of-memoir, Provence, 1970: M. F.K Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard and the Reinvention of American Taste, is a wonderfully engaging account of this shift with all of the underlying tensions between strong-willed, opinionated individuals. The grandnephew of Fisher, Barr draws on published biographies and memoirs as well as the letters and journals of his great aunt and the others. I knew quite a bit about most of these people from my own earlier reading so his premise was not new to me.
While in graduate schooI, I bought both volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking when volume 2 was published (a special deal). Then my grandmother, a plain, but good cook, gave us another copy of volume 2. I think she got it for supporting her local PBS station and she probably watched The French Chef. Over the years, I’ve made onion soup, beef bourguignon, and a lovely tomato rice saffron soup (Potage Magli) from these tomes too many times to count.
In 1970, Beard was finishing up writing American Cookery. Apparently, many critics thought it tried to cover too much material and didn’t support American cuisine as a distinct one. I, however, have found it a useful compendium, and my paperback copy is yellowed and stained. I still consult it for his recipes for chicken fricassee and veal Marengo. Later the C.P. and I acquired Beard on Breadand Beard on Food, each containing several favorite recipes.
One of Julia’s co-authors on the Mastering series was Simone Beck. By the end of their collaboration, Julia and Simca’s friendship was frayed and almost at the breaking point. Simca was French and a zealot in her adherence to the French way of cooking. She preferred to guess at measurements, for example, while Julia wanted to be precise to ensure that their readers got good results. After those two parted professional company, Judith Jones persuaded Simca to do her own cookbook. The result, Simca’s Cuisine, which I also own, includes a set of suggested menus by season or occasion. None is for the kitchen novice. I enjoyed reading Simca’s commentary about the recipes, but there is only one I consistently made for guests. It’s Paupiettes de Veau, a fussy, but tasty, preparation of thin veal cutlets spread with sautéed onions and then a slice of gruyere, rolled up, tied, and then pan fried. There was some sort of saucing as a final step.
For each one in its own way, the time in Provence in 1970 allowed Child, Beard, Fisher, and Olney, to move beyond seeing French cooking as the “sacred way.” Julia Child felt liberated to explore American cuisine, but also the ethnic influences on it from the wider world. She wrote several more cookbooks that espoused her more free-flowing approach.
I added these volumes to our growing cookbook collection and was delighted in 1990 when Philadelphia’s annual celebration of chefs, The Book and the Cook, invited Julia Child to be the featured guest at the Fountain Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel. It was a lunchtime affair and we went with good friends Ellen and Bob. General practice was that you brought that chef’s featured book to your table and, at some point in the meal, the chef made the rounds and autographed everyone’s copy. Ever the gracious host, Julia stood at the entrance to this elegant dining room and greeted and shook hands with each one of us. While lunch was in progress, she then went from table to table conversing briefly and signing our books. She was one classy lady and this the most memorable meal of The Book and the Cook we ever attended! Reading Barr’s book brought to mind memories and meals.
On a final note, I also read Judith Jones’ memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, when it came out in 2007. (Essay by JW Farrington)
Gardens
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the lovely time we had on our return visit to the Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens with Margaret and Fred. This time, the magnificent lemony lilies were in full bloom as seen in the header photo and I admired red and wavy grasses.
One of the most appealing aspects about being here is the relaxed, slower pace of daily life. I indulge in reading in bed before arising, we spend as much time as we like over the newspapers at breakfast, then perhaps head into town to re-stock the larder before lunch, followed by an afternoon of reading, reviewing photos or transcribing.
In my head, I’m currently re-living the events of 1990 (a family reunion we hosted in Swarthmore; our son’s first visit to his orthodontist; visits from out-of-town friends; adjusting to living with a dean), and simultaneously recalling where we were in 1970 as I explore the food revolution in the book, Provence, 1970. Evenings we often gather with friends, be it for the annual oyster or lobster fest, drinks before dinner at the island inn, or a trip into town to explore the shops and galleries, then dinner at Ports of Italy or The Thistle Inn. I am not keeping up my usual regime of exercise, but life is good. There is much for which to be thankful!
PARISIAN MYSTERIES
If you like mysteries and are familiar with the streets of Paris, you might enjoy the Aimee Leduc series written by Cara Black. I just read the first one, Murder in theMarais, published in 1998 and set in 1993. Detective Leduc supposedly specializes in crimes related to corporate security and the internet, but she gets pulled into investigating a woman’s death related to the neo-Nazi movement and former Nazis.
I found it took me a little to get into the book, but then I got hooked. Aimee reminds me a little of Lisbeth in The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo given her unconventional clothing, many disguises, and physical daring (into the sewers of Paris, e.g.). But she is a more social person than Lisbeth and works with her partner, Rene, a double amputee and whiz computer hacker. The city is a character in its own right too. I enjoyed this neighborhood in particular since years ago we stayed in the grand Pavilion de la Reine in Place des Vosges. (~JW Farrington)
IN WITHDRAWAL
We finished bingeing on The Americans with the completion of season 5. Now we have to wait for what I believe will be the last season. They tied up a number of loose ends this year so I hope there really is a season 6. The focus on teenager Paige as well as on Philip and Elizabeth’s increasing doubts about how much longer they can do what they do made for a fascinating season.
And we watched the last episode of Grantchester. Another superior series that managed to bring love and harmony or at least the promise of rapprochement to everyone except Sidney. With so many knots tied up, it’s possible this is the end, but, I want more.
Although the Chief Penguin and I are retired, the rhythm of our days is different when we’re here. It’s like being on vacation as we take a more leisurely approach to life (if that’s possible, but it is—no medical or other appointments!) Earlier this week, on the most perfect day thus far, we enjoyed a boat cruise with M & J down to Christmas Cove for a lovely lunch on the deck at Coveside in South Bristol. The other morning we got an early start and were at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens just before they opened. Ten years old this year, they are Maine’s #1 attraction according to Trip Advisor! Thanks to generous donors, they have big plans for the future. In between outings, we continue to binge on The Americans (have to get through season 5) and even do some reading.
Here are some photos from our doings.
RECENT READING
I like historical novels. A well written one is a pleasurable way to learn about other times and places. I also assiduously follow the reviews of current fiction. Oprah did a lot to promote reading with her book club and it’s gratifying to see her return highlighting a very accomplished and timely first novel.
Another historical novel set during WWII written by an American who has lived in London for more than 40 years. As a depiction of what it was like to live and work in London during the Blitz, it’s graphic and well conveys the hardships and the stress on one’s spirits. Wilhide also presents a detailed picture of the challenges facing those tasked with making documentary films and the unusual jobs women took on working with artillery. While the main character, Julia, makes a wrongheaded choice in her affair with Dougie, I felt that the novel was more a vehicle for the history Wilhide wanted to share, than a well-shaped story. I call it a mixed success. (~JW Farrington)
Oprah is back in the business of recommending books and this is her pick for 2017. Not surprising, it is a very engaging and accessible read. It is also timely given that its topic is the immigrant experience. The novel opens in 2007, and Jende Jonga and his wife Neni are immigrants to the U.S. from Cameroon, full of optimism and hope for all that America will provide.
With the help of his successful lawyer cousin, Winston, Jende gets a job as chauffeur to Clark Edwards, a high level executive with Lehman Brothers. For a while, life is good for the Jongas and their small son Liomi. Neni goes to community college and even does some short term work for Cindy Edwards, thus bringing the families closer together. Everything changes when the financial crisis hits and Jende’s status in the country is challenged. Marriages are threatened and life becomes much harder and more tenuous requiring difficult decisions.
Ms. Mbue, a native of Cameroon and now an American citizen living in New York, knows whereof she writes. Her book is warm and generous and balanced in its portrayal of these two families. Neither family is perfect and each individual has faults, but both families want to provide the best opportunities for their children. Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and the San Francisco Chronicle. (~JW Farrington)
Another perspective. I don’t usually link to anyone else’s blog, but I found this woman’s comments about HillbillyElegy very thoughtful. Here’s the link.
