CHoWLine - Back Issues

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November 2001

November Meeting Program: "'I Wish I Was An Oscar Mayer Wiener': Hot Dogs and the Transformation of Meat in America" by Roger Horowitz

Roger Horowitz is completing a book for Johns Hopkins University Press, to be called Meat In America: Taste, Technology, Transformation. Currently he is associate director for the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society at the Hagley Museum and Library, secretary-treasurer of the Business History Conference and vice-president of Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The author or editor of four books, he also offers courses in food history and labor history at the University of Delaware.

It's Time To Renew!

Our membership year runs from October 1 through September 30. The new membership directory will be mailed to members on January 2, 2002.

Report: October 14 Meeting

This was one of those rare times when there were only routine reports, a few announcements, and no "whatzit," so the business part of the meeting was very short. There was a discussion about a theme for our cooperative dinner in April and food from the Silk Road/ spice routes of Central Asia was a popular suggestion. Sally Epskamp, Lori Trolan, and John Ferry provided the delicious vegetarian refreshments: an onion pie, roasted vegetables, pumpkin rolls, and a polenta pie. Sally asked for volunteers to bring refreshments for future meetings and circulated a sign-up sheet. Angela Saunders presented her paper on vegetarianism in the 18th century and questions and comments followed.

For those who volunteered refreshments for this month's program, the editor has helpful suggestions. As a collector of political fund-raising cookbooks, whe frequently receives gifts found by friends in used book stores. Last week's mail brought The Republican Woman's Cookbook: Meats. Published in 1968-69, its two-page section entitled "Wiener Dishes," includes recipes such as Krautfurter Roll-Ups, Hot Dog-Onion Goulash, French-Fried Franks, Flaming Franks, Sweet-Sour Franks, Wieners with Festive Flair, Sloppy Joe Franks, Sealed Frankfurter Sandwiches, Thermos-Cooked Wieners (requiring 24 wieners, 1 gal. boiling hot water, and a thermos jug), and a personal favorite, Baked Wieners, which calls for 1 lb. wieners, 1 can tomato soup, 1/2 can water, 1 tsp. sugar, to be combined and baked at 300 degrees for 2 hours. Surely, with possibilities like these, we can anticipate a truly amazing refreshment table. Don't forget to bring your Oscar Mayer wiener whistles.

News Of Our Members

Catherine Pressler will be presenting programs at two national seminars in the spring. In March, in San Antonio, at the annual conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, she'll be talking about "Food as a Teaching Tool for Multiple Pathways to Learning, with a Focus Designed to Build Community in the Classroom." In April, she'll make a similar presentation at the annual conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals in San Diego.

Field Trips, Anyone?

Reminder

Saturday, Nov. 3, 10 am - 4 pm: Oysterfest 2001 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Gina Jenkins has invited us to celebrate the great Bay oyster and to learn about shucking, tonging, and nippering techniques. Children's activities, music, boat rides, and raw, steamed, and fried oysters to enjoy. All activities included in the Museum admission except boat rides and food, for which there is an extra charge. For more information, call 410 745-2916; www.cbmm.org. Several CHoW members are going. Contact Shirley if you need, or want to share, a ride.

On The Bookshelf

Eat Smart In Morocco: How To Decipher The Menu, Know The Market Foods & Embark On A Tasting Adventure (144 pages, paperback, $12.95) by Joan Peterson, of the Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin, will be invaluable to anyone planning a trip to Morocco, whether for business or pleasure. The book offers so much more than the standard travel book. Varioius chapters focus on: an historical survey of the development of Morocco's cuisine, a rich fusion of Berber, Arabic, Moorish, and Jewish dishes, as well as contributions from Europe and the Americas, a quick tour through the Moroccan kitchen around the country, and to the coastal plain, mountain highland, and arid regions; tips for shopping in the outdoor food markets as well as the modern supermarkets, and, in transliterated Moroccan Arabic with English translations, an extensive listing of menu entries to make ordering food an easy and rewarding experience, and a comprehensive glossary of ingredients, kitchen utensils, and cooking methods.

There is also a chapter of phrases in English transliterated to Moroccan Arabic, with additional phonetic interpretation, to aid in finding, ordering, and buying food or ingredients. Another useful section includes a listing of U.S. resources: stores carrying hard-to-find Moroccan foods, travel agencies offering culinary tours, and groups offering opportunities for person-to-person contact through home visits to gain a deeper understanding of the country, including its cuisine. To help in preparing for a visit, the book provides a selection of delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes to try before leaving home.

In May, 2002, Joan will be leading a culinary tour to Morocco. For further information: joanp@ginkopress.com, www.gingopress.com; tel: (608) 233-5488; fax: (608) 233-0053.

Habeas Codfish: Reflections on Food and the Law by Barry Levenson has been published by the University of Wisconsin Press (324 pages, hardcover, $24.94). "An entertaining and expert overview of the frustrating, frightening, and funny intersections of food and the law." Levenson, curator of the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum, formerly served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Wisconsin, arguing cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and claims to be the only lawyer ever to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court with a jar of mustard in his pocket.

The French Cook by Francois Pierre La Varenne (translated by I.D.G. 1653) in unabridged form, with an introduction by Philip and Mary Hyman, has been published by Southover Press. Originally published in 1651, LaVarenne's was the first cookery book to receive international acclaim and it influenced European cookery for many centuries after. The translation into English of the second (1652) edition had a dramatic effect on English cooks and cookery writers. Recipes were adapted to meet English taste, and although there was still some later resistance from 18th century cooks such as Hannah Glasse, English food was forever changed. 280 pages, hardcover. Available from Southover Press, East Sussex, England. tel/fax 01273 473038.

In Search Of ...

Andy Smith has sent his latest "master" list of potential entries for the Oxford Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink and has asked for suggestions of additional potential entries, recommendations for items you are interested in writing, and/or your nominations for individuals you think should write particular entries. He hopes to have compiled a final list of entries by early November and plans to make assignments by early January. The current list runs to 31 pages and here are some of the major categories:

V. Medical and Science

VI. Historical and Biography

VII. Politics of Food

VIII. Professionalization and Education

Plus nine more pages of potential entries. For a complete and detailed list, contact Andy (ASmith1946@aol.com).


The culinary museum directory is continuing to grow and now fills 66 pages with well over 300 entries. Please send any information you may have to shircher@cs.com.

On The Reading Table

"What's For Lunch?: Food In American Life," in Cultural Resource Management, vol. 24, no. 4, 2001. Includes articles by John Ferry and Sandy Oliver.

Repast, newsletter of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor, vol. XVII, no. 3, Summer 2001

Meeting notice, Culinary Historians of Boston, October and November, 2001

Meeting notice, Radcliffe Culinary Friends, December 2001

Meeting notice, Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin, November 2001

Meeting notice, Culinary Historians of Southern California, November 2001

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