A. P. Herbert’s ditzy-but-wise heroine Topsy writes long, stream of consciousness missives to her faithful friend Trix. In the months of rationing and food shortage after the Second World War, she and her politician husband are on their way back to England from Denmark on a ship laden with food for the starving British masses. [...]
Archive for August, 2010
Topsy and Trix
Posted in beer, books, denmark, england, food, liquor, schnapps, tagged a. p. herbert, books, denmark, food, humour on 20/08/2010 | Leave a Comment »
Dumplings, Anyone?
Posted in books, food, liquor, russia, usa, vodka, tagged books, crime fiction, food, pelmeni, pulp, robert k tanenbaum, russia, thriller, vareniki on 17/08/2010 | 1 Comment »
Robert K. Tanenbaum, pulp fictionist and lawyer, apparently has never lost a felony case. Be that as it may, his plots are preposterous. But there is the occasional food for thought (or, should I say, thought for food?). Here’s an excerpt from his 2007 novel Malice. The Black Sea Cafe was famous for its mouthwatering [...]
Haffida’s Tagine
Posted in books, food, morocco, tagged berber, books, food, morocco, tagine on 16/08/2010 | Leave a Comment »
Louise Roberts Sheldon, journalist and diplomat’s wife, obtained for herself a particularly adept picture of Moroccan life in the 1970s. In her book Casablanca Notebook: A Collection of Tales from Morocco, she also talks about some fine food. One day when I was especially busy, I asked Haffida to cook some fish. We ate the [...]
Hearty Repast in Master and Commander
Posted in books, england, food, spain, tagged books, catalan, food, historical fiction, patrick o'brian, spanish, wild boar on 15/08/2010 | 1 Comment »
In Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander, there is some fine discussion of food (and language). Amidst all the slaughter and filth of the naval life, there is always an opportunity for some gustatory pleasures. They sat at a round table in a bow widow that protruded from the back of the inn high above the [...]
