Speaking of France …

You’re not supposed to begin a piece of writing with a question. Why not? No idea, except that the “experts” seem to think that it’s an easy way out. “You can do better,” they say. So what was my question? Oh yes. Why is traditional French food so terribly unpopular at the moment? Many authors … More Speaking of France …

Deep in William Faulkner’s South: Myth, Reality, and Cooking

I’ve always wanted to make my way, to make a pilgrimage if you please, to Oxford, Mississippi, to worship at a shrine there. It’s not your ordinary saint’s tomb nor is it a grand cathedral bathed in a kaleidoscope of light when early morning sunlight blazes through stained glass. No, I journeyed many miles just … More Deep in William Faulkner’s South: Myth, Reality, and Cooking

Cuisine in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert: Cholla Buds

Miles and miles of endless, empty roads, only the occasional passing freight truck for hours on end, vast open spaces on either side, sagebrush, sand, merciless sunshine, roadrunners darting across the asphalt, jarring hypnotized drivers awake faster than a double Big Jolt. The desert, to the uninitiated, seems barren, lifeless, a place to be gotten … More Cuisine in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert: Cholla Buds

We are All Interconnected, We are the “Family of Man”*: Thoughts on the COVID-19 Response

I woke up this morning thinking of our plight here in the U.S. vis-a-vis COVID-19. Then, for some reason, the front cover of Edward Steichen’s 1955 book*, The Family of Man, by photographer Edward Steichen, popped up from some vast repository in my memory library:   Steichen said the people “looked at the pictures, and … More We are All Interconnected, We are the “Family of Man”*: Thoughts on the COVID-19 Response

Baking Bread, Breaking Bread: A Short Film by Zev Robinson, Filmmaker

I’d like to introduce you to Zev Robinson, a Canadian-British filmmaker living in Scotland. Zev focuses on the “art and politics of eating”, with a strong emphasis on the intersection of social justice and food. The following is his description of the film: “As screenings of Zev Robinson’s 28 minute documentary ‘Real Bread Bakers’ have … More Baking Bread, Breaking Bread: A Short Film by Zev Robinson, Filmmaker