Paper Palate

I have a problem: I am easily distracted by large quantities of something I love. My eyes glaze over, I am unable to keep a train of thought going, I begin to mumble and I lose all sense of time. Put a plate of cookies in front of me mid-conversation and words vanish from my mind and I stare helplessly at the plate. A speck of drool, arms raised rigid, I head for the prized object.

This problem extends beyond a mere plate of food. Get me into a grocery store and I am helpless for hours. I wander up and down the aisles gently picking each item off the shelf, turning it a few times admiring its (sometimes) shiny nature and return it delicately to its place. I am the same in a music store as well as a bookstore.

It was my last venture into a bookstore, eyes large and void of sight, a book trance that left me a sizable stack, that had me struggling to regain composure. My wise companion told me to thin my selection, (probably because he would end up carrying most of the load home); I reluctantly agreed.

I did what I thought best and kept two books, each a collection of short stories and essays. One of these was Mark Kurlansky’s Choice Cuts.

The book is a collection of some of the best writing that crosses not only the globe, but centuries of thought on food. It is a great book for someone jumping into readings on the subject, offering a starting point of juicy authors to continue one’s education. And while minds shift to that beach bum easy reader, this is the perfect tote bag filler.

From the first cookbook on record we learn of Garum, an ancient Roman flavoring made from fermented fish leftovers. It is surprising to find that the makeup of this vile sounding condiment is much the same as today’s soy sauce, Worchester sauce and fish sauce. A whole chapter on eggs and another devoted to bread allow the reader to fall in love with the delicacy of simple pleasures; while multiple selections from M.F.K. Fisher pepper the text. Of course, any bit of her sensuous pen is grace on a page.

In some instances, Kurlansky pulled from some authors not typically considered food writers, allowing the reader to realize there is more to writing about food than naming a few restaurants or unusual fruits. My favorite excerpt is from Émile Zola’s The Belly of Paris where a painter discusses Fats versus Thins:

“He could classify all people into the Thin and the Fat, two opposing groups, one devouring the other to grow plump and jolly. ‘You can bet,’ he said, ‘that Cain was a Fat and Abel a Thin. And since that first killing, there have always been hungry Fats sucking the blood out of scanty eaters. It is a constant preying of the stronger on the weaker, each swallowing his neighbor and then finding himself swallowed in turn… So you see, my friend, watch out for the Fat.”

It goes on:

“He returned to some of the people to complete their portraits with a few shared defining brush strokes. Lorge was a Thin who carried his belly between his shoulders. Beautiful Lisa was all stomach, and the beautiful Norman, all bosom. Miss Saget had surely missed an opportunity sometime in her life to become fat, for she loathed the Fats while still disdaining the Thins. As for Gavard, he was compromising his role as a Fat, and would end up as flat as a bug.”

Thirty themed chapters take you from bugs to sex to politics to simply not eating, each containing something new and intriguing for the reader. Though some chapters did puzzle me: a chapter devoted to truffles. Though I love those precious little morsels, why truffles as opposed to say, vanilla, saffron, cardamom, or possibly a whole chapter on the elusive foods we crave? The same goes for the chapter on chocolate. Though I applaud chocolate and the extra pounds it has bestowed upon my thighs, there are already multiple books on the subject and I felt a more encompassing chapter on sugar (which sure enough could include chocolate) would have satisfied me more.

Cover to cover, Choice Cuts is a pleasant read. Kurlansky has strung the stories together masterfully, providing background when needed and keeping zipped lips where was appropriate in situations. Perfect for quick trips on the subway or bus, as a lazy summer book, or simply as a beginning to find new favorite authors on the subject of food, pick this book up next time you’re in-store or online.

Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Photo credit: Powell’s Books online