Ideal 20th Century Kitchens

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r7cL1RqklBaSI_yrXOAdUd6gDhAYZbElZOmbTKImb__ZwenNZP4P_ou9Tzncjxb6iCC0Z8QPBOljpwRsL6QoqZUPrkSUQyXB6nn37PuIiYp4w9SZjTIzEmgfw8PFFx-PtPEyJ9jyGJwl/s1600/thin-man+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r7cL1RqklBaSI_yrXOAdUd6gDhAYZbElZOmbTKImb__ZwenNZP4P_ou9Tzncjxb6iCC0Z8QPBOljpwRsL6QoqZUPrkSUQyXB6nn37PuIiYp4w9SZjTIzEmgfw8PFFx-PtPEyJ9jyGJwl/s640/thin-man+copy.jpg" width="344" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick and Nora Charles and Asta in "The Thin Man" --<br />The Art Deco backgrounds of their beautiful apartment included a pure 1930s kitchen.</td></tr></tbody></table>Yesterday I briefly explored the idea that the art of the twentieth century might, like the art of earlier centuries, be an interesting source of visual information about how we ate and cooked in kitchens, restaurants, and diners. My examples were drawings, paintings, and sculpture.<br /><div><br /></div><div>TV and movies in the future will surely be an even bigger help for those who want to visualize the kitchens from our recent past. Though the kitchens on film were usually idealized, there was a lot of resemblance to reality, I think.<br /><br /><div>The following kitchens don't need much more said about them ...<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKEkAKTsewPEW2zEouhpNtfDZl9sv5BrXHf9BD5vwC_OfZbNOrOGNNzuDDPSYQ_JF0Oy8VIJg_CaiHygRGH25SzaGi3I9wGOooqE3J7qLiLfckNPuoMOy_-NEH6shBwMBQAE14vGKqT7A/s1600/beaverkitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKEkAKTsewPEW2zEouhpNtfDZl9sv5BrXHf9BD5vwC_OfZbNOrOGNNzuDDPSYQ_JF0Oy8VIJg_CaiHygRGH25SzaGi3I9wGOooqE3J7qLiLfckNPuoMOy_-NEH6shBwMBQAE14vGKqT7A/s400/beaverkitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beaver Cleaver</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbgZpxPIn9L0ZY0qdkJkT35Ysr7YrZX2WVzqU3V3ILKx9hixKu__pOWyfknxgbiFCcxLmMjMVFh1h1q1yBl6tOdwcmClEePf4OVUJK2MafvTNuWBiHLsjE6CI0Q4q8HVGVlNTAvD5fbQR/s1600/lucykitchen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbgZpxPIn9L0ZY0qdkJkT35Ysr7YrZX2WVzqU3V3ILKx9hixKu__pOWyfknxgbiFCcxLmMjMVFh1h1q1yBl6tOdwcmClEePf4OVUJK2MafvTNuWBiHLsjE6CI0Q4q8HVGVlNTAvD5fbQR/s400/lucykitchen2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ricky wears an apron...</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBj2DZFi0hysaM7ELCBfxP9YLoNw-bvmMtPeNPiEcfb5LqcV6Uj2w4o_1SjUF9-gLUtE1qZq60yAei31wlGGD_tCirPCO65KZ0KayXgDmyaqynvP-feBcTmZ_xQB4eryfkeUFFoAijeXk/s1600/lucykitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBj2DZFi0hysaM7ELCBfxP9YLoNw-bvmMtPeNPiEcfb5LqcV6Uj2w4o_1SjUF9-gLUtE1qZq60yAei31wlGGD_tCirPCO65KZ0KayXgDmyaqynvP-feBcTmZ_xQB4eryfkeUFFoAijeXk/s400/lucykitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy does something zany?</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnYZAiTO9EgsuwQUSR4FwTSTjwWiXXpSXKtiRJlDINfH99TVn6-2M1Xc9-LrWCP6Q1fl0d2JrDC_bwq34_szDmyzxujNOIRP4Su6T2L52qKcpE2dzoDE00lbsOqeg2Pwq4N-g7yVwf_wg/s1600/ozzie-harriet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnYZAiTO9EgsuwQUSR4FwTSTjwWiXXpSXKtiRJlDINfH99TVn6-2M1Xc9-LrWCP6Q1fl0d2JrDC_bwq34_szDmyzxujNOIRP4Su6T2L52qKcpE2dzoDE00lbsOqeg2Pwq4N-g7yVwf_wg/s400/ozzie-harriet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ozzie and Harriet's Happy Happy Kitchen </td></tr></tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqUJhyphenhyphenjA4RYYPzqTx-p0EhQBvb0Dndp2GROL6T7exrp05gXOgSOLMx-B-OJBXgtz4cbcZfryrTW1YcTJc8PAk63lHEgokBcbFklRW5xIR8xcEHcae1_AXjqqu73mWKQYdbplL6pOxJnVs/s1600/annie-hall+kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqUJhyphenhyphenjA4RYYPzqTx-p0EhQBvb0Dndp2GROL6T7exrp05gXOgSOLMx-B-OJBXgtz4cbcZfryrTW1YcTJc8PAk63lHEgokBcbFklRW5xIR8xcEHcae1_AXjqqu73mWKQYdbplL6pOxJnVs/s400/annie-hall+kitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Annie Hall</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeSXeFz6Gdko21iCWFxcE86Svt3qsmZvFRDCJTNv5sEGV4Wrml4ELUaWof1lMfSPvlcEhh2UqorPQpnQ2bHBv154XT-ygoYSJs3pyck7iKODa-_hYdRbqh-lwIxOONJ_NFZVsioDvLYZg/s1600/seinfeldkitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeSXeFz6Gdko21iCWFxcE86Svt3qsmZvFRDCJTNv5sEGV4Wrml4ELUaWof1lMfSPvlcEhh2UqorPQpnQ2bHBv154XT-ygoYSJs3pyck7iKODa-_hYdRbqh-lwIxOONJ_NFZVsioDvLYZg/s400/seinfeldkitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seinfeld's Kitchen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div>

Ideal 20th Century Kitchens

Nick and Nora Charles and Asta in "The Thin Man" -- The Art Deco backgrounds of their beautiful apartment included a pure 1930s ki...

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Twentieth Century Kitchens

When we want to know what a kitchen was like in the 17th or 18th century, we take a look at the paintings and other art works of the artists of that time. Works by Chardin (1699-1779) in France or Jan Steen (1626- 1669) and many others during the Dutch Golden Age give us wonderful insight into life in those times, including lives of kitchen maids and the atmosphere of various public dining places and food-centered events. I've written about these representations of French and Dutch kitchens <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2013/01/eighteenth-century-french-kitchens.html">here</a> and <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/search?q=Dutch+Golden+age">here</a>.  Though I haven't focused on it, English tradition also includes various indoor kitchen and tavern or inn-keeper scenes from the 18th through early 20th centuries.<br /><br />What about our own time? Do our great artists give us insight into life in our own kitchens and public dining spaces? Or has photography or some change in the role of art made such things obsolete?<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXu7V_D7VLSFKPJ32YgBQ7Zj4rs7nmE9bst9ajGauh_g85-XwPTZLV0UiC4WCcDFtCC2gCyI2H53G2PTI1l76YuS3yuh0cUKpLfXUmT2lubGqisBAb4gJ_vZEAbJq9ReOqOF-pjON4Af6E/s1600/rockwell-kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXu7V_D7VLSFKPJ32YgBQ7Zj4rs7nmE9bst9ajGauh_g85-XwPTZLV0UiC4WCcDFtCC2gCyI2H53G2PTI1l76YuS3yuh0cUKpLfXUmT2lubGqisBAb4gJ_vZEAbJq9ReOqOF-pjON4Af6E/s400/rockwell-kitchen.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman Rockwell, Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1945.</td></tr></tbody></table>The artist that most quickly comes to mind is Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), whose subject was everyday life in mid-20th century America. Lots of pictures show Americans at table, about to eat a festive meal like Thanksgiving, or other scenes about everyday life. I've chosen the image at left because it reminds me of the earlier artists' work where a kitchen maid might be working on some task, holding a bowl in her lap. America is of course a land without servants -- the first visible fact of this painting is that the returning soldier is helping out his mom. No question, though, it conveys a great deal about American life in 1945, which I feel no need to spell out.<br /><br />Big question: is Rockwell really comparable to Chardin, Steen, and other painters of the Dutch Golden Age or of Victorian scenes? I'm not very well-educated about art theory, but I say yes, he's quite similar in many ways, not just in his choices of every-day themes and subjects, but also in his ability and power as a visual communicator. Why get more theoretical about art than that?<br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGFyqXyO9EYTfgIRHuIkbMUbI6YVlJG5rs0NbB9NOfUwUon2kr2ZSiSMwDdpzGLd2sf-HR-971yJ5-CHZUQywGkCvqYJ7kRpCFR4MCDbkxKDVA6UN0xq4qVnDcQh-QTjCoLvEVS3Drj61u/s1600/hopper-chop-suey-1929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGFyqXyO9EYTfgIRHuIkbMUbI6YVlJG5rs0NbB9NOfUwUon2kr2ZSiSMwDdpzGLd2sf-HR-971yJ5-CHZUQywGkCvqYJ7kRpCFR4MCDbkxKDVA6UN0xq4qVnDcQh-QTjCoLvEVS3Drj61u/s320/hopper-chop-suey-1929.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edward Hopper, "Chop Suey" 1929</td></tr></tbody></table>Edward Hopper (1882-1967) chose the interior of restaurants as his subject for at least a couple of very famous paintings. In "Chop Suey" (right) and "Automat" he shows women at the table in a restaurant. The women in "Chop Suey" are evidently having a cup of tea and a conversation, and other diners are also in the frame. In "Automat" the woman is alone, strikingly alone.  Hopper's iconic <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2013/10/wordless-wednesday-hoppers-nighthawks.html">"Nighthawks" -- showing several people inside a diner</a> -- is the most famous like these.<br /><br />In a few hundred years I think people who want to get a visual impression of dining in the 20th century will be as interested in these images as we are in Chardin's or Steen's depictions of their day. Yes, there were other styles of art than Hopper and Rockwell, styles that were in many ways more dominant -- and didn't depict any dining events or kitchen interiors, or in many cases didn't depict any recognizable objects.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9eYlW6ssvqp7g8lBHOBzo7diJnDq2AfpJMvm5X0qv17cgxPqIxFkNzJcrlA5nmMacP18ZhNMxdHQdDrUFApHD9ROHKi2AnVj8Q7RToLO0X2BU_bK1wlFwVCXkxpAKPtaBd8O-imZ0unmo/s1600/okeefee-1961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9eYlW6ssvqp7g8lBHOBzo7diJnDq2AfpJMvm5X0qv17cgxPqIxFkNzJcrlA5nmMacP18ZhNMxdHQdDrUFApHD9ROHKi2AnVj8Q7RToLO0X2BU_bK1wlFwVCXkxpAKPtaBd8O-imZ0unmo/s320/okeefee-1961.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georgia O'Keeffee's Kitchen, 1961</td></tr></tbody></table>Here's something that fascinates me: a photo of Georgia O'Keeffee (1887-1986) in her kitchen at the Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. Evidently she loved to cook the foods of the New Mexico locals.<br /><br />Did she ever paint anything about the food? I can't find anything except a few still-life studies, which I never consider to be real food paintings. She concentrated on amazing abstractions of the scenery outside her windows, as well as the close-ups of flowers and other items that were her trademark. Upon seeing the actual landscapes around her homes when I visited there, I was overwhelmed by how similar to the actual views were her representations of the barren but colorful mountains with scrubby plants and unfamiliar rocky outcroppings.<br /><br />O'Keeffee was very original in her work, and exacting in her choices of subject matter. If she didn't paint scenes inside the kitchen (a lack that I can't actually prove) there were no doubt very good reasons why not. I'm glad she was an accomplished cook, along with being an artist!<br /><br />As the 20th century progressed, art movements developed thick and fast. I've always found the swift progression of ideas to be fascinating. Pop art is one of my favorites, and its inclusion of kitchen and dining images is one of its most famous features. Normally, you'd think of Andy Warhol and Tomato Soup Cans. I also want to think about how it's reflected in the work of Duane Hanson (1925-1996) and George Segal (1924-2000). Hanson worked in resin and mixed media, so his works look so real that they are startling, while Segal made casts of actual people but left the gauze and other casting materials in place, resulting in ghostly statues. Both are hard to grasp in little photos, but here are a few:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-D4Vz4EvlcKErQdMBf2fGw5Z3EAhd_U4zp97njMr43zymtO51aXUTd12En7r8xmYMYKbLpYRld5Ske3YEjSe_O1bwZkZ-axVzzHCy0PDNpKYpQCzNYJEfLeKJKyDvqGklGgao0If8Nfi0/s1600/hansen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-D4Vz4EvlcKErQdMBf2fGw5Z3EAhd_U4zp97njMr43zymtO51aXUTd12En7r8xmYMYKbLpYRld5Ske3YEjSe_O1bwZkZ-axVzzHCy0PDNpKYpQCzNYJEfLeKJKyDvqGklGgao0If8Nfi0/s320/hansen.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duane Hanson, "Woman Eating," 1971</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOU_jIuPkJY2cupJoo-9L8_5PwMzc41tndLzMxuWjOHy-ohfWVtAWOPVvStAtiGScnzkRgk2lu_KmW57sHCuz_J10W4lBaoInUuCzKxBIKHxl9DuTEhm-RGtGxTdl5Mwc5clBSawfQ-VCy/s1600/supermarket-shopper-hanson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOU_jIuPkJY2cupJoo-9L8_5PwMzc41tndLzMxuWjOHy-ohfWVtAWOPVvStAtiGScnzkRgk2lu_KmW57sHCuz_J10W4lBaoInUuCzKxBIKHxl9DuTEhm-RGtGxTdl5Mwc5clBSawfQ-VCy/s320/supermarket-shopper-hanson.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duane Hanson, "Supermarket Shopper," 1970</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9S6X5_urc8yNN-gWR3iEQn5fT79l7T1wm_sWDsRaQ8CNggcr1nvbJsyJfD3jWC0mYXiUE44ZSvXPspHlIB-2Dw1d6WuVk6bkLHVYJ2IRlhiv6qN5cvsQYZFyqIeTvtOgzhF2Avgk4jUO/s1600/segal-restaurant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9S6X5_urc8yNN-gWR3iEQn5fT79l7T1wm_sWDsRaQ8CNggcr1nvbJsyJfD3jWC0mYXiUE44ZSvXPspHlIB-2Dw1d6WuVk6bkLHVYJ2IRlhiv6qN5cvsQYZFyqIeTvtOgzhF2Avgk4jUO/s320/segal-restaurant.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Segal, "Restaurant" -- one of many on this theme,<br />often compared to works by Hopper</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfsJBnvj4U51ElB78DNFSDa1QvyDb6e8MNtQb3Z0EbCxxoRf0RAn2Q2eLxyJOK6C9-Gk2TI9C2uID3qERSkIAOOE9dLsfMAWsRZn69JY1smj-4cL8-XV0nJKIYjg3LgkPV5UdjSuLLQCQ/s1600/segal-diner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfsJBnvj4U51ElB78DNFSDa1QvyDb6e8MNtQb3Z0EbCxxoRf0RAn2Q2eLxyJOK6C9-Gk2TI9C2uID3qERSkIAOOE9dLsfMAWsRZn69JY1smj-4cL8-XV0nJKIYjg3LgkPV5UdjSuLLQCQ/s320/segal-diner.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Segal, "Diner"</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have barely begun exploring this topic, which is obviously enormous and full of additional opportunities to see what artists have made of our everyday lives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />

Twentieth Century Kitchens

When we want to know what a kitchen was like in the 17th or 18th century, we take a look at the paintings and other art works of the artists...

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More Crepes

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDujx11LO1T9ybP-pQJ_vvUUBzDMRL3TxZepv1hG-N68zH41whQYNkOj0bfR6sYBjyHim_Kpwsji_mD4iM-k2j_69nc6Z9ykonFWsVml8jBMjhM1uSZ_ZRhNm_aOhhMF3e0YXMCNCgAkS/s1600/tuesday2304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDujx11LO1T9ybP-pQJ_vvUUBzDMRL3TxZepv1hG-N68zH41whQYNkOj0bfR6sYBjyHim_Kpwsji_mD4iM-k2j_69nc6Z9ykonFWsVml8jBMjhM1uSZ_ZRhNm_aOhhMF3e0YXMCNCgAkS/s400/tuesday2304.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Creperie Josselin: there's always been a line, <br />but today we walked right in and ordered because it was 3 PM.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjR0ivNeKjTvbXg1-chLoxjQMcbliT_-vmgS1zjyQHr9P_nm48HQ6Xjd88pNbqUZiRvh-RpTI3qJ6LpNJnjbyyWKXwIWCIPcVe1x_C82jqINCMcJ0Z0e8StbtAqQMF5u8zld1lQeKeeiKK/s1600/tuesday2308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjR0ivNeKjTvbXg1-chLoxjQMcbliT_-vmgS1zjyQHr9P_nm48HQ6Xjd88pNbqUZiRvh-RpTI3qJ6LpNJnjbyyWKXwIWCIPcVe1x_C82jqINCMcJ0Z0e8StbtAqQMF5u8zld1lQeKeeiKK/s640/tuesday2308.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crepe with caramel and vanilla ice cream for me<br />and a lemon-honey crepe for Lenny.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF9T9tbgv7LZDPK4LIWq4lPOJ38hibcaWuoHOPnSA3mBsj_D9UrsnB7l0LcahotJdTC2vucVgktMHslF5zBxDccBtweUa1x1a1qVJNqD3tcUM7nEzU4rEPJos_L58w1rM9rpBGjYld21C/s1600/tuesday2310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF9T9tbgv7LZDPK4LIWq4lPOJ38hibcaWuoHOPnSA3mBsj_D9UrsnB7l0LcahotJdTC2vucVgktMHslF5zBxDccBtweUa1x1a1qVJNqD3tcUM7nEzU4rEPJos_L58w1rM9rpBGjYld21C/s400/tuesday2310.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kitchen.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8Cnoc5jmeR1czma-esdTIro-aZDR3KxTal8FNOKZpxFdplplLDuY3vFjYkikwXo6y071t1ekFeAf78VcdPyEyFPO8ECUa2uIgLr_VYU9P2eFxqmc1b-OisHmuZzbj6JCWnBI_5WFMT3i/s1600/tuesday2312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8Cnoc5jmeR1czma-esdTIro-aZDR3KxTal8FNOKZpxFdplplLDuY3vFjYkikwXo6y071t1ekFeAf78VcdPyEyFPO8ECUa2uIgLr_VYU9P2eFxqmc1b-OisHmuZzbj6JCWnBI_5WFMT3i/s400/tuesday2312.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside on the street with all the crepe places (address is 67 Rue du Montparnasse).<br />Needless to say, we've been eating lots of other things as well, but that will be a future post.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZb50Sf8g0prHdBtTHn30oWoZ09FjcEi1GUqhvyJZKqizEVV-7DP760KXsWDHJZydNSAYYi8OrLVNh3rsZ27SmhBiWmkf-q2o207bkhh-rLwcQAsVusE-DkfaX7bPuSndHbyVc982XKH_k/s1600/tuesday2220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZb50Sf8g0prHdBtTHn30oWoZ09FjcEi1GUqhvyJZKqizEVV-7DP760KXsWDHJZydNSAYYi8OrLVNh3rsZ27SmhBiWmkf-q2o207bkhh-rLwcQAsVusE-DkfaX7bPuSndHbyVc982XKH_k/s640/tuesday2220.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What we did first thing today: we went to the gardens of Versailles where we walked around for about 4 hours.<br />The lines for entry to the chateau itself looked around 2 hours long -- even if you had bought a ticket online!<br />So we just enjoyed the gardens.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pJFt8teqtlR61KFqE7lKYi_NN1kgE_OrnFXakUiL0_zmOLxm4a7LjQuuF_sLb0-c0Igd132GXwFp41zmJcikGcDvufVBH8Gm38DlENyTDeXGIUnbSqMm9OIH4FFZt0PRItdYf0Pua3rW/s1600/tuesday2229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pJFt8teqtlR61KFqE7lKYi_NN1kgE_OrnFXakUiL0_zmOLxm4a7LjQuuF_sLb0-c0Igd132GXwFp41zmJcikGcDvufVBH8Gm38DlENyTDeXGIUnbSqMm9OIH4FFZt0PRItdYf0Pua3rW/s640/tuesday2229.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One fountain was turned on. Every 10 minutes the fountain danced to appropriate<br />18th century French music. The rest of the gardens were beautiful also: music played,<br />but the water was not turned on except in this one.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl9b70gbFrRDIxEIPn37RsN0VaFLxTOJmz6nH-rAEmHOULFQZacT5RWUiIYqrJEF7yWZU3txlWdD_bfUeTT35bRykKXiqOjfYdqIJ8yLCHVvbwmFYKO6vDo0dchu8yDJrpqteqTYi9slv/s1600/tuesday2294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl9b70gbFrRDIxEIPn37RsN0VaFLxTOJmz6nH-rAEmHOULFQZacT5RWUiIYqrJEF7yWZU3txlWdD_bfUeTT35bRykKXiqOjfYdqIJ8yLCHVvbwmFYKO6vDo0dchu8yDJrpqteqTYi9slv/s400/tuesday2294.jpg" /></a></div>

More Crepes

Inside Creperie Josselin: there's always been a line, but today we walked right in and ordered because it was 3 PM. A crepe with caramel...

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Eighteenth-Century French Kitchens

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLX1IpkB1laGBlFjVffjQtvyMm7AVtiSQj96RG8VPEdS4Y1Yj-itDh17TiH5r-lQFK8_eqKIUJyVNpbskVsUYho7jEt-TNgyjOKCrp4-KWPC2fzJ90D4AvSIvCf1gtihyLbh6r-SGynnK-/s1600/Chardin-kitchen-maid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLX1IpkB1laGBlFjVffjQtvyMm7AVtiSQj96RG8VPEdS4Y1Yj-itDh17TiH5r-lQFK8_eqKIUJyVNpbskVsUYho7jEt-TNgyjOKCrp4-KWPC2fzJ90D4AvSIvCf1gtihyLbh6r-SGynnK-/s400/Chardin-kitchen-maid.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen Maid Peeling Turnips by Chardin, 1740</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm reading <i>A Revolution in Taste: The Rise of French Cuisine</i> by Susan Pinkard. Among many interesting ideas in the book, I was interested to learn of the genre paintings of kitchen scenes by Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, which<a href="http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/jean-baptiste-simeon-chardin"> I found here</a>. I love the way that Chardin depicts humble women and their workspace. Chardin's art, writes Pinkard, "came to be admired not only for its verisimiltude but also for its authenticity, that is, the trueness of the subject to itself." (p. 183)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Xo90oJcq2WbJG3JsxQ3CfZu0Qx8t-tbIL7b3tORoX9RjyTOzjIltpo_BmyeSZbs1sCSP-y8KMJ6F7Hlp8txzFnUkfB6CUXMhNk3RglFcft4PUMXZtxCiFs2MRQ9zNGT3B0YSz-zLqKQj/s1600/chardin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Xo90oJcq2WbJG3JsxQ3CfZu0Qx8t-tbIL7b3tORoX9RjyTOzjIltpo_BmyeSZbs1sCSP-y8KMJ6F7Hlp8txzFnUkfB6CUXMhNk3RglFcft4PUMXZtxCiFs2MRQ9zNGT3B0YSz-zLqKQj/s400/chardin2.jpg" width="342" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Kitchen Maid by Chardin</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvuUnLe6D9qIBlgampykgSZr0I4TnQQX23naG2dJ8musJUPoIBMbRUTtTT6kCorxdTuYn5faphUlFNu4E9IYXMuyZ5P0w0PR48biZH0TDoUxXR8Pb3XvNDuFI2ZZ0Z_31a03-XZKR12uy/s1600/chardin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvuUnLe6D9qIBlgampykgSZr0I4TnQQX23naG2dJ8musJUPoIBMbRUTtTT6kCorxdTuYn5faphUlFNu4E9IYXMuyZ5P0w0PR48biZH0TDoUxXR8Pb3XvNDuFI2ZZ0Z_31a03-XZKR12uy/s400/chardin3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman Drawing Water from an Urn by Chardin</td></tr></tbody></table>The revolution in taste that the book describes appears cyclical. Cuisine in France became more and more elaborate for a while, and then cooks and discerning eaters would rediscover the taste of fresh seasonal produce, more basic ingredients, and simpler dishes. Sometimes of course these dishes were deceptively simple, requiring hours in the kitchen to produce what seemed to be a plain slice of meat with a glaze on it.<br /><br />The characteristics of cooking that was modern in the 17th century at times seem to have been discovered anew in the 20th century. "A skillful modern cook achieved variety not through fanciful invention, exotic seasonings, or complex combinations -- paths that had been well trodden by his medieval predecessors -- but by subtly highlighting the elemental properties of raw materials," writes Pinkard. "By the 1650s, proponents of delicate cooking  had evolved a series of techniques and novel recipes -- including a new class of silky sauces that were emulsified with butter, cream, or egg yolk or thickened with roux -- that were intended to highlight the <i>goût naturel </i>of carefully chosen principal ingredients." (p. 64)<br /><br />Health and taste were both motives in the development of 17th and 18th century cuisine in France; some of the prescriptions also sound as if they were reinvented in the 20th century. One practitioner suggested reducing consumption of meats and alcohol while increasing "vegetables, grains, dairy products, and mineral water." If that didn't make one feel healthy, he suggested "lowering" diets "that sequentially eliminated meats and fish, and then eggs, fruits, and vegetables." Eventually one might end up eating only milk and "seeds such as oatmeal, rice, and sago." (p. 167)<br /><br /><br />I've also been reading <i>The Expert Cook in Enlightenment France</i> by Sean Takats. The book covers the same era, but concentrates on the responsibilities, the life, the environment, and the reputation of cooks. Most of the cooks worked in private kitchens, as public dining was in its earliest stages at the time. Their pay could be very high -- the cook was often the best-paid employee of the house. They not only cooked but they were responsible for elaborate purchasing of all the food and material for the kitchen. They had to be expert at account-keeping to inform their masters where the large sums of money were going. Many cooks had to be aware of new trends in cooking and theories of health and cleanliness.<br /><br />The chapter on kitchens was especially interesting. One debate about kitchens at the time was where they should be located. Kitchens were feared; fumes from charcoal stoves and noxious smells from foods that had gone off were clearly dangerous. However, even if a large home or chateau had space, if the kitchen was too far from the dining room the food would arrive cold and extra servants would be required for carrying and serving it.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxJWWiUh853BDmKFz8AiMeaAML1PcdQGDJNlb8rgyltp1WqlmHd73DwwJQPaJNjzJNFWen1GlknRDv-anf-uaCZ-0RX5HCd3jyEIMjfJNAxngZvOh-oL40oTwC8ooPtgZiyu1DxZeHy4p/s1600/salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxJWWiUh853BDmKFz8AiMeaAML1PcdQGDJNlb8rgyltp1WqlmHd73DwwJQPaJNjzJNFWen1GlknRDv-anf-uaCZ-0RX5HCd3jyEIMjfJNAxngZvOh-oL40oTwC8ooPtgZiyu1DxZeHy4p/s400/salad.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Salad Maker by Etienne Jeaurat 1752</td></tr></tbody></table>The author mentioned the painter Jeaurat's depiction of a salad maker -- L'Eplucheuse de Salade, above -- as showing some of the furnishings and equipment in an 18th century kitchen. Cooking equipment involved a large number of tin-lined copper pots, as well as various strainers, ladles, and equipment for cooking on the kitchen hearth as well as on the charcoal-burning stove that was typical. However, cooks in private homes didn't own any of the elaborate and expensive equipment that they needed to prepare the wide variety of foods that were expected. "A single copper cooking vessel could cost the equivalent of several days of a cook's wages." (p. 70)<br /><br />On the death of the head of a household, cooks and other staff lost their jobs and the kitchen tools were often sold at an estate sale. Obviously, the records of these sales are now valuable as primary sources, as are the newspaper ads and other notices in which cooks sought new employers.

Eighteenth-Century French Kitchens

Kitchen Maid Peeling Turnips by Chardin, 1740 I'm reading A Revolution in Taste: The Rise of French Cuisine by Susan Pinkard. Among man...

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"One Man Band" Diner

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/7224594862/" title="utah9706 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="utah9706" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7224594862_ecb2d262a5.jpg" width="394" /></a><br /><br /> The "One Man Band" diner in the very strange town of Nephi, Utah, is a fun place to eat. The menu has a long list of instructions, beginning with the directive that you should decide exactly what each person at the table wants to eat, and then phone in your order on the red telephone beside the table (where the juke box should be, I guess). The kitchen is open to the dining room where tables are formica-topped and benches are naugahide. We watched the kitchen staff assemble the meals:<br /><br />  <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/7224595118/" title="utah9708 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="utah9708" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/7224595118_0a912c34a4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /> I loved the eggs, hash browns, toast, and melted cheese I ordered -- breakfast for dinner!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/7224595338/" title="utah9714 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="utah9714" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7224595338_0c82e8f267.jpg" width="500"></a><br /> After we ate, we took a ride (yes, even though we drove for 8 hours today) up a mountain into the Uinta National Forest. It's amazing how Utah scenery is spectacular even when it's in an obscure place off the beaten track (like this isn't Zion, Arches, Capitol Reefs,<br />Brice Canyon, etc).<br /><br />  <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/7224595520/" title="utah9724 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="utah9724" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7224595520_6bf3f88801.jpg" width="500" /></a>

"One Man Band" Diner

 The "One Man Band" diner in the very strange town of Nephi, Utah, is a fun place to eat. The menu has a long list of instructions...

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Barbie's Kitchen

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32WkUK8BW1tf6hL91x2sHEc8GZYjS-MZLl4tmMFaAnHWqn0V1lowAltFaq5cceY6Ehsk2fp38qHgLBhCzK5BIH4YRJ_Yjr9FCuFQ_Uf5rt01YoaVV8waIuKCh-jBokNWswRrC6gMzPvu2/s1600/barbiekitchen.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725684876914190754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32WkUK8BW1tf6hL91x2sHEc8GZYjS-MZLl4tmMFaAnHWqn0V1lowAltFaq5cceY6Ehsk2fp38qHgLBhCzK5BIH4YRJ_Yjr9FCuFQ_Uf5rt01YoaVV8waIuKCh-jBokNWswRrC6gMzPvu2/s400/barbiekitchen.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" /></a>Alice's Barbies turn out to have a kitchen; one of them agreed to show me the refrigerator. I like this better than the earlier Barbie kitchen <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2008/12/just-for-laughs-barbies-kitchen.html">I posted here</a>.

Barbie's Kitchen

Alice's Barbies turn out to have a kitchen; one of them agreed to show me the refrigerator. I like this better than the earlier Barbie k...

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Wagyu Beef !

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwrNWv2-48ZdothcUBvRgLSXCmSlwrsIOuoK3o7xCf999pA2RroC3yGJ8Omp2i0PtBn9PN04pqZ1mNrv33SULpeR_nSUYIIQHU1m5JrmhdDNDZIOALAvuc4X9ogycDSA4iH1a4s7yNNCI/s1600/wagyu8751.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682605272110820786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwrNWv2-48ZdothcUBvRgLSXCmSlwrsIOuoK3o7xCf999pA2RroC3yGJ8Omp2i0PtBn9PN04pqZ1mNrv33SULpeR_nSUYIIQHU1m5JrmhdDNDZIOALAvuc4X9ogycDSA4iH1a4s7yNNCI/s400/wagyu8751.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvkTEIhY2WNT8mja58gnsjyOspXOkUMHaU_tGn4TRWY1Dl39Y2yLrHIZr_MiSnTasmPLzQTfMDLpJhvnz6nGX21QNfK2ENxci8O7q494z5dcTV4OF3-5N5fRChN4oyoUB4CXh8qyZgcV0/s1600/wagyu8754.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682605251325602450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvkTEIhY2WNT8mja58gnsjyOspXOkUMHaU_tGn4TRWY1Dl39Y2yLrHIZr_MiSnTasmPLzQTfMDLpJhvnz6nGX21QNfK2ENxci8O7q494z5dcTV4OF3-5N5fRChN4oyoUB4CXh8qyZgcV0/s400/wagyu8754.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kNOTZ-mbnQR5uh2i44U-_sWkKNnCaTJS-IrA4KZapAGKpBujbpLeep9uHzdqTfpTOWuFNyet3SwX_DmdDyarRRdBox4sxhWOpYeysZh5HpAdxiwLJOpzH0VNMOeg_rqtMSHc-boHAWhy/s1600/wagyu8758.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682605249594222002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kNOTZ-mbnQR5uh2i44U-_sWkKNnCaTJS-IrA4KZapAGKpBujbpLeep9uHzdqTfpTOWuFNyet3SwX_DmdDyarRRdBox4sxhWOpYeysZh5HpAdxiwLJOpzH0VNMOeg_rqtMSHc-boHAWhy/s400/wagyu8758.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>For dinner we found a Wagyu beef restaurant not far from the guest house where we are staying. The extremely marbled and tender beef is sliced thin so that you can quickly grill each piece on an in-table wood fire. The kitchen (shown above) also prepares a number of dishes from other parts of the cow, as well as salads and other things we couldn't figure out. No one spoke English, but we did work out how to get a very nice meal.

Wagyu Beef !

For dinner we found a Wagyu beef restaurant not far from the guest house where we are staying. The extremely marbled and tender beef is slic...

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Turkey Prep

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznQSvHXcIMKQkYINLB2ahdStpHRIYfCSPDzZSe9U3veSvL7G5oF72NaHvi9BVwSKoxCAmv7jcFGh3nkSEUMLVKISwPfcGkVJ_TXY09TUwYMlGWBDsKCsXZq6lXl7zqIb4omvnQpf29-Q4/s1600/turkey1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678595907994185266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznQSvHXcIMKQkYINLB2ahdStpHRIYfCSPDzZSe9U3veSvL7G5oF72NaHvi9BVwSKoxCAmv7jcFGh3nkSEUMLVKISwPfcGkVJ_TXY09TUwYMlGWBDsKCsXZq6lXl7zqIb4omvnQpf29-Q4/s400/turkey1.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Bread, apple, onion, fresh sage .... chopped by Alice and Elaine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiQCn4hiP6wwrU33ytWCKYBbrxXPkln8WX7q67rW28yA4ecCyBvh14HM8gOlD1GIbAY_EpeM_z2YA7NrU8fAv5GFXbH0f8Bgza2N4nzSMfXuhKIwfRqCv2k5HONN2VkSsvqzPAJx3cfwg/s1600/turkey2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678595904122741138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiQCn4hiP6wwrU33ytWCKYBbrxXPkln8WX7q67rW28yA4ecCyBvh14HM8gOlD1GIbAY_EpeM_z2YA7NrU8fAv5GFXbH0f8Bgza2N4nzSMfXuhKIwfRqCv2k5HONN2VkSsvqzPAJx3cfwg/s400/turkey2.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Adding eggs and stock, then stuffing the bird --</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aPNoNHeEduF2BCaQFqRzVK_486jStaIS3-Bdj6r5-Q2w5OjzWbmLv3nC3w-4sZ845a1PvibAc0GMM83ikrDIfj8inuW_ZCcWfSMfEwwKG-Ej2BpWXpPbFEEwKIDqBGRcp0lArjtbD9RM/s1600/turkey5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678596748312006738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aPNoNHeEduF2BCaQFqRzVK_486jStaIS3-Bdj6r5-Q2w5OjzWbmLv3nC3w-4sZ845a1PvibAc0GMM83ikrDIfj8inuW_ZCcWfSMfEwwKG-Ej2BpWXpPbFEEwKIDqBGRcp0lArjtbD9RM/s400/turkey5.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QJ-gpZwZLINuze4tmNVXh6KjADo_ObAWerqStIdZLUg0tRLlhy3VkzrxBPEhkwW0D1tEaMwzE8ioq77XXZF8qXzhYBW3L1wPpSxVTHwwF_mjVZkphCohhax-T7apZOpwCOoNedizQFD6/s1600/turkey3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678595884735288610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QJ-gpZwZLINuze4tmNVXh6KjADo_ObAWerqStIdZLUg0tRLlhy3VkzrxBPEhkwW0D1tEaMwzE8ioq77XXZF8qXzhYBW3L1wPpSxVTHwwF_mjVZkphCohhax-T7apZOpwCOoNedizQFD6/s400/turkey3.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />More prep, and meanwhile:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOH2r2dqkNGWmkqdPxD0tuPHJnlkniAONdmysnH3q1uGpQX54Yqt8_HZxWLVNMrWQEmeE2r_AfmizMdHI1BT_FLnDklqaxSNgzQw19tBEC4IgMCJsQ0ZNc7C_N8lTD7fQ5DDVbhd8Kqc8c/s1600/turkey4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678595878539975794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOH2r2dqkNGWmkqdPxD0tuPHJnlkniAONdmysnH3q1uGpQX54Yqt8_HZxWLVNMrWQEmeE2r_AfmizMdHI1BT_FLnDklqaxSNgzQw19tBEC4IgMCJsQ0ZNc7C_N8lTD7fQ5DDVbhd8Kqc8c/s400/turkey4.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 319px;" /></a>

Turkey Prep

Bread, apple, onion, fresh sage .... chopped by Alice and Elaine. Adding eggs and stock, then stuffing the bird -- More prep, and meanwhile:

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Thanksgiving Aprons

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyf6oLg7TvNb6HHQS7Kx1mWY7b1F2tW_d_9cYquh4SwsYTglkz5R3EjQEseAL62jR5kv4iOnR4x1JUicZxH0ozo9evBXhtCyNNlyC54bfWFBceXrxTurEIZOnHq8LAZmxYw2TjxWe8w3z3/s1600/IMG_7973.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678564680005280370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyf6oLg7TvNb6HHQS7Kx1mWY7b1F2tW_d_9cYquh4SwsYTglkz5R3EjQEseAL62jR5kv4iOnR4x1JUicZxH0ozo9evBXhtCyNNlyC54bfWFBceXrxTurEIZOnHq8LAZmxYw2TjxWe8w3z3/s400/IMG_7973.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" /></a>Here we are: Elaine and I, starting on Thanksgiving Dinner at Aparna's house in our new aprons. Thank you, Kappu!

Thanksgiving Aprons

Here we are: Elaine and I, starting on Thanksgiving Dinner at Aparna's house in our new aprons. Thank you, Kappu!

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Eating Out in Aspen

The restaurants in Aspen are all very good. Some are famous, and some are known for their famous clients. I've already described how we also like quietly eating simpler things in our condo -- tuna and vegetable salad, chicken strips, seared lamb chops with broccoli, and always cereal for breakfast. <br /><br />The first time we ate out, we tried a very nice but unremarkable Mexican restaurant called Palapa, which didn't seem very photogenic. I'd be surprised if it's frequented by the Aspen elite either, but one never knows around here.<br /><br />Last weekend, we bicycled to the very quirky Woody Creek Tavern, around 6 miles down the extraordinary Rio Grand Trail. Woody Creek Tavern is known for home-style food in an eccentric atmosphere. The walls are entirely covered with trinkets, photos, notes from customers, and posters -- such as one of their most famous customer, the late Hunter Thompson, who ran for sheriff in 1970.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864672776/" title="aspenrestaurants14 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants14" height="180" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/5864672776_690908b95c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864634842/" title="aspenrestaurants 11 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 11" height="180" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5271/5864634842_957894975c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />We also ate dinner one night at the famous Ajax Tavern at the foot of the Gondola which carries skiers in winter and hikers in summer. I suspect that celebrities do come here but I'm not much good at spotting them. Ajax Tavern's green gazpacho was delicious.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864631748/" title="aspenrestaurants 6 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 6" height="180" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5107/5864631748_8a227e755e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />Here's the Ajax Tavern kitchen/staging area:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864078481/" title="aspenrestaurants 5 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 5" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/5864078481_49e5778639.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />The Ajax Tavern has a lot of trendy dishes, such as truffle-oil-flavored french fries and reimagined ice cream bars:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864078385/" title="aspenrestaurants 3 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 3" height="180" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/5864078385_1b4fb3810c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />For lunch one day, right near our condo, I tried Mezzaluna, a small cafe with a very nice patio and very appealing menu. I love the way the trees cast shadows on the big cafe awnings. My salad was very good, and I hope to go back and try their pizza.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864631532/" title="aspenrestaurants 2 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 2" height="480" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5279/5864631532_355a8d958e_z.jpg" width="640"></a><br /><br />For access to the entire Flickr photo set -- lots more photos of each place -- click on any photo here.

Eating Out in Aspen

The restaurants in Aspen are all very good. Some are famous, and some are known for their famous clients. I've already described how we ...

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Cooking with basic ingredients

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptIbxvlD2TBDM977aabG63p2ovGhnb8NINQ9RBCcH2BeXD5wIKP8FmGvq-27MFQxkjUwcuS7zX9XD0nbFnvN4XxMCNUFikZckHkr6PgA-XqiRF7XF5kxpkY2o1Y1F1d0RlQcffOaZxGqd/s1600/basicfood6976.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618966945618833746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptIbxvlD2TBDM977aabG63p2ovGhnb8NINQ9RBCcH2BeXD5wIKP8FmGvq-27MFQxkjUwcuS7zX9XD0nbFnvN4XxMCNUFikZckHkr6PgA-XqiRF7XF5kxpkY2o1Y1F1d0RlQcffOaZxGqd/s400/basicfood6976.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" /></a><br />Last night I cooked two dishes: baked chicken with Spanish smoked paprika (I brought it with me from Santa Barbara) and Gratin Dauphinoise, my favorite potato dish. I learned this Alpine dish when I was in Grenoble, France, so it's appropriate to make it here in the Rocky Mountains, I think. Also, it requires no special condiments or spices. It's made of sliced potatoes, a chopped shallot (could be onion or garlic), milk (I discovered long ago that it's good with skim milk though the authentic version uses cream), real gruere cheese, and butter. I heat the milk with a bit of salt and pour it over the vegetables, cheese, and butter, which are layered in the baking dish. After baking it for an hour at 300, I turned it up to 425 and put the chicken in the oven. That's it: very basic.<br /><br />So far, here are the only condiments I have:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-wQ2aAZyouVtE_pUGD1mcAnB05NXYFAWqTTVolkey878vivoamTIxM8CAAYkD25EgPG7AeqDEEHWZupwRdUFFWkPfBvida6o2kl37m2Vt0vZBVyDigsNEJCNv8_5tS8SVEGZxvKu40Cc/s1600/basicfood6961.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618966951257868498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-wQ2aAZyouVtE_pUGD1mcAnB05NXYFAWqTTVolkey878vivoamTIxM8CAAYkD25EgPG7AeqDEEHWZupwRdUFFWkPfBvida6o2kl37m2Vt0vZBVyDigsNEJCNv8_5tS8SVEGZxvKu40Cc/s400/basicfood6961.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" /></a>Mayonnaise, olive oil, white wine viengar, Dijon mustard. And you can see my temporary kitchen.

Cooking with basic ingredients

Last night I cooked two dishes: baked chicken with Spanish smoked paprika (I brought it with me from Santa Barbara) and Gratin Dauphinoise, ...

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Super Cucas and Its Opposite

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5797970914/" title="cucas6385 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="cucas6385" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2236/5797970914_26374a90e0.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />We really enjoyed the burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and green and red salsas at Super Cuca's Taqueria, quite near our temporary home in Santa Barbara. It's a completely informal place -- order at the counter, eat in a kind of garden area or take it home, which we've done a couple times. Cucas' kitchen makes a much more interesting photo subject than the food.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5797415931/" title="cucas6383 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="cucas6383" height="375" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5274/5797415931_d6e8c9c9b2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5797971056/" title="cucas6382 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="cucas6382" height="376" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/5797971056_1642ccd227.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Cucas' also has a grocery section with an outstanding selection of fresh and dried chiles:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5797489485/" title="cucas6219 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="cucas6219" height="375" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5797489485_2332a6a5fd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Earlier this week, we had a very different meal at the elegant French-California restaurant called Bouchon. Local food is their focus. The chef shops at the same farmer's market where I've spent almost every Tuesday afternoon. Probably he was one of the guys I saw with a wheelbarrow or other huge conveyance, buying in large quantities.<br /><br />I've eyed the artistically arranged red and yellow beets at various farmers' stalls each week: at Bouchon, I ordered the beet salad with local greens and a sort of croquette made of wonderfully flavored cheese:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5797971112/" title="bouchon6369 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="bouchon6369" height="374" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5029/5797971112_978c379916.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBGU9iTKcfGQubiF6pUNX2bi71bXOrRf3vzuOAA2z7XxpL8V58vnocfC1ZvHskL9PWSyMXanMJwkLrUKGP5byHjmhVAC4Lw00GzEIddzZm7MTli3Ev7Yzwowz7N7StPi3-_soCFpR_Pff/s1600/bouchon_evening_specials_menu.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614490368243980674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBGU9iTKcfGQubiF6pUNX2bi71bXOrRf3vzuOAA2z7XxpL8V58vnocfC1ZvHskL9PWSyMXanMJwkLrUKGP5byHjmhVAC4Lw00GzEIddzZm7MTli3Ev7Yzwowz7N7StPi3-_soCFpR_Pff/s400/bouchon_evening_specials_menu.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 400px;" /></a>I love the contrast between delicious but informal tortilla-based food to eat with coke or beer, and special boutique-y food with local wine pairings. Other dishes in our Bouchon meal included rillettes of duck (Len's appetizer), local sea bass for Len and a duck main dish for me, and a meyer-lemon bread pudding and a blood-orange-and-strawberry tarte for dessert.

Super Cucas and Its Opposite

We really enjoyed the burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and green and red salsas at Super Cuca's Taqueria, quite near our temporary hom...

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