What did Inspector French eat?

Freeman Wills Crofts is the creator of Scotland Yard Inspector French, who appears in a number of novels. I heard of his novels in an <a href="http://harpers.org/archive/1948/05/0033206">article by W.H.Auden</a>, published in Harpers in 1948: "The guilty vicarage: <span style="font-style:italic;">Notes on the detective story, by an addict</span>" It's a wonderful study of detective fiction, which presents Auden's ideas on the appeal of murder mysteries as well as analysis of their principal "five elements–-the milieu, the victim, the murderer, the suspects, the detectives." <br /> <br />Auden says "Completely satisfactory detectives are extremely rare. Indeed, I only know of three: Sherlock Holmes (Conan Doyle), Inspector French (Freeman Wills Crofts), and Father Brown (Chesterton)." I have read all of Sherlock Holmes, and sampled Father Brown. However, Crofts' Inspector French novels, published between 1920 and 1957, were entirely new to me. I was delighted at the possibility of discovering a new detective author, and quickly purchased <span style="font-style:italic;">Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy</span> for my Kindle. <div> <br /></div><div>French is an extremely intense detective, and there are virtually no passages in the novel that don't directly advance the plot and help him solve the diabolical crime, which is initially so clever that it appears to be an accident. I completely agree with Auden that this is an author worth reading, though there are aspects of the work that are somewhat dated. <br /> <br />Of course as I read I was looking for the theme I always check in detective fiction: how does the author use food in his narrative? Unlike some of my favorites, Crofts offers no description of what Inspector French eats of of who cooks it for him. This is consistent with the intensity of the narrative. <span style="font-style:italic;">Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy</span> has nothing more detailed than "after breakfast he stood in the hotel coffee room" (p. 72), or "starting out with a stick in his hand and a packet of sandwiches in his pocket" (p. 99), or "at the hotel he dined, and ... asked for a packet of sandwiches" (p. 157) True to the detective writers' commitment that no detail can be left without follow-up, when French takes sandwiches with him you usually hear about when he ate them: "In the small hours he ate his sandwiches, and then he had to fight an overwhelming desire for sleep." (p. 158) <br /> <br />I find it interesting that despite the seeming lack of interest in the details of what French ate, the author uses these meals and snacks just the way that other authors do: to punctuate the days of detecting and contribute to the reader's sense of time passing. Perhaps there is more expansive food description in later books, but that would represent a change in this intensity. <br /> <br />I found Auden's description of Inspector French especially interesting. Auden says: <br /><blockquote>"His class and culture are the natural ones for a Scotland Yard inspector. (The old Oxonian Inspector is insufferable.) His motive is love of duty. Holmes detects for his own sake and shows the maximum indifference to all feelings except a negative fear of his own. French detects for the sake of the innocent members of society, and is indifferent only to his own feelings and those of the murderer. ... He is exceptional only in his exceptional love of duty which makes him take exceptional pains; he does only what all could do as well if they had the same patient industry (his checking of alibis for tiny flaws which careless hurry had missed). He outwits the murderer, partly because the latter is not quite so painstaking as he, and partly because the murderer must act alone, while he has the help of all the innocent people in the world who are doing their duty (e.g., the post- men, railway clerks, milkmen, etc., who become, accidentally, witnesses to the truth)."</blockquote>Note: to see all my posts on the topic, click on the label "Food in Detective Fiction" at the bottom of this post.

What did Inspector French eat?

Freeman Wills Crofts is the creator of Scotland Yard Inspector French, who appears in a number of novels. I heard of his novels in an articl...

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This Year's Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoXquA4Uv5-mAcEAUPRNXuw64h8q1qunEaKYJ5k7otzDPsyC6uBhlcv4-aw1yu1K3yTp7FuFV8dZeyVIM24jy7n0oj7zCwgTYhxd0HTNkD8LZ7nVaBDhf2xo8SgLzqQWlOMj8Hphumre-/s1600/slowtomatoes7622.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647784031622479730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoXquA4Uv5-mAcEAUPRNXuw64h8q1qunEaKYJ5k7otzDPsyC6uBhlcv4-aw1yu1K3yTp7FuFV8dZeyVIM24jy7n0oj7zCwgTYhxd0HTNkD8LZ7nVaBDhf2xo8SgLzqQWlOMj8Hphumre-/s400/slowtomatoes7622.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>I've made slow-roasted tomatoes for the last few years. After a trip to the <a href="http://www.a2gov.org/government/communityservices/ParksandRecreation/FarmersMarket/Pages/FarmersMarkethome.aspx">Ann Arbor farmers' market</a>, I did it again on Wednesday. Above, the ready-to-roast tomatoes.<div> <br /></div><div>I cut a huge number of tomatoes in half, garnished them with fresh herbs (this year: tarragon and sage), salted them lightly, drizzled them with olive oil, and roasted them in the oven at 200º for 12 hours. In the past I have also added garlic, but experience has taught me that it's better to add fresh garlic to the recipes where the tomatoes are used -- I'm not happy with the result of freezing it.<div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9TeYaNYumMNeF5mZgC1_D2ahcmhW6qVuXqLNTvXLG9OtFf4lZDLXyAeo3hStQjk3x_XIirl2CDn2S8-AsashyU_mFONTxFzWIip-9aW_4-BF5itHjPIA6BbqFKcdLdR5fZTBFa_Nokfb/s1600/slowtomatoes7626.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647784026130583506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9TeYaNYumMNeF5mZgC1_D2ahcmhW6qVuXqLNTvXLG9OtFf4lZDLXyAeo3hStQjk3x_XIirl2CDn2S8-AsashyU_mFONTxFzWIip-9aW_4-BF5itHjPIA6BbqFKcdLdR5fZTBFa_Nokfb/s400/slowtomatoes7626.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>Here are the finished tomatoes. Due to poor planning, I had to take them out of the oven at around 4:30 AM. I was going to leave them in the oven until I got up in the morning but the electronic brain in my stove turns out to think you have messed up if you leave it on for more than 12 hours. "Beep... beep... your tomatoes are ready. Get up now!"</div><div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJv_YWaHe-Vj0u6sd7HhaILtolOkcefgBzjLLnBxEPQ-atl13Da8NuKY0luiRyxfWhLTuDxcl3DGmiXguLAbWWhye_HIDyln9o0M3Z54ceiOHD6tmM_KAk24U56vgJvMI254DZqZzXeLR/s1600/slowtomatoes7628.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647784018929754882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJv_YWaHe-Vj0u6sd7HhaILtolOkcefgBzjLLnBxEPQ-atl13Da8NuKY0luiRyxfWhLTuDxcl3DGmiXguLAbWWhye_HIDyln9o0M3Z54ceiOHD6tmM_KAk24U56vgJvMI254DZqZzXeLR/s400/slowtomatoes7628.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>Two boxes of tomatoes went into the freezer by 5 AM. That evening, several tomatoes went into lasagna along with some left-over pesto and ricotta, more fresh herbs, and some other stuff. I forgot to take a photo before we ate the well-browned dish, but the photo above shows it ready to go in the oven. I also ate a couple of them on a sandwich this morning. MMMM.</div><div> <br /></div><div>Original recipe from <a href="http://www.theperfectpantry.com/">The Perfect Pantry</a> blog <a href="http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2006/09/roasted_tomatoe.html">here</a>.</div></div>

This Year's Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

I've made slow-roasted tomatoes for the last few years. After a trip to the Ann Arbor farmers' market , I did it again on Wednesday....

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Eggplant Curry with Garum Masala

Garum masala is such an interesting spice blend that I keep experimenting with it. <div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJNprxerrXbpjDVp7nzphtFWQKm4N3ht-lhBG17oQ0KLavlsDQj7ywOBJ29qbxwqhZPLn-lt4EH1EUs8uujyqnMGFv0glikFHC4JBgt4g7YBu8Kk2sMyAY5OOZ0eawxl3R0Iw9VhlZ_M-/s1600/eggplant7617.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646804143451735218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJNprxerrXbpjDVp7nzphtFWQKm4N3ht-lhBG17oQ0KLavlsDQj7ywOBJ29qbxwqhZPLn-lt4EH1EUs8uujyqnMGFv0glikFHC4JBgt4g7YBu8Kk2sMyAY5OOZ0eawxl3R0Iw9VhlZ_M-/s400/eggplant7617.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" /></a>To the right, you can see the before and after photos. And this time, I even have a recipe, which I loosely adapted from <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/01/baingan-bharta-eggplant-curry-recipe.html">here. <br /></a></div><div><span> <br /></span></div><div><span><b>Eggplant with Garum Masala</b></span> <br /> <br />1 medium eggplant sliced, salted, and brushed with oil <br />2 tablespoons whole cumin <br />½ large red onion, chopped <br />2 Tb finely chopped fresh ginger <br />4 tomatoes, chopped & salted <br />2 garlic cloves, minced <br />½ teaspoon red chili powder <br />1 teaspoon garam masala <br />¼ teaspoon turmeric <br />¼ teaspoon ground coriander (or fresh chopped coriander as a garnish) <br />2 tablespoons Canola oil <br />Salt to taste <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfwHZLxPC-qhY3h16DaNC6yN8KmaHo46ILQkgGalCS7fntd9LXzp2_ahA_Wbb9M79R_7EFe4KlAh7WNmkVNsbEFXt3Oc_FZWNGhWeOFEtYU3XW-kwCP4-zdguT3KgsR53kAS8OuaVgcns/s1600/eggplant7621.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646804139626347986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfwHZLxPC-qhY3h16DaNC6yN8KmaHo46ILQkgGalCS7fntd9LXzp2_ahA_Wbb9M79R_7EFe4KlAh7WNmkVNsbEFXt3Oc_FZWNGhWeOFEtYU3XW-kwCP4-zdguT3KgsR53kAS8OuaVgcns/s400/eggplant7621.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a> <br />Bake the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet at 350º for around 15 minutes. <br /> <br />Meanwhile, saute the cumin seeds in a small amount of oil until brown – around 30 seconds to a minute. Add ginger and onion, and cook until onion begins to soften. Add tomatoes, and garlic; simmer for around 10 minutes. When eggplant slices are soft, add to tomato mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Add the other spices. Add salt, hot pepper, or fresh peppers to boost heat & saltiness to your taste (I wanted it mild, so no peppers). Simmer for a few minutes. <br /> <br />I served it at room temperature with lettuce leaves and Trader Joe's mango chutney. <br /></div>

Eggplant Curry with Garum Masala

Garum masala is such an interesting spice blend that I keep experimenting with it. To the right, you can see the before and after photos. A...

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Fruit Crisp with Garum Masala

Fruit season is here, and we've been eating peaches and plums at almost every meal. Tonight I made peach-plum crisp. I did not use very much topping, but I spiced it in an unusual and appealing way: with garum masala from my friend/relative Kappu in Toronto. She uses 20 spices in her blend. I don't know what most of them are, but it's delicious with fruit.<div> <br /></div><div>The left photo is before baking, the right one when it was ready to eat. You can probably see that the topping is made from uncooked rolled oats, brown sugar, butter, pecans, and the spice mixture. This was very juicy fruit, so we ate with spoons. No problem!</div><div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFYU6SVm7cCmpoUAA-6hIXBwCDmdWstCxYBNLuMXM91qJvrsRtX4m6p4IqEPpi-kGKxdbIa9d2jSqR6PDxMvdDIdNAenWF9J_Ht8I723CMnx_DJzf5ulMUw5Ic9XPgmtDXEFfnhMbarcX/s1600/peachcrisp7614-5+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644955229498562514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFYU6SVm7cCmpoUAA-6hIXBwCDmdWstCxYBNLuMXM91qJvrsRtX4m6p4IqEPpi-kGKxdbIa9d2jSqR6PDxMvdDIdNAenWF9J_Ht8I723CMnx_DJzf5ulMUw5Ic9XPgmtDXEFfnhMbarcX/s320/peachcrisp7614-5+2.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnF4jZ0ufApDiNsP7_W_MMVmjGaDdyXHFQmAkEUJU5eQMgkLQhCGWUXqV5LluhOOz2XA5CT7vOsk3LigqDuhXA3WKY5eMfjeAZ0HMw4j7Hm7eGO7GGq1kDKcTK_OOyr1fn2_E3xz2choG5/s1600/peachcrisp7614-5+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644955224037875538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnF4jZ0ufApDiNsP7_W_MMVmjGaDdyXHFQmAkEUJU5eQMgkLQhCGWUXqV5LluhOOz2XA5CT7vOsk3LigqDuhXA3WKY5eMfjeAZ0HMw4j7Hm7eGO7GGq1kDKcTK_OOyr1fn2_E3xz2choG5/s320/peachcrisp7614-5+1.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a> <br /></div>

Fruit Crisp with Garum Masala

Fruit season is here, and we've been eating peaches and plums at almost every meal. Tonight I made peach-plum crisp. I did not use very ...

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Birthday Cake

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6057300779/" title="DSC_0007 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0007" height="428" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6090/6057300779_103761ee3f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /> <br /><div>Alice, beginning to make frosting for her cake...</div><div> <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6057849650/" title="DSC_0015 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0015" height="428" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6057849650_3eafabdd3e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /> <br /></div><div>... and adding the moulded chocolate letters and decorations.</div><div> <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6057304251/" title="DSC_0042 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0042" height="428" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6057304251_e1688691ed_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /> <br /></div><div>Miriam adding decorations to the cake she baked.</div><div> <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6057842676/" title="DSC_6034 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_6034" height="428" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6057842676_e423d1fdc0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /> <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6057844560/" title="DSC_6035 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_6035" height="428" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6057844560_a9529cae90_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /> <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6057299183/" title="DSC_6061 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_6061" height="428" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6057299183_653daba39c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /> <br /></div><div>The cake table with 4 of the 5 cakes, including one of Tom's two roulade cakes, our friend Elaine's lemon-poppyseed cake, and Miriam and Alice's decorated cakes.</div><div> <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6057852392/" title="IMG_1277 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1277" height="480" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6200/6057852392_ffc4d5e907_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div> <br /></div><div>After the party: cakes almost entirely gone!</div>

Birthday Cake

Alice, beginning to make frosting for her cake... ... and adding the moulded chocolate letters and decorations. Miriam adding decora...

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Art as Food

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlB-FK9lmh_rwmMalSFM-0V0-Qd2qPckH6CkVy_xb-1IUwf4PgmsAqlILB3GzErbxuGHmiu5n63rSl2w8HUY2Vfb2_aan1RE5f8P3KolcdHXrW45xL515agXxwzqKmPZPhRxorON45ZgiF/s1600/shoppingcart.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638966904001390018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlB-FK9lmh_rwmMalSFM-0V0-Qd2qPckH6CkVy_xb-1IUwf4PgmsAqlILB3GzErbxuGHmiu5n63rSl2w8HUY2Vfb2_aan1RE5f8P3KolcdHXrW45xL515agXxwzqKmPZPhRxorON45ZgiF/s400/shoppingcart.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>From the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-affordable-art-20110806,0,6328319.story">L.A.Times: Affordable art is the new reality</a>. <br /> <br />According to the article, people in these impoverished times love to buy inexpensive -- but original -- prints and paintings. Their cravings are being addressed by warehouse-style galleries in L.A. (or online). If you like to treat your purchases as commodities like groceries, they will even let you pile them into a shopping cart.

Art as Food

From the L.A.Times: Affordable art is the new reality . According to the article, people in these impoverished times love to buy inexpensiv...

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Eggs, $8 a dozen

Are organically grown foods too expensive to be a normal alternate to industrially produced foods? I think most people accept that there's some premium, often high, to be paid for organic food. And a little research tells us that a portion of that increase in price is due to government subsidies to the large-scale, environmentally unfriendly agriculture -- and no subsidies at all to the small-scale farmers who can behave more responsibly. <br /> <br />A farmer in New York -- <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/08/how-8-a-dozen-eggs-threaten-real-food-reforms/243276/">written up in the Atlantic </a>-- charges $8 per dozen for eggs: "each morning, the chickens are fed organic grain, then moved to fresh pasture in a specially made chicken mobile ... the process is so labor-intensive that bringing down the price would be near impossible." Further, bringing food into New York is itself a costly process. <br /> <br />The big question: will organic food ever be affordable to a reasonable percent of the population? The author of the article lists some possible reforms that could at least make the choice more plausible, but I wonder if any of those ideas are viable. The government is really out to lunch, and their lunch is not environmentally friendly or free of toxins and antibiotic resistant organisms. The industrial farmers and food processors don't bear the burden for the costs that result from their irresponsibility. And they have the money to influence the legislators. Alas!

Eggs, $8 a dozen

Are organically grown foods too expensive to be a normal alternate to industrially produced foods? I think most people accept that there'...

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