"Yes, Chef"

In his memoir <i>Yes, Chef</i>, the celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson shows himself to be a man who loves food and who is dedicated to several ideals of ethnic awareness and racial equality. Though I knew that Samuelsson was a native of Ethiopia, adopted as a small child and raised in Sweden, author of a book of pan-African recipes, and later an immigrant and naturalized citizen of the US, I wasn’t expecting the high quality of writing and high level of global consciousness that I found in the book. <br /><br />Always loving food and cooking, Samuelsson credits his Swedish grandmother Mormor with introducing him to food: <br /><blockquote>“At <i>Mormor’s</i>, the smell of food was omnipresent: The yeasty aroma of freshly baked bread or the tang of drying rose hips hit you as soon as you walked in. Something was always going on in her kitchen, and usually several things at once. My grandmother would start chopping vegetables for dinner while sterilizing jars for canning, while stirring a pot of chicken stock or grinding pork for a month’s worth of sausages. If I had to try to pinpoint my earliest food memory it would not be a single taste, but a smell – my grandmother’s house.” (kindle location 268) </blockquote>“Every country has a cuisine,” Samuelsson says (kindle location 3317). He shares his fascination and respect for the deep flavors of Swedish food. He describes vividly his voyages long and short in search of unusual spices and cooking techniques in Europe, Asia, Africa, and among immigrant communities in New York. From a stage on a cruise ship to Southeast Asia to walks through New York and spending all his meagre earnings on meals at respected restaurants, he searched for good tastes. <br /><br />His discovery of obscure flavors like the spice mix <i>berbere</i> native to his Amharic village in Ethiopia comes alive, while he also painfully explains the harsh poverty in which his natal family subsists. His efforts to be generous and helpful to his family (whom he found when he was over 30, after long efforts) depict his struggle to treat them with respect for their culture, while trying to give his much younger half-sisters a better chance through education. His emotional life is complex and maybe he’s not always perfect in his relationships with others, but I think he describes it in a way that makes one understand him.<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/AVvXsEjmE6NPXeFV6WJLs9ZmbWuYSr9HOJyW-UWgFysQeUsZXtdBfoS8QE5cxpKuMVpazAszkJCjH3-zS9AWkvnyCsFZsWR7c2h8n4RznQG_fid-dbCSYkItTLsHJNpEgbX5NzeGMhucoBXobpWK/s1600/redrooster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmE6NPXeFV6WJLs9ZmbWuYSr9HOJyW-UWgFysQeUsZXtdBfoS8QE5cxpKuMVpazAszkJCjH3-zS9AWkvnyCsFZsWR7c2h8n4RznQG_fid-dbCSYkItTLsHJNpEgbX5NzeGMhucoBXobpWK/s1600/redrooster.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Website of Samuelsson's restaurant Red Rooster.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Samuelsson began his education in a Swedish culinary school, but quickly sought apprenticeships in three-star establishments in Switzerland and Austria. The toughness of life in such kitchens is characterized by the automatic response of a subordinate when given an order: "Yes, Chef!" The apprenticeship of a chef in a modern kitchen is a frequent subject for chef memoirs; this one seems to me very vivid but less sensationalistic than some of the others.<br /><br />Samuelsson was always conscious of his racial difference, not least because a worker in those kitchens is often referred to as a “negre” – not a nice word. He’s especially clear about racism in high-end American restaurants and how it affected him during his development as a chef, beginning just above apprentice level and quickly progressing to be a head chef, a partner in a high-profile venture that failed, and finally as the chef chosen to cook the Obama's first White House state dinner and eventually as owner of a successful Harlem restaurant The Red Rooster.<br /><br />

"Yes, Chef"

In his memoir Yes, Chef , the celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson shows himself to be a man who loves food and who is dedicated to several id...

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Wordless Wednesday: Air Travel Dining

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tgDBm8mOxEbu3vVbdEIygZan1q4-IJdeG0Hf6_vnIZ81p5tRBTf-BhH0tebhJEDwoF2JPnQuNJW9fPmdh1K-g3TfVcI70ms6bLWAc1NkmEcIrMkjrMDm2mcA2-SpaOMZW4YHkHFBIxzF/s1600/airfood1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tgDBm8mOxEbu3vVbdEIygZan1q4-IJdeG0Hf6_vnIZ81p5tRBTf-BhH0tebhJEDwoF2JPnQuNJW9fPmdh1K-g3TfVcI70ms6bLWAc1NkmEcIrMkjrMDm2mcA2-SpaOMZW4YHkHFBIxzF/s400/airfood1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotnlfu8fpE0tqlkdoqTo1J3LiU990Ba7A8HoWmeS1e7ygdG1oS8m0Z7m1lOOsx-lEy49DkPk_KxmGWt9opiLo9hOiTTQPvalMv7gfE2LvimvE0wlByGS4M2s7onqAMz4SSbqme_VJtwJg/s1600/airfood2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotnlfu8fpE0tqlkdoqTo1J3LiU990Ba7A8HoWmeS1e7ygdG1oS8m0Z7m1lOOsx-lEy49DkPk_KxmGWt9opiLo9hOiTTQPvalMv7gfE2LvimvE0wlByGS4M2s7onqAMz4SSbqme_VJtwJg/s400/airfood2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtmQyFdUMKxZDH1U9SA9JSpIPRkLq3AT_K4E9NiiLvEBEkXc6l-YLGJh-8JqjFShfnv23qcKb9B7SbdG4BxBchoYYdem6cGcJ-7IDD4tggGkZxNOEFy85uR3EhjZMnWcve1MiS7ExPvdg/s1600/airport2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtmQyFdUMKxZDH1U9SA9JSpIPRkLq3AT_K4E9NiiLvEBEkXc6l-YLGJh-8JqjFShfnv23qcKb9B7SbdG4BxBchoYYdem6cGcJ-7IDD4tggGkZxNOEFy85uR3EhjZMnWcve1MiS7ExPvdg/s400/airport2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcE42Nr_ZhPA6KJlj8ru7P82G-n6IdWI3eHxewnRtNDqt1iJj5NitSeyOYodgmFgVZELSvvb4hAZli5SGlUs4RxHNWKV3rBNe1zLvp916jieSpWHFI0GpvNxmVZRuvIQgUS4I1Xy35-A2/s1600/airfood2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcE42Nr_ZhPA6KJlj8ru7P82G-n6IdWI3eHxewnRtNDqt1iJj5NitSeyOYodgmFgVZELSvvb4hAZli5SGlUs4RxHNWKV3rBNe1zLvp916jieSpWHFI0GpvNxmVZRuvIQgUS4I1Xy35-A2/s400/airfood2009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>

Wordless Wednesday: Air Travel Dining

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Coming soon...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbZmcWd-GqFU-E1MAd-Ejd8nBMqkdSMIquNiW_y6Ojfw3pNbEmJJwSVTG8B3PswR1g7XIQBDvujCHRu60EwosR6XwQY5kJ51P4ifvIJppQSnyFY6NVhQHtPW-84zPXKzh-jcS7pAZQd5l/s1600/art-appetite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbZmcWd-GqFU-E1MAd-Ejd8nBMqkdSMIquNiW_y6Ojfw3pNbEmJJwSVTG8B3PswR1g7XIQBDvujCHRu60EwosR6XwQY5kJ51P4ifvIJppQSnyFY6NVhQHtPW-84zPXKzh-jcS7pAZQd5l/s400/art-appetite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I spent several hours at the Chicago Art Institute today, enjoying their vast collections of American art, Impressionism, African art, Asian sculpture and ceramics, and more. Sadly, an exhibit that I would love to see doesn't start until next week.<br /><br />The saddest part: many paintings that represent culture and cuisine are not on view now -- for example, "Nighthawks" which I wrote about earlier this week. There is little chance for me to get back to Chicago before the show ends January 27, but maybe I'll at least be able to get a copy of the catalog -- no, it wasn't available in the gift shop yet!<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/AVvXsEi4VapkvCoGHbJjNG41sBmX8yGL0NUqLbbxURmP2BpZEYlnK8hKJpq5haEkI6o4W5scLWKY-Q48mBG0S7Z08yFbTNbjw6amMcWqAZeqqSg0cAbFqkiHcqz1rVRmfOCBfJy984coTWgyb7hW/s1600/candypile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VapkvCoGHbJjNG41sBmX8yGL0NUqLbbxURmP2BpZEYlnK8hKJpq5haEkI6o4W5scLWKY-Q48mBG0S7Z08yFbTNbjw6amMcWqAZeqqSg0cAbFqkiHcqz1rVRmfOCBfJy984coTWgyb7hW/s640/candypile.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But there was a candy pile by artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres <br />(who also did the <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2009/01/edible-art-photos-from-fort-worth.html">green candy in Fort Worth</a>).<br />You can eat the candy -- <a href="http://www.timeoutchicago.com/things-to-do/this-week-in-chicago/16153426/art-institute-candy-sculpture-what%E2%80%99s-up-with-that">here's how it works!</a><br />(This caption has been updated to correct the name of the artist and give links.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

Coming soon...

I spent several hours at the Chicago Art Institute today, enjoying their vast collections of American art, Impressionism, African art, Asian...

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Tapas

<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/AVvXsEh0lwsAEjqokcAUTIY_ZRke7smgJJLfLJhGDlRu1Y9Hz7uJRXM3jkXyQ6XnSSBuKFMq0VGO_7NTV1tojfFr84-WlQkiJIglwSXVjBrTdYEclAJoVsMHkndsrg4Kzq-ZrX-ONXwyESb3cbm2/s1600/mercat-window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lwsAEjqokcAUTIY_ZRke7smgJJLfLJhGDlRu1Y9Hz7uJRXM3jkXyQ6XnSSBuKFMq0VGO_7NTV1tojfFr84-WlQkiJIglwSXVjBrTdYEclAJoVsMHkndsrg4Kzq-ZrX-ONXwyESb3cbm2/s640/mercat-window.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out the window of Mercat Restaurant towards Michigan Avenue in Chicago.<br />We arrived in Chicago at 3:45 PM, spent an hour in the Art Institute, and went on down the street to eat at Mercat.<br />We ate there one other time, <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2010/08/chicago-dining.html">in August 2010</a>.</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/AVvXsEiON5roN5sxAywChKyLd5SWxTlrVEcwUfwz9c7EDrln4CF2fbyB1aZoogPB_V3buZ0LmL9SIqfEA_7JdRiSekJjUU-pPSUyaCv6VVhlGTMr7f_oFTOR3VTHaZ45hXokYAYOgsXWF0LUBe-O/s1600/mercat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON5roN5sxAywChKyLd5SWxTlrVEcwUfwz9c7EDrln4CF2fbyB1aZoogPB_V3buZ0LmL9SIqfEA_7JdRiSekJjUU-pPSUyaCv6VVhlGTMr7f_oFTOR3VTHaZ45hXokYAYOgsXWF0LUBe-O/s640/mercat2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boquarones (white anchovies) with pine nuts and herbs</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/AVvXsEhneBFzquhWv20aTOicoSV6sMwLG4iRewRVD7_4N6z1B_Tm8YrTrZoXlQJ0e-27xPuvRdwUi3VGMwSuAaYgIW4_37bo0LOEUbYLXGzwkuZFq_oHFtgVMWY2yzP5wzk5SOo95rNPxzWS5U8q/s1600/mercat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneBFzquhWv20aTOicoSV6sMwLG4iRewRVD7_4N6z1B_Tm8YrTrZoXlQJ0e-27xPuvRdwUi3VGMwSuAaYgIW4_37bo0LOEUbYLXGzwkuZFq_oHFtgVMWY2yzP5wzk5SOo95rNPxzWS5U8q/s640/mercat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serrano ham and fig salad with spinach, almonds, sherry vinaigrette</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/AVvXsEjrZ5CsFie3whRmdLzoKxPSyr9LN3ZXZWZ2R2qTRXDD2u_5f0COv4ISR3Oy4MdOT-qANs0uvqyJXC9oKWTOo1bYePf_Pi07l9RdPoRUtalOb48hgI3O0ocT-iuwnQB_dm2mG83MIq7mOWQS/s1600/mercat3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZ5CsFie3whRmdLzoKxPSyr9LN3ZXZWZ2R2qTRXDD2u_5f0COv4ISR3Oy4MdOT-qANs0uvqyJXC9oKWTOo1bYePf_Pi07l9RdPoRUtalOb48hgI3O0ocT-iuwnQB_dm2mG83MIq7mOWQS/s640/mercat3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Razor clams with piquillo pepper sofrito and grilled focaccia</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/AVvXsEgJ9wu8AtIZ142QmnK2lTeN-xF4uYSPhJaE9kwt1dQHSZ3Qb6dS4b5b2jZmBjTbhSh4v6ggBvzVYT3y6f9ikqCPJhOvQsj1TzACqwHml31nvid0AGnNOovjsSuYImhEvnBRKhPR4-qTRoNa/s1600/mercat-interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9wu8AtIZ142QmnK2lTeN-xF4uYSPhJaE9kwt1dQHSZ3Qb6dS4b5b2jZmBjTbhSh4v6ggBvzVYT3y6f9ikqCPJhOvQsj1TzACqwHml31nvid0AGnNOovjsSuYImhEvnBRKhPR4-qTRoNa/s640/mercat-interior.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The highly-decorated interior of the restaurant.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

Tapas

Looking out the window of Mercat Restaurant towards Michigan Avenue in Chicago. We arrived in Chicago at 3:45 PM, spent an hour in the Art I...

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Wordless Wednesday: Hopper's Nighthawks

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoVZ2c7Ny2vCnCjuBIB-e_S-OhJqdLf0OXsl2MteRCffVy28vsf0-_SSaOZItVgg9yXCg309K0hnIhNvkRO7PBzKP4K2fyYo3lMzW8yukazKkOTPVGZVHnddq2wPrD5uWDhD9VjSVmz-e/s1600/Nighthawks-Hopper-1942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoVZ2c7Ny2vCnCjuBIB-e_S-OhJqdLf0OXsl2MteRCffVy28vsf0-_SSaOZItVgg9yXCg309K0hnIhNvkRO7PBzKP4K2fyYo3lMzW8yukazKkOTPVGZVHnddq2wPrD5uWDhD9VjSVmz-e/s640/Nighthawks-Hopper-1942.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAonCeSG51J0Cn_rSRyB105Rh8S-v_dDfkcyMWih9NXLCbWpA0RaXNt8XDcWNlv52RyS0U0KSD8PkWsuAwlgXjmCuOGL16XJ_M2zN-puJqBqQKVA8jmmfWJwBMvKrotOMZGMAX7Za2HcQY/s1600/nighthawk-simpsons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAonCeSG51J0Cn_rSRyB105Rh8S-v_dDfkcyMWih9NXLCbWpA0RaXNt8XDcWNlv52RyS0U0KSD8PkWsuAwlgXjmCuOGL16XJ_M2zN-puJqBqQKVA8jmmfWJwBMvKrotOMZGMAX7Za2HcQY/s400/nighthawk-simpsons.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2nzfG-9vxxGjPOkf2ENVQQHBeHFSKbhxKi4gw1f_WdhPDSzrYQK2p1FSS1FYW33Alqac1lD8JZvGn_wL20qxd1ZehTXEPSU7-S4ee6ob4pEECX0SKiaUXG6dsaPYy2kb-IMAJOUWuN2r/s1600/vangoghvisit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2nzfG-9vxxGjPOkf2ENVQQHBeHFSKbhxKi4gw1f_WdhPDSzrYQK2p1FSS1FYW33Alqac1lD8JZvGn_wL20qxd1ZehTXEPSU7-S4ee6ob4pEECX0SKiaUXG6dsaPYy2kb-IMAJOUWuN2r/s640/vangoghvisit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>

Wordless Wednesday: Hopper's Nighthawks

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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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