Courtesy of Escobar Highland Farm

A Ahhh: the A – Z of The Year in Food in Review!

B The buzzwords this year were “bacon, bacon, bacon,” butchers, back-to-basics cooking, Balloon Boy Batali, Barefoot C. D. Bouley, D. Boulud and db Bistro Moderne. The Beer summit with O_bama sent bloggers a-blogging. Blight (as in tomato) and the Big Bee Buzz Off also made news. Bottled water fell in trickle down economy.

C New cheese course in restaurants resulted in food jobs for cave men. Terrance Brennan, Chef-Proprietor of Picholine Restaurant and Artisanal Bistro and Wine Bar was nominated as Le Grand Fromage. Cup cake sales surpassed Pop Tarts. Copia, Napa’s bankrupt center for wine, food and the arts, was in the soup after amassing $78 million in debt.

D Doughnut claims proved to be full of holes.

E Epstein (Jason) wrote Eating: A Memoir.

F What began as “sugar-free” morphed into “salt-free,” “calorie-free” and “cholesterol free.” ‘FREE for All’ became the brand new and improved marketing concept. Let Freedom Ring! “Farm to table” was considered a brand new concept though, admittedly, this is the way people have eaten since the beginning of time. (The cost of a home-grown tomato was estimated to be in the range of $100. Gardening also took up heaps of free time.)

G Gordon Ramsay swore innocence in alleged sex affair. Government legalized marijuana. Rumors suggested that the appointed leader of a new agency would be known as Mr. Pot Head. ‘Green’ was declared the only way to go for those who wanted to get in the pink.

H Hospitals began replacing the rules of hospitality; some treated themselves like ‘out patients.’ They opted for a diet of denial. Dem(ocrat)s preferred smoothies. Healthy cocktails became all the rage.

I I will launch my web version of the Great Food Almanac in the new year.

J In the movie, Julie (Powell) blogged but Julia (Child) mastered our hearts.

K Kellogg dropped immune-boosting claims for sugary cereal — sweet gesture. Kraft’s courtship of Cadbury was rejected. Chocolate lovers turned dark and bitter.

L Happy No ‘L’ to All!

M Michelle (Obama) planted a vegetable garden. Martha (Stewart) tried to dig out from a 3rd quarter $11.7 million debt. Mobile foods kept on trucking.

N NASA located ice on the moon; still searching for scotch on the rocks.

O Organic lost its charisma; “sustainable” was the newfound concept. Obits for Sheila Lukins (of the Silver Palate) and Café des Artistes were written. Gourmet (magazine) bit the dust. Tavern on the Green is now on life support, but soon will be resurrected.

P Po’ Boys were getting poorer. Petite sweets were big and getting bigger.

Q Q’s were forecast for health care reformers by grim death panels. Q’s were eliminated by self-serve check outs in supermarkets. Barbeques remained popular with Dads, who prowled their backyards with a beer and a spear.

R NRA (National Restaurant Association) pegged future profits to rising Tide. Many restaurants washed up, leaving line cooks out to dry. French Laundry Executive chef Thomas Keller ironed out his issues and revealed a softer side.

S This year we appointed two supreme judges: Sonia S(otomayor) and Sam S(ifton). One is a fed, the other is a foodie. Both were well grilled before taking their hot seats — one on the bench, the other on the banquette. Both thanked their lucky stars.

T T-baggers made a big splash. Tweeters’ ‘Rec.A.P’s got even shorter.

U U still here?

V tV Food Network cooked up only contests and conflicts that generate a stampede of students into culinary schools.

W Increased cooking school enrollment led to more cooks, less home cooking. WOW!

X XXX and XXXX designates grades of confectioners’ sugar that is dusted on Xmas cookies.

Y Yellow fins were sinking. Yellow tails are rising.

Z SEASONings EATings to all and to all a white knight! Zzzzzzz.. Tweet Tweet… The  Nd

Cordially,

Julie Powell, author of Julie & Julia

I met Julie Powell, briefly, when we were invited to judge a chili cooking contest in Kingston, NY. There were three judges and only two contestants so we had plenty of time to hang out and talk.

Julie’s husband Eric was with her. So was their dog. I liked them all immediately. Far from being self-absorbed or narcissistic, I found Julie to be friendly, funny and generous, offering to find us all some water to drink on the hot afternoon and happily sharing anecdotes. She talked about her plan to apprentice at Fleisher’s, a little butcher shop in the neighborhood. I hadn’t yet read her book, Julie & Julia or her blog, the Julie/Julia Project though later I enjoyed both.

I can understand how disappointed she was, not only that she never met Julia, but how sad she was that Julia was not supportive of her idea of cooking her way through all the BOOK (Mastering the Art of French Cooking). Until I saw the movie, Julie & Julia, I had forgotten about something that happened with Julia.

There was a party in a private room in a grand restaurant in Chicago. There were 12 guests including Julia. It was a spectacularly gorgeous, dark wood panelled space with soft lighting, golden candles, cascades of brilliantly colored flowers, crisp white linen table cloths, glistening crystal, the silver, heavy in the hand. There was a buzz of harmonious conversation among old friends. The wine was poured. A toast toasted. Glasses clinked.

An anticipation of good food shared with good company. Wide smiles.

Waiters enter. Heavy laden. “Bon Appetit!” warbled Julia.

Cutting his meat, a tuxedoed guest from a little way down the table speaks above the murmurings. “Julia. What do you think of your new biography?” he asked, as he raised his fork to his mouth.

Julia turned to stone.

She thumped her glass to the table so hard, the red wine jumped and spilled onto the tablecloth.

“I don’t want to hear one more word about… that!”

This is the only time I ever saw Julia, not angry, FURIOUS!

There is a thunderous silence.

We sip our wine nervously.  Acutely embarrassed. We look around trying to think of something to say. And pass the butter.

There’s another moment of astonishment.

Hesitantly conversation resumed.

I never asked Julia, “Why?” I don’t know if anyone else did either.

I can only guess that she felt her privacy had been unforgivably violated. It was one thing for she and Paul to send that photograph of themselves in the bathtub. Naked? And quite another for a stranger to enter the bathroom, uninvited.

A boundary had been crossed.

Had Julie asked Julia’s permission to do what she did, I’m certain Julia would have said a resounding “NO!”

There’s no way Julie could possibly have anticipated Julia’s response. But that doesn’t diminish that Julie had a great idea. Julie should be applauded for her valiant efforts and finding her own voice.

Julia Child

For several years I was the final speaker at all the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) conferences. My turn came at the end of the  long and excruciatingly-boring General Meeting lunch session. Customarily there were 1,200 or more (mostly women) in the audience. By the time I made my appearance many bottles of fine wine had been emphatically “tasted.” To state it plainly, more than a few were more than a little tipsy.

It was always anticipated that I would poke fun at all the big time food celebrities (except Julia) and tell funny little stories about the food in the news. One year the words hovering on every lip were Omega-3 fatty acids. Everyone was enchanted with this new discovery that promised life everlasting.

I began my talk by suggested that we would soon be embarking on the Great Cattle Reef Project. This was a scheme in which cows were to be taught how to swim underwater.  They would then produce gallons of Omega-3s that we were all crazy about and no milk that we didn’t want anymore…Laughter…

I described Martha (Stewart) as a cross between Ophelia and Leona Helmsley…Laughter…

Then I talked about world hunger…Silence…

Dejected, I crept from the stage.

Julia approached.

“Irena, dear that was the boringest speech I’ve ever heard,” she said.

She was right. It was.

Instead of giving ‘em the red meat they wanted, I had fed them gruel.

I mention this because watching the great movie, Julie and Julia, I remembered again so many wise things Julia said and did and why it was she who became a national folk hero.

The moral–I still sometimes forget–is to give people what they want. This means listening carefully to and speaking and writing and cooking for what others want. This may not always be precisely what we want.

Julia eventually knew what she wanted. She wanted to be loved. Money was never the motivating force.

By following what Joseph Campbell called her “bliss,” she was like Walter Cronkite. They both achieved the affection and admiration of the nation…and a lasting legacy that was based on honesty, diligent attention to detail and knowing when it is time to leave the stage.