While in PA, I picked up a bunch of old Gourmets, and by old I mean 1973 issues. Some of you weren't ever born yet. I had never read a Gourmet back then, although I do remember checking The Joy of Cooking out from the library (some things never change). The only magazines I subscribed to were Horizon and Connoisseur.
Here is a snippet from the article: "The Making of a Luncheon"
by Daniel V. Thompson.
(To bring you up to speed, Daniel and his wife have invited an old friend who is apparently an international something or other for a simple afternoon luncheon while she is in the USA. The luncheon expands from 4 to 8 guests. They have one day to shop and prepare the meal.)
"...Not too much remained to be done in the morning of the luncheon. There was the hothouse Telegraph cucumber to be sliced thinly on the mandoline and a dressing to be prepared with heavy cream, tarragon vinegar, olive oil and snippets of chives. There was a hollandaise to be made, the timbales to be poached, the subrics to be sautéed, the tarte patisserie to be assembled and glazed, the wine to be chilled, the table, to be set and the terrace outside to be furbished for use if the weather provided kind. A sliver platter for the mousse went into the freezer along with the gin. Almost with regret I removed a section of the skin from the beautifully firm codfish and brushed the flesh with a clear, white-wine fish aspic to give it a slight luster. Then I checked the menu:
Stuffed Eggs
Spinach Timbales
Poached Cod Bellevue
Sauce Raifort aux Noix
Salmon Mousse in Aspic
Mayonnaise, Sauce Messine
Cucumber Salad
Sliced Baked Ham
Mustard Sauce
Rice Salad
Sliced Tomates
Tarte Patisserie aux Fraises
Marrons Glaces.
The story continues to a happy ending in which the author states that friends make the meal, not the food. But the food helps.
Now contrast THAT with THIS:
Later that day I was watching a Bon Appetit video where Claire Saffitz tries to duplicate and improve upon Ben and Jerry Ice Cream. The episode was a success and everyone agreed that her versions were much better. But the commentary by other staffers is what caught my attention. After tasting a sample, a female BA test kitchen staffer praised it by saying "That's f**ked Up!!"
Oh. Apparently High Praise indeed.
Then a male staff member samples it and saids "No. That's super f**king crazy."
Then back to the female: "F**king nailed it!"
Huh.
By the way, Bon Appetit's Editor in Chief Adam Rapoport, was there too, sampling away. Never blinked.
So on the same day...within a few hours, I READ the story above (and realized I would NEVER cook like that, but appreciated the hard work) and then WATCHED a video making a simple ice cream base which I can do in my sleep--and realized I would NEVER describe it like that.
Has our vocabulary degraded that much in less than 50 years?
(Jump to 25 minutes into the video to hear the tasters reactions.)
Here is a snippet from the article: "The Making of a Luncheon"
by Daniel V. Thompson.
(To bring you up to speed, Daniel and his wife have invited an old friend who is apparently an international something or other for a simple afternoon luncheon while she is in the USA. The luncheon expands from 4 to 8 guests. They have one day to shop and prepare the meal.)
"...Not too much remained to be done in the morning of the luncheon. There was the hothouse Telegraph cucumber to be sliced thinly on the mandoline and a dressing to be prepared with heavy cream, tarragon vinegar, olive oil and snippets of chives. There was a hollandaise to be made, the timbales to be poached, the subrics to be sautéed, the tarte patisserie to be assembled and glazed, the wine to be chilled, the table, to be set and the terrace outside to be furbished for use if the weather provided kind. A sliver platter for the mousse went into the freezer along with the gin. Almost with regret I removed a section of the skin from the beautifully firm codfish and brushed the flesh with a clear, white-wine fish aspic to give it a slight luster. Then I checked the menu:
Stuffed Eggs
Spinach Timbales
Poached Cod Bellevue
Sauce Raifort aux Noix
Salmon Mousse in Aspic
Mayonnaise, Sauce Messine
Cucumber Salad
Sliced Baked Ham
Mustard Sauce
Rice Salad
Sliced Tomates
Tarte Patisserie aux Fraises
Marrons Glaces.
The story continues to a happy ending in which the author states that friends make the meal, not the food. But the food helps.
Now contrast THAT with THIS:
Later that day I was watching a Bon Appetit video where Claire Saffitz tries to duplicate and improve upon Ben and Jerry Ice Cream. The episode was a success and everyone agreed that her versions were much better. But the commentary by other staffers is what caught my attention. After tasting a sample, a female BA test kitchen staffer praised it by saying "That's f**ked Up!!"
Oh. Apparently High Praise indeed.
Then a male staff member samples it and saids "No. That's super f**king crazy."
Then back to the female: "F**king nailed it!"
Huh.
By the way, Bon Appetit's Editor in Chief Adam Rapoport, was there too, sampling away. Never blinked.
So on the same day...within a few hours, I READ the story above (and realized I would NEVER cook like that, but appreciated the hard work) and then WATCHED a video making a simple ice cream base which I can do in my sleep--and realized I would NEVER describe it like that.
Has our vocabulary degraded that much in less than 50 years?
(Jump to 25 minutes into the video to hear the tasters reactions.)