Despite his mental problems, Richard Shaver seems to have had a relatively happy marriage with his wife Dorothy, or Dot.  And he always praised her cooking in his letters. Among my Shaver mementos is Dot’s hand-written cookbook.  I’m intrigued by these recipes for fig wine and rhubarb wine.  They sound like some unusual down-home concoctions.  […]

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Salt and pepper packets occupy a strange position in our strange society.  In a country that monetizes everything, they’re free.  Everybody knows and uses them; and they pass unnoticed.  Other condiment packets contain commercial products familiar to the condiment-eater: the ketchup and mustard look like the bottles in the store.  Salt and pepper are also […]

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Just do your work and don’t be lazy, Like Giambattista Piranesi. The only drawback of vegetarianism is always being preached at by ghouls. All human speech is monkey chatter; It makes no sense; it doesn’t matter. A woman recently upbraided me for writing a song that didn’t rhyme. I tried to explain that not all […]

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A few members of the Ullage Group convened this week to experiment with another foodstuff unfamiliar to the dominant American culture.  The subject was chestnut honey: an Italian varietal markedly darker, earthier, and less sweet than the common domestics.  The participants in the study were Doug Skinner, Dr. Mamie Caton, and her associates Susan and […]

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Cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) is the simplest of dishes: boil and drain pasta; mix in grated cheese, ground pepper, and a bit of the cooking water; and serve.  It’s a standard dish in Rome; traditionally, it’s made with pasta secca (usually spaghetti) and pecorino romano. It’s not the most nutritious supper (I suggest […]

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Although we have crossed the Thanksgiving abyss, there are more holidays ahead; and, all too often, turkey dinners will be a part of them. I gave up such nonsense long ago; but I realize that those of you who still eat meat and celebrate holidays may long for some variety. And so I offer the […]

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Let me add this image to my earlier remarks on cat food.  The caption reads “Rat on Toast — for Dinner.” (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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I’m not a pet owner; I shrink instinctively from such responsibility.  But, these days, I am tending a friend’s cats while he’s abroad (and perfect angels they are, too).  And that has led me to contemplate cat food more than I have before. Cats and humans are different species, and have different diets.  Homo sapiens […]

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It’s been said that the two things you should never watch being made are laws and sausages.  This vintage stereo card shows one of the above. The observation is usually credited to Bismarck; a check of the www reveals multiple versions of it, and no definite source.  Huh.  The image can be safely ascribed to […]

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We offer here my talk on school lunches, from “Through the Blackboard.”  It’s stored on another page, so as not to clog the home page.  Happy reading! (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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