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Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. September 2014 Volume XIX, Number 1

Save these 2014-15 CHoW Meeting Dates: Burmese Cusine: On the Road to Flavor

September 14 Speaker: John Tinpe October 12 Sunday, September 14 November 9 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. December 14 Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, January 11, 2015 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 February 8, 2015 NOTE: This is the March 8, 2015 here’s nothing like last CHoW Line until it. A true cross- September. April 12, 2015 May 3, 2015 Troads , the of Burma (Myan- Have a nice summer! John Tinpe is the longtime owner mar), though influenced of Burma Restaurant in China- by the culinary flavors of Renew Your town. His maternal ancestors China, India, Laos, and Membership in belonged to the Yang Dynasty, , is unique. including one whose title was lord is CHoW NOW prince in Kokang province. His most famous for its un- for 2014-15! father was a top diplomat, serving usual fermented green as deputy permanent represen- leaf (), The membership year tative to the United Nations. A vermicelli and fish runs from September 1 graduate of Bucknell University, soup (, the “na- to August 31. Annual John has been a resident of Wash- tional dish”); , dues are $25 for ington since 1991. For leisure he , noodles, vege- individuals, households, enjoys Dragon Boat racing. He tables, and meat dishes; also worked at the John F. Ken- and semolina, , and milk sweets. The or organizations. Dues nedy Center for the Performing dishes are remarkable for their unusual flavors. include e-mail delivery of Arts as supernumerary in various the newsletter CHoW Line. opera and ballet performances. Burma Restaurant co-owner John Tinpe, a gifted speaker, will explain what makes the food specifi- Dues are $35 for members Since January 2013, John has been cally Burmese and will introduce us to the history who also wish to receive a the Advisory Neighborhood Com- and background of the cuisine: its complexities mailed, paper copy of the missioner of the Single Member and influences; its typical ingredients, seasonings, newsletter. District 2C01. Prior to that, he and condiments; its dining customs; its regional served as Commissioner on Asian differences; the role of food in Burmese medicine; Other Benefits: and Pacific Islander Affairs from and the Buddhist traditions associated with the • Priority registration for 1999 to 2013, chairing it from 2001 . field trips to 2007. He has been Director of the Chinatown Cultural Center, • GoogleGroups notices President of Chi-Am Lions Club, • Membership roster Board member of AQUA, and Board member of Miss DC/Amer- ica Pageant. He is the recipient of Green the APIA Heritage Award, Allied Tea Leaf Building Community Award and Salad Kennedy King Award. (laphet)

Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. (CHoW/DC) www.chowdc.org founded in 1996, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to the study of the history of foodstuffs, , and culi- nary customs, both historical and contemporary, from all parts of the world. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. What Happened at the Sunday, May 4, CHoW Meeting? President Katy Hayes called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m., welcoming 35 attendees, including numerous guests. CHoW Programs 2014-2015 ANNOUNCEMENTS September 14 John Tinpe, “Burmese Cuisine: On the 1.Board Elections. Only one Board seat is open Road to Flavor” for the CHoW 2014-2015 year since most Board members are both eligible and willing to serve another term. Clara October 12 Michael Krondl, “The All-American Donut: Raju was unanimously elected as Membership Secretary. How an Obscure English Specialty Conquered North Thanks very much to Quentin Looney for serving in this America.” capacity for the past three years. November 9 Leni Sorensen, “Cooking The Virginia 2. May Field Trip to Peirce Mill. A tour of Peirce House-Wife: Mary Randolph and the Black Cooks in her Mill with afterwards at Hillwood is scheduled for .” Friday, May 16 (later changed to Thursday, May 22). See December 14 Catherine Dann Roeber, “Food Fights page 3 for a report and photos of the tour. and School Lunch: Dining and ‘Edible’ Education in 3. October Field Trip to Orchid Cellar Winery. America.” There will also be a field trip to Orchid Cellar Winery on January 11, 2015 Ai Hisano, “The Color of New Tastes: Saturday, October 18, 2014, starting at noon. Processed in the Early-Twentieth-Century United States.” WHATZIT: Members brought four “Whatzits” to the May meeting. Willis Van Deventer brought a syllabub foamer February 8, 2015 Nadia Berenstein, “Artificial and Claudia Kousoulas brought an orange peeler. Quentin Strawberry, Imitation Cheese: A History of Synthetic Looney brought a double-ended butter and jelly Flavors in the U.S.” spreader. Another CHoW member brought a small dish March 8, 2015 Nancy J. Siegel, “From Liberty Tea to with a central bump of unknown purpose. Freedom Fries: America’s Political Appetite.” April 12, 2015 Cooperative Supper, Alexandria House PROGRAM: President Katy Hayes introduced the May speaker, Joy Fraser, Ph.D. for her talk, “Addressing the May 3, 2015 Cynthia D. Bertelsen, “Cookbooks as Haggis: Culture and Contestation in the Making of Scot- Intellectual History, or, Why Cookbooks are Useful land’s .” Dr. Fraser is an Assistant Professor Outside of Your , Too.” of English at George Mason University, specializing in folk narrative, foodways, folk custom and drama, and the folk Bruce Reynolds Named as culture of tourism. During her talk on haggis, Dr. Fraser talked about two conflicting views of this symbolic food. Interim Vice President. The first is what she calls the “honest poverty” approach; Thank you to for that haggis is a humble and thrifty food, a resourceful use Sheilah Kaufman serving as Vice President last year. of ingredients, shared by all. The second view of haggis She was unable to serve a second calls it into question as a Scottish symbol, claiming that term, and fortunately, haggis was a foreign invention and imposed on Scottish Bruce Reyn- has agreed to step in as Interim national culture in the Romantic period. During her talk olds Vice President. Frazier pointed out that the second view obscures the dy- namics of foodways and neglects the importance of recog- Professionally, Bruce is an attorney nizing where dishes land and resonate. (licensed to practice in Virginia and DC) formerly and a principal in the Washington National Office of Deloitte Tax DOOR PRIZES: Members attending the monthly meetings LLP, and now Managing Editor of International Tax for a can enter for a door prize. Thank you to Claudia Kousoulas legal publisher. for donating the cookbooks given as door prizes. He has over 30 years of experience as a tax lawyer, 23 of them exclusively devoted to the practice of inter- REFRESHMENTS: Thank you to Anne Whitaker for pro- national tax. He has both a J.D. and an LLM in tax from viding beverages and supplies for the meeting, and to our Georgetown University Law Center; has been an adjunct members who brought the following refreshments: professor of taxation in that University’s School of Business Amy Riolo: Italian Citrus and Apple Cake Administration, and has done post-graduate international ElizabettaCastleman: Edamame Snacks legal work at Oxford University. Claudia Kousoulas: Abernethy Biscuits His undergraduate degree is in American history, Clara Raju: Coconut Cupcakes from Yale University. Bruce’s interest in culinary history Amy Snyder: Cookies started with an interest in social history, combined with the fact that he likes to cook, and a realization that food history The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m. Thank you to the is a significant branch of social history generally. He man- members who volunteered to reset the meeting room. ages to further both interests, in what’s left of the day after work, by collecting antiquarian English and American cook Respectfully submitted, books. Bruce served as CHoW Treasurer for three years Beverly Firme, Recording Secretary with thanks to Claudia and successfully obtained an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit status Kousoulas for providing the meeting notes for CHoW. 2 CHoW Line The Election Day

CHoW Field Trip Pie to Peirce Mill By CiCi Williamson

CiCi is CHoW’s Immediate Past President and a food and travel writer.

ormerly the hub of one of the largest estates in Wash- eight that operated along Rock Creek, is one of the few ington that sprawled from Tilden Street north to the remaining symbols of Washington’s agrarian past. It is an Maryland-D.C. border, Peirce Mill is now a National early example of renewable energy and American tech- F nological achievement. Built in the 1820s by Isaac Peirce, Park Service property in Rock Creek Park. Resulting from 17 years of fundraising and reconstruction by Friends of a first cousin to the Peirces Peirce Mill (formed in 1997) and Rock Creek Park the mill who created what became the has been restored to operating condition, and visitors can famous Longwood Gardens now see Park Service Ranger and miller Jeanne Minor in Kennett Square, Penn., the grind corn into . mill was constructed with CHoW and “Friends” member Quentin stones quarried from nearby Looney arranged a lecture and tour for Broad Branch. The complex CHoW on Thursday, May 22. “Friends” also included a carriage barn, Board Member Sheila Ploger directed us distillery, saw mill, spring into what was the carriage barn (1810), house, nursery, and residence. used as an art gallery in the 20th century Next we walked down and now as a small museum, gift shop, the hill to see the waterwheel and lecture room. and mill in action. The Oliver Quentin greeted us with beverages and Evans-designed mill has a corn muffins he made from meal ground in unique bucket elevator to raise the adjacent mill. First we viewed a video, grain from the delivery floor “ and Butter on an 18th Century up to the gristmill on the floor Farm,” that was produced by the Friends above. Evans is called “the with a $10,000 grant. Watt of America” for building Steve Dryden, author of Peirce Mill: the first high-pressure steam Two Hundred Years in the Nation’s Capital engine and first automobile in (Bergamot, 2009), lectured about the property’s history. America. He held U.S. Patent He presented a fascinating family account of the Peirces #3 for his mill design, and by and their Shoemaker cousins, Quakers who moved to the 1792, over 100 mills were oper- site from Philadelphia in 1794. From humble 18th-century ating Evans’ machinery. beginnings as farmers and millwrights, family members Park Ranger for 4 ½ years, were civic and business leaders at the turn of the 20th Jeanne Minor trained at Col- century. Steve told us that the mill, the only survivor of vin Mill in Virginia to be the miller here. She opened the mill race that channels water from Rock Creek to power the waterwheel. Then she poured dried corn kernels into the hopper and we saw them pro- cessed into corn meal, sifting into a bin on the ground floor. Adjacent to the working millstones, a bedstone lay uncovered to view. It is a French buhrstone used for the finer grinding of wheat. Jeanne said it is not cut from Kneeling: “Friend” Sheila Ploger. Standing: Willis, Carly, one piece but built up from and Carter Van Deventer; Julia Peirce Marston, miller sections of quartz, cemented Jeanne Minor, Christopher Marston, Barry Newton, John together with plaster, and Kelly (CiCi’s husband), Judy Newton, Quentin Looney, bound with iron bands. Katherine Livingston, Shirley Cherkasky, Steve Dryden. French Buhr (or Burr) comes from the Marne Valley in For more information: www.nps.gov/pimi/index.htm northern France. Photos by CiCi

CHoW Line 3 Upcoming Events CHoW Field Trip to 2014 Library of Congress National Book Festival Orchid Cellar Winery

Sheilah Kaufman and Amy Riolo Saturday, October 18, Noon. Cost: $10 are guest authors at The National Book Festival on August 30th. Amy Orchid Cellar Winery is a meadery with an emphasis Riolo is also a guest presenter at the on Eastern European mead making traditions. Cost will Fall for the Book on September 18 be $10 per person and will include a mead tasting and a (see below). “behind the scenes” tour of Orchid Cellars’ mead mak- ing process. Orchid Cellars is located in Middletown, Saturday, August 30, 2014, Walter E. Maryland near Frederick. www.orchidcellar.com Washington Convention Center, The $10 fee will be paid at the winery. Please 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Free send your name to CHoW’s Secretary, Beverly Firme, if Celebrate the Book with a Day & you plan to attend. [email protected] Night of Writers, Poets & Fun The Election Day

There will be a Culinary Arts Pavilion with Carla Hall, Adrian Miller, Daniel W. Thomas, and Laura & Peter Zeranski. There will also be a Culinary Demonstration Pavilion with Cathal Armstrong, Sheilah Kaufman, John George Mason University Moeller, and Amy Riolo. www.loc.gov/bookfest September 18, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. www.fallforthebook.org Go to the website and click on the Authors by Pavilion. Hylton Performing Arts Center on GMU’s Prince William Then click on an individual author’s name to find the time Campus for the author’s presentation and for the separate time for his or her book signing. “ at the Hylton” George Mason University’s week-long Fall for the Book hosts its second annual, one-evening celebration of fine food, superior drink, and the various stories behind the scenes of every aspect from farm to table—and even beyond.

6:15 p.m. workshop with Jason Shriner of the Aubergine 7:00 p.m. reading by Laura Florand, author of the Amour etChocolat series, including The Chocolate Thief, The Chocolate Kiss, and more. 7:30 p.m. Individual stations open for tastings, demon- strations, and discussions by a variety of chefs and food Pre-Festival Events on September 11-12, 2014. celebrities including: Full Festival on Monticello’s West Lawn on September 13. • Robert Kingsbury, Kingsbury Chocolate and Confections; Fee: September 13 General Admission $10 (until September • Dave Lefeve of The Cock & Bowl in Occoquan, VA, mak- 11), $5 children, $30 family pass. Various fees for Special ing recipes included in his wife Claudia Lefeve’s novels; events on Thursday and Friday. • Belinda Miller, whose children’s fantasy novel Phillip’s www..heritageharvestfestival.com Quest, Book I: Winterfrost features whimsical recipes; Celebrate the legacy of revolutionary gardener Thomas • Miguel Pires, owner of Zandra’sTaqueria in Manassas; Jefferson. Taste heirloom tomatoes, see cooking demon- • Amy Riolo, ChoW member and author of an award- strations, or take special event workshops such as “Edible winning series of Mediterranean cookbooks and star of the Landscaping.” syndicated “Culture of Cuisine” videos; • Jason Shriner of the Aubergine Chef; • Joe Yonan, Washington Post food and travel editor and Seeking Movie Reviews author most recently of Eat Your : Bold Recipes for the Single Cook; and Was there any movie out there this summer that that you • Heritage Brewing Company in Manassas. saw that might interest someone curious about the history Also appearing are the recently appointed Prince William of food and foodways? The Hundred Foot Journey, Chef, Le County Poet Laureates Robert Scott and Alexandra “Zan” Chef? Any oldies to rent? Send your film mini-reviews to Hailey, talking about their work and community projects. Dianne Hennessy King at [email protected]. Sponsored by Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chap- ter of the Virginia Writers Club.

4 CHoW Line nau Peninsula circa 1900-1910. Besides the B&B, she offers A Farm-Stay in historic dinners and cooking classes in her period kitchen Northwestern using the wood stove. As a farm-stay, or agritourism experience, Susan Michigan belongs to the New Farm Program, a group of people new Culinary Byways to farming from 5 local counties, including Leelanau and Grand Traverse. In July she will have been open three By Katy Hayes years. In the last two years she has received lots of expo- sure through the local newspapers and Traverse Magazine, recently began volunteering at my local county historical and was interviewed and photographed for an issue of society, which had just opened a summer kitchen with a Martha Stewart Living. Iwood-burning stove. The site itself reflects life on a truck The Leelanau and Mission peninsulas at the farm in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, around the late 19th to early 20th century. The families of Baltimore longshoremen earned extra income picking fruit and veg- etables on such farms, while spending time away from the unhealthy living conditions in the city during summer. In telling visitors the stories of cooking, eating and food preservation in this time and place, the urge to learn more about wood stove cookery took hold, with the hope of one day making demonstrations a reality. But first I needed some guidance and practice with cooking on an old wood stove. In early 2013, I learned about a place where I might gain such experience in the Leelanau Peninsula of northern Michigan. Since Michigan is my home and my family is still there, trips there are frequent. Hillside Homestead is a farm-stay, or agritourism experience, and reflects the long- time interests of its proprietor, Susan Odom. This is her third year in existence, and she has acquired quite a follow- ing through local media and the internet. Susan had worked as a historic interpreter at the Susan Odom in her kitchen. She usually is in period dress, but 1885 Firestone Farm at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, for our wood stove cooking class opted for comfort (since we were Michigan, for 7 years (1997-2004) after working a year or the only ones there) so in the Henry Ford Museum. After leaving Greenfield Village she considered relocating to Indiana, but decided the public would confuse a historic farm-stay with the northwestern end of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula stick local Amish/Mennonite residents. In December 2009 she out into Lake Michigan, which provides an ideal environ- bought Hillside Homestead, after looking around the area ment in which to grow cherries, apples, and grapes for for 2 years. She also worked/volunteered at the Leelanau wine, where the sandy hills are temperate in winter due to Historical Museum for 2 years while remodeling the house. the surrounding water. The region is also home to Sleep- This gave her an extensive background in local history ing Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and well-known chef and helped her inform the “experience” she would offer Mario Batali spends his summers here. There is no end to at HH. She owns 2 acres of land out of an original farm of good fresh local food, late summer light at the 42nd paral- 240 acres at its largest, situated on a hillside between apple lel, fresh water swimming and beach combing, and local and cherry orchards. She has a three room B&B, styled like history. You might even see the aurora borealis! In June the the rest of the “public” space as a rural home in the Leela- sun doesn’t set until almost 10 pm. We spent two nights at Hillside Homestead, and I spent a day cooking with Susan while Tom cycled on one of the many rail trails in northern Michigan. Susan enjoys the variety of experiences she has with her guests and teaching classes, which she tailors to each party’s needs and desires. I particularly enjoyed learning all the tricks of cooking with a full-size wood-burning stove. Hers is a Round Oak, a model that is documented to have been in this part of Michigan through local newspaper ads from the turn of the 20th century. Susan cooks all her guests’ on this stove, using receipts from her favorite period cookery books: The Buckeye Cookbook; The Kentucky House- wife; and Miss Parloa’s Kitchen Companion. (continued on page 6) View of cherry orchards in bloom (all that white!) from our upstairs window. Photos by Katy Hayes

CHoW Line 5 Minutes of the May 4, 2014 Board Meeting Culinary Byways, continued from page 5. (Condensed Minutes) Susan raises chickens and a few hogs each year in order to make her own lard, hams, and bacon. She avidly experi- Present: ments, usually with success, in testing period food preser- Katy Hayes, President vation techniques. Quentin Looney, Membership Secretary The morning before starting, Susan made break- Clara Raju, rising Membership Secretary fast in the regular kitchen (she also has a full-size commer- Stacey FitzSimmons, Treasurer cial kitchen!) so we could start from scratch on the wood- Claudia Kousoulas, Director stove. These could spoil me, but are acceptable Katherine Livingston, Website Coordinator on vacation or working in agricultural areas. We had delicious eggs and asparagus, and egg toast (French toast). President Katy Hayes called the meeting to order at 12:40 After , we made bread , kneaded it and set p.m. Minutes from the January 12, 2014 meeting were ap- it in her rising box. Next we made pastry and set it to cool proved. in the ice box (she has an old fashioned wood one, and thinks this works better than a refrigerator). Treasurer’s Report Then we started prepping cherry puddings, using Stacey FitzSimmons, Treasurer, reported a CHoW check- local Balloton cherries (tart, red flesh and skin) that had ing account balance of $6,512.85 with a surplus of $53.65. been frozen. The juice Our expenses were less than last year, with the largest was used to make a expense an investment in a computer projector. lovely red , and the ACTION ITEMS: puddings were baked 1. Stacey FitzSimmons will follow-up to ensure that Katy’s in custard cups. We also Mockingbird Hill deposit from November/December 2013 is correctly recorded in our account. made a pie, which would 2. Stacey FitzSimmons will also reconsider the Treasurer’s bake after the bread, Report format to clarify real-time accounting and reflect leaving the puddings for expenses and activity for each period. last when the oven’s heat 3.The Membership Secretary will check the bylaws to con- would be reduced. The firm dates of membership and dues. puddings made a lovely 4. Stacey FitzSimmons and Quentin Looney will clarify the lunch dish, along with reimbursement of printing and postage expenses. local hard cider, bread and cheese. We enjoyed Membership the cherry pie that evening with a dinner of leftover fried Quentin Looney passes the baton to Clara Raju and the chicken, fresh asparagus, and cornbread. That evening we two will work together to clarify tasks and resources. also enjoyed period entertainments in the parlor by lamp- ACTION ITEMS: light. I can’t wait to return to this delicious and relaxing 1. The Google Group List will be open to all members to post. rural location. Learn more about Hillside Homestead and 2. The Google Group List needs to be updated to reflect all it has to offer at http://hillsidehomestead.com/, where 2014 membership and Quentin Looney and Clara Raju will Susan has a blog, and also find Hillside Homestead on set it up to be usable online. Facebook. Website updates. ACTION ITEMS: 1. Explore less expensive Hosting.2. Explore possible updates to the site—e.g. allowing members to pay dues online. Along the Byways Musings of Members’ Culinary Jaunts Sought Facebook update: The CHoW Facebook Page has 214 Facebook fans. Katy Hayes and Claudia Kousoulas are Do you have an interesting place you’ve visited in the Facebook Administrators. Mid-Atlantic region that you would like to share with other people who might enjoy discovering a destination . New Business related to culinary history? Speaker Suggestions for the 2014-2015 Year. Send CHoW Line a paragraph or two or three From the extensive list, Board members culled about a describing the spot. It could be a farm, a sugar mill, a food dozen names and topics. manufacturing plant, a farmers’ market, a fishing village, a : ACTION ITEMS duck decoy carving shop, an annual raspberry fair or...? 1. Katy Hayes will begin contacting speakers with follow- Tell us a little of the history of the place and why up from the Vice President and other Board members as you like it. We’re not asking you to be tour guides, but just needed. See results on Calendar, page 2. to let CHoW members know of some of the curious and fun The May 2013-2014 Board meeting was adjourned at 2 p.m. jaunts to local places for those times when one has a few by Katy Hayes. spare hours to roam. Send your idea for an article to newsletter editor Dianne Respectfully submitted, Hennessy King at [email protected] Beverly Firme, Recording Secretary (Notes provided by Claudia Kousoulas, Director.)

6 CHoW Line Book Review Historic Austin Restaurants, Capital Cuisine Through the Generations by Melanie Haupt, American Palate $19.99, paperback 126 pages.

Reviewed by Claudia Kousoulas Both groups, as well as African- Americans, would contribute to iconic The city of Austin was chartered in 1839, Texas barbecue, with smoked sausage in named for the “father of Texas,” Stephen the German and Czech traditions, and F. Austin. In 1842, another state father, pit-smoked meats that Haupt notes are Sam Houston removed the capital to his “inextricably linked to the practice of city, but Austin, its capital and univer- slavery.” sity, its early cotton plantations and later A university population will military base, persevered to create a always guarantee a range of well-loved unique food culture. and well-worn burger joints and chili Haupt connects this history to parlors, and while some Depression-era the city’s restaurants and their regional joints have survived with a patina, others character from blue plate dining, ranch have succumbed to real estate pressure suppers, and Tex-Mex breakfasts, to and changing tastes. cosmic cowboy and food World War 2 investments helped trucks. She also reveals a bit of her pro- establish Austin’s current high-tech cess in an interview with Mike Miller, industries and the increased population archivist at the Austin History Center, and incomes again shifted the city’s char- who describes the detective work of acter. It was in this era that Tex-Mex took connecting the dots of information from hold but so did more creative dining, photos, personal letters, and newspaper ads. with New á la Alice Waters and more Austin dining began with boardinghouse food serving the authentic Mexican restaurants catering to oil money and peripatetic campus and capital population and reached a the creative class fostered by the University. Southern apotheosis at Green Pastures, a Victorian home Haupt does an admirable job tracing the tides of com- that still serves pecan balls and milk punch to Austinites, munity change and their influence on local food culture, including visitors at the LBJ Ranch. recording the constant tension between quirky success and But Austin was not always so refined. In 1900, redevelopment that replaces local icons with chains. She the city had 98 saloons and 37 restaurants. The city’s first recalls that restaurants are often the scene of social change, restaurant, The Austin City Restaurant, opened in 1839 to from segregation—barbecue in one part of town, tacos in serve the newly established capital with turkey, chicken, another—to integration, such as the integrated staff and venison, and buffalo. By 1871, the railroad would bring service at Night Hawks and Green Pastures well before it European and Mexican immigrants, and new foods—in- was required by federal law. cluding oysters. Austin’s combination of creativity and casualness German immigrants were sponsored by the Adels- puts it at the forefront of food truck culture, many of which verein, seeking to settle a German community in Texas, got their start serving at music festivals and developed as and established beer gardens, like ScholzGarten, offering proving grounds for chefs—including Paul Qui and Frank- musical entertainment for families and operating as private lin Barbecue, both of which get national press and long clubs depending on the moment’s feelings for temperance. lines. With the “mother ship” of Whole Foods headquar- The most visible Czech influence was brought by immi- ters, Austin style food is cutting edge. grants escaping Hapsburg persecution. The kolache yeast www.amazon.com/Historic-Austin-Restaurants-Genera- bun has “taken on a life of its own in the hands of Texans” tions-American/dp/1626191239 and beyond the traditional , prune, or apricot filling, contemporary versions feature jalapeno sausage, Claudia Kousoulas is an editor, writer, and educator whose topics pecans with Mexican vanilla caramel, or BBQ pulled . include architecture, urbanism, and culinary history. Her blog is appetiteforbooks.wordpress.com

News from Other Organizations The Culinary Historians of Southern California’s newsletter editor, Carol Penn-Romine, was the Internet category winner of LDEI’s M.F.K. Fisher Award for Excellence in Culinary Writing. She is on the Board of Directors of CHSC, as is ChoW’s June 2013 speaker, Richard Foss, whose topic was “Rum: A Global History.” www.chscsite.org

CHoW Line 7 Culinary News of Our Members

Humor Francine Berkowitz, former ChoW president, is recuperat- ing well from surgery.

By Tom Weiland Dianne Hennessy King (right) was a judge in May of LDEI’s M.F.K. Fisher Ah, poutine, the Award for Excellence in Culinary of Quebec. Pronounced Pooh- Writing. TEEN, it’s one of those foods you either love or hate: thick-cut fries, covered by cheese Elisabetta Castleman has moved to curds and gravy, optionally covered again by heaps of Northern Italy, where she plans to processed meat. I love it with “Smoked Meat,”Montreal’s start a local food history group. Elisa- answer to pastrami. betta will remain a member of CHoW. Poutine is thought to be an invention of the Sheilah Kaufman and 1950s, but I’d guess it Amy Riolo will be guest was invented earlier authors at The National out of some combina- Festival of the Book on tion of dire necessity, August 30th. Amy Riolo abject poverty, long is also a guest presenter dog-sled rides to the at the Fall for the Book grocery store, and/or Festival on Septem- mild hypothermia. It is certainly one of the more calorie- ber 18 (see Upcoming rich, cost-poor, whatever’s-in-the-fridge answers to Events, page 4). northern climes. Clara Raju (right) was elected to Poutine is a truly unique eating experience. The fries start ChoW’s Board of Directors. She will crispy, but get soggy in the thin, peppery gravy. If the perform the duties of Membership cheese curds are especially fresh, they are almost flavor- chair. Thank you to Quentin Looney less, slightly rubbery, and squeak when chewed. Poutine for his years of work in this position. looks like a mess of leftovers; actually, it’s freshly-made that way on purpose. That’s what “poutine” means col- Judy Newton’s July blog post is about loquially, “a mess.” If it’s not messy or caloric enough for her visit to the Chinese and the Kenyan your taste, you can eat it with ketchup or mayonnaise…or outdoor kitchens at this year’s Smith- both. Eating it is either a revolting or a religious experi- sonian Folklife Festival on the National ence, nowhere in between. Mall. www.cotillion.com “The Ends of the Earth, Next Door.” My wife and I just returned from the “Just For Laughs” comedy festival in Montreal (see www.hahaha.com/en), Doreen E. Thompson was the guest which is not only an amazingly fun time but also a great speaker at the Jefferson Auditorium opportunity to try different versions of poutine. Most of June 19. She is culinary historian and the English-speaking comedians at the festival don’t come founder of “ & from Quebec, so they get to experience the dish as tour- Restaurant Week,”held each June in ists, then talk about it in their stand-up comedy routines. Washington during National Carib- Some have said that poutine is: bean American Heritage Month. • A heart attack on a plate • The reason they didn’t get any sleep last night CiCi Williamson retired in August • An amalgamation of afterthoughts after 26 years as a food safety specialist • The invention of a sick mind for the U.S. Department of Agricul- • The reason their clothes don’t fit ture. She wrote and designed several • A dish that couldn’t pack more calories if you tried hundred food safety fact sheets, press • Proof that chefs in Montreal smoke a lot of marijuana releases, blogs, podcasts, and publica- • The real reason why Quebecois can get through the tions posted at www.fsis.usda.gov. brutally cold winters CiCi won two prestigious Secretary of Agriculture awards and helped more As for me, if I were on death row and they asked me to than 100,000 callers at the toll-free choose the method of my own demise, I’d ask for death USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline. by poutine. Cheers! TW

8 CHoW Line DIRECTIONS TO THE MEETING CHoW/DC usually meets on the second Sunday of each month, September through May, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Maryland.

DIRECTIONS: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center is located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, in the two-story County office building on the plaza level of the Metropolitan complex, above a County parking garage. The building is across the street from the Bethesda Metro station.

From the Metro Station, take the escalator from the bus bay to the plaza level, turn left, walk past the clock tower and across to the Metropolitan plaza using the pedestrian bridge. The Center’s street entrance at 4805 Edgemoor Lane (corner of Old Georgetown and Edgemoor) is marked with American and Montgomery County flags. Take the elevator to Level Two for meeting rooms.

If you are coming south on Old Georgetown Road (from the Beltway use exit 36) turn right on Woodmont Avenue - the entrance is the second driveway on the left.

If you are coming south on Wisconsin Avenue/Rockville Pike, turn right onto Woodmont Avenue, go south for approximately one mile, cross over Old Georgetown Road, and the parking garage entrance is the second driveway on your left.

Coming north on Wisconsin or west on Rt. 410, take Old Georgetown Road north, turn left at the second traffic light (Woodmont Ave.) and the garage entrance will be on your left. Take the elevators from the parking garage to the plaza level (P). The building is located at the center of the plaza. The American flag, Montgomery County flag, and the County seal mark the entrance to the building.

PARKING: Parking is free on weekends in the county parking garage. The entrance to the parking garage is marked with a large blue Bethesda Center parking sign.

CHoW Line 9