CH W Line Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. February 2008 Volume XII, Number 5 Cooperative Supper FEBRUARY 10 MEETING, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. April 13 “If You Don’t Want Grits, Why’d You Order Breakfast? CHoW will be holding its annual Cooperative Supper Church Ladies as Custodians of Culture and Tradition.” on the top floor of an apartment building By By Brenda Rhodes Miller overlooking Alexandria on Sunday afternoon, April 13. renda Rhodes Miller has always loved listening to story tellers. “When I was a little girl See page 5 for ten Bit was clear to me that if I sat quietly when old ladies started talking, I’d learn all sorts suggestions of possible of interesting things.” A non-profit executive themes for our potluck. director, Miller has written food focused newspaper and magazine articles as well as presented on such subjects as “Food and Take a look at the list and Family,” “Preserving Family Traditions with see if one appeals to you -- Recipes,” and “The Role of Hospitality in or if you have another African American Culture.” suggestion. We will vote on a theme at the February 10 With two published cookbooks and a novel to CHoW meeting but we are her credit, Miller is currently working on a open to other themes and murder mystery that expands the church lady discussion right up to the franchise introduced by Penguin in The Church voting time. Ladies Divine Desserts and Sweet Recollections, and The Church Ladies Celestial Suppers and Sensible Advice. Random House/Harvest Moon Once we decide on a theme, published Miller’s 2004 novel, The Laying on of everyone brings a “covered Hands. She earned her graduate degree in dish” to share that is Advertising from the University of Illinois, somehow related to the Champaign-Urbana. theme. The dinners over the last ten years have been terrific and everyone has a Calendar of CHoW Meetings good time dreaming up September 9 Tyler Cowen, “Every Meal Counts: How and Why an Economist Became what to bring that will fit in Obsessed with the Quest for the Perfect Meal” with the theme. October 14 Stefanie Walker, “ Bartolomeo Scappi’s “Art of Cooking” (Dell’arte del cucinare) of 1570 and Italian cookbooks from the 16th-17th centuries” In the past we have had November 11 Amy Riolo, “Incense and Spice: Entertaining in the Arabian Peninsula” “Foods of the Chesapeake December 9 Mark McWilliams, “From Raw Beef to Freedom Fries: Haute Cuisine, the Region,” “White Foods,” White House, and Presidential Politics” “Foods from Julia Child,” January 13 Professor Leni Sorensen, “Cooks and Slaves: Edith Fossett and Frances and “Foods from the Silk Hern of Monticello” (see page 2) Road,” and “400 Years of February 10 Brenda Rhodes Miller, “If You Don’t Want Grits, Why’d You Order Virginia Foods,” among Breakfast? Church Ladies as Custodians of Culture and Tradition.” other topics. March 9 “African Foodways in Books and Art,” A Field Trip to the Robbins Library at the National Museum of African Art April l3 Cooperative Supper May 18 TBA (Note: Not the second Sunday.) Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. (CHoW/DC) www.chowdc.org founded in 1996, is an informal, nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to the study of the history of foodstuffs, cuisines, and culinary customs, both historical and contemporary, from all parts of the world. What Happened at the December 9, 2007, Meeting? NOTE: Because the December 2007 and President Laura Gilliam reviewed the Clara Raju brought Nanaimo Bars; January 2008 CHoW Line issues were meeting policy in case of bad weather. combined, included in the February issue The building is open no matter what, Amy Riolo brought Date, Sesame and is the report on the December 9 meeting. but meetings will be canceled in case Almond Balls from her book Arabian of bad weather. E-mails announcing Delights; The meeting was called to order by any cancellation will go out to Randy Clarke, Vice-President, at 2:40. members as soon as possible the Tom Weiland brought Chocolate- evening before or the morning of a Covered Cherries; and Announcements: The treasurer meeting date. People also can call or reminded everyone that memberships e-mail board members for information. Zina Pisarko brought potato chips need to be renewed by November 30. because “potato chips were served to Any memberships after the due date Refreshments: Krushchev, who had never will not appear in the directory. There encountered such delicacies before, will be an addendum in the Spring of Phyllis Krochmal brought Bailey’s and who went wild for them and names of subscribers who renewed or Irish Cream Cake; hoped that Soviet Russia would start became new members after November to produce them.” 30. Sue Latini brought “Grandma’s Tea Cakes” from At the Hearth; Whatzits: Bryna Freyer brought in a silver Zina Pisarko brought in various CiCi Williamson brought in antique spoon warmer that stumped everyone. molds for cheese, butter and cookies. miniature cast iron cornstick pans that had been in her family for about 70 years. She wanted CHoW members’ opinions: were they meant for baking tiny cornsticks or were they traveling salesmen’s “samples.” (Program, continued on page 3) Photographs were taken of several previous whatzits that people brought back in today. These photographs will be made available at our www.chowdc.org website. Welcome, New Members! Linda Benkin Bruce Reynolds Virginia Ann Ruskell Interests: Antiquarian cookbooks and Jennifer Moore Howe manuscript collecting Doreen Thompson Interests: Slow Food, original food, Interest: African Diaspora holistic eating for health Richard Roepke Interest: Cooking 2 CHoW Line December 9 Program (continued from page 2) Maryland Humanities Council “From Raw Beef to Freedom Fries: This program was made possible by the Maryland Humanities Council. The meeting was free and open to Haute Cuisine, the White House, and the public and the location was handicap accessible. Presidential Politics” Sign language interpretation was made available with By Professor Mark McWilliams a two-week advance notice. Mark McWilliams writes about food and culture. An Associate the comforts and joy of foreign foods but were scared of the Professor in the English ramifications. In the late 1780s, what to eat became a Department of the United political question. The association was made that eating States Naval Academy, he simple “American” food reflected the values of the specializes in the shifting politician. The myth of Republican simplicity came about portrayals of food in literature, after the American Revolution. Food of the lower class particularly in the nineteenth- became considered patriotic and reflected the virtues of the century United States, but he working class. An example was corn and how it became a has also explored topics as patriotic virtue by cooking with it. Americans preference for diverse as fusion cuisine and corn showed the connection that we had with the land and the morality of bread. His our being self-sufficient. work has appeared in numerous scholarly journals Martin van Buren was seen as losing touch with the and in the proceedings of the American people when he served a six course French meal Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery. He received his M.A. in the White House. This was not the first time that a and Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Virginia. president had been criticized for serving French cuisine at an American state dinner. But the media focused on Professor McWilliams began his talk by bringing our negative imagery and it stuck with the American people. In attention to a recent cover story in The New York Times. The the next presidential election campaign, Van Buren’s story described what Hillary Clinton and family had for opponent William Henry Harrison capitalized on this issue breakfast: What the candidates are eating sometimes is by presenting himself as a people’s candidate. He claimed getting more news coverage than the issues that the candidates to subsist on “raw beef without salt.” One can still question stand for. The food that the various candidates ate at the how much of this influenced the American people to elect Iowa State Fair also received much media attention. Harrison over Van Buren. Food creates connections: candidates try to reach out to The food prepared in Bill Clinton’s White House kitchen people via the food that they eat. Eating local foods says, has also received much debate. When Clinton was first “I’m one of you. Vote for me.” Hence, at the state fair you elected, Alice Waters wrote a letter to him urging the will see candidates eating the regional foods of the area. adoption of American cuisine. The letter urged him to focus Even though connections can be made, bad experiences can on our environment and on organically grown food. also be created which show that the connections are only During the Clinton administration, the menus at state visual. President Ford had such an experience when he ate dinners appeared in English and not in French. Hillary a tamale without removing the outer husk wrapper. Clinton wanted food that was healthy and low fat. The chef at the time, Pierre Chambrin, left after one year because of Food and politics have had a long history. Food, his disagreement with the Clinton’s dietary choices. He particularly the “elitist” and foreign sounding “haute was replaced by Walter Scheib, who focused on regional cuisine,” has been linked to Presidential politics. French American cuisine. However, after George Bush entered the fries were renamed Freedom Fries to show our disapproval White House, Scheib was fired. Scheib categorized the food of the French stand on the Iraq war.