A walk in the woods

Yesterday we had incredible weather. I spent a good part of the day catching up on my gastronomical reading; M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf (first edition copy of my grandmother's ca: 1942) and Phineas Beck's Clémentine in the Kitchen (a wedding gift to my grandmother from 1944) both from my mother and both part essay and part recipe. Fisher's masterpiece deals with surviving depression after spending three years in Dijon France, with such chapter titles as; How to Keep Alive, How to Be Cheerful Though Starving and How to Practice True Economy. However, Phineas Beck (a nom de plume of Samuel Chamberlain) is of a completly diffrent tone. The Beck Family were a group of expatriates who, unlike Fisher, escaped the depression by moving to France. Upon their emigration the Becks came in contact with a woman who swiftly changed their life, their dear cordon bleu Clémentine showed them the world of de la cuisine française, who, upon the outbreak of war, they brought to their new home outside of Boston where, after an initial culture shock began to thrive and share her love of French cuisine to mid-century traditional east coasters. The book, although a very cheery can be quite overwhelming in it's optimism. Beck's dramatic writing style and over use of the prefix gastro- (which in English has few true possibilities, however Beck seems uninhibited and creates his own; gastrotronic, gastroic, gastonomical etc.) The juxtaposition is defiantly a nice change, Fisher's volume can often be very bleak, making even my poverty seem luxurious. Both texts contain fantastic recipes, however due to my economic position attempting any of Beck/Clémentine's gay recipes would put me in even a worse situation than I already reside. Clémentine's Truffes Et Marrons En Cocotte is transcribed bellow:

Take equal quantities of well formed truffles of Burgundy and massive, handsome chestnuts from Luc. Simmer the truffles for fifteen minutes in white Meursault, butter, salt and spices. Grill the chestnuts slightly in the oven and peel them. Prepare a good concentrated juice with lean beef, chicken wings and a knuckle of veal. Chop up some truffle peelings, foie gras and chicken livers into a fine dice and add them to the juice when it has been reduced and strained. Moisten the truffles and chestnuts wwith this juice and cook them gently in a cocotte for about 45 minutes, adding a bordeaus glass of brandy, two tablespoons of thick cream and six tablespoons of old Maderia wine. Serve in the cocotte.

...

After a few hours, the unusually warm weather and calm spring like breeze (it's a whopping 32 degrees in my home town) called me out into the woods that surround my apartment complex (one of the few pros about living outside of the city). I explored the near by Lyon Creek and was amazed at how soft the earth was and how many birds there were! My whole life has been spent in the mountains, where you more often then not are still getting snow at the end of April. The rain started again today, which used to really bother me, but over time, I think you really just get used to it, and forget a world where it doesn't rain at least twice a week. I've become completely immune to being soaked on a daily basis. I think leaving this place (which, due to unfortunate circumstances, I'll be forced to do in late February) will be more difficult then coming. Anyway, I hope your day was as joyous as mine. :)