Here’s a chance to prove it (and win a prize too!)
By Kimberly Kaye
Though I’m sure all of you are waiting with bated breath for another installment of the North Jersey Vietnamese Showdown, even I can only read about summer rolls and beef soup so many times in a row before I completely shut down and nuke a package of Easy-Mac’n’Cheez in retaliation. So I’d like to offer a bit of an intermission this week - call this the sorbet palate cleanser in between courses – before we proceed on to crown our champion.
I recently came across a phenomenally amusing (and yes, even educational) article in the January 1935 issue of Vanity Fair. Penned by Elizabeth D. Hart, it is a simple quiz for housewives and distinguished gentlemen alike entitled "How much do you know about food?" A combination of (now) outdated food statistics, tasting trivia and culinary history, the lengthy quiz demands something of its readers that the restaurant industry rarely requires of many “foodies” now – know your addiction, and know it well.
These days anyone can call themselves a food enthusiast; all you have to do is name-drop the hottest new restaurant, “casually” mention the total of your astronomical bill at said establishment, and finish your diatribe with a pretentious combination of critique-plus-more-name-dropping (“I mean, the kimono-dragon filet was nice touch, but our meal at <insert hot new chef’s place here> was much better…”).
And I’m not saying that this is fundamentally wrong - food should be enjoyed by everyone regardless of their culinary background, and may no pompous tasting menu pull that right asunder. However, in the era of Fresh Direct delivery and store-bought shortcuts, there’s no denying that for many Americans the basics of gastronomy are floating away on a pile of pre-washed, pre-cut, pre-portioned mesclun greens.
It is with this in mind that I present to you Ms. Hart’s test (well, some highlights). I myself admittedly did pretty poorly – as a child of the 80s I found it very difficult to identify 1935’s “oldest restaurant in New York,” and for all my pontificating I won’t pretend to have known what cheese should be used in Welsh rare-bit. My father the chef (and my mother-the-chef’s-wife) fared much better, though even they learned a thing or two.
So here’s a chance to win your own championship – you’ve got two weeks from the day this is posted to send in your answers to info@citybelt.org (or you can just post them here, but, really, if you've got the winning answers, you don't want to give them away, now do you?). The person who gets the most correct answers by Vanity Fair’s standards (meaning the answers closest to what was published in 1935, though bonus points are given for solid responses) will be crowned King/Queen of Harts (get it – Hart? Like the author? ... sheesh, tough crowd) and will receive a $25 gift certificate to Taqueria in addition to their bragging rights.
Now dig in. Remember, this test is somewhat outrageous and very outdated, so taking a stab at even one or two of these questions could result in victory!
1. Give the principal ingredients of the following sauces: 1) Bechamel (2) Bordelaise (3) Bearnaise (4) Beurre Noire (5) Mornay
2. Name five French and five Italian Cheeses.
3. What kind of cheese would you use in onion soup?
4. What kind of cheese would you use in a Welsh rare-bit?
5. Name ten ways of preparing/serving potatoes OTHER than boiling, baking, mashing or frying.
6. Name ten culinary herbs.
7. What king is said to have died from eating too many lampreys?
8. What famous man first used the symbol of a chicken in every pot to express his desire for national prosperity?
9. Who said of the English that they had seventy religions and only one sauce?
10. Briefly describe the following dishes: 1) Osso bucco (2) Tempura (3) Shashlik (4) Pan Dowdy.
11. What is the name of the 17th century chef whose death the French’s Madame de Sevigne graphically described, and why did he kill himself (*note: bonus points for whoever makes up the most creative reason for suicide, regardless of historical accuracy).
Send in your answers, folks -- e-mail info@citybelt.org
Seeing as I burnt the bacon while frying it for the first time (I don't dig on swine) a few mornings ago, I have passed the quiz-taking buck on to Ed who was able to answer at least one of these questions as I read them aloud and scratched my nogin. On a sidenote, Ed thanks you for making him hungry at 11:30 at night and by the way, brava! Kudos to you Kim.
Posted by: Laura | 02/26/2007 at 11:15 PM
Yeah, I knew almost NONE of that. Nicely done though, Kim. You're doing wonderfully with all this.
Posted by: Mara | 02/27/2007 at 12:22 AM
While I don't know what king died of excessive lamprey-consumption, our late President Zachary Taylor (1850) died five days after dining on a bowl of cherries and glass of milk left in the sun after a picnic on the South Lawn; marking one rough Fourth of July weekend and the shortest presidency in US History. At least with the lamprey's, our unknown king got in a full course...
Actually, most historians think it was gastroenteritis and at least one still believes Taylor was poisoned, and the king likely died of gout brought on by eating food LIKE lamprey, but the lesson remains: food will kill you.
Posted by: Patrick | 02/27/2007 at 11:37 AM
We got confirmation last night of the prize for winning the contest: it's a $25 gift certificate to Taqueria. Send in those answers, folks!
info@citybelt.org
Posted by: Editor | 02/28/2007 at 08:51 AM
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