Current Series Catalogue

Food, Glorious Food

Why write about food? In response to this question (which she says she was often asked) MFK Fisher wrote:

“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it… and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied…and it is all one.”

This program will explore some of the many different ways to write about the nourishment – physical and otherwise – that food provides. We’ll look at various ways that writers incorporate food into their writing, from philosophical explorations of how to be a gourmand to food and travel to fiction that uses food as a central theme. Be prepared to have your taste buds tempted.

MFK Fisher, The Gastronomical Me
From the story of her first oyster to reminiscences about the best thing she ever tasted, the great food writer uses food to tell the story of her life in a series of essays.

Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste
First published in France in 1825, this classic book is the first to reflect on the then-new trend of gourmandism. Readers will enjoy stories, recipes, and reflections on taste, diet, weight, and digestion.

Sallie Tisdale, The Best Thing I Ever Tasted
A mixture of food history, memoir, and sociology, this book looks at past and present American attitudes toward food and how they affect all of us.

Anik See, A Taste for Adventure
The author of this travel narrative has traveled all over the world, sampling food and using it to connect with people wherever she goes. Recipes are included.

Joanne Harris, Chocolat
A modern fable set in a chocolate shop in France, this story of temptation will leave your mouth watering.

Request this series online.