Tag: Stories

Photo-reportage: Communist eateries and food stores across Romania

While the previous photo-reportage brought back eating venues and markets of the early 20th century, the current one is looking at food in the late stages of communism. It is not my purpose the present an exhaustive analysis of communism in Romania; I will solely try to capture bits and pieces specifically related to food practices. I would ask the esteemed reader to keep in mind that this is a punctual account, that presents only one facet of communism. At the same time, it important to mention that, while Romanian communism spreads for about 30 years- formally, at least- not the entire period was the same. Read More

Food in books, ep.7: All quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque. Food in times of war.

This novel, as well as its author, has a fascinating story. While some literary critics have praised All quiet on the Western Front as one of the most relevant and enticing war novels, others have denied its literary value and simply looked at it as a war reportage. Published in 1929, the novel had immediate, incredible success, selling over a million copies within a year after publication. Four years later, the German authorities banned the book, viewed as detrimental to the German nation. Piles of books were burned, the author being marked as a traitor.
Erich Maria Remarque was enrolled in the Great War in 1917, at the age of 18, as part of the Second Company. He was soon transferred to the Western Front. One month later he was wounded and sent back to a military hospital, in Germany, where he spent the rest of the war. After the Nazi regime banned the book, he fled to Switzerland, later becoming an American citizen. His remaining family faced horrid persecution back in Germany, one of his sisters being murdered by the authorities. As of 1948 he set for Switzerland again and spent the rest of his life there. What happened to Remarque during the war, but also what happened afterwards is nothing but a tragic, dreadful story. I will not attempt to present the storyline, as there is no way to capture it. I will, however, allow myself to advise the esteemed reader to pick up the novel, if there was no opportunity to do so yet.
While my interest in the connection between food and various cultural products is fairly wide, the Food in Books series is particularly close to my heart. Over the previous six episodes, I have explored a variety of literary works where food served as an instrument for constructing or at least supporting the story. Food has acquired different attributes and was portrayed in various capacities: as a means of control, as a marker for national identity or as comforter in troubled times. And yes, food is all these, and much more. Yet, I believe that in Remarque’s shattering novel food is simply food: a means of subsistence, sustainer of life and, ultimately, bringer of joy. Read More

Writing for Eaten, the Food History Magazine

Writing about writing is far from being an easy task. When I started The Pickled Spruit, about two years ago, I had envisioned a completely different path for its development. With time, I started to better define and build my way and to tackle topics that peak my interest, such as literature, history, pop culture or architecture. The more I wrote, the more at ease I felt and I decided to take a big plunge by submitting a story pitch to what I consider to be a very respectable, well curated magazine: Eaten , the Food History Magazine. Read More

Inspired by Bozar, The Center for Fine Arts: Foodstuff in Spanish Still Life. An evolution.

Like all exhibitions organized at Bozar, the Spanish Still Life did not leave the viewer wanting. The set-up was beautiful, the light was fairly dim and the paintings simply mesmerizing. The exhibition was curated in a chronological order and the evolution of the style was captured and clearly explained to the public. I have always enjoyed still life painting, my first memory of seeing such works of art takes me back to my maternal grandparents’ living-room library and to a small booklet with colored images they quite unknowingly pushed under my nose. It became one of my favorite toys.
The Bozar Spanish Still Life exhibition was the perfect trigger to start investigating the role of foodstuffs in the still life paintings and, more broadly, cast a look at the evolution of this style. Read More

Food & sex. “Pour some sugar on me, in the name of love”: the psychology behind the pop culture.

In this article, I will analyze the connection between food and sex, from various perspectives. I will talk about pop culture, marketing, linguistics, religion and the psychological theories supporting this connection. I will close with an analytical discussion about three sexual practices that make use of foodstuffs: sploshing, feederism and edible underwear. References and further reading suggestions can be found at the end of the article. Read More

Food, pleasures, markets and eating venues in Bucharest and beyond, early 20th century. A photo reportage.

Somewhat paradoxically, we tend to believe the emergence of the supermarket, a place that stores all or most of our necessities, has improved our lives. Rest assured, the people in the pictures below were eating much better than most of us today. There is magic in knowing the guy who grows the food that ends up on your table, that raises the pork that becomes your steak and the picks up the juicy fruit you enjoy. Without idealizing too much, life was hard then for the majority of people, working the land is never easy. We might have traded that, but what have we gained instead? The same applies to eating out, we now do it almost as a prerequisite, some of us even as a compulsion. We don’t care that much about the space where eating and conviviality (should) take place, sometimes we don’t even care about the food itself. Let’s step back and also look back. In awe.

Most of the photographs in this article have been taken by the German- Romanian photographer Willi Pragher (1908- 1992) in Bucharest. Others have unknown authors or undetermined years of reference. Read More

The baroque, the pomegranate & the church

The church of Montesion in Palma de Mallorca stands grand and tall, yet somehow belittled. This Mediterranean island has a fascinating history. Mallorca was taken from the Moors by King James I of Aragon in 1230 and went through a heavy Christianization process. The city of Palma, Ciutat de Mallorca at that time, had a Jewish population counting about a few hundreds. In 1391 anti-Jewish riots broke out and the population was wiped out. Some ran to North Africa, others converted to Catholicism and continued to live on the island. Their holy places were also reconverted or simply destroyed. I cannot tell for sure, but I believe this is what happened with the Montesion synagogue. The Iglesia de Montesion is, of course, a Catholic church, but what few passers-by know is that it was built in the 16th century on the site of Jewish synagogue dating from 1314. The name of the church and its street is Montesion, Mount Zion. The strangeness of the building comes from the sharp contrast between the heavily embroidered, Baroque entrance and the bare walls. No design, no carvings or plaster, only bare stone and one round window above the portico. Furthermore, trying to walk around this massive church will get you nowhere. Literally. The church’s back merges with other buildings, an old townhouse and if memory serves, a public school. What draws the attention is the incredible, almost Churrigueresque church entrance. It is covered in carved fruits and vegetables and I found it almost impossible to take my eyes of it. How did it end up here?  Read More

Food in political cartoons: depicting society. Main themes and evolution

Since our early days on this beautiful blue planet, we have been concerned with representing our world, as a form of understanding it better or simply archiving knowledge. There is no need to cite clichés that size a picture’s worth, suffice to say images are powerful. They can transcend language barriers and be filled with meaning and codes. It is only natural that food has taken a significant spot in our representations of the surrounding world. Narrowing the scope, I will have a look at food in political cartoons. I have chosen this particular form of expression because I find it a true radiography of society, a witty account of times passed, a lens through which we can look back and forward, too. Furthermore, I enjoy the satire, humor and wits cartoonist propose.

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Brasserie Taverne: street art

This is how I’ve been spending my time lately: in typical Brussels brasseries. We love our moules frites, our americain préparé, our steak and our tomate crevette. I’ve been gulping down all these delicacies with impunity and joy! I’ve also been researching the next article, do stay tuned. Enjoy summer!