Articles

Photo by Sheng P. Beginning Developing the habit of taking a moment to observe which starting method will be operative at an event can be very useful in preventing awkward mistakes. It will ensure, for example, that an agnostic guest never finds himself with laden fork pushed halfway into his mouth just as the host […]

Photo by Andrew Bardwell “But as for Queequeg — why, Queequeg sat there among them — at the head of the table, too, it so chanced; as cool as an icicle. To be sure I cannot say much for his breeding. His greatest admirer could not have cordially justified his bringing his harpoon into breakfast […]

Photo by Kelly Hau Artichoke The artichoke is actually the leaf-enclosed flower bud of a plant that is in the thistle family. It is usually served steamed with a dipping sauce. To eat it, pull a leaf off, dip it, scrape the flesh from the base of the leaf with your top teeth, and discard […]

Photo by Burak K When sitting down to a formal dinner, there is one thing people fear more than anything else. Is it spilling soup down the front of their pants? Loudly burping during dinner? Well, yes, people fear those things, too. However, most people would agree that choosing the right eating utensil for the right […]

A Chocolate Timeline It’s almost impossible to believe it now, but for most of its very long history, chocolate was not something people ate. It was a beverage, and not only was that beverage rarely hot, it was usually not sweet. Once the Spanish arrived in the New World and began to survey the riches […]

Photo by The British Library French cooking can be split and grouped along geographical lines. Each region of France has it’s own distinct style of cooking along with regional ingredient and recipes. Even the way a french meal is eaten and at what time can vary from place to place. Here is our fast guide […]

by Marjorie Ingall Shut up, it is not disgusting. It is appalling and addictive and seductive, the rock cocaine of the confectionery world. Teenagers and adults may turn up their noses in favor of the Hershey’s Fun Size chocolates (which, you’ll excuse me, would be infinitely funner if they had more mass), but the little children […]

Today, many of the products that line the breakfast cereal aisle contain artificial colors and flavors, processed flours, and sugar, all pressed into novel shapes and promoted by cartoon characters. But this wasn’t the way it started out. The breakfast cereal industry came into being as a result of late 19th century America’s fascination with, […]