food

Traveling Light for Food

October 3, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

Whenever I embark on a trip, like the one I’m about to take to Greece (more on that in another post), I look for tips on how to pack light but smart. Enter the traveler and author, Karen McCann, who recently traveled just for food! Don’t you love her for this idea alone? While she was just beginning her tour, she sent these notes along.

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A Guest Post by Author Karen McCann:

How to Pack for Four Months of Eating Mediterranean Comfort Food

“Four months on the road eating Mediterranean comfort food?” a friend asked, when she heard of my latest project as a travel writer: The Mediterranean Comfort Food Tour. “Do you expect to double your body weight?”

I certainly hope not. Many people assume that comfort food means a diet of French fries and ice cream, when in fact, a lot of the traditional recipes I’m exploring are actually quite healthy.

Starting the trip in Crete, I’ve been chowing down on fresh fish, artichokes, and snails. For the record, a portion of snails contains just 76 calories and one gram of fat, and when they’re cooked in olive oil and rosemary, they are spectacular. I can see why kohli bourbouristi has been a family favorite around here for generations.

Packing as a Semi-Minimalist

Packing for this trip, I followed my usual semi-minimalist approach. My luggage consists of one small roll-aboard suitcase and one shoulder purse, so I can get from town to town without much fuss.

A multi-pocket travel vest lets me keep my phone and wallet safely hidden away on my person, so I don’t have to be hyper-vigilant about my purse when I’m shooting video in a kitchen or sidewalk café.
Footwear (which fills up a suitcase fast) is just two pairs of good walking shoes, one of which is reasonably “nice” for doing interviews, plus slippers for downtime.
Trousers have to be comfy enough for sitting on a train or ferry for many hours. In my case, that means some stretch in the waist, which will come in handy if I do gain any weight along the way.
All clothes must be hand-washable, quick-drying, and wrinkle-resistant, so I can remove gravy stains from a shirt in the hotel sink after dinner and have it ready to wear the next day.
One iron-clad rule: if I want to buy anything, I have to throw away something of equal weight. It’s maddening not to be able to collect olive oil, recipe books, and local wines, but I’d have to ditch the laptop to do it, and that’s not going to happen.

Why Traveling Light Matters

Traveling light means more freedom and mobility on any journey. As travel guru Rick Steves observed, “You’ll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags ‘Every year I pack heavier.’” And that goes double for food writers.

It’s easy to resist shopping in the souvenir stalls and even local markets when you know you’re coming home with once-in-a-lifetime photos and videos, and the kind of mouthwatering recipes that will, I hope, put dishes like kohli bourbouristi on the world’s list of favorite comfort foods.

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Karen McCann is the author of three Amazon bestselling travel books and a popular travel blog. She and her husband embarked on a trip around the Mediterranean rim sampling traditional comfort food; yes, a book project is in the works. To learn more about their journey and details of how they packed for it, see her blog, Enjoy Living Abroad.

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For more information, and to download your passport, visit the Valentine History’s Museum’s Website. Or call 804-649-0711 for more information.

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For more history nerd posts like these, subscribe to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

Revolutionary Food

August 2, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

City Tavern and Early American Food

From 1774 through 1776, a tavern in Philadelphia that had only been open a few years was the place where our founding fathers assembled after a day of debates. City Tavern, just a few blocks from the State House, was a spot where they could lift a pint, stay the night, and further discuss (or eavesdrop) on the issue of separation. It was also a place to taste dishes made from the game, fruits, and spices coming into the port city.

It still is.

Recipes Recreated

Although City Tavern was destroyed by fire in the 1800s, the National Park Service rebuilt it completely because the original architectural plans existed as did the original footings. A dozen or so years ago, along came Walter Staib—a chef one could describe as obsessed with understanding the origins of 18th century food. In addition to a TV show called A Taste of History, Chef Staib developed a Colonial menu for the tavern.

Now, one can stroll into City Tavern just as folks did in 1776, and order numerous dishes off a lunch or dinner menu, including a chicken or turkey pot pie described as, “tender chunks of turkey, mushrooms, early peas, red potatoes, sherry cream sauce & flaky pastry crust,” and with a, “Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodle accompaniment.” I’ve eaten it. Oh my word. That gravy! This is my idea of Chasing History. (You can see the pot pie in the photo below.)

One might also meet or dine with an actual founding father or two—it was a delightful conversation, Ben and T.J.—as I did while in Philly to see the live reading of the Declaration on July 8th. All of this is to say, that when it came to writing about the Revolution, having such a spot where I could experience the food was crucial to creating the era and setting. Food is universally how we humans experience a time and place.

Including Food in Fiction

I love it when books I read include food, so naturally, it’s in mine, too. I’m also in a book club that often chooses stories so we can try new recipes. This month, my own book club read Carrying Independence. (Yes, there was some trepidation—I’ve seen this group when they don’t like a book—but they were lovely.)

Thanks to Chef Staib’s recipe book and TV shows, and a few revolutionary food-inspired websites, we created a feast of salmon and corn cakes, an elegant salad platter of corn, tomatoes, and greens, asparagus, a succulent pot roast, apple galettes, and Shrewsbury cookies, among other things. Swoon is the word you’re looking for. (Thanks to Becky for the food shots.)

Reader Insights: Chef Staib’s food and City Tavern are recreated within Carrying Independence. My characters meet, drink and dine in a back corner booth of City Tavern in Philadelphia (see photo), and the food and spices they experience are taken from my own in this same place. On my website I’ve included an excerpt—a full chapter—that takes place in City Tavern in that booth.

Now you can get a taste of the history behind Carrying Independence, too. Be sure to mop that gravy off your chin.

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For more history nerd posts like these, subscribe to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For behind-the-scenes author-related news, giveaways, and to find out where I might be speaking near you, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Cocktails in 1776

May 9, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

I’m throwing a party for my Carrying Independence, “Experience the Revolution” book launch, and what better way to imbibe on the era than to offer attendees a 1776-ish cocktail. The trouble is, there weren’t that many cocktails back then, and my book features just the classic spirits of Whisky, Madeira, and Port. I needed some advice.

Drink Historians

While there are several books about drinking in America, like the aptly named Drinking in America by Mark Lender and James Kirby Martin, there are also drink historians. First, who knew that was a thing? Second, why no person I met in college ever majored in it is beyond me—some of them seemed like they were. But I digress…

I reached out to one such historian, Philip Greene, author of a delightful book called To Have and Have Another (about the drinks featured within Hemingway’s stories). He suggested that if I wanted to “make what is considered the original cocktail,” which is like an Old Fashioned, it was defined in a newspaper from May 13, 1806 (Balance and Colombian Repository) as “spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.”

Phil also referred me to his friend, Mark Will-Weber—journalist and author of Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt—who chimed in about three revolutionary-era cocktails. “The ‘Stone Fence,’ which is rum & hard cider mixed together—an Ethan Allen favorite… Philadelphia Fish House Punch and ‘Flip,'” which is beer, rum, and sugar, heated with a red-hot iron, and over the years eggs were added. Mark admitted that when he recently served “Flip” at an event, the general consensus wasn’t “Wow!” Most just said, “Interesting…” Uhm… maybe not that one.

The Winning Revolutionary-era Cocktails

As a result of their input, my book launch will now be replete with two aptly renamed cocktails available at the cash bar:
Patriot’s Punch. Based on the “Stone Fence” recipe.
Signer’s Cocktail. Based on the “Old Fashioned,” and using (of course) 1776 Rye by James E. Pepper.

Come hoist a glass, drown your revolutionary sorrows, and while you’re at it, visit with a few founding fathers who will be there to celebrate with us at the Patrick Henry Pub & Grill. Event co-hosted with Fountain Bookstore. JUNE 11, 6–8PM. All are welcome.

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For more history nerd posts like these, subscribe to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For behind-the-scenes author-related news, giveaways, and to find out where I might be speaking near you, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Guest Post: Mary Chris Escobar

September 5, 2014 By Karen A. Chase

Today, my fair readers, I am happy to introduce Mary Chris Escobar. A friend and author, Mary Chris and I frequently dish about books, writing and well… dishes. We discuss what we eat. Where we eat. We’ve even cooked together. She graciously drops by the blog today to offer her take on Books and Food:

BOOKS & FOOD by Mary Chris Escobar

My books make people hungry. Not metaphorically hungry as in, “I can’t wait to devour the next novel”; physically hungry as in, “She has an amazing ability to make ME hungry when her characters are enjoying nachos.” Really, that is an actual quote from a review. At least one review for each of my books indicates that it made the reader want to eat something.

The strange thing is, I have no idea how this happens. In all my stories there are scenes where food is mentioned, but not described with the sort of detail I would assume is required to make someone hungry. For example, here is a line about making lasagna from my most recent novel, How to be Alive: “My whole apartment smelled like tomatoes and garlic.” The scene continues with the characters catching up over dinner, but no additional details are given about the lasagna.

My characters frequently meet in restaurants or over home-cooked meals. It’s a natural place for conversation and connection. Perhaps my readers get hungry because they feel drawn into the scene and want to share food with the characters. Perhaps they are hungry when they sit down to read, and just don’t realize it until I mention nachos.

No matter the reason, it is the highest compliment for a writer to know that their words have affected the reader in some way. Therefore, I feel honored to know that I can make my readers’ stomachs growl.

(Just in case you want lasagna after reading this, here is one of my favorite recipes.)

Mary Chris writes women’s fiction. Her second novel, How to be Alive, came out in late June. She lives in Richmond, Virginia in a renovated parking garage with her husband, and you can find her just about anywhere with good coffee or craft beer. Find her at marychrisescobar.com. She also hangs out on Twitter @marychris_e

Bonjour Bread Festival

May 11, 2012 By Karen A. Chase

Bread. In Paris. Mais oui! Especially the baguette. Yummy, crunchy-exterior, and soft air-filled morsels of yeasty goodness made by artisans using only four ingredients–flour, yeast, salt, and water. Now, imagine a whole pile of artisans together, under one giant tent filled with ovens, surrounded by flour, linens, rising dough and free samples of bread (and cheese).

Each year in Paris, beginning the Monday before May 16th and lasting for a full week, they celebrate Fête du Pain. May 16th is the day of Saint-Honoré, the patron saint of bakers. I just happened upon the celebration while I was there last year. My nose found the massive tent near Notre Dame before my eyes did. Drifting from it was the rich smell of fresh baked bread like my mother baked until I was sixteen. That same delicious scent would greet me coming up the walk from school, so my nose knows what it’s doing when it comes to eeking out fresh baked bread.

The festival, however is more than just a collection of officially designated artisans. It’s in part, a competition. So in addition to baguettes you see them forming the most remarkable feats with dough. Faces. Brie baked inside. Flowers formed with it. And you can witness the whole process. Oh la la. It’s so decadent.

There were so many great pictures from the festival last year, I’ve put in the gallery below – just click to enlarge. There’s also this little YouTube video so you can feel like you are there. Sans smells, of course.

First Friday: Bella Eats

November 4, 2011 By Karen A. Chase

As I began the blog last month, here in Compositions, I’ll be featuring an artist for the first blog of each month. For November, say hello Andrea Hubbell, professional photographer and blogger for Bella Eats. Her website is among my favorite sites for three reasons. One, she’s a lovely person. Two, she’s an amazing professional photographer. And three, her photos of food make me lick the screen. There are many culinary photographers in the marketplace, but in Bella Eats, Andrea’s approach is quite different. She photographs the ingredients, set-directs each image, and then photographs each step of a recipe’s preparation as she personally makes the dish.

Andrea is the perfect combination of an aesthetic, creative mind, with a photographer’s eye. Surprisingly, she has an architectural background, but not surprisingly you can see that influence even in her culinary images. A pan of half-eaten corn stuffing looks like an aerial rendering, and blocks of raw wood contrast with soft linens under fine china like carefully selected building materials. Additionally, her recipes use seasonal ingredients, and are simple, honest and uncomplicated. A marinara and meatball recipe for tomato season. Roasted chicken stuffed with plums and nectarines. Corn pancakes. Andrea’s images alone are worth the visit, even if you can’t pick up the perfectly photographed fork – for that, you’ll have to follow her photographs as you try out her featured recipes. Then you, too, can experience just how beautifully this bella eats.

TomatoPie — Andrea's photo of Tomato Goat Cheese Tart. The recipe is on her blog.

Food Franc-Oh La La

September 30, 2011 By Karen A. Chase

Our October issue of Food and Wine Magazine came last week, and the main article is “Francomania” food and wine. After my recent trip to Paris, I have no doubt the French know how to do food. As I said in my original Bonjour40 blog, “Don’t worry if you trip and fall in Paris, because you’ll land on a loaf of bread.” The art of the boulangerie alone is worth the trip, but the food in France is stunning, fresh and flavorful beyond description. The sheer number of fabulous restaurants and cafés is enough to tell you why the French aren’t known for winning wars. They’re busy making and partaking in gastronomical delights instead.

Successful compositions are about using ingredients together in a unique, thoughtful or beautiful way. And to me, French culinary art and plate presentation are something from which every artist, photographer, writer, and designer can learn. Every ingredient is chosen because of its impact, how it will combine with the other elements, or because it can carry the flavor and message of the entire meal. It should begin with the eyes, fill your senses, make the mouth water, ignite your palette, and alter your perception. The food photos in the October Food and Wine issue, stir me, and make me want to head back to France. At the very least, I should head to my own kitchen to try making their onion soup recipe.

Is there a French food that excels in composition for you?