Author Archives: Gary Allen

Every year or so, someone has an original idea —the exact same original idea that many other writers have pitched to magazine or newspaper editors. Surprisingly, the idea sells itself (again, and again, and yet again)— it’s nearly as predictable … Continue reading →

Waverley Root’s classic The Food of Italy (1971) gives carbonara but sixteen words (although he does call it “a particular favorite”). The Dictionary of Italian Cuisine defines it as: Pasta (usually spaghetti) with egg yolks, Guanciale, Pecorino Romano or (less … Continue reading →

Here in the US, when we hear the word “meatballs,” we automatically think “spaghetti” – which is fitting, since the combination is an All-​​​​American dish. It’s as American as corned beef and cabbage or chili con carne. These dishes seem foreign or … Continue reading →

A correspondent wrote, from Hamburg, Germany, to ask about beechnuts — specifically looking for “proper recipes, not sprinkling it on top.” As beechnuts are not an ingredient with which many of us are familiar these days, we thought a little background would be … Continue reading →

The term “Black Cow” originally referred not to root beer floats, but to the root beer itself. Root beer has been around for a long time — similar “small beers” (fermented beverages that were intentionally low in alcohol) had been made in Europe … Continue reading →

Once, in a Food & Culture class, I gave a little lecture on sex and eating and the slang that the two activities share. Afterwards, several students told me about the legend of Zeus and Cynara. The story’s general drift was that Zeus … Continue reading →

A small girl, just two years old — and ravenous on her birthday — asks her mother what she’s making for dinner. “Apple pie and duck.” The girl falls silent for a moment, until mingled horror and outrage take over. Her little feet spread wide and … Continue reading →

During a Spring road trip with Karen, we couldn’t help noticing vast patches of purple, pink, and white wildflowers, like clouds mysteriously dissolving into the darkening woods. We knew they were only the phlox-​​​​like Hesperis (Hesperis matronalis), but were strangely moved … Continue reading →