1 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Food Stuff. I'm Lauren Vogelbon and 2 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: I'm an Aries, and today we are going to talk 3 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: about a listener request we get a while back from 4 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: Justin about French food and why is considered the food 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: of all foods. And we're talking about this because it's 6 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: kind of Bastile Day. It was, it was, and I 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: don't know when you're listening to this, but when it 8 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: came out it was around that time. Yes, So happy 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: Bastil Day to our listeners in France and anyone else celebrating. 10 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,559 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, definitely. Um, So we're going to dive right 11 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: in because this actually turned out to be a huge topic. Yeah, strange. 12 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: French cuisine is not like a small topic to talk about. Yeah. 13 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: So first off, it's um also called hold cuisine or 14 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: la ground cuisine. Uh. And it's not as types of food. 15 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: It's also methods of cooking, traditions and the rigorous training 16 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: of chefs. Yes, the the entire kitchen and dining experience 17 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: as one. Yes. And for this I used something called 18 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: TV tropes to demonstrate this whole stereotype. Um. I don't 19 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: know if you've ever heard of it, but it's a 20 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: wiki page. I used to use a lot for Sminty. 21 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: We had this show called Stereotypology, and it's just a 22 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: really good compilation of cultural instances of like tropes and stereotypes, 23 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: so weird surprise. Uh. And there are two entries in 24 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: there for French food. One is called French Cuisine is 25 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: Haughty and the others called snails and so on. Yeah. Uh, 26 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 1: And so the French Cuisine's Hotty trope talks about how 27 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: unpopular culture pairs is often seen as the culinary capital 28 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: of the world, the goal standard of fine dining. And 29 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: they use the example a lot of times. Writers to 30 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: make restaurants sound fancy, they put shay in the name. 31 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: Real people do that too. Yeah, I've seen that in 32 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: a few real life restaurants. So it happens in the wild. Um. 33 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:11,959 Speaker 1: And this sort of hotty atmosphere usually includes the staff. 34 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: A good example of this is the restaurant scene in 35 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: Ferrisheeler's Day Off, a froman The Sausage King of Chicago. 36 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. It's it's funny. 37 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: It's a cute movie. Actually a little dated, but you know, 38 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: I still enjoy it. But yes, outside of even even 39 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: the tropes of television and movies. I mean, this is 40 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: a this is a cultural concept that we have for share. Uh. 41 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: For instance, UNESCO updated their list of Intangible Cultural Heritage 42 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: in to include French gastronomy. Uh. And thanks to Thomas Jefferson, 43 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:55,519 Speaker 1: famous Francophile, who considered French food the only food fit 44 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: for White House functions, it became sort of the official 45 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: cuisine at president ential gatherings. And that was until or 46 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: In Harding in ninety one, who called for quote American 47 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,839 Speaker 1: cuisine to be served. And with a few minor exceptions 48 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: like JFK. Famously, it's been that way ever since. And 49 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 1: the United States first very fancy restaurant, like very very fancy, 50 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: very big, very famous restaurant, a Delmonico's, opened in New 51 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: York City in eighteen thirty, complete with a French chef 52 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: and a French menu. Right. And in Las Vegas, a 53 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: good deal of the most expensive and highest regarded casino 54 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: restaurants are French. Um. And if you're like me, the 55 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: movie Ratiti came to mind, where the French cuisine is 56 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: the best cuisine. It's sort of a big part of 57 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 1: the plot. Yeah, lovely, lovely film. As well. And and 58 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: this isn't just an American phenomenon, of course, there's this 59 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: This goes on globally with the concept of of yes, 60 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: that that elusively beautiful French cuisine. It's like nothing else. 61 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: How can any other cuisine even compare to it? Why 62 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: would you bother? Would you even try? Now that I 63 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: think of it, The Fancies restaurant I went to in 64 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: China was a French really, Oh man, it was very 65 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: I believe you. I'm sure a lot of the food 66 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: was delicious. Fum. Oh yeah, that's true, all food anyway, 67 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: So how did we get here? Yeah? Um? Well, most 68 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:25,599 Speaker 1: things I read trace the timeline of Holt cuisine to 69 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: the fourteen century. At the time, if you were going 70 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: to go on a culinary tasting adventure through France and England, 71 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 1: you'd find the food to be pretty much the same. Actually, 72 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,840 Speaker 1: but by the seventeen hundreds that was very much not 73 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: the case, And according to Jean Robert Pitt's writing on 74 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: the subject Gastronomy Frances, part of the reason behind this 75 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: was probably religion. Religion. Does this have to do with 76 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 1: Protestants and Catholics? Again? How did you know? Well? I 77 00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: read ahead in the notes that Lauren always reading ahead. Yes, So, 78 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: starting with the Protestant Reformation in fifteen seventeen, Protestant Europe 79 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: started viewing food and the pleasure you get from it 80 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 1: as somewhat greedy, borderline sinful indulgence of the Roman Catholic Oh, yes, 81 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 1: you should stick to plain foods and not much of them, 82 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: not like those Roman Catholics. Yeah, those guys. Yes. Meanwhile, 83 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: Roman Catholicism, they had a long history of me making beer, 84 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: beer and cheese, making it wine making, which is what 85 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: the Protestants pointed to as this indulging, sinful thing, and 86 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:42,600 Speaker 1: the Catholics weren't inclined to stop, thanks, guys. Kiss analysis 87 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:46,159 Speaker 1: of recorded sermons during the seventeenth and eighteenth century found 88 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: food and drink over indulgence condemnation only popped up in 89 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: four percent of the Sunday surveyed from from Roman Catholic 90 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: They were much They were not complaining about that, not 91 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: into it. Another factor here was politics, for sure. Oh yeah, 92 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: um royalty set the bar for fine dining going about 93 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: as far back as royalty goes in France and in 94 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: most places, but in France, what we're talking about here, 95 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,719 Speaker 1: the common folk could come and observe the complicated prepping, cooking, 96 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: and serving of food to royalty, and this in turn 97 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: was adopted as the standard for aristocratic families. This public 98 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:28,599 Speaker 1: viewing of of eating is not a thing that I 99 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: think I was aware of before we were doing this research. 100 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: No me either. I think it would just make me sad. 101 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: But I don't know. Maybe you didn't have too much 102 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: else to do. I mean, yeah, like you don't have Netflix. 103 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: You kind of make your own fun and what's the 104 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:42,840 Speaker 1: king eating today, Let's go find out, let's go watch. 105 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 1: And these large, extravagant meals were more about showing off 106 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 1: than the actual enjoyment of the food. Um partly because 107 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 1: it was usually cold by the time it arrived. Yeah, 108 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: because the kitchen was placed so far away in case 109 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 1: of fire and the benediction of the chaplain and to 110 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,840 Speaker 1: test it for poison that that went on with royalty 111 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: and specific So that was another time that so, yeah, 112 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: it was more about showing off. But around this time, 113 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 1: the flavors and style of traditional French cuisine began to emerge. 114 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,800 Speaker 1: After medieval times and the dependence on spices that had 115 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: defined its foods, France moved towards simpler, more buttery, orb 116 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: ingredients and sauces. French producers during the Middle Ages were 117 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: regulated by the guilt system, which essentially stipulated that you 118 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: could only work within a certain field, right, very narrow 119 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: sauce makers could only work in sauce stuff like that. Sure. Yeah. 120 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: Another factor was location, location, location, Well, France is so 121 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: centrally located in in the in the west, and so 122 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: therefore it you know, saw a lot of economic activity 123 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: and the movement and of a lot of ideas and people. 124 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: And thanks to the varied climate and gr graphy, France's 125 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: agriculture was and is often just as plentiful. But the 126 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: same thing could be said for other countries like Italy. 127 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: So it couldn't have just been that. Yeah, I think 128 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: it was really the I would I would argue, which 129 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: is going to argue with not one but two hands 130 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: on my hands, um that that it's that it's really 131 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: France's political clout, Um, not just not just the the 132 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: politics of royalty, but their their clout worldwide that drove 133 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: its cuisine to dominate the kind of global food landscape. 134 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: Because but before the revolution in the seventeen eighties and 135 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: even after a bit. France was continually expanding as as 136 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: a superpower, it was a mark of distinction for foreign 137 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: nobles to marry French nobles. Thus, French traditions and culture spread, 138 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 1: and those traditions and culture became associated with high society 139 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: outside of France. UM and and that this is part 140 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: of why in English the words for animals tend to 141 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: be Germanic and the words for prepared meats tend to 142 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: be French. That the lower classes who did the farming 143 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: retained the Germanic words, while the culinary language evolved to 144 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: include the French words. I never thought of that, but yeah. 145 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 1: Also regarding language, residents of far away colonies were learning 146 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 1: French language or Pidgin versions of the French language to 147 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,679 Speaker 1: keep up with trade. And in the sixteen hundreds, King 148 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:23,560 Speaker 1: Louis the fourteenth began demanding that major international treaties be 149 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: negotiated in French instead of Latin, which was one of 150 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: the prior lingua francas, and the Western world would catch on. 151 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,719 Speaker 1: Over the next couple hundred years. French became the language 152 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 1: of scholarly literacy. Um and French royals also really heavily 153 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 1: patronized the arts. Thus furthering the association of French culture 154 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 1: with high society, which brings us to culture and documentation, 155 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: because whole cuisine is one of the most well documented 156 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: of the cuisines, which meant that a lot of people 157 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: were copying it or aspiring to it. Um. The first 158 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: printing press made cookbook started popping up in the sixteen hundreds. 159 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: Cookbooks of course did exist before then, UM, but the 160 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: invention of the printing press in the fourteen hundreds made 161 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: books pretty much infinitely more affordable. UM. Also, before then, 162 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,240 Speaker 1: cookbooks were largely like health and diet related tones. We've 163 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: talked about a lot of these on the show. Also 164 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: also due to those kind of guilds and stuff that 165 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 1: we're going on, professional chefs, recipes and methods were considered 166 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 1: sort of tread secrets, like not stuff that you would 167 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 1: just want to put down in a book for any 168 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 1: old person who could read to read, Yeah, come in 169 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:34,680 Speaker 1: and snipe your business. And the circulation of these books 170 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 1: was important for several reasons, one being it spread French 171 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 1: cuisine and recipes to other countries. And the authors of 172 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: these French cookbooks were particularly um assertive and that's a 173 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,840 Speaker 1: polite it is isn't it. And France's superiority in the 174 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:52,959 Speaker 1: realm of cookery. There there was there was a lot 175 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: of um just national pride. I would say, right, a 176 00:10:56,880 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: quote from a cookbook went, especially in France. Can one 177 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: take pride and are excelling over all other nations in 178 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:10,439 Speaker 1: these matters? Very serious and this includes lava and the 179 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:16,439 Speaker 1: Cuisine Francie in which mentioned classic French stuff like rue 180 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: and me if possibly for the first time. Yeah, I 181 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 1: said that was very strange accent. I apologize. It's okay, 182 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: it's it's it's a dessert with a whole bunch of 183 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: little pastry crust layers. It's really tasty. That's very good. 184 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:31,439 Speaker 1: That would be Francois Pierre de Leverne, a culinary tradesman 185 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 1: who rose to the role of kitchen clerk, which was 186 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: a really big head of household kind of job that 187 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 1: was generally reserved for nobility at the time in his 188 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 1: twenties before publishing The French Kitchen as it's translated in 189 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: English in his thirties. And it was a really remarkable 190 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: book because it was the first French cookbook to have 191 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: been published in several decades, and it happened to be 192 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: published during a time when the concepts of fashion or 193 00:11:55,920 --> 00:12:02,199 Speaker 1: like novelty versus tradition were really intense. Um it followed 194 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: the trends of the time, moving away from those heavy 195 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:10,199 Speaker 1: medieval flavors that were built on on disguising the fact 196 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:14,079 Speaker 1: that your food was rotting right away from that and 197 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: and more to focus on the quality of fresh ingredients 198 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,320 Speaker 1: and on intensifying flavors by creating sauces from the liquids 199 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,200 Speaker 1: that are given off during cooking. Um it also marked 200 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: a preference for butter versus fat, or but butter versus large, 201 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: which which is a question that came up the other 202 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:34,319 Speaker 1: day I don't remember where, possibly on Facebook, and in 203 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: regards to that apple pie recipe, that's what that's what 204 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: it was. Someone asked why it didn't have any large 205 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 1: in it, and I was like, well, historically, I'm sure 206 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,200 Speaker 1: there's a reason that the butter became a popular thing. 207 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,559 Speaker 1: There it is. There you go French cuisine in the 208 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 1: six and a few decades later, the French Revolution changed 209 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: the way French cooking worked by ending that guild system. Yeah, 210 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 1: anyone who wanted to could theoretically become a chef and 211 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: on top of that, chefs working for royalty and aristocracy 212 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: ousted or worse by the French Revolution, we're kind of 213 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:12,160 Speaker 1: out of a job. Those that weren't hired by unscathed 214 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: rich folk or that didn't go to work for monarchs 215 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 1: in other countries like Russia. That was a big one. 216 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 1: Definitely happened. Yeah went on to form the first restaurants. 217 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: Before that, most meals were in private residences or in 218 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: sometimes where you could pay for super something, but you 219 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: wouldn't really go there. Aside from you wouldn't really eat 220 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: there unless you were staying there right or maybe if 221 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 1: you were like real drunken hungry, maybe I could see 222 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:45,320 Speaker 1: that happening. The word restaurant first referred to fortified meat broth. Yes, 223 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 1: a fellow who was trying to get around a ragou 224 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:59,720 Speaker 1: monopoly did yeah monopoly by selling restaurants as well as 225 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: ragu and other things, thereby offering these fancy new food 226 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:08,160 Speaker 1: things called choices. But what the introduction of multiple food 227 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: options at a single establishment a group of establishments allowed 228 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:17,080 Speaker 1: more collaboration and refining a French cuisine. Mm hmm, and 229 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: one of the most important figures to hope cuisine into 230 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: our modern Western cuisine in general was modi Antoine Kam. 231 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: He was born in seventeen eighty five, just in time 232 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 1: for the French Revolution, and spent his early days working 233 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: at a pat His signature creation were these impressive structures 234 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: of pastry and marzipan called pis Monte, with his pastries 235 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: Karrevan called the eye of Napoleon's chief diplomat, who hired 236 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: Karam to work as his personal chef. Yeah. About a 237 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 1: decade later, in eighteen fifteen, Karam ventured to London, where 238 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: he wrote his first book, The Potitier Royale. He went 239 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: on to publish several books, and in them he included 240 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: portraits of himself and spoke, some might say, bragged very 241 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:06,480 Speaker 1: highly of himself. Here's a quote from him for you, 242 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: Chef of Kings and King of chefs. Oh yeah, goodness, 243 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 1: that's like a hip hop line. But that should be 244 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 1: a song if it isn't already. Yeah. He's widely accepted 245 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: to be the first version of a celebrity chef, and 246 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: while his recipes might not have been new, are unique 247 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: to him necessarily. He was definitely building off the work 248 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:35,560 Speaker 1: of Lover yes Um. He was the first, though, to 249 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 1: document the process thoroughly, and he is thought to be 250 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: His is thought to be the first cookbook to use 251 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 1: the phrase you can try this for yourself at home. Yeah. 252 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 1: And Karim also gets credit for organizing the complicated mass 253 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: that was recipes and techniques surrounding the rapidly congealing cuisine 254 00:15:56,520 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: associated with Francis l This cuisine involved expensive ingredients, complicated techniques, 255 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: and lots lots of butter. Yep, all those all those 256 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 1: great things. Sounds like Hoak was named to me. He 257 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 1: proposed that chefs wear a uniform, and he came up 258 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: with the four mother sauces that served as basis for 259 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: a lot of French recipes Alamande, bechamel espanol and yeah. Uh. 260 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 1: He gave you the building blocks to make dishes as 261 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: complicated or not as you would like. Yeah. And then 262 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: he went to work for Russian Emperor Alexander the First 263 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 1: and died in eighteen nine at the age of Oh 264 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: my goodness. Uh. He's not, however, the only celebrity chef 265 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: or or celebrity food human in general who we have 266 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 1: to talk about. But first, let's take a quick break 267 00:16:49,440 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 1: for a word from our sponsor, and we're back. Thank you. Sponsor. 268 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:07,360 Speaker 1: So contemporary to Karem was another famous French food persona 269 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: who was not a chef by profession. He was a lawyer. 270 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 1: But he would become the West's first restaurant critic. And 271 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:17,159 Speaker 1: I'm talking about a guy with so many names. Alexandra 272 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 1: Baltazar Laurent Grimald de la Renay. Yes, I said that 273 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:26,159 Speaker 1: like seven times before we started rolling you guys. He 274 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: was born to aristocratic parents and only survived the Revolution, 275 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,479 Speaker 1: the revolution because he was born with deformed hands and 276 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 1: so his birth certificate deemed him a bastard by law. 277 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:40,360 Speaker 1: Um And but he had these excellent press theses and uh. 278 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 1: Despite his sometimes shaky relationship with his family, he was 279 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,919 Speaker 1: this outrageous high society figure both before and after the Revolution, 280 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: which was a distinction that helped his publication of several 281 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: volumes of an uh an almanac of Gourmand's, become very 282 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:02,120 Speaker 1: influential around in society. UM. This this almanac explained how 283 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:06,800 Speaker 1: how to party basically and how to enjoy food fashionably, UM, 284 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: sometimes with an eye toward tradition and sometimes with some 285 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:15,000 Speaker 1: serious side eye towards tradition. UM. And he also set 286 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:18,679 Speaker 1: up these these critique dinners based partially on his stints 287 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 1: as a theater critic, and thus encouraged the development of 288 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,480 Speaker 1: restaurant cooking as a fine art to be both enjoyed 289 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,439 Speaker 1: and kind of dissected by the public. He sounds like 290 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: a really interesting fellow. Oh he's great. We are totally 291 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:36,280 Speaker 1: doing an entire episode on this guy. He's so cool. Man. 292 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:39,399 Speaker 1: He had these funeral funeral dinners, funeral themed dinners he 293 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,760 Speaker 1: would set up where he would like invite you into 294 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:45,159 Speaker 1: his hotel and like lock you in all night, and 295 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: like all the drapery would be black, and like he 296 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: would have crazy themes based around like color or texture 297 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,919 Speaker 1: or flavor profile, like whatever he had it going on. 298 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 1: He this dude really knew how to party. Okay, we're 299 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 1: definitely talking about him later. Yeah, um. Our next famous 300 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 1: French food persona also was not a professional chef. He 301 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: was also a lawyer and a mayor and a judge. 302 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:08,679 Speaker 1: I guess it was a popular thing for kind of 303 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:12,360 Speaker 1: like middle class upper class people to do. In eight, 304 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: Jean altem several wrong, which I think I almost just 305 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:21,679 Speaker 1: said correctly, published The Physiology of Taste, or Meditations on 306 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:27,439 Speaker 1: Transcendental Gastronomy, that's the full title. Um. He couldn't get 307 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: it picked up by a publisher, but since then it 308 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: has never been out of print. It's part dietary and 309 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 1: culinary science, part autobiography, and part social gastronomy theory. And 310 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:41,880 Speaker 1: it's all delivered with the sense of delight. Uh joy 311 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: de vieuve if you will. Um, that's that's really infectious. 312 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 1: He's sort of an Alton Brown of his time, although 313 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:51,680 Speaker 1: he talked about sex a whole lot more. He wrote 314 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,600 Speaker 1: specifically that the sense of physical desire is the sixth 315 00:19:54,680 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: human sense. Wow. Another interesting character. Oh yeah, definitely. Um. 316 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: He is where you get the phrase, um, you are 317 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 1: what you eat from or or rather to quote, tell 318 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: me what you eat and I will tell you what 319 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:10,399 Speaker 1: you are. Oh I like that better. Yeah, yeah, I 320 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:12,199 Speaker 1: wish you wish you also may remember if you if 321 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,080 Speaker 1: anyone out there is a fan of Iron Chef, that 322 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: was kind of there there quote. If you have never 323 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:19,919 Speaker 1: watched Iron Chef, go check it out. It's great, the 324 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,639 Speaker 1: Japanese version specifically. Um. Also he wrote great things that 325 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:26,680 Speaker 1: are slightly less popular, like a dinner which ends without 326 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 1: cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye. 327 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: Have we said that on the show before No we 328 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:34,879 Speaker 1: talked about why you have cheese at the end of 329 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,919 Speaker 1: the meal, but we did not mention this group. We 330 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 1: rectified that situation. Excellent, Lauren, anytime. My favorite of his 331 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: might be UM, partially because it's a little bit self 332 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: agrandizing for me. Um. Animals feed themselves, men eat, but 333 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: only wise men know the art of eating. Oh and yeah, 334 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:56,440 Speaker 1: it was filled his His book was filled with these 335 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 1: little bomb mops like these that he spent twenty five 336 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,239 Speaker 1: years writing it. He didn't hell any of his like 337 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:04,200 Speaker 1: judge buddies what was going on. He never mentioned anyone 338 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 1: that he was writing it. And then all of a sudden, Um, 339 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:09,719 Speaker 1: he published it and it became this huge thing of 340 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 1: Paris was in the throes of this whole new like 341 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: chef restaurant phenomenon at the time, and and the publication 342 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 1: of this witty book had everybody talking, especially because it 343 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:24,399 Speaker 1: was originally published without naming the author mystery UM. The 344 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: buzz intensified when it was revealed that the writer was 345 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,440 Speaker 1: not a chef but a judge, and by Jean's death 346 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: just four months after its publication, Oh perfect storm. UM. 347 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: This was also a time post Revolution, when the middle 348 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: class was emerging in full. There were so many French 349 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 1: people who were not members of the upper class, but 350 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 1: who could nonetheless and sort of suddenly afford all of 351 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,919 Speaker 1: these material pleasures, and they were hungry for precisely this 352 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: type of advice was that a purposeful plan or an 353 00:21:53,320 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: accidental one? Uh? Are any puns ever really accidental? Actually, 354 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: and most of mine are. I think I don't think 355 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:05,920 Speaker 1: realized that when I heard that. It is excellent either way, 356 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:08,879 Speaker 1: thank you. You should also be mentioned that this was 357 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: a time globally that science and industry were advancing so fast. Um. 358 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: Moving into the end of the nineteenth century especially, there 359 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: was a huge cultural emphasis on things like chemistry and 360 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 1: travel that both changed the way that people thought about 361 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,960 Speaker 1: food and changed what was available. Um. And this is 362 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 1: where France, as a seat and and waypoint of Western 363 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: culture was really poised to both benefit from an an 364 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:37,880 Speaker 1: influence all of that new stuff that was flying around. Related, 365 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 1: two French brothers, Andrea and Eduard, had started an automobile 366 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:48,199 Speaker 1: tire company in this is related, I promise always wondered this. 367 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:52,879 Speaker 1: They recognized something of a business opportunity in the rise 368 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: of destination travel. They figured that if they could get 369 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: the word out about some of the good stops for 370 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,159 Speaker 1: car travelers throughout France, they could get drivers to use 371 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: up their tires faster and buy tires more often. So 372 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:09,800 Speaker 1: they started a ratings publication, the Michelin Guide. Yes those 373 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:14,679 Speaker 1: Michelin's Yes of both Michelin Tires and the Michelin Guide. 374 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:21,400 Speaker 1: Same dudes, Oh my gosh, this is awesome. Um. The Guide, 375 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 1: first published in nineteen hundred and described hotels, mechanics and 376 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: gasoline vendors, which were rare um and in six they 377 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: began reviewing fine dining establishments. In one they introduced at 378 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: the three Stars, the three star system. Um. And at first, 379 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:43,080 Speaker 1: you know, they only reviewed restaurants in France. Roll out 380 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: to other countries was slow for a really long time. 381 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:47,360 Speaker 1: They didn't even start reviewing places in the United States 382 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:49,639 Speaker 1: until two thousand and four. I didn't realize that. Yeah, 383 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 1: and so I don't think it ever intended to like 384 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: unfairly posit. French cuisine is the best. Uh. It's just 385 00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:00,159 Speaker 1: their home base. Uh. And and it's a very much 386 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,439 Speaker 1: talked about publication. It means a lot to have a 387 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 1: Michelin star let alone. Two Michelin stars and three three. 388 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:10,399 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, see I always thought that was I 389 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:14,400 Speaker 1: was being silly for always thinking of michel Entires. Isn't 390 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: it strange? Isn't that same? Hilarious? What a what a coincidence? Oh, 391 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,480 Speaker 1: this is a beautiful fact to learn today. Same dudes. 392 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,360 Speaker 1: But yeah, but let's let's get back to French celebrity 393 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 1: chefs because we haven't had one of those in a 394 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 1: minute about the segment which is technically about French celebrity chefs. Okay, 395 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,440 Speaker 1: So another one who changed the way that Western Kitchen's 396 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:38,920 Speaker 1: work is a ghost Escopier. He was born in eighteen 397 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 1: forty six and he did really a whole lot in 398 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:44,880 Speaker 1: his eighty eight years on this planet. Um. But perhaps 399 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: his most important contribution to French cooking was his codification 400 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: of the brigade system in restaurants. UM. Previously, it had 401 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:55,520 Speaker 1: been common for a chef to cook everything for a 402 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,119 Speaker 1: single order, start to finish, and then move on to 403 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,760 Speaker 1: the next order. Uh. It's schoolfe system set up stations 404 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:04,520 Speaker 1: that each dish could move among, a sort of assembly 405 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: line kind of concept. You know, fish here, meat over there, 406 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:12,560 Speaker 1: saw station, vegetable station, and this is where the high intensity, 407 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 1: militaristic organized restaurant kitchen comes from. Uh. He also encouraged 408 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: his chefs to drink a load of no alcohol Malti 409 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,800 Speaker 1: beverage instead of wine while they were cooking, which you know, 410 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: probably cut down on a little bit of the chaos, 411 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 1: probably a little bit. He created this partially out of necessity. Um. 412 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 1: He was the co creator of the Ritz hotel chain 413 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:33,840 Speaker 1: in the early nineteen hundreds, and so he really needed 414 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: a smooth operation to provide service to just the sheer 415 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:40,440 Speaker 1: number of people who were coming through. His lunch operation 416 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: could turn out five hundred plates an hour. I don't 417 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:47,439 Speaker 1: even understand that. And following in Korem's footsteps, he was 418 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:51,880 Speaker 1: pushing for for seasonal ingredients and intensified flavors, and so 419 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: as the Ritz chain went global, Sculfees concept of service 420 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,399 Speaker 1: and dining both became sort of the gold standard around 421 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: the world for fancy Wow. He was a fascinating dude 422 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: as well. UM. He campaigned for kitchen workers rights and 423 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 1: for women to be allowed to dine in public. Scandal 424 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:14,800 Speaker 1: how progressive. Um. He was supposedly one of Sarah Bernhardt's 425 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: longtime lovers. UM. He was the first commercial canner of 426 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 1: tomatoes and the first cookbook writer to talk about a 427 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:26,200 Speaker 1: la carte menus uh. And he never learned English, supposedly 428 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 1: for the fear that it would make him think or 429 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: heaven forbid cook like the English. That's fantastic, that's so French. 430 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: Escofs work influenced the the Luis Larus Gastronomique Um, which 431 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 1: is an encyclopedia of French cooking. You may have heard 432 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,159 Speaker 1: of it was. It was published by scoffs friend and 433 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: a contemporary chef by the name of prosper Montania Thank 434 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:57,159 Speaker 1: you in hight. It reads a little bit actually like 435 00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:00,640 Speaker 1: historical cookbooks, which tended to be reminders of technique more 436 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:05,200 Speaker 1: than like step by step recipes. But it's considered like 437 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:12,320 Speaker 1: the Bible of French cooking. My goodness, strong words. Escofier 438 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,160 Speaker 1: also influenced Julia Child, who of course brought fancy French 439 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: cookery to the lower middle class starting in the nineteen sixties. 440 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 1: And I think that I think that the range of 441 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: influence that Escoffier's work influenced by all of these other 442 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 1: big famous French chefs and thinkers um. I think that 443 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:38,840 Speaker 1: the range of his influence is really indicative of kind 444 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 1: of why French cuisine is the is the it thing 445 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:46,680 Speaker 1: or has been the thing because you know this and 446 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 1: and and you mentioned it earlier like this now classic 447 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:54,119 Speaker 1: approach gives you building blocks of cooking um and an 448 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:59,159 Speaker 1: appreciation for fresh and seasonable ingredients. And it's so adaptable, 449 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:01,399 Speaker 1: you know, it can survive through this huge variety of 450 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:05,199 Speaker 1: shifts and fashions and economic times and be applied to 451 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:09,760 Speaker 1: so many different things. Yeah, that's kind of how it 452 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:15,439 Speaker 1: became the thing, whole cuisine. But how is it doing 453 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: these days? Yeah, let's find out. After another quick break 454 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:32,800 Speaker 1: for a word from our sponsor, and we're back, Thank you, sponsor. 455 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 1: So state of the Union. French cooking addition, French cuisine 456 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 1: addition not great. Well, I mean it's it's not as 457 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:47,760 Speaker 1: like like completely highly regarded to the exclusion of all 458 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: other things as it used to be. No, and it 459 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: is getting better. Uh. The first issue of New York 460 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,480 Speaker 1: Times Guide to Dining Out New York, which came out 461 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty four, included eight restaurant in its three 462 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:06,280 Speaker 1: star category, and seven of them we're French. Yeah, but 463 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 1: the world's fifty best restaurants in only had one French restaurants. 464 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, that's that's almost a slap in the 465 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: face at that point. I know in headlines around the 466 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:24,200 Speaker 1: globe read that up to seventy percent of French kitchens 467 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 1: were serving and or using meals pre made in big 468 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:33,320 Speaker 1: offsite industrial kitchens. Yes, that's not French FOODO. Since the 469 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties, French wine conception has dropped more than and 470 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: ten percent or less of cheese, and the French market 471 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:45,960 Speaker 1: at raw milk cheese is m all. That cheese business 472 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,280 Speaker 1: is partially due to like health concerns and regulations around 473 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: the world. Uh. And on the wine side, it's probably 474 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: due to like cheaper product from other countries developing into 475 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,840 Speaker 1: like total decency, like like you're not afraid to drink 476 00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 1: this wine. It's not going to give you our snake 477 00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 1: poisoning kind of thing, as traditional European grapes have been 478 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:05,240 Speaker 1: cultivated in various places around the world. Lauren comes in 479 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: and ruins our fearmongering headlines. Sorry she is great. After 480 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 1: the US, France is McDonald's second biggest moneymaker. What ye 481 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,200 Speaker 1: how dare you friends? You betray yourself? How could you 482 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,160 Speaker 1: not for nothing, though, McDonald's in France they're different than 483 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 1: the ones in the US. Um, they're bigger and more 484 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: spread out. I kind of got like this coffee shot vibe. 485 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: I think I called them stealth McDonald's and another definitely 486 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:39,560 Speaker 1: they're According tripiece I read by MPR, the food is 487 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:43,360 Speaker 1: sourced locally and it's higher quality than it's American counterpart. 488 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: It's nice, it's still fast food, but you know, um, 489 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 1: when Burger King opened, the people waited in line for 490 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,920 Speaker 1: hours and it was called by some press the hottest 491 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 1: restaurant in Paris. Oh that's mean, I know. Uh. And 492 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: survey a French restaurants found that one third of them 493 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: the hamburger was their best selling menu item. Yeah, meaning 494 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 1: that about half of all sandwiches sold in French are hamburgers. Huh, yeah, 495 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: that's okay. I mean hamburgers are delicious. Everyone likes a hamburger. 496 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:20,760 Speaker 1: You could cook it in kind of a French style. 497 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 1: Definitely most likely related though, One and ten of French 498 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:29,880 Speaker 1: adults are obese and about the overall population is overweight. 499 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:34,320 Speaker 1: And it appears we can point the finger blame for 500 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:39,920 Speaker 1: all of this at modernity and changing times, changing times 501 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 1: people move to cities and they shot more frequently at 502 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: large grocery stores. They don't have as much time to 503 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:47,760 Speaker 1: cook and they don't have as much time to eat. 504 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,480 Speaker 1: That concept of like walking or biking everywhere is is 505 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:55,280 Speaker 1: less necessary as you know your distances of shrink yes 506 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 1: and fast food restaurants are cheap and convenient, and Paris 507 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: is expensive, especially if you've got kid and hot cuisine 508 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 1: is often pretty heavy food, and as we as a 509 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:11,400 Speaker 1: society have become more health conscious health conscious, it's viewed 510 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 1: by many as something indulged in only on special occasions, 511 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: kind of just look at it. There are also elements 512 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 1: of nostalgia or culture of cultural identity, pride of resistance 513 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 1: to change, and not necessarily just for the French, but 514 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 1: for fans of say Julia Child. Yeah, French cuisine is 515 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:36,720 Speaker 1: a huge part of what France is and people have 516 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 1: understandably wanted to hold onto it, but that is beginning 517 00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 1: to loosen a little. Chefs from around the world are 518 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: experimenting with French cuisine in the same way it's difficult 519 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:50,160 Speaker 1: to say something is truly American. French cuisine is starting 520 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:51,960 Speaker 1: to mean so much more than what it used to 521 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:56,760 Speaker 1: um and it's more open to evolving and innovation. And 522 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: on a sad but interesting side note, one of the 523 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:05,480 Speaker 1: reasons French food um or Western European food is so 524 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 1: much more expensive in the US has to do with 525 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:12,880 Speaker 1: cultural prestige and perception. Here in America, we tend to 526 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:15,680 Speaker 1: hold the French in very high regards. Do possibly to 527 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:20,160 Speaker 1: like stuff going back to the Revolution? Probably? Yeah, yeah. 528 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:24,000 Speaker 1: So for example, think the price difference between Pininese and tortoise, 529 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:29,600 Speaker 1: or Japanese cuisine and Chinese cuisine. Yes. Since poor French 530 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: immigrants never settled in large populations in the US, they 531 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: enjoyed this reputation of high standards of high culture, and 532 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 1: Americans were willing to give it a higher regard and 533 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:45,280 Speaker 1: thus pay more for it. Sure, if you look at 534 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:50,120 Speaker 1: Italian cooking, it was held in high esteem until poor 535 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: Italian immigrants came to the US, and then they were 536 00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:57,960 Speaker 1: derisively called garlic clovers. Isn't everyone a garlic glover? I know, 537 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:02,960 Speaker 1: I love garlic. Once Italian immigrants started to accumulate more wealth, 538 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:06,840 Speaker 1: the prestige associated with the cuisine rose once again. In 539 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:09,760 Speaker 1: the Atlantic article I was reading, which was really interesting 540 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 1: by the way it used examples of how in a 541 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:15,480 Speaker 1: New York Times article published about eight years ago, things 542 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 1: like spaghetti, cora on the cob and apple pie were weird, um, 543 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:25,919 Speaker 1: and now they're pretty common and quote unquote American as 544 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,240 Speaker 1: an example of how the American palate is constantly evolving 545 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,960 Speaker 1: and how not too far in the future will probably 546 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:37,800 Speaker 1: embrace a whole new generation of cuisines. Yeah, yeah, so hopeful. 547 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:41,320 Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, you know, yea for racism and classism 548 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:45,200 Speaker 1: as per the usual. Um, that's yea for ye for 549 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:47,640 Speaker 1: it maybe changing in the future, that would be that 550 00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:49,640 Speaker 1: would be nice. The head the headline of that article 551 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,200 Speaker 1: is the future is expensive Chinese food, and you know, 552 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 1: I hope it is. Yeah, I mean we're constantly evolving. 553 00:34:56,680 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 1: Who knows. So that is our wise French cuisine. The 554 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:08,920 Speaker 1: cuisine is are convoluted and beautiful answer. Yeah, there was 555 00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:11,200 Speaker 1: a lot of good stuff in there. I was not 556 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: expecting so much in this episode, which was a lovely surprise. 557 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 1: So um oh yeah this this this is a bringing 558 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:28,120 Speaker 1: us to our listener mail segment. Our first one today 559 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:32,800 Speaker 1: came in based on our sour Dough episode from Jillian. 560 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:35,880 Speaker 1: I wanted to add on to the sour dough episode. 561 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:38,320 Speaker 1: In regards to storing your sour dough in the fridge 562 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,080 Speaker 1: versus on the counter, there's a very big flavor and 563 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,200 Speaker 1: texture difference that results from each. In culinary school, we 564 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:47,120 Speaker 1: were taught to initially ferment the leven the starter for 565 00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:49,600 Speaker 1: twenty four hours at room temp, then to transfer it 566 00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:51,040 Speaker 1: to the fridge for the night and pull it out 567 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:53,040 Speaker 1: the next day, and then back to the fridge at night, 568 00:35:53,239 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 1: and so on for the rest of the week. The 569 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:58,200 Speaker 1: fridge fermentation creates a more glutinous and sweeter bread, and 570 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:01,839 Speaker 1: the room temperature creates a more sour, crumbly bread. During 571 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:04,960 Speaker 1: warm ferment, the wild yeast create an abundance of energy 572 00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 1: and break most of the different sugars down into lactic acid. 573 00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: The enzymes are unable to keep up with the yeast. 574 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 1: When the leaven is cold fermented, it slows the wild 575 00:36:13,160 --> 00:36:15,440 Speaker 1: yeast action and allows the enzymes to catch up with 576 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:18,440 Speaker 1: the yeast. The yeast also produces more lactic acid at 577 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 1: warn ferment and acetic acid during cold ferment. Letting the 578 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:24,520 Speaker 1: enzymes catch up is important because they break many of 579 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:27,680 Speaker 1: the starches down into different sugars such as glucose, sucrose, 580 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:33,080 Speaker 1: galactose or finos, and most importantly, maltose. Maltose is unavailable 581 00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:35,600 Speaker 1: to the yeast, so it never gets broken down into acid. 582 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:40,319 Speaker 1: This creates a sweeter, more multi caramel flavored bread. I 583 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:43,440 Speaker 1: love that. I never really thought about it, that it 584 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,520 Speaker 1: would have different taste, different flavor, but of course it 585 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:50,040 Speaker 1: would based on the action of the Oh that's really good, Okay. 586 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 1: So yeah, So it's an important note for all y'all 587 00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:54,959 Speaker 1: sourdough bakers out there. Maybe try switching it up. Yeah, 588 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 1: do a little experimenting aerial rode in about our sweetbread episode. 589 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:03,640 Speaker 1: I have a fun story about sep sweetbreads. Actually a three, 590 00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:05,839 Speaker 1: but I'm picking one to share, so this email isn't 591 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:10,360 Speaker 1: too long. Every summer, the American Meat Science Association holds 592 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:16,000 Speaker 1: a meat conference, which moves locations each year. The organization 593 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 1: is fantastic because it puts a lot of energy into 594 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,600 Speaker 1: the student members and there are several competitions held at 595 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:25,239 Speaker 1: the conference. One of them is an Iron Chef competition, 596 00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:28,840 Speaker 1: where students are assigned groups and mystery meats to cook 597 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,399 Speaker 1: over the course of a day. Last year, we all 598 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:34,960 Speaker 1: had to cook variety meets, either cheek, meat, tongue, which 599 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:38,560 Speaker 1: would also make a good podcast. Yes, or sweetbreads, which 600 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 1: is what my group was given. We made sweetbread jalapeno poppers, 601 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:45,799 Speaker 1: which I thought were very good. We lost the team 602 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,319 Speaker 1: that one also had sweetbreads, but they cooked them in 603 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:52,640 Speaker 1: wine and deep pride them, so we didn't stand a chance. Still, 604 00:37:52,719 --> 00:37:54,400 Speaker 1: it was a great experience to work with such a 605 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:59,000 Speaker 1: unique food. Oh goodness, I just I just lost myself 606 00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:01,520 Speaker 1: a little bit when when I heard the phrase American 607 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:06,560 Speaker 1: Meat Science Association. Yes, that's an excellent phrase. I oh 608 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:12,319 Speaker 1: also meet conference Okay, yes, Yes. And one final thing 609 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:15,880 Speaker 1: from Liz on Twitter that I loved. She was responding 610 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:19,680 Speaker 1: to her apple Pie episode with apple Pie with cheese. 611 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:22,759 Speaker 1: The saying at home is quote, apple pie without the 612 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:26,440 Speaker 1: cheese is like a hug without the squeeze. That's beautiful. 613 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:28,840 Speaker 1: It is so thank you so much to all of 614 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:32,680 Speaker 1: you for writing in them coming. Yes. Yes, If you 615 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:35,200 Speaker 1: would like to do that thing, you can send us 616 00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:38,120 Speaker 1: an email. Yes. Our email address is food stuff at 617 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:41,719 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. We're also on Twitter, Instagram, 618 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:46,000 Speaker 1: and Facebook. We're at food stuff HSW on two of 619 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:48,960 Speaker 1: them and at food stuff on the Instagram. You can 620 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,360 Speaker 1: figure out which ones. Yes, we have something videos, so 621 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:56,920 Speaker 1: come check those out. Yeah, we we love hearing from you. 622 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,840 Speaker 1: It's so excellent. Absolutely. Yeah. We started publishing things on 623 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:02,720 Speaker 1: you Tube. They're also up on Facebook and on Amazon Videos, 624 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: so there are many different ways for you to to 625 00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:08,040 Speaker 1: to catch up. I just said catch up like three 626 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:09,800 Speaker 1: times in the past two minutes, so that means that 627 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:12,000 Speaker 1: it's time for me to say we hope lots more 628 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:15,920 Speaker 1: good things are coming your way.