6.25.2008

More MFK Fisher loveliness

The first time, on our way to Germany, we had sat downstairs while our meal was being made. There were big soft leather chairs, and on the dark table was a bowl of the first potato chips I ever saw in Europe, not the uniformly thin uniformly golden ones that come out of waxed bags here at home, but light and dark, thick and paper-thin, fried in real butter and then salted casually with the gros sal served in the country with the pot-au-feu.

They were so good that I ate them with the kind of slow sensuous concentration that pregnant women are supposed to feel for chocolate-cake-at-three-in-the-morning. I suppose I should be ashamed to admit that I drank two or three glasses of red port in the same strange private orgy of enjoyment. It seems impossible, but the fact remains that it was one of the keenest gastronomic moments of my life.
I am so in love with this book. It is transporting me to another time and place, and it’s inspiring me more than anything ever has to seek out new flavors, textures, and experiences.

Eat, drink, and read The Gastronomical Me

2 comments:

Carrie said...

Fisher's books are so special to me. I can't exactly explain how wonderful it is to read them! She seems to be slightly sad, and yet fully aware of the joy that food and dining can bring, and how rare and important joy is.

It may be time to dip back into my Fisher collection.

Michelle said...

You've inspired me to pickup Fisher again. It's been a long time since I read her.
Am jealous of your Chez Panisse reservation. Can't wait to hear all about it!