Skip to content
Home » Food

Food

Cinnamon: sticks (ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka), powder, and flowers on a white background

Salt, Pepper, and Other Spices We Take for Granted

Last night, as I ground black pepper and sprinkled some French sea salt into my salad, I stopped to ponder how we take these spices for granted. Back in the Middle Ages, before the Portuguese, Dutch and other voyages of discovery sailed to Indonesia, India, and beyond, spices were worth… 

A middle-aged man wearing a red long-sleeved shirt and denim apron stands at a counter chopping herbs. In front of him are ingredients for cooking, including a fish and turkey. Copper pots hang overhead.

Food Vignettes from My Life in Paris

I lived in Paris for several years in the 1970s. Things were cheaper then–five francs to the dollar–but gourmet dining in fine restaurants was out of my reach. I usually ate at North African restaurants, or enjoyed the humble, bland faire at the Cité Universitaire. I nevertheless had vicarious methods…