SC - beavers/sensitive palates

[LrdRas@aol.com]

>Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 12:32:30 -0700
>
>What I am surprised to find is there are a lot of countries who still cook
>a lot of things that we no longer cook here, or think of as delicacies.
<snip>
>I guess what I am saying is the things we in North America (including
>Canada, but am not sure of their eating habits) consider strange and/or
>delicacies are still eaten fairly regularly in other areas.
>
>Murkial
>

One of the things I am finding most useful about this list is the way it 
lets me see what folks in other parts of the world are still eating. I love 
hearing that a book on the history of cod made the bestseller list in 
Iceland and that testicles are common (in season) in the markets there, and 
that people are still enjoying something like the 16thC carrot candy in 
Spain. All you listies in the Old World have connections and experiences 
every day that I cannot even imagine. You live where the events of our 
period actually happened. You have real period castles, cathedrals, and even 
houses and businesses around you - out here in Oregon, there is pretty much 
nothing earlier than the mid 1800's. Yes, I know Europe is part of the 21st 
century too, but at least some of the Middle Ages and Renaissance is there 
for you to see today. I can see from your posts that there are plenty of 
agricultural and culinary survivals, too, even if they may be a bit hard to 
see for the modernity around them.

Import/export laws also mean that we in the US simply cannot get certain 
products available to you that are close to their period roots - cheeses 
made with unpasteurized milk, and real Italian prosciutto are two that have 
been fought over in recent years (we can get the prosciutto now, I'm still 
not sure about the raw-milk cheeses). Our resources here do keep expanding, 
especially as local producers take up traditional "artisan" practices, crops 
and animals - which they usually go off to Europe to study first.

Who knows? Perhaps we are helping you, too, to see with new eyes that which 
you might take for granted because it's part of everyday life where you are. 
I would be interested to hear of any new insights you might come up with. 
The differences between regions in the US are striking and underestimated 
enough, as we have recently seen on this list. Old World perspectives on the 
New are particularly useful.

Thanks to all,

Morwyn


Morwyn of Wye, O.L.
Barony of Three Mountains, An Tir
(Portland, OR, USA)
mka Linda Taylor, lmt_inpnw at hotmail.com

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