[Sca-cooks] looking for middle eastern

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Daniel  Phelps wrote:
>1001 Nights contains a story in which a feast is described in detail dish by
>dish.  Years ago I ran a cross a book with a title like "Feasts of the
>Past", "Food in Literature" or some such that detailed the story and
>"redacted" portions of the feast.  The story as I recall it is that someone
>is invited to feast and the dishes are laid and the host describes the
>dishes to the guest and mimes eating but there is nothing on the plates.
>This goes on and on until the guest finally remarks upon the state of
>affairs and then the feast is actually served.  Such a story might be of use
>mayhaps?

Alas, one must be cautious with translations.

In "Medieval Arab Cookery" Charles Perry has an essay devoted to the 
ways food was described inaccurately in translations of "A Thousand 
Nights and a Night". So i would not recommend using any translation 
of fiction unless you can verify that the translation is accurate 
rather than the fancy of the translator.

Anahita