1. A Brief History of the Food Establishment
The OG Foodies that Changed the World

2. What is an Epicurean?
Epicureanism is based on the philosophy of Epicurus, in 307 B.C.
Atomic materialist that attacked superstition and divine intervention
Believed that pleasure is the greatest good (challenge to Platonism)
Achieve as much pleasure as possible, but do it modestly
Developing friendship as the basis of a satisfying life
Not quite a hedonist, because he didn’t believe in pleasure to the excess. Believed who you ate with was more important than what. Celibate, but didn’t push it on people (he believed marriage was a threat to one’s mind). Believed in gods, but believed gods were made of atoms like humans and not interested in what humans were doing—so why pray to them? Rejects immortality and mysticism. Believes in a soul, but believes it is mortal. Some compare it to Buddhism.

3. Okay, so then what’s an Epicurean?
Christians created a misunderstanding that Epicureanism advocated hedonistic sensual pleasure like partying, sexual excess, and constant eating
But Epicure believed that tranquility and absence of pain = happiness
Modern usage of the term  An epicure is a connoisseur of the arts of life and refinement of sensual pleasures
Epicureanism implies a “love or knowledgeable enjoyment” of food and drink
Like being a college student, basically

4. What’s a Gastronome? Sounds painful.
Comes from ancient Greek word “gaster” (stomach) and “nomos” (laws that govern)—the art or law of regulating the stomach
Gastronomy is the art of eating food, as well as the study of food and culture (particularly gourmet cuisine)
Includes cooking technique, nutrition, food science, etc.
Another word for a gourmet

5. Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)
Famous for saying “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.”
French Lawyer and politician who is became a famous epicure and gastronome
Founded the genre of gastronomic essay
Published The Physiology of Taste in 1825
Promoter of protein rich diet (believed sugar and white flour to be causes of obesity)

6. Quotable Quotes:
“A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye”
“The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star”
“Those persons who suffer from indigestion, or become drunk, are utterly ignorant of the true principles of eating and drinking.”
“Gastronomy is the knowledge and understanding of all that relates to man as he eats. Its purpose is to ensure the conservation of men, using the best foods possible.”

7. Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reyniere (1758-1837)
Lived during the reign of Napoleon
First public critic of cooking
First reviewer of ambitious new restaurants
Published eight volumes of L’Almanach des gourmands
The word Gourmand was associated with gluttony as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but he transformed it into its use today.

8. The Proustian Moment Or, “The Episode of the Madeleine”
“The Cookie”—Excerpt from In Search of Lost Time ( )
Proustian Moment: When the narrator dips the madeleine into his tea
Involuntary memory vs. voluntary memory
, In Search of Lost Time was published in seven parts between. Voluntary memory is always partial, but involuntary memory captures the real essence of a moment

9. M.F.K. Fisher ( )
One of the most well-known and beloved American food writers
Write 27 books, including Serve it Forth (1937) and Gastronomical Me (1943) and a translation of Brillat-Savarin’s Physiology
Books are a combination of food literature, travel, memoir
Really established a literary precedence for food writing

10. Quotable Quotes
“Sharing food with another human is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.”
“Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg before it is broken.”
“Like most humans, I am hungry…our three basic needs, for food, security, and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing of love and the hunger for it…”

11. James Beard ( )
Considered the central figure in the establishment of gourmet American food
Brought French cooking to America in the 1950’s
Wrote 20 books
Felt that part of his mission in life was to “defend the pleasure of real cooking and fresh ingredients against the assault of Jello-o molds and food scientists
As a child he was bedridden with malaria, and gave him time to enjoy food prepared by his mother and their Chinese helper—he loved Chinese food. Very eccentric personality: full of energy, funny, over 6 ft tall, huge belly and huge hands. He was also gay and had a horrible temper. Julia child preserved his home after his death. They turned it into the James Beard Foundation, America’s only historical culinary center. Annual James Beard Foundation award ceremonies are given to the nation’s best chefs

12. Julia Child ( )
Most famous for her debut cookbook: Mastering the art of French Cooking
And her cooking show: The French Chef (1963)
Excerpt from My Life in France—published in 2006 posthumously
Introduced Americans—who were eating canned food—to French and gourmet cooking
6 ft, 2 inches tall, Worked for the OSS (foreign service) and they moved to Paris and she studied at the Cordon Blue and started giving cooking lessons. She found some French women looking to write a cookbook for an American audience, helped co-write most of it, and became a classic.

13. Quotable Quotes
“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook, try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all, have fun!”
“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”
“I was 32 when I started cooking—up till then I just ate.”

14. Craig Claiborne (1920-2000) American restaurant critic
Food journalist and author for NY Times
Author of numerous cookbooks
Worked with Pierre Franey
Inspired by M.F.K Fisher
Served in the navy during WWII and then used the money he saved to go to cooking school in Switzerland. Credited with making the intimidating world of French cuisine available to Americans. Franey was his dinner companion that night. The response to the write-up was enormous outrage at such extravagance when so many went without. Even the vatican (Pope Paul VI) criticized him “Scandalous”. Despite his extravagance, and ordering every meal on the menu and only trying bites, they only gave the restaurant a mediocre review
Craig Claiborne ( )

15. Read More! United States of Arugula— by David Kamp

16. The Three Giants…
Julia, Craig, and James Beard—the three giants, all self made