In the Labyrinth

Remembering It's All About Balance After A Couple Of Long Weeks of Work

Sometimes in the midst of all our work, it seems impossible to find the breath or the balance to stay upright. I love this video of RIGOLO Sanddornbalance 2012 Art Installation - it has an almost instantly soothing effect. This is the way to work, breathing, focusing, a quiet intensity which balances effort on an idea as fragile as a feather. I love too that at the end of the day, it is all undone -- a way to relieve oneself of the burden and begin again the following day.

Death and Dinner, Mais Oui.

I am a wee bit past Bastille Day, but in the spirit of that revolutionary and rather bloody event, I would like to offer a meal fit for Death. The Old Foodie, is a brilliant blog devoted to providing readers with 400 words a day on a historical food topic, along with recipes. This offering was a splendid piece on the infamous "mortuary dinner" given by eccentric French gourmand Grimod de la Reynière in 1783. Here's the first paragraph of the article:

"The eighteenth century French gourmand Grimod de la Reynière hosted a most unusual dinner party in 1783 which has gone down in history as 'the Mortuary Dinner’. Grimod was known to be eccentric, but even for him, this dinner was a little over-the-top. The invitation to a 'collation-supper' was in the form of an obituary notice, and guest were advised 'The arrival is fixed for 9 o'clock and supper will take place at 10 o'clock. You are requested not to bring neither dog nor lackey as there will be enough servants. Neither pig nor oil will be missing from the supper. You are requested to bring this invitation, without which admittance will be refused.' ”

The whole event is terrifically weird and worthy of a Tim Burton cinematic moment (who could forget the shrimp cocktail in Beetle Juice?) -- plenty of black crepe on the walls, coffins to lounge in, and a silent audience in the balcony to observe the spectacle. The Old Foodie also provides a tasty recipe for Ragout of Pork Chops -- just in case you, like me, have no idea what "plenty of pig and oil" might actually mean. You can read the whole piece here.

And better yet, here is a wonderful video of a "Black Meal" from the British show "Supersize Eaters" that examines the eating habits of different historical periods and then spend a week living, cooking, and eating in a version of that period. The results are very funny, and very fascinating. In this video -- a celebration of Grimod's "Mortuary Dinner" -- you get a clear, first hand look at this peculiar feast.

And while the article is from 2009, this piece "Liberty, Equality, Gastronomy, Paris via the 19th Century Guide" is a hoot to read.

Jesus on The Fence

In the midst of all my work (and looming deadlines) I received this unexpected gem in the mail and wanted to share it. A gentleman in Madrid, NM had discovered the remnants of the 36 ft wooden statue of Jesus my grandfather, Pierre Ménager built for the Christmas light show in Madrid, New Mexico in the late 30's and early 40s. He sent me a photo of some of what he salvaged in making a new wall around his house. Since I have never seen this piece in color, it is pretty astonishing. (You can see more of the Christmas Light Show photographs from the 30's here...including this one of the statue here and here. )