Petits Propos Culinaires 122

Some of the world’s most adventurous food historians contribute to this thrice-yearly journal of articles and excerpts from works in progress. And thankfully, the pieces seem to be chosen with an interest in good writing as well as good scholarship.

Notable submissions include Catharine Rose Ellis’s essay Men, Money, and Meals: An Alimentary Reading of Margot la Ravaudeuse, which follows what the 1753 novel’s namesake heroine eats at each stage in her prostitution career—from poor beginnings to the upper echelons of Parisian society. The table and the bedroom are intrinsically linked in this line of work, and Margot’s libertine adventures reveal alimentary customs and norms of that time.

Fanny Yonish argues that English cookery and conduct books written by women in the 19th century (such as Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management) challenged traditional gender roles for that time, and undermined submissive tropes.

And Andrea Broomfield explores the unique tension Kansas City restaurateurs navigate as they create and sustain culinary heritage in their communities while also stretching their diners' wallets and palates.

There are book reviews too. 

Paperback. Black-and-white photos and line drawings.