Sometimes we just eat.

A few weeks ago, a student approached me and asked if they could cook for the class. My gut reaction was to respond in the affirmative, because our class happens in the evening and begins around dinnertime; one of the challenges of a three-hour lecture course. However, I realized that even though some well-crafted food would certainly be a boon to students with low blood sugar, I wasn't sure this fit in with the overall pedagogy of the classroom. My preference is that every activity, no matter how insignificant, makes a connection between past and present. Building a bridge that reveals the importance of the past and its relevance to the present is of utmost importance.

So I asked my student if they could connect their cooking plans to the material in our class. This is when the student informed me that she worked at a historical site and was trained in 18th-century cooking techniques. We started talking about 18th-century cookbooks and how they fail to provide actual measurements in recipes. They call for a "dash" of this or a "goodly amount" of that. For example, here is one recipe for salmon:


"Boile your salmond with a strong pickle of salt as usual, and after it is boiled take it from the pickle, lett it stand till cold, scume all the fat from mixe and boile it with Jamaica pepper and a little black pepper and a few Bay leaves, when it is cold, take half of this pickle and half vinegar and putt over your salmond, I have not one exact weight for the epicerie that is just as you would have it keeps long."

Yes-- I do have an interest in 18th-century cookbooks. For those that are yawning, you really need to check it out!  Look here.

But I digress. Ms. K made some delicious food, [most likely because each dish had at least one stick of butter in it] which the students and I really enjoyed eating..  Ms. K treated us to Election Cake and bread pudding with a lemon butter to drizzle on top. As you will see from the pictures, we could not use 18th-century dishes and utensils. Unfortunately, we had to go with something far less environmentally friendly. It is great to have something entirely out of the ordinary. However, with recipes as rich as these, it is a good thing we do not do this every class!

Please note: Any student appearing in a photograph on this blog has given their vocal and written consent and has been consulted before being referred to on this blog.