Twain Would Like You To Feast With Him

And we all know he is great company!

Please give America Eats! a little love and make it grow by pressing that little heart up there. And, as always, I’m so grateful you are here with me, today!

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How are things over in your neck of the woods? I mean personally, not whatever is happening to all of us now?

In my corner of the universe, a good handful are laid low by a deep respiratory illness that blasts to smithereens any interest you may have previously had in life. My brother and sister-in-law in Philadelphia came down with it last month. My oldest son crashed a little more than a week ago. He came over on Sunday to celebrate his brother’s birthday and now I have it, too. The expected news that my daughter-in-law was next in line came yesterday. My husband feels it pecolating in his lung.

I had just sent this week’s story to my editor (i.e.husband) but I’m certain that’s about how far that piece will go for the moment.

But I just read a review of Ron Chernow’s biography of Mark Twain (not glowing) and it reminded me of a wonderful podcast I heard several years ago. Nick Offerman gathered together some lucky friends and culinary historians in Twain’s dining room for one spectacular dinner composed of his eight favorite dishes. It’s one of the best dinner parties you’re ever likely to attend, even if it’s almost unbearable that no one passes you a plate to join them.

A tantalizing snippet is available on Facebook, “Twain’s Feast with Nick Offerman.”

The Twain feast! Credit: Christopher Gregory, The New York Times.

Andrew Beahrs, the food historian who oversaw the feast, has written a spirited account of the dinner. His resulting book, Twain’s Feast, Searching for America’s Lost Food in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens, offers context for the19th century recipes. Most fascinating is his exploration of Twain’s hunger for such uniquely American ingredients as prairie pheasants and how and why they became extinct.

I am now going to return to my bed, take a vast amount of Mucinex, and feel a lot better while listening again to Twain’s Feast.

Be well, my friend! Next week will hopefully see the piece I intended.