The Last Meal of Francois Mitterrand

This is really an amazing story, and quite indicative of the intense passion and connection the French feel to their food. Francois Mitterrand was the longest serving prime minister of France, serving from 1981 to 1995. In 1981 Mitterrand was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he hid from the french public for eleven years through false health reports. As his health began to leave him Mitterrand planed his last meal which included an illegal dish consisting of a thumb sized song bird. L'Ortolan, is a tiny bird long prized for it's fatty meat. Although the song bird is now protected across Europe at the time of Mitterrand's death the bird could still be netted and used for food. What made Mitterrand's dish illegal was the manner in which the bird was prepared. The bird is caught alive, and kept in a light-less box to disrupt it's feeding habits. For an entire month the bird gorges itself on figs, millet, and grapes, becoming too fat for flight. After the bird has swelled to four times its normal size, it is drowned alive in Armangac, the idea being that as it inhales the liquid it infuses the flavor in it's organs. Finally the bird is popped into the oven for 6 minutes and served. Even by French standards this is unusual cruelty, however the dish's illegal status hasn't stopped a cult from forming around it. Writer Michael Paternitti was served the dish by a Bordeaux chef who claimed it was his duty as a Frenchmen to cook the dish. Devotee's claim that they can taste the birds entire life as they chew it, the salty air of its Medditerranian migrations, the wheat of Morocco, the grapes of France. If it all sounds a little ridiculous it is, no doubt helped by the way in which the bird is eaten. A large napkin is placed over the diner's head and the dish, to create a fume hood which wafts the flavors up towards the nose, traditionally the napkin also hid the diner from God. Ideally the entire bird is placed in the mouth at once and chewed for a good 15 minutes, slowly breaking through the skin and into the Armagnac soaked organs. In the South of France, this is considered the highest of all dishes, and I have to admit it sounds like one of the strangest and most reflective dining experiences you can have. Sitting in a white tent, with tiny song bird under you, Paternitti likened it on NPR to being in a confessional. Mitterrand included the bird in a meal which included other French staples, such as oysters and Foie Gras. But he saved the bird for last, and after he had eaten his last bite he didn't eat another bite of food for ten days until he died. Brilliant

Where to get your King of Brunch on

After 3 of my least classy posts in recent memory I decided it was time to sit down and write something serious. Today I'm going to talk to you about brunch, the underrated love child of lunch and breakfast. I'm surprised that more teenagers haven't embraced brunch, considering it starts at around 10 when most of us wake up on weekends anyway. I'm a big fan of the hearty breakfast, and considering the increased girth of brunch, which often includes things like skirt steak and biscuits, it suits my tastes perfectly. For good steak and eggs I recommend The Breslin on west 29th st. It's not cheap, at 17$ a brunch, but the steak is cooked perfectly, with a nice outer char, and the eggs, while not fantastic, are good enough to justify the price. If you prefer to gather your own brunch instead of going out for it, buttermilk biscuits are a must. Forget the pilsburry and go to Clinton street Baking co or Cafe Pedler, which are both located on the same block of Clinton st. I honestly can't decide which spot sells better biscuits, both are very good, while maybe the Clinton St. Baking Co. has a slight edge in terms of consistency. Both bisctus carry considerable heft, and at 2$ a pop they can be paired with butter, jam, eggs, or bacon, for a complete breakfast or brunch.

Wall of Shame

Rules of Bumming Vol 9: Hood Ass Cocktails (mom don't read this)

This could potentially be the dumbest thing I've ever posted... Throughout high school I've found myself in the unique position of being a drinks snob and a bum at the same time. I can't stand piss water, and I'm always (to the disgust of party goers) putting things in my drinks to make them bearable to me. Here are some favorites for you to try or laugh at

1.The Soho Loft (props to Cole): Bear with me on this, chocolate milk, plus whiskey. If you want to be really classy use a powdered mix like ovaltine. Most people can't stand the strong stuff, and a little dairy is the perfect way to cut the after burn. Fill a mug about half way with chocolate milk and add the equivalent of a shot of Whiskey, stir well and drink quickly since you don't want the milk to curdle. (Sam F is grinding his teeth in anger at this drink)


2.Brass Monkey: I find that dousing your malt liquor with a healthy amount of OJ makes it go down much easier in what the West Coast has dubbed the brass monkey. Malt Liquor is characterized by a flat bland taste, and the citrus in Oj really helps it go down. In fact OJ is really good to put in anything. If your lacking in OJ squeeze a whole lemon or lime into the bottle. Good ratio: 15 oz OJ to every 40oz malt liquor.

3.Gimel faced: Ouzo and ice.

4.Sue's House: Coors light (or equally flavorless watery beer) and pellegrino lemonciata. This is the grossest sounding one because it involves mixing beer. I made this once at a party and some dick had the nerve to tell me I was ruining the integrity of the beer. With apology to the defenders of Coors Light, the beer has no integrity to begin with and even less taste, so it's perfect for mixing. It's also really flat, which is why I recommend mixing it with something like pellegrino lemonciata for both taste and fizz. An alternative would be a little seltzer and some lemon or even seltzer and OJ.

Lastly make sure everything is cold. A bad beer will taste ten times worse at room temperature.

once again this is totally ridiculous

Forget I Heart NY

all you need to represent

The State of Molecular Cooking

Here is a very interesting article on scientific cooking. Ol Dirty is of the opinion that if it tastes good then do whatever you want to it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126532946414240915.html