X is for…?
Well, I always knew that this day would come, the food alphabetical reaching the letter X. Xanthan gum would not, I fear, have interested you. There is apparently a soup named Xavier, but that held no appeal either. I could of course have done something contrived, eg X is for Xtra large eggs; however, I still remember the pelters I got for the N is for Neeps feature. Time, I thought, to consult the professionals.
MFK Fisher is perhaps my all time hero when it comes to food writing. Although she died as recently as 1992, she is not at all well known, despite being described by Simon Schama as the greatest food writer who has ever lived. I wrote about her five years ago, reviewing her then recently republished The Gastronomical Me. Other works have wonderful titles such as How To Cook a Wolf or With Bold Knife and Fork. The latter is a quotation from James Boswell.
For today's inspiration I turned to An Alphabet for Gourmets of which I own a beautifully illustrated Folio Society edition. If you thought I played fast and loose with the alphabet of food, consider Ms Fisher's ABC. A is for dining Alone; B is for Bachelors and C is for Cautious. And X? Well that's for Xanthippe.
Cue stunned silence. No, I didn't know either. Xanthippe was the wife of Socrates, described by a contemporary as the most difficult, harshest, painful, ill-tempered wife. It is said that the great philosopher married her for the challenge of constant argument. He was quoted as saying, I know full well, that if I can tolerate her spirit, I can with ease attach myself to every human being else.
Xanthippe and Socrates
Fine, MFK, but what has this to do with food? As a well travelled and thrice married lady, Fisher was convinced that comfortable and happy mealtimes were the bedrock of a successful relationship. Nothing, she writes, has driven more men into the arms of other women than the sound of a shrill whine at table. Speculating that Xanthippe kept up her ill temper at dinner, she continues, I am convinced that there is no better culture for the quick growth of the germs of marital loathings than the family board.
The impact on both parties of the shock of nagging over an omelet and a salad is set out in a pattern used tastelessly by comic-strip writers. You should be aware that for some years MFK was in Hollywood as a gag writer for Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.
She whangs, he scowls back, suddenly the food in their bellies feels intolerably sour and dreadful...and finally they end...in the relative asylums of death, insanity, hypochondria or the law courts.
It's all a bit contrived, but then again Xanthippe was apparently Shakespeare's inspiration for The Taming of the Shrew. To make this at all food related, the chapter lists two recipes for scrambled eggs. Done well, these are as fine a comfort food as you could hope for. The first version is MFK's own (sorry, no cream for me please, Mary), the second is how she imagines Xanthippe might have served Socrates. A thoroughly nasty concoction, to be scraped onto cold plates and slammed down on a carelessly laid table.
So, really nothing to do with either the letter X or with food; however, if it encourages anyone to enter the world of MFK Fisher this article has not been in vain. Five years ago I confided that I had got my hands on a stash of the lady's work and that I was rationing it. I'd almost forgotten I had them - another reason to love Tom's Food! Happy reading.