Food for Thought

I'm not a cook. I don't really enjoy cooking: I do it because Catherine and I have to eat and we can't afford to go out for dinner (or even to order in) every night. Clotilde Dusoulier, on the other hand, very much likes to cook and I'm a big fan of her Chocolate & Zucchini blog because she communicates her passion extremely well. Despite being based in Paris, Clotilde went to college in the U.S. and began her blog in English (a French version is now available). What I like about C&Z, however, is that the blog is more than just recipes: Clotilde has shared interesting food-related thoughts about the environment and sustainability, restaurants, travel and, of course, kitchen gadgets (I've never met a chef who didn't fetishize one or two utensils that they use in the preparation of virtually every dish).

This past fall, she began a project that I've especially enjoyed: Edible Idioms. It's a series of essays on common French sayings, aphorisms and metaphors that employ food-related imagery. One in particular that has stayed with me is pédaler dans la semoule— pedaling in semolina—because it evokes such a vivid mental picture for me. As someone who is intrigued by languages, etymology and cultures, I applaud Clotilde's undertaking of this enterprise; I look forward to seeing what she offers next.