The French Influence

It's hard not to think of the french on the Fourth of July.after all they supported us during hte American Revolution and gave is their best the Marquise  de Lafayette to help fight the war. Yet it's their cuisine that's had a lasting mark on the American table.

Our founding fathers from Ben Franklin to Thomas Jefferson spent time in the country namely Paris. Franklin was a notorious oenophile and had many good french vintages in his Passy home outside of Paris. Tom Jefferson was a farmer at heart and brought a variety of plants to cultivate here on his Virginia estate. He also had a French chef and made sure that Gallic fare was served during White House banquets. He introduced crepes, French fries (orignally Belgian but adopred by the French), meringues, ice cream and macaroons.By 1824 la cuisine francaise  or haute cuisine was de rigeur in the better kitchens. During America's Gilded Age  the wealthy would bring their chefs to Paris to pick up recipes and tips. They brought home such dishes as Hollandaise sauce,potatoes Lyonnaise ,omelettes souffle';s bisques and sweetbreads. it wasn't unusual to see omelets being served in South Carolina buffets or have a Mississippi paddle wheeler cooking up potatoes Lyonnaise for hungry gamblers.

We still adoreFrench cooking. Croissants are part of our lives, being sold everywhere from Dunkin Donuts to fancy patisseries. Macarons are such a part of our dessert table, being a standard now at brunches and showers. Then there are those frothy  sweet bites meringues which are fun to make. Brioche, once hard to get is everywhere. There are brioche hamburger buns and even bread companies like Sara Lee are selling brioche loaves.Of course there is Cajun  cooking coming from the Acadian area of Nova Scotia. These were from the French Canadians who were displaced after the French and Indian War and settled in Lousiana. then French owned. Cajun cooking has influenced many cooking emthods. They'r e big on barbecuing and injecting eats with liquod for fall off the bone tenderness. This was also the cuisine that gave us mirepoix or the holy trinity of Cajun cooking, bell peppers, onions and celery. Thanks to its' marriage with African cooking and ingredients its' give the Amercan table gumbo and boudin, a sausage made with sausage onion and green pepper.

The French have long been a facvtor in the American experiment. However it's their cooking that is a big part of our lives. It has been a strong influence for over three centuries.

Sancruary Restaurants

In this day and age we have to do all we can to help and protect others. Now the concept is going from towns and the cities to the restaurants in them. Should this be?Or should our eateries stay out of politics.

This was the dilemma posed in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Food regular, Kim Severson wrote about this movement that happened after Donald  J. Trump became president.This current leader has brought about a nasty and pervasive climate of xenophobia, racism and misogyny. It sadly affects everyone from the farmers that provide the ingredients to the restaurant help who make those ingredients into delicious dishes. Yet at any moment those people can be snatched up by ICE and sent back to their countries of origin.Families will be split up. One restaurant owner arranged to take guardianship of thirteen employees' children if the parents get deported.Another restaurant, Double Comfort in Columbus, Ohio has declared itself a "sanctuary restaurant" meaning that all are welcome, from the LGBT community to immigrants to all races and religions. This was a no brainer for owner , Mary Lyski who already donates all of the restaurant's profits to local food pantries.She even invites Trump voters and supporters in,

Is it good to bring politics into food? Many social media followers have shown their dismay at celebrity chef, Mario Batali for his views, saying he should just stick to cooking and not policies. Yet some policies are connected to our appetites.Chef Edward Lee, who owns restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky and Washington DC feels that politics has always been a means to an end to improving their communities.He uses his restaurant as a tool to do just that.For those who want to get involved there is what is known as James Beard Foundation Boot Camps which trains chefs to shape food policy,Interest in these have grown since the election. There's a waiting list of eight hundred for this five year old service. Issues are dissected at them, Politics are forbidden as is the president's name.Luckily for the industry there is a new generation of  chefs that have grown up on creating fundraisers and giving back to the community along with creating food drives. They will need that determination when they deal with various policies regarding nutrition and GMOs.

Do politics need to be in our restaurants? Should chefs be outspoken about our politicians? Yes on all acccounts. They too , are voters, and Americans too. They need to be heard. They need to be  a strong universal voice.