In the Market
This post is the beginning of a series we will be doing on the French influences in the Capitol. We know everyone is hyped about Hamilton right now, but we have a sweet spot for Thomas Jefferson (wahoowa!) and his French affiliations.Â
On any young woman’s bookshelf you’re bound to find a few lifestyle or trendy self help books touting any number of essential lifestyle guidelines. Among the plethora of feminine self improvement one book stands distinguished in the race to self betterment: French Women Don't Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano. With the rise of magazines like Darling, Verily, and Kinfolk, it’s important to remember and pay tribute to the origins of “the art of slow living”: the French. First released in 2004, French Women Don’t Get Fat reminded us how more than diet or calorie counting, lifestyle plays a key role in the way we approach food. In the following decade there have been many iterations of the simple and elegant approach Guiliano outlines with her trusted Dr. Miracle and personal anecdotes. Part of the reason for Guiliano’s staying success is that her guide was among the first to romanticize being intentional. Guiliano illustrated how being deliberate can create an effect that gives the mundane a feeling of indulgence. Â
Part of the book that was most striking for an American girl raised on Southern Sam’s Club food hauls was when her Dr. Miracle emphasized buying only what you need for a day or two at small local markets. She speaks to this process and engagement with food as a part of the importance of Ritual Preparation. This ideal of routine preparedness can be hard to come by and reckon with a hill staffer’s demanding schedule. Nevertheless, when the opportunity presented itself Mckinley and I made our way over to the market to pick up a few essentials and the makings for a spring cook out. Mckinley is admittedly much more of a baker, but loves the challenges of exploring in the kitchen.Â
Mckinley’s ride or die recipe for melting a man’s heart: Chocolate Chip Bundt CakeÂ
Hannah’s any-day-that-ends-in-y dinner: Char-grilled Unagi Don (Eel) JK JK too many bones to deal with, also definitely not French, but we’ll cover Japanese influences in the future (I mean come on, how could we ignore the cherry blossoms).Â
Savour has a wonderful list of French recipes here. If you need us we’ll be donning aprons and rewatching Ratatouille while waiting for water to boil.Â
“The more you know, the more you can create. There's no end to imagination in the kitchen.”  Julia Child
