Category Archives: food

BOOK: “The Virtues of the Table” by Julian Baggini

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The Virtues of the Table: How to Eat and ThinkThe Virtues of the Table: How to Eat and Think by Julian Baggini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher Site – Granta

This book examines the nexus of food and philosophy, from the ethics of butchery to the virtue of authenticity to whether hedonism is a necessary component of eating philosophically. Much of the book challenges or debates conventional wisdoms such as whether local foods are inherently better, whether dining is always and everywhere a social activity (or should be,) and whether organic is always preferable. The book covers a wide variety of topics including: mindfulness, gratitude, skepticism, fasting, willpower, spontaneity, technology, etc.

The book offers many ideas for reflection though sometimes it felt like it rambled on for more than the issue in question necessitated.

Each chapter ends with a discussion of a particular food and its preparation as thought relevant by the author. This is a nice grounding mechanism for discussion that tends otherwise to be cerebral and philosophic.

I’d recommend this book for anyone interested in thinking more about food and its intersection with philosophy of life.

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CHINA LIMERICK

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There was an old man from China
  who thought he was having angina,
     but it was the Kung Pao --
     with peppercorns for WOW! --
  that gave heartburn to the old man of China.

PERU LIMERICK

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There was a Guinea Pig from Peru
   who didn’t know just quite what to do.
     He’d heard there were places
     -- oh, so magical places –
 where his kind lived as pets not as food.

PROMPT: Do More

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Daily writing prompt
What could you do more of?
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Pie eating. I don't mean to be gluttonous about it, but I seldom eat a proper piece of pie. I'd say I get enough dessert, overall, but perhaps need to shift more of the balance of dessert in the direction of pie. Or maybe I just have a momentary hankering for pie, and this is all just meaningless rambles. I do not intend to build a pie-eating action plan, so things will probably remain as they are on the pie-eating front.

PROMPT: Energy

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Daily writing prompt
What things give you energy?
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Food and air, mostly. Ultimately, the Sun, I suppose.

PROMPT: Cooking Fail

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Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

A blunder once in a while does not rise to tragedy. I burn toast on a regular basis. Think about that. It’s the most rudimentary culinary activity imaginable, and I fuck it up at least weekly.

To be fair, I think my toaster might be a North Korean imposter, part of a plot to undermine the Western Capitalist world one ruined breakfast at a time.

PROMPT: Foods

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Daily writing prompt
What are your favorite types of foods?
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Those that are authentic to wherever I am at the moment. [Nothing fancy, but with nutritional value.]

FIVE WISE LINES [September 2025]

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The aim of introduction is to conceal a person’s identity.

George Mikes, How To Be an Alien

From the beginning our philosophers have tried to teach us how to die,
and our poets have taught us that to contemplate death
is to learn to live.

Jonathan weiner, Long for this world

Nothing is harder to see into than people’s natures.

Zhuge liang [a.k.a. Kongming], The WAy of the General

To know how to eat is to know how to live.

Auguste Escoffier

Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.

Mark twain

PROMPT: Recipe

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Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite recipe?
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Flour, water, salt, and yeast. The epitome of simplicity.

PROMPT: Expensive Meal

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Daily writing prompt
What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?
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I can’t remember, but it’s never been worth it. Seems like the more one pays for a meal, the hungrier one leaves it. Enjoy your “foam reductions” if you like, but it’s not for me. I’ll take street food any day — cheap, filling, flavorful street food. It’s got character and doesn’t try too hard.

My palate may be unrefined, but — also — I’m no sucker.