by Holly Hughes
If my toasting mission has been a successful one, I will pour my tea and slather my freshly carbonized breakfast with whatever is most handy. I eat it absentmindedly as I sit with my tea and read the news.
If ever a thought of mine was given to toast beyond its making, it has been merely to wonder what should be placed upon it: butter, cheese, peanut butter, bacon, tomatoes. I have always regarded my toast as a platform upon which to place other, more interesting things.
And, though I sometimes take my toast with jam, I almost always take it for granted. That is, until a friend of mine caused me to look at the stuff in a different light.
“You know, I think you should write about toast,” he said. His choice of venue was fitting, since these words were uttered near the bread station of our restaurant, which is conveniently located in front of a giant heat source—a large fireplace that was currently blazing and sending its heat out toward the stacks of fresh loaves. Before I could wonder aloud if toast could ever be made interesting, he added:
“It was the first food Gabrielle Giffords asked for and it’s sometimes the only thing I have an appetite for myself.” Since this statement came from a man who has been battling brain cancer with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy for the past seven months, I took notice.
And now, for the first time in my life, I am giving proper thought to toast.
I’ve never had to fight off death, but I have often wondered if I would have the emotional and spiritual strength to beat back the brutal savaging done to me by a bullet or a mass of cancer cells or any other life-threatening agent. I know that I am fortunate enough to have the all support necessary should I need it—a good doctor, my family, my friends—but none of these externals would be of any real avail unless I had within me the powerful and indomitable urge to live. Battling death is not for the weak-willed.
I’m sure I have it within me, but it has never needed to come out and show itself, like it has for Giffords and my friend Doug. Both of them have stared death in the face. Both of them have made a slow-but-steady crawl back to life, though their bodies and appetites have been weakened. And both of them have expressed their recovering hunger by asking for toast.
It makes perfect sense that they should ask for such a thing. Toast is basic, comforting, and easily digestible—something which can be quickly made with ingredients readily at hand. It is bland, yet appealing to nearly everyone. To those of us struggling to regain our health, toast presents itself to us as a sort of gustatory life raft we can hold onto until there is enough strength to pull ourselves out of the deep.
In another sense, the asking for toast is a symbolic act, however unintentional. Freshly baked bread has a relatively short shelf life—it hardens and stales and is generally rendered unfit for eating unless it is ground up into crumbs and re-purposed or thrown to hungry birds. Yet if that same bread is sliced up and heated, it is given a new lease on life, but with a deeper, richer texture and flavor than it had before it was held to the fire.
Before it became toast.
I went for a walk with Doug shortly after his brain surgery. As we strolled around the park, he told me that having a brain tumor was—oddly—one of the best things that ever happened to him because it caused him to concentrate on what was most important to him—spending time with his family. He added that every day he is given on this earth is a gift not to be wasted.
It was a hard-earned lesson I knew I would do very well to heed. Thinking about toast, of all things, has reminded me of that.
So thank you for that reminder, Doug. You’ve been sliced up, held to the fire and come back to life. Every time I put bread in the oven in the morning, I will think of you and do my best not to squander the new day I’ve been given.
And I will certainly never take my toast for granted again.
Or you, for that matter.
RECIPE INDEX
Phanouropita Cake (from “Saints, Cakes, and Redemption”), pp. 65–67.
Mock Turtle Soup (from “Mock Turtle Soup”), pp. 76–78.
Persimmon Bars with Lemon Glaze (from “The Case for Handwriting”), pp. 86–87
Ma Po Tofu (from “Chinese Takeout Artist”), pp. 237–240
PERMISSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Grateful acknowledgment is made to all those who gave permission for written material to appear in this book. Every effort has been made to trace and contact copyright holders. If an error or omission is brought to our notice, we will be pleased to remedy the situation in subsequent editions of this book. For further information, please contact the publisher.
Andrews, Colman. “Venice: Everything Comes from the Sea.” Copyright © 2010 by Colman Andrews. Used by permission of Colman Andrews. Originally appeared in Departures, October 2010.
Harris, Jessica B. “We Shall Not Be Moved.” From High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America. Copyright © 2011 by Jessica B. Harris. Used by permission of Bloomsbury USA.
Nelson, Rick. “From Kenya, with Love.” Copyright © 2010 by Star Tribune. Used by permission of Minneapolis Star Tribune. Originally appeared in Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 9, 2010.
Nicholson, Geoff. “Peasants.” Copyright © 2010 by Geoff Nicholson. Used by permission of Geoff Nicholson. Originally appeared in Tin House, Fall 2010.
Vine, Katy. “I Believe I Can Fry.” Copyright © 2010 by Texas Monthly. Used by permission of Texas Monthly. Originally appeared in Texas Monthly, September 2010.
Lam, Francis. “Fried-Cheese Epiphany at a Street Fair.” This article first appeared in Salon.com, at http://www.Salon.com. An online version remains in the Salon archives. Reprinted with permission.
Wells, Pete. “Prep School.” From the New York Times, September 19, 2010 © 2010 the New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.
Duane, Daniel. “How to Become an Intuitive Cook.” Copyright © 2010 by Daniel Duane. Used by permission of Daniel Duane. Originally appeared in Food &Wine, December 2010: pp. 126, 128, 130.
Brouilette, Alan. “Purple Reign.” Copyright © 2011 by Alan Brouilette. Used by permission of Alan Brouilette. A variation of this article originally appeared on www.blood-and-thunder.com, February 23 and 25, 2011.
Parker, Allison C. “Saints, Cakes, and Redemption.” Copyright © 2010 by Allison C. Parker. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Leite’s Culinaria, August 25, 2010.
Kimball, Christopher. “Mock Turtle Soup.” From the book Fannie’s Last Supper by Christopher Kimball. Copyright © 2010 Christopher Kimball. Reprinted by permission of Hyperion. All rights reserved.
Brickman, Sophie. “Nathan Myhrvold’s Method Makes Science of Cooking.” Copyright © 2011 by The San Francisco Chronicle. Reproduced by permission of The San Francisco Chronicle via Copyright Clearance Center.
Madison, Deborah. “The Case for Handwriting.” Copyright © 2010 by Deborah Madison. Used by permission of Deborah Madison. Originally appeared on www.zesterdaily.com on August 4, 2010.
Skloot, Floyd. “The Famous Recipe.” Copyright © by Floyd Skloot. Used by permission of the publisher. Originally appeared in Colorado Review, 2011: 68–81.
Thomas Livingston, “Broccolini®: What’s in a Name?” in Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture vol. 10, no. 3 (Summer 2010), pp. 89–92. © 2010 by the Regents of the University of California. Published by the University of California Press.
LeMay, Eric. “A Tomme at Twig Farm.” Reprinted with permission of Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., from Immortal Milk:Adventures in Cheese by Eric LeMay. Copyright © 2010 by Eric LeMay. All rights reserved.
Sen, Indrani. “Breadwinners.” Copyright © 2011 by Indrani Sen. Used by permission of Edible Manhattan. Originally appeared in Edible Manhattan, July 7, 2010.
Nabhan, Gary Paul. “A Fig by Any Other Name,” in Gastronom
ica:The Journal of Food and Culture vol. 10, no. 3 (Summer 2010), pp. 14–18. © 2010 by the Regents of the University of California. Published by the University of California Press.
Garvey, Hugh. “Going Full Boar in Hawaii.” Copyright © 2010 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Originally published in Bon Appétit. Reprinted by permission.
Madison, Mike. “Fruits of Desire.” Originally appeared in Saveur magazine, June/July 2010. Copyrighted 2011. Bonnier Corporation. 78014:0611SH
Kauffman, Jonathan. “Shark’s Fin: Understanding the Political Soup.” Copyright © 2011 by Jonathan Kauffman. Used by permission of Village Voice Media. Originally appeared in SF Weekly, March 2, 2011.
Silva, Jill Wendholt. “Life in a Food Desert.” Copyright © 2010 by Jill Wendholt Silva. Used by permission of the Kansas City Star. Originally appeared in the Kansas City Star, November 25, 2010.
Barry Estrabrook, “A Tale of Two Dairies,” in Gastronomica:The Journal of Food and Culture vol. 10, no. 4 (Fall 2010), pp. 48–52. © 2010 by the Regents of the University of California. Published by the University of California Press.
Deseran, Sara. “The Feed Frenzy.” Copyright © 2010 by Sara Deseran. Used by permission of 7x7.com. Originally appeared on 7x7.com, August 2010.
Fauchald, Nick. “A Digerati’s Food Diary.” Copyright © 2011 by Nick Fauchald. Used by permission of Nick Fauchald. Originally appeared in Food & Wine, January 2011: pp. 50, 52–53.
DeLorenzo, Ike. “Everyone’s a Critic.” Copyright © 2010 by Ike De-Lorenzo. Used by permission of Ike DeLorenzo. Originally appeared in Boston Globe, June 2, 2010.
Anderson, Brett. “New Orleans Family Oyster Company Devises Business Model to Stay Alive.” © (2010) The Times-Picayune Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Used with permission of The Times-Picayune.
Thorne, John. “Reflections on a Tin of Vienna Sausages.” Copyright © 2011 by John Thorne. Used by permission of John Thorne. Originally appeared on www.good.is on January 21, 2011.
Pang, Kevin. “800 Words on Tater Tots (no, seriously).” Reprinted with permission of Chicago Tribune; copyright © Chicago Tribune. All rights reserved. Originally appeared in The Chicago Tribune, May 5, 2011.
Holt, Steve. “Area Burger Joints Take the Junk Out of Fast Food.” Copyright © 2011 by Edible Boston. Used by permission of Edible Boston. Originally appeared in Edible Boston, Spring 2011.
Hahnefeld, Laura. “Fry Girl’s Year of Eating Dangerously.” Copyright © 2011 by Laura Hahnefeld. Used by permission of Village Voice Media. Originally appeared in Phoenix New Times, January 20, 2011.
Altman, Elissa. “Craving the Food of Depravity.” Copyright © 2011 by Elissa Altman. Used by permission of Elissa Altman. Originally appeared on www.PoorMansFeast.com, April 14, 2011.
Elder, Bryce. “In Defense of Shite Food.” Copyright © 2011 by Bryce Elder. Used by permission of Fire & Knives. Originally appeared in Fire & Knives, No. 4.
Sancton, Julian. “The Apostle of Indulgence.” Copyright © 2010 by Julian Sancton. Used by permission of Julian Sancton. Originally appeared in Playboy Magazine, April 2010.
Rayner, Jay. “Hooked on Classics.” Originally appeared in Saveur magazine, May 2011. Copyrighted 2011. Bonnier Corporation. 78014: 0611SH
Anderson, Lesssley.”Chinese Takeout Artist.” Copyright © 2010 by CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission of the CBS Interactive Inc. Originally appeared on CHOW.com, December 1, 2010.
Hamilton, Gabrielle. “The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef.” From Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef, by Gabrielle Hamilton, copyright © 2011 by Gabrielle Hamilton. Used by permission of Random House, Inc.
Abend, Lisa. “Expresssion.” Reprinted with the permission of Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. by Lisa Abend. Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Abend. All rights reserved.
Clement, Bethany Jean. “Is the Willows Inn All That?” Copyright © 2011 by Bethany Jean Clement. Used by permission of The Stranger. Originally appeared in The Stranger, May 17, 2011.
Hayward, Tim. “Reconsider the Oyster.” Copyright © 2011 by Tim Hayward. Used by permission of Fire & Knives. Originally appeared in Fire & Knives, No. 3.
Lee, Chang-Rae. “Magical Dinners: An Immigrant Thanksgiving.” Copyright © 2010 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Originally published in The New Yorker. Reprinted by permission.
Hodd, Ann. “The Golden Silver Palate,” copyright © 2011 by Ann Hood. Originally appeared in Alimentum the Literature of Food, Winter 2011. Used by permission of Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.
Leite, David. “When Food Doesn’t Heal.” Copyright © 2010 by David Leite. Used by permission of David Leite. Originally appeared in Leite’s Culinaria, December 6, 2010.
Theise, Terry. Reading Between the Wines. Copyright © 2010 by Terry Theise. Published by the University of California Press. Reprinted with permission of University of California Press.
Procopio, Michael. “On Toast.” Copyright © 2011 by Michael Procopio. Used by permission of Michael Procopio. Originally appeared on www.FoodfortheThoughtless.com, April 12, 2011.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
HOLLY HUGHES is a writer, the former executive editor of Fodor’s Travel Publications, and author of Frommer’s 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers.
Submissions for
Best Food Writing 2012
Submissions and nominations for Best Food Writing 2012 should be forwarded no later than May 15, 2012, to Holly Hughes at Best Food Writing 2012, c/o Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, or emailed to [email protected]. We regret that, due to volume, we cannot acknowledge receipt of all submissions.