GOOD COOKING AND GOOD POLITICAL THOUGHT have their similarities. Digby Anderson, who
ought to write more than he does, says in his short piece, "Tradition, Self-Restraint and Social Control,"
Chefs like to claim to be inventive and that word is used by food journalists as a term
of praise. But in fact the best food is produced by hard work, practice, obedient
adherence to tradition and scrupulous choice of the best ingredients. It is an effort.
And so is good eating. It too requires the acquisition of habits, respect for tradition,
practice, self-restraint. And, in the best societies and social classes, there are
powerful social forces which teach these and enforce them. It is worth adding that if a
society has an eating problem, if it eats in any sense of the word badly, that this is
not to be explained by the machinations of allegedly manipulative suppliers of food,
drink and tobacco but by the collapse of educated, restrained, traditional demand.
I would note that the suppliers are one reason for the collapse of educated,
restrained, traditional, demand, but they are not the main reason.
[ http://php.indiana.edu/~erasmuse/w/03.07.23a.htm ]
To return to Eric Rasmusen's weblog, click http://php.indiana.edu/~erasmuse/w/0.rasmusen.htm.