13 Dec 2021

Oh Beautiful Bread Machine

Q. While some of you brilliant bakers are yeasting your bread up from scratch, many of us are marvelling at the ease of our hulking bread machines. What to sprinkle in next? And who invented this magical maker of bread? . A. Thank African American Joseph Lee for this almost-homemade,

06 Dec 2021

Top Emojis 2021

Q. 2021. We all have been through a lot. So much for celebrating the end of a calamitous 2020. How did we express our considerable emotions during this last year? Which emojis were we most likely to use when communicating with others? A. That’s a question that interested the Unicode

27 Nov 2021

Most Tempting Holiday Foods

Q. As we dive deep into holiday season, do you find yourself craving certain foods? Perhaps your food cravings are nostalgic. Perhaps those holiday ads – rippled chips and french onion dip! – are doing their mischief.  Which foods do North American palates find most tempting over the winter holiday

24 Nov 2021

Can’t Have Your Cake

Q. Oh sure. So and so wants to have their cake and eat it too. We’ve all heard the expression, but how does that make sense? What is so presumptuous about wanting to eat the cake you have bought, baked, or been gifted? . A. For starters, this is another

20 Nov 2021

French Toast?

Q. What are the chances that the French invented French Toast, and called it ‘French Toast’? . A. The chances are slim. First: the French are more likely to call this dish, with its clever way of rescuing stale bread: ‘pain perdu’ or ‘lost bread’. Second: this bread-stretching recipe –

16 Nov 2021

Broken Beauty

Q. Artist eyes see beauty in the things we discard. What are some examples of artists celebrating the well-worn, the battered, and the broken? . A. .   In Ceramics Artist Naoko Fukumaru 2021 Website Statement ‘Kintsugi, the art of golden joinery, is a five-hundred-year-old Japanese method of restoring damaged

11 Nov 2021

A Poppy To Remember

Q. We remember and offer our deepest respect to those who serve. As we watch Remembrance Day services, we see red poppies on uniforms, on jackets, on wreaths. How did the poppy come to represent those who have fallen in service of their country?   A. We turn to Veterans

08 Nov 2021

City Nicknames

Q. City nicknames are a tricky thing, more often used by people who live elsewhere. When I moved to the Bay Area, new friends were quick to tell me: “Whatever you do, do not call San Francisco ‘Frisco’. And don’t even think about calling it ‘San Fran’. It’s just ‘The

05 Nov 2021

Velvet And Purls

Q. As you read or watch period dramas, you might see reference to largely forgotten food and drink. Some examples? . A. Beef Tea Cordial We find this ‘restorative drink’ in Frederick and Seymour Davies’ 1896 Drinks of all Kinds. ‘Make half a pint of beef tea by adding the

01 Nov 2021

One Big Painted Family

Q. For his 1942 painting Nighthawks, artist Edward Hopper used both his wife, Jo – a frequent muse – and himself as models. As Jo wrote in a letter to Edward’s sister, Marion: ‘Ed has just finished a very fine picture—a lunch counter at night with 3 figures. Night Hawks