meta rec: 17th century french cuisine

[martasfic]

sevenswells has put together a really fun crash-course in French cuisine around the time of The Three Musketeers: http://sevenswells.livejournal.com/132797.html

The only thing wrong with it is she didn't write it five years ago, when I was writing Numenorean and Gondor fics, both of which I tend to model (loosely) on the high middle ages and early middle ages; my Minas Tirith is loosely based on Medici-era Florence and I would have had great fun imagining a Dol Amroth table piled high with tartelette amandines. Yes, even though it's French rather than Italian.

Even if you're not drawn to this period for one reason or another, even if you think Tolkien would have an allergic reaction to all things French (and yeah, he really kind of would), the excitement sevenswells brings to this topic is just infectious. Do check it out. It's fun to read for its own sake, and may be useful depending on what you write these days.

Comments

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I hope one day you will return to Tolkien stories.

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

I really do expect I will. I'm not closing that door entirely; I think I'm just so taken with BBC Sherlock and Doyle at the moment there's not much room for anything else. But part of that is also needing a bit of breathing space. Between the MEFAs and Rolf and grad school and everything else that makes me not want a strong connection to what I was doing two or three years ago... well, on top of being interested in something new, I need something to clear the palette I guess.

That said, I've enjoyed doing a bit of reading and reviewing and I can see myself easing back into Tolkien fanfic writing myself one of these days. I didn't mean to imply I was shutting that door forever. It's just that if I was drawn to writing Tolkien at the moment I'd have to have a Minas Tirith cook (just_ann_now's Mag, perhaps?) figuring out how to make those tartelletes amandine, because it was Faramir and he wanted it in remembrance of the treats they'd always sneak in Dol Amroth together and it was ridiculous and indulgent but of course she'd make sure the dish was just so. And that idea gets filed away in the someday file because I've tried Tolkien and it's just not happening now. But there is a someday file, so there's hope there.