Food & drink takeaways - 2 September
A curated taster menu of every day’s food & drink associations
A noodle soup that symbolises a nation’s independence, a 19th century focus on spaghetti eaters and the Mexican masterchef who helped to pioneer a new cuisine.
Just some of the delights that 2 September brings to the food and drink table.
Click on the links for extra helpings.
Celebration days
‘Many Vietnamese people regard noodle soup with a clear meat-based broth called pho {header photo} as a national dish”
UK: Scottish Food & Drink September
Unofficial
USA: Blueberry Popsicle Day
Food in art
Mangiamaccheroni - translated as spaghetti eaters - of Naples in southern Italy as captured by one of Europe’s most important and prolific photographers of the 19th century, Giorgio Sommer (born on this day in 1834).
"It is said that pasta became a staple of southern Italy, especially Naples, as we can see in many photos from that period portraying the “Mangiamaccheroni”, (Spaghetti eaters). Spaghetti was popular as street food."
Also born on this day – but in 1911 – was African-American artist Romare Bearden of whom Singulart magazine said:
"Romare Bearden’s passion for social issues and the African-American experience resonated profoundly in his art, creating a powerful and enduring legacy. His work is not merely a reflection of the African-American experience but also a testament to the broader human condition, masterfully brought to life through the lens of abstraction."
According to The Artist’s Palate by Frank Fedele (published by Dorling Kindersley), Bearden's own favourite dish was Artist’s Meal – a combination of tinned salmon, mushroom soup, pimentos, onion, green peas and parmesan served over toast.
Pictured below is Bearden's work entitled The Family (Around the Dining Table)
Food birthdays
1967
Mexican chef from Tijuana, Baja California, whose cooking is credited with helping to define a new cuisine, Baja Med
"'Baja Mediterranean' or 'Baja Med,' for short, has become an increasingly broad term (much like 'Mediterranean') to describe the modern, high-end, culturally diverse cuisine, prepared from locally sourced ingredients, coming from chefs of Baja California, Mexico."
