I”m happy to announce that our first reading for this year’s book club at Culinarium will be “How to Cook a Wolf”, by M.F.K. Fisher. This book was suggested at our last book club of 2010, and I thought it would a great way to start off this year’s gathering. I’ll tell you why. As I was reading an excerpt from Fisher’s introduction to the revised edition, I was struck by this: while she acknowledges that she first wrote the book during wartime, she suggests that “…one proof that we are human is our ability to learn, even from it [war], how better to exist…” and that it is worth reading again because it is timeless.
I thought, we-North Americans- are living right now in wartime, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, we are struggling in faulty economic times and with the risk of rising hydro costs. We wonder how to afford high quality food for our families, how to eat healthily, how to make simple food into a feast. Those of us involved in food share programs and CSA’s often wonder how to be creative with the never-ending supply of cabbage, squash, beets, and jerusalem artichokes. We’re about to wonder what to do with all the garlic scapes we will receive later this Spring. This book is applicable right now.
Please join me- Jennifer- for our first book club of 2011, on Tuesday, April 26th, from 7:30-9pm. We’ll gnosh on Ontario goodies and share ideas. In preparation for our in-store gathering, follow along on Culinarium’s blog as I post now and then my thoughts on what I’m reading. And, of course, offer up your own thoughts online as well. I look forward to seeing you here, and on April 26th.
How do I join the book club? It sounds like fun !
To join our book club all you have to do is pop us an email fork@culinarium.ca or give us a ring at 647 430-7004 and we’ll sign you up. It’s fun, it’s free.
I live in Germany and am a member of an English-speaking book club here. I am hosting in September and have chosen “How to Cook a Wolf” (which I love!) for that meeting. Would you be willing to share some (or all) of your book club questions? I’ve been compiling a list but am not terribly satisfied with it. Thank you.
Hi Elizabeth, we didn’t actually have a list of questions for this book. Instead, when we started the conversation, we left it open because we wanted to see what others were thinking. Our initial perspective was of making a connection between current economic struggles and those of the 1930′s-40′s. That didn’t seem to be a focus too much with the group, so our discussion didn’t really go there.
One question that did come up was about the apparent dichotomy between the time in which Fisher was writing and her own economic status: who was she? Did she suffer as much as she supposed her readers did? What was the motivation behind this book?
I imagine that these questions might merit a completely different discussion in Europe than they did in North America. I would be interested to know what you find should you pose them to your group.
Hope this gives you a little help as you prepare.
Be well,
Culinarium Staffer, Jennifer