Today’s entry is inevitable. As a student of French literature, I must write about the great French author Marcel Proust’s definitive “food memory” scene, which may well be the most well-known in all of literature. While Proust’s madeleine may seem a cliché, at least to French readers, there is truly nothing cliché about Marcel Proust’s work. Obsessed with dissecting the experience … Continue reading Mad for Madeleines
One of the hazards of this kind of blogging, one that I have been anticipating all along, is that of finding a food or recipe that I find perfectly delightful, but that in all honesty my son finds less so. I have decided to remain honest as a blogger and admit when this happens, while … Continue reading Khichdi
In case you haven’t seen or heard about this project, I wanted to call to your attention an amazing work of photojournalism called What the World Eats, by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio, published in 2005. Basically, the idea is that families from every corner of the world were photographed next to the food they eat in … Continue reading What the World Eats
I have found Indian markets to be treasure troves of interesting and reasonably priced ingredients. I buy all of my spices there, which probably cost about 1/6 of what they do at the grocery store, and I love discovering new condiments, grains, beans, and flours. I have recently been reading about a grain called finger … Continue reading Ragi
When I was a kid, I had a passion for fruit roll ups. To be honest, I still do… well I would if they still existed. I used to love unfolding them, pulling back the thin plastic film, and pulling off bites of the smooth yet chewy fruit. It’s like the simplest and most perfect combination of fruit … Continue reading Apricot Leather from Syria
My mother in law recently sent us a package of cookies from France called “P’tit Biscuit.” They are finger-shaped, vanilla-flavored cookies that crunch if you bite into them, but are equally “fondant,” or melty, if you keep them in your mouth. The biscuits immediately stole my son’s heart and his face lights up when he sees one coming. For … Continue reading Plasmon Biscuits
One of my favorite childhood foods and, I’m happy to report, one of my son’s as well, is chicken soup. There is no more comforting food when you’re feeling under the weather, stressed out, cold… or just any old time really, than chicken soup. In Yiddish culture, chicken soup is revered as a cure for a variety … Continue reading Jewish Penicillin
Hi! My name is Charlotte. I am a recent PhD (French cultural and literary studies), avid home cook, and mom of a little boy born in June 2011. This blog started when I began introducing new foods to my son and become interested in how people around the world feed their children. I got the idea to start a … Continue reading Welcome to the Children’s Table
The Children's Table 