This week's links. Enjoy.
When in Paris
From Phaidon Edit: "To 'flâneur' is to stroll, to wander or to saunter. A flâneur (or flâneuse) would quite happily wander the streets of a place, letting their instinct guide them... A growing number of 'walkers' that live or sight-see by this type of philosophy are using their online blogs to record their findings..." Great links.
I Know How to Cook
Je Sais Cuisiner by Ginette Mathiot was the best selling cookbook in France for 3 generations, the bible of French home cooking. For the first time ever it's now available in English, thanks to a new translation by Parisian food writer Clotilde Dusoulier (who you may know through her Chocolate and Zucchini food blog). Follow the link to read about how Clotilde went about this formidable task — and her fond memories of the original, too.
From A to Z: A Tour of the Alphabet
The Guardian's book site has a fun little slide show featuring pages from David Sacks' new book, Alphabets, A Miscellany of Letters. A feast for typography nerds (like me).
Shipwrecked Champagne
Tasters of the early 19th century bottles of Veuve Clicquot and (the now defunct) Juglar, recovered from a shipwreck discovered last July in the Baltic Sea, discerned "hints of chanterelles and linden blossom." The 168 salvaged bottles will be put up for auction. Via The Food Section.
A Child Star of Silent Film's Dramatic Life
Baby Marie Osborne, who made her silent film debut in the 1914 melodrama Kidnapped in New York, went on to make 28 more movies before retiring at the age of 8. This week she passed away at the age of 99, and her NYT obituary reads like one of the silent films she starred in — just an extraordinary life.
Adopt a Word
From Good Magazine: "The Oxford English Dictionary has launched something very charming and playful: a campaign to save forgotten words from obsolescence. As you move your mouse over the collage of words they call out for you to pick them, and when you click, a definition pops up, as well as an invitation to adopt it." Such a great idea — and just think how your Scrabble skills will improve! Via Andrew (thanks!)
Why Making Dinner is a Good Idea
Behavioral scientists are looking at a new theory about why people gain weight — and they found that working for your food (i.e. making it for yourself from scratch rather than just tossing something in the microwave) makes the pleasure centres in the brain do a real little happy dance. Those who frequently ate prepackaged foods had to eat significantly more of it to get the same buzz. Intriguing. Via Wired Science.
Holiday Apple Desserts
Food writer Gael Greene rounds up some favourite apple dessert recipes from fellow food writer friends. Via Dorie Greenspan.
(photo of shelley and brandon's dining room from covet garden magazine via simply seleta)