Jamón Ibérico

[Quijote]

Well yes, one has to make choices in life. I used to be a sane person, then I became a harmony/counterpoint teacher. No, that's not right, it all started going wrong for me when I came to France.

[Sorrano]

Actually, in my experience brass players don't give a fig about good wine, all they care about is quantity. Need to replace all that saliva (eegh!) they lose whilst they blast out their parts. So to speak.

I used to play cornet, but then had to give it up as I am not a drinker.

[Quijote]

Actually, can I tell you a funny story about 'figs'?
[No, please, not that story, it's not remotely funny or interesting. Why do you do this to these people? Ed.]

[Quijote]

Actually, in my experience brass players don't give a fig about good wine, all they care about is quantity. Need to replace all that saliva (eegh!) they lose whilst they blast out their parts. So to speak.

[Quijote]

When I'm stressed out (too often,these days), my diet consists of cigarettes and coffee. Anyway, term's over so I'm going to relax and get down to some serious festive nosh. And good wine. Although I'm not a brass player.

[Quijote]

[...] baked salmon in lobster sauce) [...]

That's for me!

[...]To look at me you'd think I suffer from malnutrition, but I do enjoy my food!

Skinny but always hungry? I used to be like that. Now I'm not so skinny, but my appetite is always good. Well, not when I'm stressed out, but when I'm 'unbuttoned' (an expression LvB used!), on holiday for example, then ... ah ... food!

[Quijote]

The 4'33" recipes have to be done in absolute silence, relatively.

When I'm cooking Sorrano, there is never anything closely resembling silence, it's all banging and crashing and lots of swearing and things like "Get the f... out of my kitchen, I'm cooking, dammit ...". A stressful time for my family, I admit, but the plates are always licked clean. Saves on the dishwasher.

[Sorrano]

The French would call you a "Gourmand" Sorrano! It's not a rude word, I promise you. I could tell you what it means, but you're a lazybones, look it up on Google or something!!

Here, in Salt Lake City, we have a bakery called Gourmandie's. It rather good (they have a wonderful baked salmon in lobster sauce) and features lots of tasty delicacies.

Incidentally, I did look it up and I do resemble that. Thank you! To look at me you'd think I suffer from malnutrition, but I do enjoy my food!

[Quijote]

The French would call you a "Gourmand" Sorrano! It's not a rude word, I promise you. I could tell you what it means, but you're a lazybones, look it up on Google or something!!

[Sorrano]

Have you all noticed the high frequency of food idioms in our language? And indeed the high frequency of food-based (or perhaps more precisely 'tongue-based') adjectives when discussing music? Spicy chords? Delicious harmonies? Sweet melodies? Bitter dissonance?
Crazed posters? Going Dutch (splitting the restaurant bill)? Cauliflower ears? Carrot nose?
[Oh Lord, he's off again. Ed.]

For a second I thought you had written "Glazed posters" and suddenly got hungry for a pastry.

[Sorrano]

Although I will eat almost anything, I have to say there is one French delicacy I can't quite stomach, and that is sheep's brain. I gave it a go once. OK, so I tried it, but I'm not going to rush out and buy kilos of the stuff.
Also Brussels sprouts ... no thanks. And a big "No" to parsnips. Memories of my school canteen.

Parsnips and Brussel sprouts? Those are wonderful! But you do have to cook the parsnips right, along with turnips and rutabagas.

[Sorrano]

Talking about food, I've got that Jamie Oliver "30-minute" recipe book. It's not bad at all, though I'm not into setting a stopwatch as I cook. Apparently he's brought out a new one: "15-minute recipes". OK, why not. And next year? 7-minute recipes? Anyway, I'll be the first to buy any cook book that offers 4'33" recipes. Probably macrobiotic. No meat. On second thoughts, no I won't.

The 4'33" recipes have to be done in absolute silence, relatively.

[Quijote]

And here is your very own Don Quijote solution (see attached PDF). Maybe play it through (or get someone to do so for you) and you'll see what I mean about "sticky toffee" !

[Quijote]

Alright, I've eaten now, so I'm calmer. But even so, about this 'food and music' connection: I set an exam today to another group of students. I took the melody (rather an 'artificial' one designed to get students to employ Secondary 7ths) from the harmony treatise I use, and even the author suggests that too heavy a use of Secondary 7ths produces a "sticky" effect. OK, the idea of 'sticky' here is more a 'tactile' adjective than taste (tongue), but for me the idea of sticky toffee (clogging up your teeth) came to mind.
Anyway, I enclose the PDF of the exam question, and later I'll post my own solution. No quiz this time, though if you could play it (or get someone to play it through for you), you'll get what I'm driving at.

[Quijote]

Have you all noticed the high frequency of food idioms in our language? And indeed the high frequency of food-based (or perhaps more precisely 'tongue-based') adjectives when discussing music? Spicy chords? Delicious harmonies? Sweet melodies? Bitter dissonance?
Crazed posters? Going Dutch (splitting the restaurant bill)? Cauliflower ears? Carrot nose?
[Oh Lord, he's off again. Ed.]