Found Meals of the Lost Generation: Recipes and Anecdotes from 1920's Paris

by Suzanne Rodriguez

Paris in the 1920s was alive with writers, artists, musicians, and dancers. It was here that Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, Man Ray, and Josephine Baker came to create and to congregate. And when they got together, it was often for a meal. In Found Meals of the Lost Generation, Suzanne Rodriguez-Hunter has brought thirty such gatherings to life: she describes the setting, the guest list, the conversation, and, of course, the food - providing recipes for every dish. The reader-cook can join Ernest Hemingway and F.Scott Fitzgerald for escargots a la Bourguignon, Sylvia Beach and James Joyce for ham braised in Madeira, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas for jugged hare, John Dos Passos for clam risotto, and Jean Cocteau for afternoon tea. Side dishes, desserts, and suggestions for the appropriate wines and liqueurs are also included. The result will delight lovers of cooking and literature alike, and make for some memorable meals.

Genres: Cookbooks

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

About the author

Suzanne Rodriguez is a journalist and the author of three non-fiction books and hundreds of national magazine and newspaper articles. Suzanne’s writing covers numerous topics, including travel, food, wine, history, art, people, business, and technology. She lives in the town of Sonoma, California. When not at her desk, Suzanne can be found on steep hiking trails, traveling, enjoying great meals in wonderful dives or Michelin-starred restaurants, and pursuing research. She is currently completing a novel about a fascinating but little-known aspect of early California history.

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writers, artist, musicians and dancers of the 1920's converge on Paris to share ideas, gastronomical delights and good wines. Anecdotal stories at their best suggesting lunches and dinners, side dishes and desserts. Delightful stories pared with creative recipes. I have re-read this book many times and always come up with another great dinner idea!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes peppered with interesting comments about the times. Bought as a cookbook, but shelved with my '20's Paris books.

[Bea Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise of the book and the antidotes. Learning about some aspect of Josephine Baker (who knew she was friends with Grace Kelley) or Zelda Fitzgerald (she died in a fire!) was fun but there were parts of the book that a good editor could have helped.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a clever premise---find written descriptions of meals eaten by members of the Lost Generation (and others of note, e.g., James Joyce) and research recipes of these dishes, found in cook books of the era.
These recipes for the most part, make one wish for an Upstairs Downstairs style of kitchen staff. Very labor (and ingredient) intensive. The weirdest example was the idea that one needn't purchase snails commercially to prepare escargot---simply raid your own garden----but----snails must be "purged"---so they much be caged and fed only lettuce and water for 2 weeks. Righto! Nonsense.
The impression of the various artists, writers, and thinkers featured in the book was that the great majority of them came from very wealthy families, and that the abuse of alcohol cannot be under-estimated in its role in the lack of achievement, rotten health, and ultimately, death of the persons described. There just seemed to be tale after tale of enormous wealth, great talent, and misery.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cool little book if you love the 1920s Paris literary scene. Interesting recipes and anecdotes ... e.g. "Kiki and Man Ray: Kiki cooks" ... fun fun fun.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fills in the gaps I've had with Stein salon scene in Paris.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is will make you think of midnight in Paris-- go back in time

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book. The recipes were good too.