Thank You Nelson Mandela for the Truth You Shared

Yesterday a great man died. He inspired us; he reminded us to be all that we can be, never less.

Whether it was his courage to withstand hunger without hate in the hell that was the prison on Robben Island or the joy with which he viewed the rounded gourd-shaped World Cup soccer stadium, he demonstrated daily the depth and width of the human heart when filled with understanding love.

He led South Africa to freedom, without the horror of massacre. He showed the world that problems can be solve without burning restaurants and shattered hotel windows.

The lessons he taught have flowed like a mighty river beyond the borders of his single country. As a result, country after country, of which he was not even a citizen, have lowered their flags today in respect and gratitude.

This global gesture is done to honor a man, who showed through a courage that defines the very heart of love, that compassion - not explosions, is the path to peace and fellowship.

Thank you. Thank you for being Nelson Mandela.

May we never forget the lessons you shared, the lessons you taught. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Remembering Kennedy Warmly

Fifty years ago America, like so many other countries, lost a promising young leader to hate and senseless violence. Kennedy was a leader who hoped for peace because he had seen the terrible face of war.

He was also a man who found some small part of that peace at sea. When time allowed, which was far too seldom, he left the White House and sought time sailing. There he was away from the stress of decisions that affected millions and from the pain that dogged his days.

Who shot him and why is still debated. Was it Cuban terrorists, was it the Mafia, was it a lone gunman? We may never know. But the singular truth remains that such violence, in the end, solves nothing and only leaves behind tears and fears and a thousand unanswered questions.

As America pauses and remembers that horrid day that shocked and shattered the nation, it is so easy to forget the man, a man sailing with the wind in his face, seeking answers he was never allowed to find.

Let's not forget he was not a monument or a demi-god - just a person daring to seek sane solutions in a world that seems to offer few.

Often after he finished sailing, he enjoyed a warming bowl of chowder made in the New England style. Later, when his duties as president keep him sitting painfully hour after hour behind his large oak desk in the Oval Office, he would often send down to the White House kitchen for his favorite chowder and continue working long into the night, still guiding the ship of state. 

Here is the White House recipe for that very chowder - enjoy and then pause and consider the challenge he left behind for each of us to steer a good and noble course in life:

Kennedy's Favorite New England Chowder

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 pounds Haddock
• 2 ounces salt pork (diced)
• 2 onions (sliced)
• 4 potatoes (diced)
• 1 cup celery (chopped)
• 1 Bay leaf (crumbled)
• 1 quart milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Simmer haddock in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes, drain and reserve broth.
2. Remove bones from fish.
3. Sauté diced pork until crisp, remove and set aside.
4. Sauté onions in pork fat until golden brown.
5. Add fish, potatoes, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
6. Pour in fish broth plus enough boiling water to make 3 cups of liquid.
7. Simmer for 30 minutes.
8. Add milk and butter and simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Serve chowder sprinkled over pork dice.

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

The History of Whisky Is the History of Scotland

Per the request of our readers from around the world, here is an excellent overview of the history of Scottish whisky.

Integral to Scotch whisky is the very history of Scotland itself, told not from an English point of view, but rather as the Scots themselves have lived it in good times and in bad.

So take a moment, fill a glass with one of the finest beverages in the world and enjoy the legacy, the heritage, the great enduring Spirit that is truly Scotland! Ah bonnie Uisghe Beatha!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Glenfiddich's New Age of Discovery Whisky Honors American Scots-Irish Traditions

Glenfiddich, Scotland's beloved 125 year old whisky distiller, has just released their Age of Discovery Bourbon Cask Reserve. 

In so doing they are also highlighting a little-known period of history that still influences America's culinary choices and the nation's core beliefs. 

Back in 1610, James of Scotland (the only son of Mary Queen of Scots) became the king of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. A gifted scholar as well as an individual who could curse like a sailor when needed, he faced many problems as a new monarch. Chief among his concerns were unending religious wars as well as disease and poverty within his new kingdom.

Both Ireland and the City of London were proving the most difficult areas to handle. Long-standing hatred between Catholics and Protestants was tearing Ireland apart while London suffered from massive overpopulation and constant outbreaks of the plague.

James decided to address both issues simultaneously with a new policy entitled "Plantation". Impoverished Londoners and land poor Scots from the border region between England and Scotland were offered the opportunity to relocate to Ulster in Northern Ireland.

The Scots, of course, brought with them their strong sense of personal independence as well as their knowledge of whisky distillation. The English, sadly, brought with them their own biases and prejudices against the Scots.

The English, according to the new arrangement, held the rights to the majority of the new land. Their view was that the Scots were merely tenants whose sole function was to farm the owner's vast tracks of land and to fight the deposed and rightly angry Irish when necessary. It was a clear case of “You work and I profit”.

(Of historical note is the fact that this same system would later appear in the American South. And though African slaves would replace the indentured Scots, the name “plantation” would remain unchanged.)

But to return to our story, Scots, needless to say, did not consider this arrangement fair or just. As conditions grew worse over the next hundred years, the Scots, now called the Scots-Irish, found solace in their cherished traditions of music, poetry, clan fellowship and the distillation of fine whiskies.

By 1719 a combination of repressive restrictions against Scots-Irish commerce and a colossal drought that killed nearly all the grazing grass prompted a massive wave of immigration to the New World. In the next 50 years over 200,000 individuals or nearly 1/3 of the entire Scots-Irish population of Ulster immigrated to America.

Welcomed by the religiously tolerate and peaceful Quakers of Pennsylvania, they brought little with them except their love of freedom, their ability to work hard and, when time allowed, the talent to distill whiskey.

Seeking new and unencumbered land, they move out from Pennsylvania towards the American frontier, then defined by the Appalachian Mountains and the distant mighty Mississippi River. As in Ireland, they found they had to fight for the land they had been promised so freely. This time their enemies were not the deposed Irish, but the angry Iroquois and Cherokee Indian Nations. 

Over a 20 year period the new settlers and the regional Native American tribes battled for control of the land. Always ready to adapt, the Scots-Irish quickly copied the effective shoot-and-hide fighting style of their adversaries. Later they would bring this style of combat to Revolutionary War battles, where they comprised the single largest ethnic group fighting the hated always-in-formation British regiments.

Despite war and conflict, the Scots-Irish continued to work and clear fields along the Frontier. Cabins were ebuilt, not with sod as in the Old World, but with strong American White Oak logs cut from the nearby forests.

Stills were also erected because, of course, what was life worth if one could not enjoy a comforting glass (or two) of whiskey at the end of a hard day. In fact, the whiskey produced by the Scots-Irish became so popular among American that it soon replaced British rum as the new nation’s beverage of choice.

Flat bottomed packet boats and later elegant steamboats happily transported thousands of brimming whiskey casks up and down the Mississippi River to a thirsty, ever-expanding young nation.

Yet to achieve the production of their famed beverage, the Scots-Irish had to make two accommodations to the New World. First, they would replace the traditional 100% barley mash used in Scotland and Ireland with one contain 51% American corn. Second, they would age the resulting liquid in ‘fired’ American white oak casks, crafted from wood obtained in the nearby abundant forests.

First produced in the Kentucky county of Bourbon, this uniquely beverage is truly American. Now Glenfiddich has continued that tradition of excellence with their release of the Age of Discovery Bourbon Cask Crafted Single Malt Whisky. Crafted in aged American white oak casks, this stunning whisky has been wood tempered for 19 years and is available only in America and at selected duty-free international airport shops.

Once savored, each glass yields memorable notes of vanilla, fine leather and smooth tobacco tones, which melt into a sweet velvety finish with a final hint of cardamom and nutmeg.

Well worth the $149.99 bottle price, Glenfiddich's new offering may be the ideal gift for the discerning connoisseur this holiday season.

Each bottle can also serve as a reminder at America is blessed with a rich culinary heritage, thanks in large part, to the diversity of immigration and the simple desire to be free.

A toast to Glenfiddish and to the amazing Scots-Irish with many, many thanks! Gle math agus slainte!

POST NOTE, October 18, 2013: Per the request of readers - a short cultural clarification. The people of Scotland and their descendants are called "Scots" or "Scottish".

Scotch refers to the nation's beloved beverage, but NEVER is used to refer to those individuals who proudly wear the kilt (which, by the way, is NEVER called a skirt).

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

In Memory of Our Friends Who Died on 9/11

The date of September 11th is a painful one for all of us in the Hospitality Industry. On that dark day, when the sun was shining so brightly, we lost so many friends and dear colleagues.

Each day we reenact how those we knew started their day. Like them we open, greet the vendors as products are delivered and plan with staff members how we will serve our many guests.

Perhaps we stand with a cup of coffee in our hand, just as they did, listening, planning, hoping, as they did, that perhaps in some small way graciousness and hospitality can make the world a better place, at least for a few minutes.

How we miss them even now twelve years later. We miss their talents, their creativity, their laughing voices on the phone and their warm greetings at conferences. It is a "pain that goes on and on..."  

But they would want us to go on, to continue. Currently the world is talking yet again of war and battle and death. Surely there are better ways than sticks and stones, though today we call them smart bombs and nerve gas.

There is a better way to go, a road less taken but well known - try a conference table, negotiate, reconcile the differences, speak with respect to each other as human beings  - in short, find a way that does not involve the scream or death of a single child.

If our leaders could be that brave then be assured we in the Hospitality Industry, who have endured our restaurants and hotels around the world being bombed and gassed, would gladly serve each leader their beverage of choice as we all toasted together the longed for blessings of universal peace. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013