Judge a society by its dish, says Gourmet editor-in-chief

Food is all about shapes, at least for contemporary Americans, Gourmet Magazine's Ruth Reichl said to hundreds of foodies gathered in McCosh 50 last night.

"It's all about the way it looks," she said. Though Americans eat nine billion chickens and 100 million pigs annually, "Our society only eats animals when they are transformed into recognizable shapes," she said — usually cubes or slices.

Reichl has been editor in chief of Gourmet since 1999. The author of several books on food, including "Tender at the Bone" and "Garlic and Sapphires," Reichl previously worked as The New York Times' restaurant critic and as the food editor for the Los Angeles Times.

The lecture was a historical analysis of carnivorousness. "Many of our ancestors made a point of making food look like its living form," she said, explaining that Romans ate living animals and that carving animals was a major form of entertainment in many cultures.

"What does it say about these societies that they will look at animals in their face before carving them up?" she asked. "Each of these societies was on the brink of drastic change."

Reichl reflected on the transitions of how food was represented in several cultures, including the Greek, French, Chinese and Arab civilizations.

The cycle began when a society became more prosperous, and the rising middle class started using food to display its wealth, she said. In response, Reichl argues, the ruling class tried to repress the newly rich by restricting them to harsh regulations.

"In the year 1563, the French government forbade private families from having meals of more than 3 courses," Reichl said, adding that the laws seldom worked. Members of the middle class retaliated by stuffing themselves to the point of absolute fullness.

But then culture changed, she said. "That's when the cooks are called in ... Then we get food so decorative, it can no longer be recognized. Great plenty brings great disguise."

Reichl warned that this highly decorative food always goes out of style as well.

She cited Marie Antoinette's infamous declaration, "Let them eat cake!" which ushered in the French Revolution and the end to the French nobility's decadent lifestyle.

Reichl also commented on the fast-food transition in American cuisine.

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"Fast-food restaurants make food so soft it barely needs to be chewed, which makes it easy to swallow," she said.

"So the next time you notice how contrived the food you are eating has become, remember this too shall undoubtedly pass," she said. "The time of the beast cannot be far off. Look for a pig's head in the very near future."

The audience was filled with adoring readers.

"Essentially, I read her book and really enjoyed her writing style," Vivian Kim '07 said before the lecture. "Plus it's everybody's dream job to get paid to eat food!"

"Reichl's books are really well-written, very funny and I love food," Anna Bialek '09 said.

Molecular biology professor Sam Wang also had praise for Reichl. "Mrs. Reichl is editor of the most influential dispenser of recipes in the country," he said in an interview. "Her books are intimate and inclusive."