Cowbells and Chocolate

Even in German the expression “Social Distancing” actually used as a verb, for people not getting too close to each other is ‘social distancing’. I guess some things just sound better in English. Remember the post I wrote on December 27^th, 2017? It’s called ‘Traditional New Year’s Eve’. In that post I wrote about the TV-play called ‘Dinner for One’ among other things. Eating dinner alone with 4 imaginary people at the table. I guess that’s one way to practice social distancing, but there are other ways, too.

What would you think if I said I’ve had quite a few people for dinner almost daily, in spite of the lockdown? Similar to ‘Dinner for One’, I have friends over. But my friends aren’t Sir Toby, Admiral von Schneider, Mr. Pomeroy and Mr. Winterbottom. They are Tom, Shirley and quite often Margarita. I see my good friend Maximilian daily. There are some English gentlemen I haven’t seen in a while; John Montagu, Arthur Wellesley not to mention Charles. It would be nice if they would come and visit again. And of course there was that lovely evening we spent with Helen.

You don’t need a lot of fantasy to figure out what exactly I’m talking about, especially since the post is named “Personalized Foods!”Social Distancing (with Food!)”. The name of the foods I’m talking about: the drinks ‘Tom Collins’ and ‘Shirley Temple’, and pizza Margarita. Birchermuesli was named after Maximilian Bircher-Benner. Although John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, did not invent the sandwich it looks like it was named after him. Arthur Wellesley, the 1^st Duke of Wellington had beef Wellington named after him. Charles Grey, the 2^nd Earl Grey, Visount Howick and British Prime Minister (1830-1834) had Earl Grey tea named after him. Then there’s that scrumptious dessert that was named after the main character in Jacques Offenbachs Operette; Belle Hélène.

Food Names

Here’s an interesting list of food names, named after people. I ordered them by country.

Swiss Names

• Birchermuesli. Maximilian Bircher-Benner created this nutrition-based therapy with rolled oats cereal.

American Names

• Eggs Benedict. Lemuel Benedict, a NY stockbroker, claimed to have gone to the Waldorf Hotel for breakfast one day in 1894 suffering a hangover. He asked for a restorative in the form of toast, bacon, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce on the side. The maître d’ adapted it for the Waldorf menu, substituting English muffins and ham and adding truffles . He named it after Benedict.
• Graham Crackers. Were inspired by Sylvester Graham, a 19^th century Presbyterian minister. He was also a proponent of puritan lifestyle based on teetotalism, vegetarianism and whole wheat. The main ingredients of Graham crackers are graham flour (also named after Graham), shortening , molasses and salt.
• Mcintosh Apple. John Mcintosh (1777 – 1846) was an American–Canadian farmer who discovered the variety in Ontario, in 1796 or 1811.
• Dr. Pepper. This cherry cola drink was named after Charles T. Pepper. It was invented by pharmacist Charles Atherton in 1885 at a Waco, Texas drugstore owned by Wade Morrison. Is said to be named for Morrison’s first employer, who owned a pharmacy in Virginia.
• Shirley Temple. The classic children’s cocktail of club soda, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry. It was invented in the late 1930s at Hollywood’s Chasen’s restaurant for the child star Shirley Temple (1928 – 2014). A slice of orange and a straw is suggested but not mandatory.

English Names

• Sandwich. John Montagu the 4^th Earl of Sandwich (1718 – 1792) did not invent the sandwich. Meat between slices of bread had been eaten long before. But as the often-repeated story goes, his title name was applied to it around 1762 after he frequently called for the easily handled food while entertaining friends. Their card games then were not interrupted by the need for forks and such.
• Beef Wellington. Arthur Wellesley, the 1^st Duke of Wellington (1769 – 1852) was a British hero of the Battle of Waterloo. This dish of beef with pâté, mushrooms, truffles and Madeira sauce, all encased in a pastry crust was named after him.
• Earl Grey Tea. Charles Grey, was the 2^nd Earl Grey, Visount Howick and British Prime Minister (1830-1834). There are several stories as to how this tea got its name. Most probably he received a tea flavored with bergamot oil as a diplomatic perquisite.
• Bloody Mary. A classical cocktail made with vodka, tomato juice and other spices. It’s a popular hangover cure and is named after the English Queen Maria Tudor (1516 – 1558).
• Tom Collins. For a lack of a better place, I put it here. A Tom Collins is usually made with Tom gin served in a Collins glass. Okay, so there was no Tom Collins who the drink was named after. Sorry.
• Tom and Jerry. This drink’s name was a reference to the book ‘Life in London, of The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom’ (1821). This was made into a play called ‘Tom and Jerry, of Life in London’ (1821). This hot drink is a Christmastime cocktail. It is a combination of eggnog with brandy and rum.

German Names

• Bismarck Herring. Otto von Bismarck (1815 – 1898) German Statesman. This is the common name for pickled herring in Germany. There are several theories as to why the herring is associated with Bismarck.
• Emperor’s Mess (Kaiserschmarrn). This dessert is a light, caramelized, sweet pancake mixed with raisins which were soaked in rum. The pancake is then sprinkled with powder sugar and served with apple or plum sauce. I believe this was first prepared for the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph I (1830 – 1916).

French Names

• Belle Hélène. This is the dessert made from pears poached in sugar syrup and served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. It was created around 1864 by Auguste Escoffier. It got its named from the main character in Jacques Offenbach’s Operetta ‘La belle Hélène’.
• Sauce Béchamel. Louis de Béchamel (1630 – 1703), Marquis de Nointel was also a financier and ambassador. He held the honorary post of chief steward to King Louis XIV of France. It was named to flatter the Marquis. It’s a fancy name for a white sauce made from butter, flour and milk.
• Chateaubriand. A cut and a recipe for steak named for Vicomte François René de Chateaubriand (1768 – 1833). He was a French writer and Ambassador of France in England. It was created by the Vicomte’s personal chef, Montmireil.
• Clementine. This is the name of the mutation of the fruit mandarin orange. They are named for Père Clément Rodier, French monk living in North Africa at the beginning of the 20^th century. He found or created the mutation of the fruit.
• Dom Pérignon. This vintage Champagne was named after Dom Pérignon (1638 – 1715). He was a French Benedictine monk along with being an expert winemaker and developer of the first true champagne.

Italian Names

• Margarita. Queen Margherita of Savoy (1811 – 1923) was presented with this pizza in the colors of the Italian flag on a trip to Naples around 1889. Many people claimed to have created it.
• Fettucine Alfredo. Alfredo di Lelio, an early 20^th century Italian chef invented the dish for his wife in an effort to get her to eat after the birth of their first child Armando. This pasta course dish consists of fettucine noodles being tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese. In some places in the US, the dish is served as a main course with heavy cream and other ingredients.

Austrian Names

• Mozartkugel. Salzburg was the birthplace of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791). It is also the place where this marzipan/nougat filled chocolate was created around 1890.
• Sachertorte. Franz Sacher, Vienna, 1832 while working for Prince Metternich created this chocolate cake. It must be popular in the States because December 5^th is National Sachertorte Day there.

Mexican Name

• Nachos. Nachos were invented by maitre d’ named Ignacio Anaya. He made the first batch for a group of U.S. military wives at a restaurant called the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Mexico. He gave them his nickname: Nacho.
• Caesar salad. Caesar Cardini (1896 – 1956) created this salad at the restaurant of the Hotel Caesar in Tijuana. It is made of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese and black pepper.
• Margarita. This is a cocktail containing tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice. It is often served with salt on the rim of the glass. There are many claims for the name of this cocktail. Pick your favorite: Dallas socialite Margarita Smasa said she invented it in 1948 for one of her Acapulco parties. Enrique Bastate Gutierrez claimed he invented it in Tijuana in the 1940s for Rita Hayworth. Hayworth’s real name was Margarita Cansino.

Australien Names

• Granny Smith. This apple originated in Australia in 1868 from a chance seedling propagated by Marie Ana (Granny) Smith.
• Peach Melba. Chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel in 1892 or 93 was inspired to create a dessert which he named after Dame Nellie Melba (1861 – 1931). She was an Australian soprano, née Mitchell, and took her stage name from her hometown of Melbourne.

Russian Names

• Beef Stroganoff. This is an 18^th century Russian dish, named for Count Stroganov. It is a plate of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with sour cream.
• Alexander Torte. This pastry was named after Tsar Alexander in anticipation of the Tsar’s visit in Finland. It was made by a Swiss pastry chef in Helsinki in 1818.

So, with all these examples (I’m sure there are lots more) you can see that my husband and I have lots of company for meals. As to the possibility of me not social distancing enough, nothing can be proven to the contrary. No one stays around long enough to leave any evidence.