
The Soul of Bouillabaisse Town (1962) - never-the-bride
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1962/10/27/the-soul-of-bouillabaisse-town
======
nickserv
I remember being in my early teens and spearfishing for rascasse in La Ciotat
(some 30km from Marseille). Brings back good memories.

Anyway, it's strange that the article makes only a passing mention to the
"poissons de roche" (lit. fishes from the rocks), which are an assortment of
various species that live among the rocks, such as wrasses and blennies, as
opposed to those that live in sandy areas. With these fish you make the base
of the Bouillabaisse, and to my knowledge these are also endemic to the
Mediterranean.

My grandmother would have to buy these fish fresh from the local fishermen as
they are caught with nets, being way too small for spearfishing. To these
which she would add my rascasses to make the Bouillabaisse.

------
nkelner
If you enjoy this article you'll love this book:
[https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Ingredients-Yorker-Library-
Pap...](https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Ingredients-Yorker-Library-
Paperbacks/dp/081297641X)

~~~
hudibras
And this one, also by A.J. Liebling: [https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Science-J-
Liebling-ebook/dp/B00...](https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Science-J-Liebling-
ebook/dp/B005QPBCYC/)

Probably the best book (ostensibly) about sports you'll ever read.

~~~
selimthegrim
While we're on the A.J. Liebling train I have to put in a plug for this one,
still shockingly relevant today - [https://www.amazon.com/Earl-Louisiana-J-
Liebling/dp/08071020...](https://www.amazon.com/Earl-Louisiana-J-
Liebling/dp/0807102032/)

------
Syzygies
My French cooking teacher had a saying something along the lines of "Tradition
is the last bad performance."

He is in fact quite traditional, but he understands the basic principle: If
there was a significant migration from a famed food region to "here", what
would they do to adapt, to interpret the spirit of their beloved dishes?

Anyone who can't do that, doesn't understand what they're cooking. He taught
me a brilliant bouillabaisse, by the way, structured around principles rather
than ingredients.

------
bendbro
Where can I find contemporary writing like this?

~~~
grzm
The New Yorker is still around and publishing pieces like this.

~~~
bendbro
That is exactly the kind of matter-of-fact response that seems fine to me but
makes my friends laugh

