The Devil Is In the Details

Rejoice Devil’s Food Dictionary lovers, your prayers have finally been answered. The complete Devil’s Food Dictionary by Barry Foy is out in book form, just in time for my birthday and the birthdays of other more prominent religious figures.

What do I need another food dictionary for, you might ask? I already have the Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst, and she ROCKS.

She does rock. No question. But let’s see what she has to say about cannibals:

Actually, she seems to have forgotten to include an entry for cannibals. Tsk, tsk, tsk. But not Barry Foy. Let’s see his definition:

“Cannibal: A person who engages in the culinary equivalent of incest, that is, a hunter-gatherer who hunts and gathers other hunter-gatherers, usually while they are out gathering, because they tend to be less alert at that time than when they are out hunting. Cannibals often consume particular parts in hopes of magically improving their own corresponding parts. For example, a warrior might eat an admired rival’s heart so as to increase the boldness of his own heart. In a similar spirit, he might make a meal of his neighbor’s nubile and attractive wife.”

I’m sorry, what were we talking about?

Oh yeah, buying this book. If you know anyone who loves food, or hates food, or has a love/hate relationship with food, then this is the book for them.

I’ll leave you with one more to ponder:

“Love: The universal nutrient, adaptable to all human cuisines. This affordable, easy-to-use substance enhances the nutritional value of virtually any dish. Dissolved easily in water, wine, milk, oil, gravy, mayonnaise (store-bought or homemade), soy sauce, lard, ghee, or even Vegemite, it can be added either during or after food preparation and has an extremely long shelf life. Significantly, love’s beneficial effects operate without regard to the skill level of the cook; in fact, many people look back fondly on dishes—sometimes whole meals—in which love was the only appealing or even palatable ingredient. Best of all, love does not stain saucepans or kitchen countertops.”