I'm back!
No, not the other guy. Biztronomy!
And you're not going to regret it!
2025 marks the bicentenary of the publication of Physiologie du Goût, or Physiology of Taste, one of the founding texts of Gastronomy. We couldn't pass up such an event without doing something about it! It's a bit like the bicentenary of the French Revolution: it's something to celebrate! In fact, just as the Eiffel Tower was erected to celebrate the centenary of the Revolution, couldn't we erect a monument to the glory of Gastronomy?
So, to celebrate this event with dignity, I decided to pay tribute to the author of this great work, Brillat-Savarin, by writing a novel about Gastronomy. And since I need to keep some time for professional work, I've put Biztronomy on hold.
This prolonged absence has its advantages. This scriptural interlude will allow us to enrich Biztronomy with a Story and a reference text. For the adventure I'm recounting is both an inventory of what Gastronomy is, and a vision of what it can become. It's a sort of founding element of the Biztronomy project, reminding us of the Values, Heritage and Mission it seeks to promote.
Here's a preview of the 4th cover.
Gastronomy and all it stands for are not to everyone's taste. The aspirations of some to perpetuate this science of the mouth clash with a new conception of the world and the plate that it would like to wipe off, like a clean slate.
A gastronomer is accused of wanting to organize an ecumenical meal where everything would be served to everyone. The social networks get a hold of it, and a vindictive campaign is launched: he has to flee in the company of a bodyguard dispatched to protect him...and his soul. Exasperated, our gastronomer decides to found his own religion around gastronomy, and takes advantage of their journey through the land of Cocagne to draw up the main principles. In the course of a chase through this land of plenty, two visions of the table clash, reflecting a planetary battle dominated by geopolitics. Which vision will emerge victorious?
This novel is currently undergoing final editing and will soon be submitted to several publishers. For now, let's call it “La Balade d'Anthelme”. Oh, and only in French for the time being : DeepL doesn't digest gastronomic novels well, yet.
For the time being, the topics covered in the novel will be used to feed the Biztronomy newsletter. Throughout his adventure, ou hero, his body- and his morality guard tackle essential subjects: can we talk about everything at a meal; are food prohibitions justified; after fast-food and junk-food, are we witnessing fast-info and junk-info; how old is gastronomy: 200 years, 1000 years, 3000 years; is Gastronomy a reflection of democracy; what is the link between gastronomy and geopolitics?
Gastronomy can't provide the answers, but it does offer a framework, codes and a place in which to exchange ideas and develop that part of our humanity that consists in being open to what others have to say. The table should be a free zone where we can offer and receive perspectives, while suspending judgment - at least until the end of the meal.
For the greatest danger we face is refusing to taste each other's food, or to hear each other's perspective on the world. Would this explain that? ;)
As our hero says, there are only two people who are dangerous: those who don't want to sit at the table, and those who don't want to leave it. World events confirm that the art and effort of conversation are more necessary than ever, as is the virtue of setting limits and putting an end to a good meal.
See you soon.
Philippe
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