·      The 25y/o lawyer and theatre critic was acclaimed for his outlandish dinner parties known as the “funeral supper”

·      Came from a background of nobility, however the family outlived their wealth and continued a privileged lifestyle 

·      His “funeral suppers” were an orchestrated and theatrical performance questioning social hierarchies and equality through death 

·      The “funeral supper” was a blunt mockery of Versailles and the bourgeoisies. He often played subversive games on his guests who later regarded him as mad

·      The foods supplied at the “funeral supper” was an exhibition of quality and colour

·      After going too far at one of this parties he went into the business of food and trade with his father. This opened him up to a culinary education.

·      In the 1790’s in the thick of the French revolution, Grimod still intended to live an indulgent culinary lifestyle. However, shifted to the education and literature of fine dining 

·      Intending to educate the wider public about the elitism of fine dining, Grimod published ‘Almanach des Gourmands’ which covered topics from seasonal delicacies, restaurant reviews, appreciation of the table, preparation, host duties, and discourse. 

·      As such, he revolutionised the way formal dinners were composed and orchestrated. With particular focus on plating and presenting food rather than banquet style meals.

·      1812 was the last issue of Almanach 

·      It is called a funeral supper because he staged one last party where his guests were deceived to think he was deceased. Guests arrived to the funeral supper with a coffin in the dining room. During the meal Grimod arose from the dead much to the shock of his patrons. 

·      Recipes as primary indicators of identity

·      Cookbooks set standards, define what belongs in what category eg. why we think something is French or Italian

·      Recipes are not just there for cooking but also for the enjoyment of reading, to get an idea of different tastes/senses, what goes well together

·      Les Bons Plats de France: cuisine regionale – a cookbook that came out after WWI

-       Written by Marthe Allard Daudet (Pampille), wife of famous journalist and politician, Leon Daudet

-       Her recipes aimed to preserve tradition, didn’t want to lose identity after war

-       -Believed in a strong link between history and cuisine eg. animals used in traditional French cooking often appeared in fables and historical texts

-       Wanted women to remain the cooks and inventors of these traditions

-       Believed Frances history was to be seen through traditional family cooking not what was being prepared in fancy modern restaurants by male chefs

-       She published dishes from all different parts of the country that suit all different classes

-       Believed food has to be consumed in the right spot, the landscape matching the food

·      Culinary nationalism still alive today but changed by ability to travel and encounter different cultures

·      Ability to travel enhances distinction between different cuisines and pinpoint them to different places

·      These days countries mush balance their own culinary traditions and history with new and innovative creations

-       Competitions such as Bocuse d’Or support this by having chefs from different countries compete, having to be innovative and creative in the cooking

·      Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa believes as long as you keep traditional ways of cooking you can invent new ones

·      French cuisine has become exotic and palatable for people everywhere 

·      Korean film Le Grand Chef based on a competition between chefs

-        Show how cuisine can represent history and identity, certain tastes belonging to certain places