Aromas & Flavors of Mexico

Betty took a two-week gastronomic and cultural tour into the heartland of Mexico under the guidance of culinary star Patricia Quintana, an extraordinary adventure shared by 80 members of the media, many from Europe as well as from Mexico City, Morelia, Guanajuato, Queretaro and Puebla.

AP writer Martha Mendoza has more on the trip and Mexico’s food tourism, including the various culinary routes visitors can take.

Betty was the lone U.S. adventurer who undertook the entire trip on behalf of furthering interest in Mexico’s rich culinary past and present. A high point for Betty was the charreada, or Mexican rodeo, at Rancho Buena Vista, with its vibrant connections to cowboy rodeos north of the border. (See Raising Steaks.)

In the photo below, Betty talks with Manuelita, a Chichimexican descendant in Queretaro, the elected Captain General of all the  dancers of this region, as they continue to re-enact their ancient rituals.

Summertime and the Cooking is Easy

Some upcoming, mouth-watering events …

Meatopia: BBQ NYC
July 11, Governor’s Island, 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
What could be better on a hot summer’s day than BBQ & Beer? Everybody’s welcome to “The Woodstock of Edible Animals,” featuring a number of champion chefs and celebrating Good Beer Month.

Betty Fussell will be there as one of the official judges of the BBQ, and one of the unofficial judges of the beer. Support good meat and craft beers with the help of Slow Food NYC and the Good Beer Seal of Approval. Raindate is July 18.

Eat This Film series
July 14, 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St., NYC, 7:30 pm.
Eat This Film series presents “Cooking History,” a brilliantly original documentary on food and war by Slovakian film director Peter Kerekes.

Betty Fussell, food historian, and Ray DeStefano, army vet and expert butcher at Walmir Meat, Inc., in the Gansevoort Meat Market, will lead audience discussion into the guts of war and our primeval need for meat and bread. Presented by Edible Manhattan and Reverse Shot.

Time for an Update: Montana, Kentucky, New York & Beyond

It’s been a busy year for Betty Fussell. A brief re-cap:

* In April, Betty wrote about her first deer hunt for the Lives page of The New York Times Magazine. At age 82, in the foothills of the Swan Mountains in Montana, Betty shot, killed and ate the heart of a young doe. Titled “Earning Her Food: Granny Gets Her Gun and Goes Hunting for the First Time,” the piece drew both praise (“Go, Granny, go!”) and criticism (“Shame on you, Granny”) from Times readers.

* In the March issue of Saveur magazine, spotlighting food in L.A., Betty joined a notorious gang of four, including MFK Fisher, Marion Cunningham and Julia Child. The women were featured under the caption, “Home Grown in L.A: Los Angeles and the Surrounding Region Have Produced Some of Our Most Influential Cooks.” Born in Riverside, Betty is the youngest of these notables by five years.

* In the 10th anniversary issue of Gastronomica (Jan/Feb 2010), Betty was one of 10 distinguished food voices asked to “speak out about food culture today.” Noting the shift from real food to food porn, she writes, “We don’t watch sexy Rachael or Bobby on the boob tube because we’re hungry for food.”

Book readings, panels and lectures so far in 2010 have taken Betty from Boston to Kentucky:

* In Boston she helped Boston University celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Culinary Arts Program with a lecture on American beef. Betty was invited as part of BU’s “MLA in Gastronomy Lecture Series in Food Studies.”

* In Kentucky she was a featured speaker with Gary Nabhan at the annual conference of the American Grassfed Association, held at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. She also led a panel with Nabhan and John van Willingen that put “Meat on the Table: Past, Present and Local.”

* Back home in Manhattan, she joined Monica Bhide, Kathleen Flinn and Mimi Sheraton for a panel at the Roger Smith Food Writers’ Conference on food memoir, “Turning Your Life and Food into a Best Seller.”

* At the Astor Center in Manhattan, she joined Slow Food U’s panel on “Green Beef,” run by Michael Crupain of TheDairyShow.com. After previewing his show on the subject of grass-fed beef from pasture to plate (watch for it this summer), Michael led a lively discussion among audience and panel members: Dan Gibson, owner of Grazing Angus Acres, Jake Dickson of Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in the Chelsea Market and Josephine Proul, executive chef of Local 111 restaurant in Philmont, N.Y.

* Later this spring, Betty’s pursuit of food paths will take her on a culinary trip to Mexico City, Queretaro, Guanajuato and Morelia, led by the grande dame of Mexican cuisine, Patricia Quintana.

Check here for more appearances.

Event: James Beard Foundation Hosts Betty Fussell

Reserve a seat for Wednesday, Sept. 16, at The Beard House (167 West 12th Street). Discussion starts at 12 p.m. Call 212.627.2308 to reserve.

The event is part of Beard on Books, an ongoing monthly literary series featuring readings and discussions with some of the food world’s most celebrated authors. More information is available here.

Hardcore carnivore Betty Fussell details the history of the American beef industry and evaluates the challenges that it faces today in Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef. Approaching the industry from every angle, Fussell’s critique of the world of beef leaves no steak unturned: she visits independent butchers and large-scale producers, meets a diverse cast of workers who live and breathe cow, and learns about our federal system for grading cuts of meat.

Mindful of the industry’s problems while reverent of its scale and impact on our food culture, Raising Steaks is a thorough, objective, and passionate survey of a decidedly American tradition.

Update: Word of Mouth Writing Workshop

The dates on Betty’s Word of Mouth writing workshop in Tepoztlán, Mexico have been changed to July 3 - July 11. The workshop is designed for those with an interest in food journalism — memoirs, restaurant reviews, cultural histories or cookbooks. More info is posted here.

Running concurrently is a Summer Feast cooking class that involves hands-on cooking classes with village women. Participants in both workshops will meet for the main meal each day, and share in such excursions as an art trip to Cuernavaca and a trip to the beautifully preserved 10th century citadel of Xochicalco. Learn more at Cocinar Mexicano.

Join Betty In Mexico for Word of Mouth Writing Workshop

Betty Fussell returns to Mexico this summer to teach Word of Mouth, a writing workshop designed for those with an interest in food journalism — memoirs, restaurant reviews, cultural histories or cookbooks.

The week-long workshop will be held July 11- July 18 in Tepoztlán [Update: dates have changed to July 3 - July 11]. Here’s what you can expect:

• Daily 3-hour writing workshops in legendary village one hour from Mexico City
• Opportunities for interviews with urban chefs and village women
• Curated dining in Mexico City & cultural excursions

The program is co-sponsored by Under the Volcano writer’s workshops and Cocinar Mexicano, which issued this release:

Distinguished food critic and cultural historian Betty Fussell returns to Mexico this summer to teach Word of Mouth, a food writing workshop that overlaps our Summer Feast in the Art of Mexican Cooking. Geared to writers who cook and cooks who write, the weeklong workshop will be held in Tepoztlán, one of Mexico’s official “magic villages,” from July 11th-18th.

Fussell’s workshop will convene every morning for three hours while Summer Feast participants take hands-on classes with village women. Word of Mouth participants will work both sides of the table, observing prep and process, then joining the cooks for their main meal of the day. Menus will range from such traditional favorites as moles and tamales to the sophisticated contemporary dishes for which Cocinar is known, including a special array of original desserts.

Afternoons are free for writing, reporting, conducting interviews and revision, as well as for exploring the cultural attractions of the village. Individual writing conferences with Ms. Fussell are scheduled ad hoc throughout the week.

This workshop offers an ideal format for those with an interest in food journalism, memoirs, essays, restaurant reviews, cultural histories or cookbooks, as well as anyone hoping to break into the field of food writing.  The focus is on Mexican cuisine, and applicants are encouraged to plan projects that take full advantage of this immersion in authentic village culinary life.

Participants in Word of Mouth enjoy all the evening activities and excursions scheduled for the week, including a day of curated dining with our Mexico City chefs, market orientation and Chiles 101, bartending and wine tasting sessions, visits to village kitchens and museums, pre-Hispanic technique classes, and a guided climb to the 14th century pyramid that overlooks the village. They may also join in optional day trips to nearby Cuernavaca, the ruins of Xochicalco, or the pottery village of Tlayacapan. Exact offerings will vary depending on the the availability of our city guest chefs and local hosts.

Enrollment in Word of Mouth is limited to twelve participants. A brief writing sample is required. Registration is also open for the Summer Feast. Please see our website for application guidelines and details: www.cocinarmexicano.com