In the latest edition of my newspaper, I was compelled to pivot the “wining and dining” column a bit to dry out from all of the wine that’s spilled my way lately. The “dining” part of the beat is difficult to navigate at present, hence this foray away from restaurants and into recipes. Bon appetite!

I’m part of a weekly Zoom-based happy hour the host has dubbed “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” after the 1972 Luis Buñuel film. For those unfamiliar with the flick, it’s a surreal, direly French exploration of a party of upper-middle-class swells attempting—and largely failing—to dine together. Given the quarantine, this plot also reflects the state of the American dinner party (apart from the class bit in my case—to quote Richard Fariña, “I’ve been down so long it looks like up to me”). And this—despite the depths of my misanthropy and an introverted disposition so profound that my personality has actually turned inside out and appears extroverted—this is among what I miss: dinner parties…

Read the rest at The Bohemian: Quarantine cooking 101