Smoked Ham and Peaches
August 26, 2015
The 50s post-war man could read Fleming’s Bond books and dream not only of adventure and villains in far-off lands, but of an exciting lifestyle of fast cars, beautiful women, finely tailored clothes, and exotic gourmet meals from around the world. Sadly these meals were missing from the cinematic adaptations.
Related: This audio documentary on the various Bond scores. And this, on Bond’s tailoring.
Posted by: David | August 26, 2015 at 13:15
"The trouble always is," he explained to Vesper, "not how to get enough caviar, but how to get enough toast with it."
Same with fry-ups.
Posted by: Karen M | August 26, 2015 at 13:29
The steak came. It was accompanied by various succulent side-dishes, including a saucer of blood.
I'm sorry, blood is not food.
Posted by: Rafi | August 26, 2015 at 14:04
I'm sorry, blood is not food.
It is if it comes fried and in a sausage-like format
Posted by: Pablito | August 26, 2015 at 14:30
Makes the duck wrap I had for lunch look rather prosaic.
Posted by: Captain Nemo | August 26, 2015 at 14:44
A lot of it does seem fussy and naff. For some reason it reminded me of the awful creations of Fanny Cradock.
No, I’m not sure what that is either.
Posted by: David | August 26, 2015 at 14:56
Please tell me those are chicken wings...at first glance I thought they were dead mice. Though what the rest of that green stuff is..???...something wasabi based?
Posted by: wtp | August 26, 2015 at 15:29
something wasabi based?
If I remember correctly, she was quite keen on artificial food colouring. So it could be pale green mashed potato, piped.
Posted by: David | August 26, 2015 at 15:33
I recognize peas. Not sure what the rest of it is.
Posted by: dw | August 26, 2015 at 15:37
Sadly these meals were missing from the cinematic adaptations.
Well, yes, of course.
Throwing someone through bathroom stalls, racing boats through swamps, and tip toeing through a deathtrap funhouse all rather take time on screen, so people getting fed has to get taken for granted . . .
For a proper amount of time taken for James Bond scale food on screen, one watches Tampopo and Babbette's Feast . . . .
Posted by: Hal | August 26, 2015 at 16:03
No, I’m not sure what that is either.
I thought it was one of your performance art posts.
Posted by: R. Sherman | August 26, 2015 at 16:28
I think part of the escapism involved recent memories of rationing which didn't end until 1954.
Posted by: Joe | August 26, 2015 at 17:17
No, I’m not sure what that is either.
. . . . There might be only some fascination with randomly applied food coloring, where what comes to mind is some bog standard, non Irish, St Patrick's Day observation.
Echoing David about the surrounding . . . stuff . . . , that does look like it's somewhat cooked chicken, on peas, surrounded by mashed potatoes that have been painted green.
Posted by: Hal | August 26, 2015 at 17:36
I thought it was one of your performance art posts.
An easy mistake to make.
Posted by: David | August 26, 2015 at 17:36
An easy mistake to make.
I've seen that shade of pink before!
I'm not making this up you know!!!
Posted by: Hal | August 26, 2015 at 18:06
OK...now please tell me that's not a bath robe...or a human female.
Posted by: wtp | August 26, 2015 at 18:08
A lot of it does seem fussy and naff.
Being hipster variety frantically lowest class does come to mind, as opposed to casually and unaffected patrician.
Posted by: Hal | August 26, 2015 at 18:15
Mmm. Thinks: A Brizzola would just go down nicely. Let's see what I've got in the fridge. Oh. Cauliflower cheese it is then.
Posted by: Jonathan | August 26, 2015 at 19:12
This thread reminds me of Food Wars.
A very enjoyable anime featuring a young chef-in-training at an exclusive culinary academy in Japan. The video depictions of people's responses to his cooking often verge on the NSFW:-).
Posted by: Jason | August 26, 2015 at 19:35
"The trouble always is," he explained to Vesper, "not how to get enough caviar, but how to get enough toast with it."
I prefer Nutella on my toast.
Posted by: Ted S., Catskill Mtns., NY, USA | August 26, 2015 at 20:33
Surely Felix Leiter would have introduced Bond to the plebeian delights of the humble cheeseburger?
Posted by: mojo | August 26, 2015 at 20:39
Posted by: sk60 | August 26, 2015 at 21:41
Well played, sir.
Posted by: David | August 26, 2015 at 21:52
As Fanny is able to take a hot baking tray out of an oven with her bare hand I suspect 'Fanny' is one of our alien overlords. (or overladies)
Posted by: Eddy | August 26, 2015 at 23:40
Surely Felix Leiter would have introduced Bond to the plebeian delights of the humble cheeseburger?
Define plebian.
Um. Lessee . . . In Diamonds Are Forever . . .
Hmmm. Sardi's.
Sure, Felix could get ‘im a cheeseburger . . . .
Posted by: Hal | August 27, 2015 at 00:05
Ah yes, Felix Leiter, always recalled for me as the one who was delivered back, still alive,after being in a shark tank, with a label on him that said "he disagreed with something that ate him". In "Live and Let Die".
Posted by: Ed Snack | August 27, 2015 at 01:12
I guarantee that you can get an excellent cheeseburger pretty much anywhere in NY for less than that. With fries and a coke (no Pepsi!).
Posted by: mojo | August 27, 2015 at 03:43
...drinking diet decaf Coke and eating a slice of sourdough bread with Irish butter. Sigh.
Posted by: Quint&Jessel, Sea of Azof, Bly, UK | August 27, 2015 at 05:17
As I recall Bond experienced a rare moment of self-loathing after over-indulging on the buttered crab and pink champagne. Could be wrong though, fifty years since I read it.
Posted by: Red Admiral | August 27, 2015 at 10:28
What's interesting is that in the films, because we don't see Bond eating but only hear him and others talking about it, his tastes are more exaggeratedly "fancy." More references to French dishes (but only ones the audience is likely to recognize), an obsession with wine vintage years (rather than terroir or grape varieties), and a general emphasis on expensiveness.
Book-Bond tends to eat like an upper-class 1950s Englishman on an expense account: he indulges in either some hard-to-get treats (caviar, stone crabs) or just a good old pig-out on something simple and good (spaghetti, steak).
Posted by: Trimegistus | August 27, 2015 at 12:34
Maybe the reason the movies had Bond bang every female he encountered was because the movies, lacking the time, weren't able to describe the food very well; so hey had to present us with sensual, exotic delicacies in a more direct manner.
Posted by: DensityDuck | August 28, 2015 at 16:46
'As I recall Bond experienced a rare moment of self-loathing after over-indulging on the buttered crab and pink champagne. Could be wrong though, fifty years since I read it'.
You're not wrong. It's at the beginning of 'Goldfinger'.
In the books, 007 alternates between unashamed hedonism and guilt. He also shows an ambivalent attitude to killing, and at times is surprisingly sensitive in his love life.
Posted by: sackcloth and ashes | August 30, 2015 at 11:58
In the books, 007 alternates between unashamed hedonism and guilt. He also shows an ambivalent attitude to killing, and at times is surprisingly sensitive in his love life.
I'm finally getting around to a read of all of the original Fleming stories, but I do remember there's at least one bit somewhere where M is glaring at him and grumbling about Bond always or generally letting M provide the justifications for killing someone.
Posted by: Hal | August 30, 2015 at 20:12