[Vwoolf] Woolf’s good food guide

[Alice Lowe]

My paper at the 2010 conference, published in the selected works from that
year, was "A Certain Hold on Haddock and Sausage: Dining Well in Virginia
Woolf's Life and Work." From numerous passages in her letters and diaries
as well as her novels, there is little doubt she relished & appreciated
good food. Traveling in France with Vita, she describes the food in several
letters to Leonard as well as in her diary. Read about: "the vastest most
delicious meal I have ever eaten..." (L3:534) and "a first rate dinner
thought out and presided over by a graceful young chef..." (D4:317).

On Thu, Apr 13, 2023 at 7:51 AM Mark Hussey via Vwoolf <vwoolf at lists.osu.edu>
wrote:

> Epic snark! From: Vwoolf <vwoolf-bounces@ lists. osu. edu> On Behalf Of
> Peter Adkins via Vwoolf Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2023 9: 06 AM To: VWOOLF
> listserv <vwoolf@ lists. service. ohio-state. edu> Subject: [Vwoolf]
> Woolf’s good food guide
>
> Epic snark!
>
>
>
> *From:* Vwoolf <vwoolf-bounces at lists.osu.edu> *On Behalf Of *Peter Adkins
> via Vwoolf
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 13, 2023 9:06 AM
> *To:* VWOOLF listserv <vwoolf at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>
> *Subject:* [Vwoolf] Woolf’s good food guide
>
>
>
> Making my way through my backlog of TLS issues, I thought the following
> letter from the January 13 2023 edition might be of interest to Woolfians
> on the list (and apologies if it has already been shared!): Woolf’s good
> food guide Reviewing
>
> Making my way through my backlog of *TLS *issues, I thought the following
> letter from the January 13 2023 edition might be of interest to Woolfians
> on the list (and apologies if it has already been shared!):
>
>
>
> *Woolf’s good food guide*
> Reviewing Diane Purkiss’s book on English food (December 23 & 30), Ysenda
> Maxtone Graham mentions the familiar passage in A Room of One’s Own
> contrasting the food served in a men’s college at Cambridge (King’s) and
> one for women (Newnham). It should be regarded as purely rhetorical, alas.
> The “counterpane of the whitest cream” over the men’s sole may or may not
> have tasted good, depending on how much flour there was in it; the meal at
> Newnham would certainly have tasted better (and there is nothing wrong with
> “beef with its attendant greens and potatoes”) had Virginia Woolf arrived
> on time for it. Katherine Duncan-Jones, whose mother, Elsie, arranged the
> meal specially for Woolf at Newnham, told me that she was in fact
> extravagantly late (having been fascinated by the men’s conversation,
> perhaps) and the carefully prepared meal was consequently ruined. In any
> case there is reason to doubt Woolf’s ability to recognize good food. The
> fuss about Mrs Ramsay’s daube in To the Lighthouse is hardly reassuring,
> and it is noticeable that in writing of Nelly Boxall, her own cook, Woolf
> hardly ever in her diaries mentions what comes to table. It’s probable that
> she wasn’t very interested.
>
> Martin Dodsworth
> Brill, Buckinghamshire
>
>
>
>
>
> *Dr Peter Adkins *
>
> (He/Him/His)
>
>
>
> *Website: peteradkins.net
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/peteradkins.net/__;!!KGKeukY!y90iaaNKkjJJu-5FDIgTdFTDNlGdyvXDS5e-HvDpl-DeknqCFBtFkmyjmW3ygN0wKb9Ju6DsO138hEAzXZgjVzkkCYsyFgAvHb7X-l-b$>*
>
> *Twitter: *@peteradkins17
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-- 
*Alice Lowe*
*https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.aliceloweblogs.wordpress.com__;!!KGKeukY!w5VCZfOPsB2DkUj8rdgZZxQ8-g3sykJeySXINVyYhb-Nw0qfBYPamJQcByf-0rIoBgkVJfCq07af5aItfAc8OLfUDlIxNaaCwdRy$  * <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.alicelowblogs.wordpress.com__;!!KGKeukY!w5VCZfOPsB2DkUj8rdgZZxQ8-g3sykJeySXINVyYhb-Nw0qfBYPamJQcByf-0rIoBgkVJfCq07af5aItfAc8OLfUDlIxNfYXpGiv$ >
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