Eskimo Variations
One of my favorite books is a slim, obscure volume entitled Seasonal Variations of the Eskimo, by the anthropologist Marcel Mauss. This book holds a curious place in my pantheon of beloved literature, in that I have never actually read it. At least I don’t think I have, certainly not cover to cover. I have owned this book for over 20 years, and the reasons I’ve kept it are a little obscure in their own right. I love the title, for one thing. I’m not sure why, but the phrase “Seasonal Variations of the Eskimo” has always held a strange fascination for me. When I finally get around to forming my rock band, I’m gonna call it Seasonal Variations of the Eskimo. (Why does the phrase “rock band” sound so old-fashioned? Do we still have “rock bands”?) When I publish my book of cryptic, hauntingly beautiful poems, which will combine the intense clarity of haiku with the compelling ambiguities of French symbolist poetry, its title will be Seasonal Variations of the Eskimo. No one will know why, least of all me. This will be appropriate for a collection of French symbolist haiku.
The book is attractive in its physical qualities, as well. It’s a small hardcover, small enough to fit in your jacket pocket, so you could carry it up to a grassy hilltop in spring, were you inclined to read social morphology in such a setting. The dust jacket is an orangey yellow—saffron, I think you might call it, like the robes of Tibetan monks. There is no illustration, but only the title, in standard type alternating with italic script, the print a striking bright purple. It reads:
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
OF THE ESKIMO
A Study in Social
Morphology
MARCEL MAUSS
in Collaboration with
Henri Beuchat
Translated
with a Foreword, by
James J. Fox
The translator’s acknowledgement is in red. It’s a bit garish, I suppose, and yet somehow classic, as well. It was published by the no doubt venerable house of Routledge & Kegan Paul.
I was required to buy this book for a college seminar on structuralist anthropology. Anthropology professors at that time were especially brutal in their disregard for their students’ budgets, and would frequently assign reading lists a couple yards long full of very short but absurdly expensive books, some of which we never even got around to reading, as was true of Seasonal Variations of the Eskimo. In 1981 this book cost me, I think, around $30. That’s $30 of scholarship/student loan/ work study dollars of 1981, which in today’s context is about $800. This is another reason I keep the book: I would never get my money back if I sold it.
But mostly I keep it because I believe somehow that if I ever do manage to read it, I will understand something which will make everything about life clearer, more comprehensible, more acceptable. Some part of me is certain that the Eskimos, and their seasonal variations, have something to teach us, something profoundly important. If not they, then who? If I read this book, my life will be changed forever, and enlightenment will be mine. So you see the bind I’m in: How can I risk it? What if I read the thing cover to cover, appendices, endnotes, index and all, and it doesn’t work? How will I go on?
Fortunately, the text itself is proof against such calamitous disappointment. For I tend to pick it up at bedtime, and I read passages such as:
From all these facts, we cannot conclude with complete assurance that there is absolutely no tribal organization among the Eskimo. On the contrary, there are a number of social aggregates that definitely appear to have some of the features which ordinarily define a tribe. Yet, at the same time….
And it’s lights out. In case you’re wondering, the point of the book, as far as I can tell, is to establish that various peoples of the Arctic coastal areas share a tendency to live apart from the group as families in the summer, and communally in a lodge or longhouse with other families in the winter. There. I’ve saved you $800. You can spend it on bread. (And in case you wondered further, those salacious stories we heard as kids, about Eskimos sharing, you know, everything—well according to Professor Mauss and associates, they’re true.)
Why I’m going on about this is that I happened to dig the book out of a box in our basement not long ago, and took a crack at reading it again. This coincided with a time of ruminations on the seasonal variations of the bread baker. Last market was one of the coldest of the winter for us, with a wicked wind that sent signboards flying and had us iced like a side of beef by the end of the morning. The days leading up to the market, however, had been unseasonably warm, and already we began to see the change in the starter and in the natural leaven doughs. Everything was more active, faster to rise. The doughs were stickier, especially the rye breads, as humidity once again became a tangible concept. Instead of waiting around wondering if those Organic County Wheat loaves were ever going to be ready to bake, we cast an anxious eye on burgeoning rounds of dough and worried that they would collapse from over-proofing. And I got to thinking: How on earth are we going to do this in August? Well, we did it last August; I guess we’ll do it again.
Important Information about WHERE TO FIND US
And now as it’s April, we’re looking at the end of the winter market, and trying to plan for the summer. So here’s some important information about where you’ll be able to find us this summer. As many of you know, we are considered associate, rather than full, members of the Saint Paul Growers’ Association, the organization that administers the market. As such, we are not permitted to sell at any of the larger markets, or a lot of the smaller ones, for that matter. In fact, for all of May and most of June, the only market open to us will be the Saint Luke’s market which takes place on Friday afternoons from 1:15 till 5:00 p.m.. The first Saint Luke’s market is actually the last Friday of April this year. Saint Luke’s is located on the northeast corner of Summit and Lexington. The market’s in the parking lot in back.
So: For April, we’ll still be downtown on Saturday mornings. The market is every Saturday in April, not alternating weeks as it has been. Once May rolls around, we won’t be selling downtown, and we hope you’ll come see us at Saint Luke’s starting Friday, April 30. We’ll certainly bring you up to date if anything changes.
It’s looking like the weather will be springish indeed this Saturday, and Mary and I want to thank all of you who made it so satisfying to sell at the winter market. A more dedicated group of market-goers you will not find. Though we purt near froze our brioches off on many frigid Saturday mornings, we always came to the market full of happy anticipation at the prospect of seeing and talking with you all. We sincerely appreciate your enthusiasm, your joie de vivre, your patience when we can’t make change or remember which bread is which. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Merci, mille fois!
Important Information on HOW TO ORDER BREAD
Just a couple more brief digressions, then it’s on to the bread. Some of you who are new to the e-mail list have asked how to order bread in advance. It’s so simple! Just hit the old “Reply” button and tell us what you want electronically, or call us at 651 690-1959. You can order right up to Friday night, or even very early Saturday—we leave the house a little after 8:00, but if we get your order we’ll hold it for you. If you e-mail an order, we’ll reply to confirm it. If you don’t hear back from us, e-mail again, or telephone. We trust you to show up and get your order. If you order and don’t come, you’ll have to submit to a severe spanking with a wooden spoon before advance ordering privileges will be restored.
KFAI PLUG
And finally we want to make a plug for an organization that has done much to fuel the Real Bread fires, though no one there yet knows it. If on Friday afternoon you tune your FM radio dial to 90.3 or 106.7, you’ll hear what we’re hearing. These inspiring sounds emanate from Fresh Air radio, KFAI, a uniquely local, entirely irreplaceable resource, especially in these days when much of public radio is becoming ever more corporate and generic. KFAI is holding its pledge drive right now, and we urge you to give a listen if you haven’t before. The programming is an eclectic mix (the word eclectic might have been invented to describe KFAI) of music, news, talk, and just plain wacko stuff. To be honest, we’re not members yet, but we’re going to join up this Friday when our absolute favorite show “The Sugar Shop” hosted by the incomparable Lolly Obeda is on the air, spinning out the sounds of “blues, R & B, and sweet soul music”. If you’re feeling frowny, dour and leaden, “The Sugar Shop” will put a smile on your face and a tap in your toe. You might find yourself spontaneously breaking into the Funky Chicken. Don’t take my word for it. Fridays from 3:00 to 6:00.
New this week:
Orange Hazelnut Fougasse. I’ll bet you’ve never seen those three words together before. A fougasse is a Provencal flat bread, often cut to resemble a leaf. This one is made from a mixed-leaven dough that is slightly sweet and enriched with Cedar Summit milk and Hope Creamery butter. It’s studded with candied orange peel and toasted hazelnuts, and scented with orange flower water. The hazelnuts are crunchy, rich, and, well, nutty, and the orange rind is chewy and sweet but also a little bitter. It’s a nice breakfast, snack or coffee bread in the manner of brioche and briochette. If there are bits of the orange rind on top of the bread they can be a little hard, so be careful. These fougasses are about the same weight as the briochettes, and likewise priced at $2.50.
And:
Walnut Very Fruity Fig
Olive Currant/Walnut Organic Country Wheat
Baguettes Rosemary, Honey Green Peppercorn / Thyme
The Bastards, Seedy & Salty Euro Rye
Brioche, small, large, and a couple of loaves
Briochettes: Currant, Ginger/Lemon, Chocolate
Scones Dog biscuits
Speaking of seasonal variations, is anyone getting the hankering for a nice crusty baguette yet? Last summer at Saint Luke’s we would sell 20 or 30 of these at a market, while overall we sold much less bread there than we do downtown. But downtown, no one’s been buying them. I wonder if it’s just that the winter has had people in the mood for bigger, heartier breads. The baguette is a basic bread, it’s true, but absolutely delicious, in our opinion. Crisped in your oven for a few minutes before dinner, it’s the perfect thing to have with salads, with an omelette, to sop up the sauce in your moules mariniere. They’ll be available this week. We can make them in the epi, or head-of-wheat, shape, also—by request. A baguette costs $2.00 and an epi $2.50.
Email brettlaidlaw@eckmeier.com – ask to join our newsletter list. You’ll get the latest market updates from loony people who sell bread in freezing parking lots! Weekly specials! Humorous anecdotes and biting social commentary. It’s the yeastiest thing you’ll see all week!