From America to My Kitchen.

I think it is easy to argue that the apple is only known for its negative symbolism. But, they are also positive things associated with the apple, which I mentioned in my last post. I believe the apple is a contradictory symbol that changes meaning according to gender. In Carol M. Counihan’s Food and Gender: Power and Identity, she also identifies this contradictory nature of food and gender:

Despite the disparity between the positive/negative representations of the apple, I still think that it cannot truly escape its underlying image of being an icon of sin and temptation. Evidently, the tree that God warned Adam and Eve against was called the “Tree of Knowledge”, and even though wisdom/knowledge is seen as a positive thing, too much of it can lead to corruption. (Think of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the theme of dangerous knowledge as an example). When I was doing research on John Chapman, I read through Micheal Pollan’s The Botany of Desire and found this relevant quote:

This image is an example of how the apple cannot really escape its past. The inclusion of the Snake with the apple on his head alludes to the original biblical depiction.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the representation of apples, and if you’re interested in looking at how they are represented in other cultures look at this link! I am going to have a go at making a 'forbidden' apple crumble... As you guys know, I challenged myself to make an apple crumble and can proudly say, I have done it!I owe my accomplishment to this video:

Kate instructs you step by step through the process in such a conversational manner that you almost forget you’re baking! Time flies by and before you know it you're watching the crumble in the oven like a hawk. So why an apple crumble? Because apple crumbles are a type of nostalgic dessert that make me think of lazy Sundays after a roast, where shoving spoonfuls of custard laden crumble both comforts and keeps the horror of Mondays away. Justin Picardie brings this nostalgic food moment to life in Daphne:

References

Counihan, Carole, and Steven L Kaplan. Food And Gender. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998. Print.

Picardie, Justine. Daphne. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009. Print.

Pollan, Michael. Cannabis, The Importance Of Forgetting, And The Botany Of Desire. Berkeley, Calif.: Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities, 2002. Print.

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From Eden to America.

When placed in the hands of a man, the apple becomes a legendary symbol that stands for wisdom and innovation. For example, when the physicist Sir Isaac Newton witnessed an apple falling from a tree, he came up with the theory of gravity. Another example of this is Steve Jobs, who named his company 'Apple Inc' and funnily enough, even has a logo sign which features a bitten apple. But, for today we are going to look closely at Johnny Appleseed.

Johnny Appleseed’s desire to plant apple trees, instead of eating them like Eve and Snow White does, makes him innovative, instead of destructive (which seems to happen when the apple is placed in the hands of a woman. How unfair!)

In Eating in Eden: Food and American Utopias Etta Madden and Martha Finch discuss Johnny Appleseed's positive character:

This is an example of how the relationship between men and apples are viewed as positive and legendary.

This ‘myth’ of Johnny Appleseed is brought to life when mentioned in the peri-text of apple based cookbooks, which I found when reading Phillip Stephen Schulz As American as Apple pie (1996) and Amy Traverso’s The Apple Lover’s Cookbook (2011). The first thing I noticed about these two cookbooks was the disparity of time between the two.

In his introduction, Schulz tells us his cookbook is a celebration of “America’s best” dishes, that are to be enjoyed “casually and comfortably”, a prominent factor of the “American style”(12). Schulz’s patriotism is demonstrated through his language, which at times comes across as forced enthusiasm. He repeats the words ‘America’ throughout his introduction, and even the title of book As American as Apple pie (which is the common idiom used to describe things that are American). I started to wonder why his patriotism came across as forced, and realised when reading his beginning chapter on ‘Apple Pies’, that it could be something to do with what food writers fear the most: maintaining authenticity. 

Schulz indulgently talks about John Chapman and his legacy, but fails to mention that apples themselves are not American. This is because Schulz wants to enchant his reader with the fantasy, rather than the reality of the matter. This could be why he describes John Chapman in a fairy tale like manner.Schulz wants to maintain authenticity, particularly when it comes to his apple pie recipes, which I think is why he uses John Chapman, to almost justify his original 'American' recipes. I looked through some online websites that discuss this idea of authenticity and found this insightful quotation:

However, in Traverso's cookbook she differently does mention the origin of the apple before she talks about John Chapman:

Her tone of voice comes as across as genuine, as she is not preoccupied with patriotism. This is because of the time differences between the two cookbooks. One is focused on using food in the form of an apple as a representation of a race and ethnicity, while the other is focused on just food. Overall, both cookbooks allude to the John Chapman story as a way of praising his innovative act of planting apples.

Madden, Etta M, and Martha L Finch. Eating In Eden. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. Print.

Schulz, Phillip Stephen. As American As Apple Pie. New York: Wings Books, 1996. Print.

Traverso, Amy. The Apple Lover's Cookbook. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

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Nothing More Delicious.

In my first blog post I asked myself this question: Why is the relationship between apples and women problematic within art, literature and poetry? We are going to attempt to answer this question, using what we have learnt from my previous posts. The beginning image of the apple and its association with the Garden of Eden becomes "the guiding myth of Western culture"(Tamar and Moran, 1). This image carries such strong negative connotations, that it manages to resonate itself through the Snow White story, with the same implications. The apple seems to stand for sex and the loss of innocence, which becomes a problematic aspect when women are involved. This is because women are 'supposed' to embody qualities of denial and self-control, yet these principles are unfair because they have been constructed by a patriarchal and oppressive society. On the Victorian Website, under the subheading Hunger as an Instrument of Self-Control and Self-Denial, I found this useful quote:

If we read the apple as a way of revealing the anxieties associated with a certain discourse, we can certainly say that the discourse in query is one that revolves around femininity (representations of female gender roles) and sexuality (the profound fear of female sexuality and the potential consequences of indulging in desires). In the case of Eve and Snow White, the apple motif manages to materialise this fear through their eating of the fruit. They are punished for their appetites. For example, Eve’s punishment for “eating Death” (9.792) means that she can never return “to a state of pre-lapsarian innocence” (Ward, 38). While, Snow White’s consumption “serves as a vehicle for a more potentially disturbing issue — in this case, sexual maturation from girl to woman”(Victorianweb). This is shown in the ending of the story, where Snow white will marry and assume her role as a respectable woman. I believe the relationship between food and women in general is difficult and impossible to sustain, because the “desire for food is often confused, in particular, for sexual desire” (24). Looking at food alongside sexuality restricts and oppresses a woman, who can only be seen as good for not eating, and bad for not eating. In other words, haunted by the dynamic of the 'fallen woman' and the 'angel in the house'.It is interesting to note in art, the representation of apples and women are also indicative of sexuality/sin, while the depiction of apples and men are indicative of positive things… Take a look at these paintings and let me know what you think!

References

Victorianweb.org,. 'Food And Famine In Victorian Literature'. N.p., 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

Ward, Mary. The Literature Of Love. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print.

Wilkins, John. Food In European Literature. Exeter, UK: Intellect Books, 1996. Print.
Heller, Tamar, and Patricia Moran. Scenes Of The Apple. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003. Print.

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Go on. Go on, have a bite.

While the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale Little Snow-White is legendary, it’s somewhat a controversial tale that we would now think was not originally intended for children. Disney’s popularized version of the story released in 1937, is the story we are all familiar with.  For those of you have not watched that version, here is the link to a brief synopsis of it.

As I read through the original Grimm Brothers’ story, I realized there was a lot more things that the apple could symbolize. Food (in the form of an apple) in this story explores issues with women, desire, motherhood, self-control and most bizarrely, cannibalism. I know this sounds very strange and I am sure I have got most of you to think of Hannibal Lecter, but let’s not get too distracted! Cannibalism is quite a common trope within food literature, especially with relation to consuming the female body. There is an intrinsic focus on the edibility of the female body, which we see often objectified and ‘consumed’ by an evil predator (think of Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel,). Let’s take a look at examples of cannibalistic appetite in Snow White:

Yes, you read that correctly, the queen wanted to eat Snow White’s heart, but why would she want to do that? We can see why this part of the story was removed from Disney’s version, because it is far too grotesque and unsuitable for a young audience. In Kiss Sleeping Beauty Good-Bye, Madonna Kolbenschlag suggests: “when the wicked stepmother devours what she believes to be Snow White's (vital organs), she recaptures a primitive cannibalistic expression of envy: the belief that one acquires the power and characteristics of what one eats” (36).  These characteristics are beauty and youth, which the Queen fears she is losing the longer Snow White stays alive. 

Now, let’s get back to the subject of apples – poisoned apples.  The Queen creates an apple that “[is] beautiful to look upon, being white with red cheeks, so that anyone who should see it must long for it, but whoever [eats] even a little bit of it must die”(Grimm Brothers, 5-6). The apple’s edibility is similar to Snow White’s own identity, she too is beautiful and everyone that she encounters longs for her in some way or the other. In the previous passage, the huntsman thinks Snow White’s beauty is ‘lovely’ enough for him to pity her, and spare her life. This is the same for the seven dwarves, who are angry when they find their house has been intruded, yet when they realise the intruder is Snow White they quickly change their mind: “O goodness! O gracious!” cried they, “what beautiful child is this?” and were so full of joy to see her that they did not wake her, but let her sleep on”(Ibid, 3).

In our Literature and food class last week, we looked at Margret Atwood’s Edible Woman. There is a moment in the text where the protagonist (Marian) describes herself being watched as she sleeps by her partner, Peter. In the context of the novel, there's a suggestion of a predator prey relationship between the two characters. Now I am not saying the seven dwarfs are predators, but the fact they stare at her with a longing because of her beauty, certainly shows us the ways Snow White is edible. This idea is emphasized in the final parts of the Grimm Brothers’ story. Snow White initially says no to the Queen’s offer, but the Queen urges her on: “Are you afraid of poison?” said the woman, “look here, I will cut the apple in two pieces; you shall have the red side, I will have the white one” (6). The Queen’s consumption of the ‘white’ side of the apple mirrors her cannibalistic desire to consume Snow White. This is completed when Snow White eats from the ‘red’ side, which subtly hints Snow White’s loss of innocence. This is the same loss Eve experiences. Overall, the apple is again negatively symbolised. The consequences of eating from this fruit causes Snow White's momentary death.

References:
Atwood, Margaret. The Edible Woman. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. Print.

Kolbenschlag, Madonna. Kiss Sleeping Beauty Good-Bye. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1979. Print.

(Little Snow White, can be read here for free)

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Apple-tising!

The construct of women as “sexual deviants” certainly begins with the apple.  Eve’s uncontrollable appetite seems to become a metaphor for female desire, which throughout history has been a censured and controversial subject matter. In Victorian Literature and the Anorexic Body, Anna Krugovoy Silver suggests that: “Victorians used to define the ideal woman [as] – spiritual, non-sexual, self-disciplined” (3). Before Eve eats the fruit, she is the embodiment of all these qualities. Yet, after she eats the fruit, she loses all these qualities. This is further explored in books four and nine of John Milton’s "Paradise Lost".  

In book four Eve is described as “accomplished”(4.660) because of her innocence, modesty and submissiveness to both God and Adam. The catalytic moment of her temptation changes all this:

In this passage, Eve’s movements are being described as impulsive through the words “rash” and “plucked”. As Eve devours the fruit, Earth “[feels] the wound” and it is interesting to note that the Earth is gendered as a she, who in this moment can metaphorically be seen as the object of consumption. This is because when Eve eats the apple, she essentially eats away at the paradise God creates for her and Adam.  Eve transgression spurs on her voracious appetite, she greedily “[engorges] without restraint… heightened with wine, jocund and boon” (9.791 -973).  She is intoxicated by the fruits power... And in some ways, this can read as an orgasmic experience because the word 'heightened' suggests the heightening of a type pleasure. In Tamar Heller and Patricia Moran's Scenes of the Apple, they call this experience with food 'libidinal' which is a "bodily and sexual experience [that] draws on the dual association of the mouth"(3). This could be why eating the apple changes both Adam and Eve’s perception of each other. Their initial hunger/appetite for the apple, develops into a sexual hunger, which they now have for each other: “he on Eve / Began to cast lascivious eyes, she him / As wantonly repaid; in lust they burn” ”(9.1013-1015). We know what happens next! Nonetheless, Eve is blamed for the incident and is "despoiled"(9.1138) of any ideal qualities, and this because she lacks "control over [her] body and its desires are enacted through the [lack of] control of food intake"(Silver, 52).

Overall, this first image of the apple is an example of its negative symbolism. The idea of temptation becomes a prominent theme which seems to be at the crux of children's literature, where we often see children praised for denying their appetites and equally punished for caving into them. In my next post, we will be looking at the apple from Snow White.

References

Heller, Tamar, and Patricia Moran. Scenes Of The Apple. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003. Print.

Milton, John, and Gordon Teskey. Paradise Lost. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Print.

Silver, Anna Krugovoy. Victorian Literature And The Anorexic Body. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.

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Apples vs Figs.

 You are probably wondering why there is an image of fig in this second post, but rest assured, this fig plays an important part of understanding our precious apples. We all believe that the ‘forbidden fruit’ is an apple only because art and literature has successfully helped fill in the blanks Genesis left out.  The unnamed fruit from the tree of knowledge could have been anything: a strawberry, a cherry, a peach or even a fig, which many critics have argued is the true forbidden fruit of Eden. In Food at the time of the Bible, Miriam Vamosh agrees the fruit is a fig, because both Adam and Eve use fig leaves to cover their naked selves in Genesis 3:7. She argues figs are the fruit “which they [have] eaten... the very thing by which they [are] corrupted by"(51). If this is the case, why do apples replace this representation? I decided to do a taste off between the two fruits, to draw my own conclusions on which fruit would be symbolically better suited for the Garden of Eden. 

In the fresh fruit section of Sainsbury’s there is a wide range of apples: granny smith, pink lady, and golden delicious, royal gala and Braeburn apples. For this taste test, I chose Braeburn apples. The apple is a rich red colour and has streaks of light green running through it. Its skin is smooth and it smells refreshing, and closing my fingers around the fruit is easy because it is round. When I bite into the apple, it sweet yet subtle spicy taste fills my mouth.  The figs however, are quite limited in this particular store, so I was only able to get the standard Evita variety of figs which are grown in South Africa. The fig is a deep purple and much smaller than the apple. Its skin is smooth, but firm and feels like leather. The fig smells earthy and bland. When I bite into the fig, its sweet yet subtle acidic taste fills my mouth. I think the apple is better suited to being the forbidden fruit because of its sweeter taste, colour and shape. The extract below taken from Erika Janik’s book Apple: A Global History also draws on this:

(Page, 32).

Janik also suggests another reason the apple is chosen is because "the Latin word malum means both ‘apple’ and ‘evil’ ”(31). This interpretation makes sense because the fruit becomes a metaphor for sin, which in the eyes of God is seen as the ultimate evil. The 'evil' the apple may be referring to certainly has something to do with anxieties over female sexuality, because Eve's appetite and her choice of eating becomes a metaphor for desire. I will be examining this more in my third post apple lovers, so stay tuned for more!

References:

Janik, Erika. Apple. London: Reaktion Books, 2011. Print.

Vamosh, Miriam Feinberg. Food At The Time Of The Bible. [Nashville, Tenn.]: Abingdon, 2004. Print.

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Unravelling the tale behind the Apple.

Before we begin looking at the negative and positive connotations associated with apples in detail, I wanted to give you guys a brief bite into history of the apple. The origin of the domesticated apple ‘Malus doemstica’ actually originated from Kazakhstan, near the Tien Shan mountains, where the forests to this day are still bountiful with wild apple trees. So how did these apples get from there to here? Well, they were brought along the Silk Road by travellers. But, humans were not the only ones helping the apple become a widespread phenomenon. In Amy Traverso’s The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, she identifies the important role the animals in the Tien Shan forests had:

The Silk Road, or Silk Route, is a network of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East  (Wikipedia)

When the Romans occupied Britain, they introduced the country to sweeter varieties of apples, through growing apple orchards. The only apples we had around before the occupation were “crabapples”, which was mainly drank as cider. In the Tudor times, a brief decline in fruit cultivation due to the black plague meant our precious apples were scarce. But, King Henry VIII and his fruiterer, Richard Harris came up with a plan to import apple trees from France. He reportedly:

(Watson, 20).

By the end of the agricultural revolution in the 18th century, a botanist named Thomas Andrew Knight had successfully cross-pollinated varieties of apples. This led to the development and improvement of many apples, which carried through into the Victorian era. There was a huge increase in the number of apples grown at this time, by gardeners and farmers. This BBC Four documentary Apples: British to the core expands on how the Victorian’s passion for gardening helped the apple become the English national fruit.

During the First and Second World Wars, food rationing was a standard thing. But, foods such as potatoes, fruit and fish were not rationed because they could be grown or in the case of the fish, caught. Only exotic fruits like oranges, bananas, grapes and others were rationed. Eventually the importation of apples to Britain much easier. Apples grown in different countries began to be sold in shops. My favourite apple is the Braeburn which is grown in New Zealand, it was brought here in the early 1990’s. Fast forward to nowadays, we do not even think twice when picking out the apple we want to eat for lunch - they are so many varieties out there, yet to try!

References:

Traverso, Amy. The Apple Lover's Cookbook. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

Watson, Ben. Cider, Hard And Sweet. Woodstock, Vt.: Countryman Press, 1999. Print.

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