The Day of the Hunted

Still Life at Foire Gastronomique du Dijon

      Today was the Day of the Hunt and Venison at the Gastronomic Fair. The Table of Lucullus, a revolving display which changes daily, resembled 16th or 17th Century Dutch paintings. Those paintings were at once a celebration and rebuke of earthly pleasures. The Chasseurs de France, the national organization which promotes hunting, provided no-less-than-four brochures about hunting and the consumption of game meats.
     The materials drew on a range of philosophical sources: the Spaniard José Ortega y Gasset once said "One doesn't hunt to kill, one kills, sometimes, because one has hunted." Bruno de Cessole goes on to posit a relation between the hunter and the savage animal based on the hunter's respect for the free and savage animal, and for the ruses the animal uses to avoid death. No less than Jim Harrison (Legends of the Fall) and Mark Zuckerberg are cited in support of eating meat you've killed yourself. Besides, game meat is healthier for you than factory raised. No rebuke there.
     The Table is named for the Roman general who ate and entertained lavishly. It is placed near the center of the hall, opposite what used to be the main entrance. At a table next to it, the five highest ranked "terrines de gibier," looking much like those below, except encrusted in pastry, were ready for judges to taste.

Terrines at Table of Lucullus.

     A half-dozen chefs were the judges. I notice Monique Salera, noted Dijon chef and cooking teacher, and watched her at work.

Taste.

Savor.

Analyze.

     When the judges were finished compiling their numerical scores, the audience could sample. Definitely an earthy, earthly pleasure.