Sunday, 1 July 2012
Lake Trout and cultural Baltimore
I was watching my favourite TV show today, The Wire, fourth season. And there was a mention of a lake trout, which was what Randy Wagstaff wanted to eat. I thought it was strange a kid from the ghetto liked trout, which I always imagine like a fish for fancy dinners, then I discovered it is a fried fish sandwich. More about it here. Basically, it is quite close to the fish and chips: simple hearty and deep fried. One of the many, many things I love about The Wire is that Baltimore is a character in itself: you learn about its colours, flavours, its culture. And it is done in a subdued, almost subliminal way: no explanation is given, the characters simply order lake trout, or drop raw eggs in their beer, or eat blue crabs. I blogged before that food has an important role in national and regional identities. The show illustrates this brilliantly. I have never seen it done so well on TV, and very rarely in novels. So I have never been in Baltimore, but I discover this city and want to learn more.
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2 comments:
Everytime I open a book I hope to learn something new, a new way of looking at old things, discovering a subject I had never had an interest in before or learning about a new culture. Food is so tied with culture that it is a wonderful way to gain insight into new one be they national or regional. Thanks for the interesting post. If I ever visit Balitmore...:-)
It does not look like a nice city, judging by the TV series. But a fascinating one all the same, and not devoid of charm.
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