The Happy Table of Eugene Walter: Southern Spirits in Food and Drink
edited by Donald Goodman and Thomas Head (University of North Carolina Press, 296 pp., $30)I’m sad to say I never met Eugene Walter. By the time I joined the Southern Foodways Alliance, Walter had already passed away, but the fond stories told by members who knew him invariably gave me the impression he was well worth knowing. Walter was an Alabama-born novelist; poet; journalist; screenwriter; translator; food writer; costume, set, and marionette designer; raconteur; and international bon vivant. Born in Mobile, his fascinating life took him to Greenwich Village, Paris, and Rome, and he was the contemporary of such 20th century notables as Truman Capote, Alice B. Toklas, Isak Dinesen, George Plimpton, James Beard, Federico Fellini, and many more. This book is based on a manuscript Walter worked on for the last few years of his life, lovingly and respectfully edited by the manager of his estate, Donald Goodman, and food and travel writer Thomas Head. The result is a wonderful read, “an ardent survey of Southern beverages and a grand selection of Southern dishes employing spirituous flavorings” illustrated with archival photos of the author as well as his whimsical line drawings.
The Happy Table of Eugene Walter is so much more than a collection of classic recipes from Alabama and the Deep South, however. This appealing concoction is equal parts Southern culinary and cultural history, well-seasoned with wit and charm. Rarely does the written word make me hanker for a cocktail, but Walter’s writing about bourbon followed by recipes for Sazeracs, mint juleps, eggnog, and bourbon balls made me downright nostalgic for my former drug of choice. Any serious student of Southern culture should gleefully devour this book and raise a cocktail in honor of Eugene Walter.
This article appears in December 9 • 2011.