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It finally happened: The Siege of Paris dinner!

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  Last Thursday, April 3, my family and I got dressed in historically-inspired formal wear and headed off to The Buckland Club’s Siege of Paris dinner.   The dinner was over a year in the making, and I’m still so proud, honored, and amazed to say that I’ve been involved from nearly the start of it.   In March 2024, I was contacted by Andrew Morris, Chairman of The Buckland Club , a club that meets twice every year in Birmingham, England, for unusual themed dinners. Named for Frank Buckland, a 19 th  century British naturalist who famously ate countless different kinds of animals, their motto is Semper in ventrem aliquid novi. (Always something new in the stomach.).   Andrew explained that the theme of the Club’s spring 2025 dinner would be the Siege of Paris, and he wanted to know if I’d like to be its sponsor.   The role wasn’t a financial one (much to my relief - my love of the Siege of Paris is boundless, but alas, my budget is not), but rather mor...
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A Siege souvenir’s surprising tie to four generations of one family

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There are many things I’m a bit obsessed with. These include cats, books, and Siege of Paris bread souvenirs. As the Siege continued over the months of fall, 1870, white flour became scarce and Parisian bakeries had to get (desperately) creative in order to keep making bread for a population for whom it was a staple. Siege bread became notorious for its unpleasant texture, hardness, and dubious ingredients, including crushed peas and, most notoriously, straw.   Jules Ferry, who was Prefect of the Seine during the Siege, and in charge of things like rationing and provisions, allegedly once lamented “ Jamais les Parisiens ne me pardonneront de leur avoir fait manger un ignoble pain.”  (“The Parisians will never forgive me for having made them eat vile bread.”) And he had a point; Siege bread was sometimes referred to as pain Ferry  (Ferry bread).   On the plus side, it’s because Siege bread was so notoriously horrible (and so easy to preserve, ...
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