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The Original Foundation of "Epicurean"
A historical culinary and gastronomical journey.
Date: 7/8/2015 4:21:59 PM ( 9 y ) ... viewed 1382 times Is Epicurus (/ˌɛpɪˈkjʊərəs/ or /ˌɛpɪˈkjɔːrəs/; Greek: Ἐπίκουρος, Epíkouros, "ally, comrade"; 341–270 BC) the ancient Greek philosopher; the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.
I was inspired to trace "Epicurean" back to it's original root and now I am so glad I did! He are some highlights of what I discovered so far:
"For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by ataraxia[1]—peace and freedom from fear—and aponia—the absence of pain—and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends.[2]
Epicurus' teachings were introduced into medical philosophy and practice by the Epicurean doctor Asclepiades of Bithynia, who was the first physician who introduced Greek medicine in Rome. Asclepiades introduced the friendly, sympathetic, pleasing and painless treatment of patients. He advocated humane treatment of mental disorders, had insane persons freed from confinement and treated them with natural therapy, such as diet and massages. His teachings are surprisingly modern, therefore Asclepiades is considered to be a pioneer physician in psychotherapy, physical therapy and molecular medicine. ...
Legacy -
His emphasis on minimizing harm and maximizing happiness in his formulation of the Ethic of Reciprocity was later picked up by the democratic thinkers of the French Revolution, and others, like John Locke, who wrote that people had a right to "life, liberty, and property." To Locke, one's own body was part of their property, and thus one's right to property would theoretically guarantee safety for their persons, as well as their possessions.
This triad, as well as the egalitarianism of Epicurus, was carried forward into the American freedom movement and Declaration of Independence, by the American founding father, Thomas Jefferson, as 'all men are created equal' and endowed with certain 'unalienable rights,' such as 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' Jefferson considered himself an Epicurean. ..."
That "came to me" as a result of my pursuing "The Epicurean: A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art,..."[3]
I was earlier inspired in reading: "... French cookery and sauce making was expected by the late nineteenth century, encouraged by two ex-patriot French chefs living in New York, Pierre Blot and Charles Ranhofer, both wrote cookbooks touting extensive sauce repertories. Ranhofer's The Epicurean (1893) contained over 250 sauce recipes, many taken directly from the best examples of French haute cuisine. It became the bible for sauce cookery."
My Divinity; 250 sauce recipes! The Culinary Institute of Americia's "... Professional Chef" features less than one tenth of sauce recipes! I was "compelled" to see "the bible"! I count this as an answer to my unspoken "prayer" imagining enjoying more sauces in my life!
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That Night -
I'm amazed! I just (re)discovered "gastronomy" in an enlightening way as if I had never known it before!
"Gastronomy involves discovering, tasting, experiencing, researching, understanding and writing about food preparation and the sensory qualities of human nutrition as a whole. It also studies how nutrition interfaces with the broader culture. Later on, the application of biological and chemical knowledge to cooking has become known as molecular gastronomy, yet gastronomy covers a much broader, interdisciplinary ground."[4]
Every single word of this (and all together as a greater whole) is like the letters of genetic code written in my cellular design! I can't get over it! ; ~ )
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Footnotes:
[1] "Epicurus argued that when we do not suffer pain, we are no longer in need of pleasure, and we enter a state of ataraxia, 'tranquility of soul' ..."
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus
[3]
https://books.google.com/books?id=fso0AQAAMAAJ&pg=PR8&dq=%22Charles+Ranhofer%22%2B%22The+Epicurean%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_nmdVeLkBZC3ogSLzoWoBg&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=%22Charles%20Ranhofer%22%2B%22The%20Epicurean%22&f=false
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastronomy
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Keywords:
Epicurus, Epicurean, freedom, self sufficient life, friends, medical philosophy, Asclepiades, physician, humane treatment, mental disorders, natural therapy, diet, psychotherapy, medicine, life, liberty, property, American freedom movement, Thomas Jefferson, The Epicurean, sauce cookery, culinary, Gastronomy, culture
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