Craig Giesecke
While many of our days are still warm and we‘re certainly not done with summer-type weather yet, the cooler air of the past week has certainly improved my attitude and my culinary approach. Autumn is my favorite time of year — not only because things cool off but because it allows me to bring out a lot of things that don’t seem to fit in the more consistently hot weather we find after about, oh, JazzFest in this part of the world.
I was nearly 50 years old before I actually spent some time during the fall in a part of the world that has four distinct seasons. Having spent my entire life on or south of I-20 (except for a brief 18 months or so in Huntsville, Ala.), and having spent half my life along or south of I-10, I’ve tended to experience only two seasons each year. The Green Season lasts a good nine months, while the Gray And Brown Season takes up the other three (though the pines still leave plenty of green). Of course, any snow in our part of the world is a Big Damn Deal and, every decade or so, some of the South is humbled by an ice storm that makes transplanted Northerners laugh at our feeble attempts to cope.
Simply because of this personal geography, I’ve been a latecomer to things like the idea of “summer” beers and the anticipation that goes with them in much of the country. While we continue to grind forward through the heat and humidity most of the year, “summer” north of about I-40 is a fleeting and glorious thing that often arrives too late and goes away too early. Warm nights provide an all-too-brief respite from jackets and sweatshirts, just as our recent cooler evenings have brought out our hoodies and long sleeves.
What we call “fall“ is what those from Up North call “late summer.” What we call “winter,” they call “fall.” What they call “winter“ is, to us, “unbearable” for more than a few days. But I also learned about a year ago, during a freak Nor’easter while we were in New England, that even experienced Yankee-winter types can be caught off-guard. The difference is they have the snowplows and other equipment to deal with it. Not so down here.
One of the glories of this time of year is the wide array of Octoberfest beers that become available. These Marzen-style beers truly go with the weather, once the thermometer drops below about 65 degrees. They are darker, a bit heavier and quite a bit more chewy, matching the bulkier foods we crave when the weather cools off. My absolute favorite is the Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest, followed closely by the Spaten (both German). But the domestic brewers also make some fine examples as well, such as Shiner, Sam Adams, Harpoon and others. Most are pretty widely available here, so it’s easy to arrange a tasting with friends on a cool evening. Getting local, try the NOLA Brown Ale or the Marzen produced by the Heiner Brau folks on the Northshore.
My food choices during the fall tend to get more, well, alpine. A good German potato salad isn’t a complicated dish to make at home, nor is a sauerbraten much more complicated than your average pot roast (except for the 72 hours or so it has to marinate, so plan ahead). But dishes from northern Italy and other mountain regions also fall into my must-have list this time of year. Even seafood dishes take on more complex flavors, such as a spicier Basque twist to redfish instead of the lighter, citrusy turn usually preferred during the summer.
Of course, the recent cool-down also makes us at least glance forward a month or so to the holidays and then, afterward, Carnival Season. Just a few nights ago, we had a conversation at our house about how much we’re looking forward to Thanksgiving. Some years ago, we moved away from the traditional turkey to what I’d call “Thanksgrazing.” We lay out one or two traditional items, like a green bean casserole, but the rest of the table is laden with an array of cheeses, sausage, breads and other small-plate items that allow for more mobility around the house and from person to person. We find cleanup is also a lot easier, and it allows for better ebb and flow of guests.
What works for you as the weather gets cooler? Are you a traditionalist or a cool weather radical? It’s only food, so there’s no right or wrong. Maybe an exchange of ideas can bring some new ideas to what we do each year. I’d love to find out.
Craig Giesecke has been a broadcaster and journalist for over 30 years, including nearly two decades at the AP and UPI covering news, sports, politics, food and travel. He has been the owner of J’anita’s for five years, serving well-reviewed upscale bar food and other dishes. Comments are encouraged and welcomed.
Well, this comment is more about theme and format than it is about particular foods.
For a number of years now, we have deferred to my mother-in-law’s long-standing Thanksgiving Day get together, and held our own gathering on Friday afternoon and evening. We call it “Bring it to the Dump”; we tell friends that if they have some leftovers they’d like to get rid of, to bring them along – otherwise to just bring themselves. The open house typically lasts 6-7 hours. It’s a nice time to visit with a number of friends and family.
It’s an open invitation; we’d love to see you two if it ever works out!