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About Roseburg news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1920-1948 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1936)
"Hollywood Use a Little Wine For Thy Stomach's Sa kei Says Fa m ous Go u rmetA tit ho r 'H OLLYWOOD is a gold mine!" Over a cup of tea in the lounge of his San Francisco hotel, Julian Street, author, gourmet, and wine connoisseur, talked of writing and fl 3 wine his work and his hob by. He is, possibly, the pleasant est man in the world to ohat with, because his life work and deep in terest have, for ail practical pur poses, become one, with the ex ception of' occasional excursions to the movie capital "where money prows on trees, or very nearly." Where many famous men Veep their business and hobby separate enterprises, he combines - his into a neat entity, writing largely of Rood living which means wandering over the world in search of interesting places, meals from various savory kitch ens, accompanied by an appropri ate vintage. A charter member of the Amer ican Association of Gourmets, he visited Monterey, and association headquarters at Del Monte, where Chef Emil Rissel prepared one of his specialties under the critical -eye of the author, and his attrac- . T tive wife, Margot. . "Like other highly paid profes sions," he smiled, "there are ad vantages and drawbacks to writ- ing for the studios, "The jrood things are these: You are well paid for your work, and the best of fiction writers can learn a great deal about construc tion. Creating a story for the movies is a field in itself. There is a special department which does nothing but build stories, fit to gether events, drama, climax, and so on until each piece of the puzzle drops into its right place. "Personally, that is not my field. I sold a story which fea tured W. C. Fields. It was just a three-page synopsis, an outline. When it came to adapting it scene for scene, that was some one's else job, fortunately. I couldn't have done that part suc cessfully. "The disadvantage is this: A fiction writer cannot afford to re- I 1 And here is the renowned connoisseur of fine wines and tasty viands as he appeared, preparing one of his famous dishes at Del Monte. main on that kind of a job very long. It is almost certain to change, to limit his style. He gets a writing habit which is distinctly bad for future literary work. "There are several well known authors who have gone to Holly wood with high hopes, and left with a grouch. They thought, be cause they could write excellent By Peter Wolff fiction, movie stories would be simple. They had to realize, final ly, that a knowledge of fiction didn't help them in the least. They lacked the necessary tech nique; they were expert crafts men in their own field, but at a complete loss when it came to the actual construction of a movie story. Of course, they arrived feeling superior to the so-called 'hacks' of Hollywood. Perhaps they still felt superior when they left -but for no good reason." THE author was amused at the, idea that Hollywood studios employed mediocre talent. It was, he had learned, the other way around. "At Paramount, there are men like William le Baron, one time editor of Colliers, a producer of musical shows, and now chief of production at one of the largest studios. He is a man of definite capacity and talent, as witnessed by his recent work." Street spoke of his books, writ ten about the things he likes best in life travel, good food, fine wine. "Wine" was written when pro hibition ended, and is dedicated to his wife, "To Margot, a gourmet in spite of herself." Prefacing the first chapter is a quotation from Ernest Hemingway's "Death in the Afternoon": "Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world, and one of the natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range of enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing which may be purchased." "I believe the first few para graphs explain my attitude to ward wine quite well," the author smiled, and quoted: " 'Excepting perhaps love and war,' there is no subject in which the literature of all ages is richer than in the praise of the cup. The song of wine has been sung since the dawn of civilization, and wine it self has been peculiarly a part of civilization, for the most civilized men throughout history have used it and been loudest in acclaiming it. 1 "Biblical references to wine are numerous, and St. Paul's ad vice to Timothy: 'Use a little wine for thy stomach's sake,' has sup plied valuable ammunition to campaigning West, who evidently preferred it, for their purpose, to the Psalmist's more Joyous refer- Is Author's Gold Mine" J. ence to 'wine that maketh glad the heart of man' allusions to the cheering properties of drink having been regarded as bad strategy." ' As a wine connoisseur he wrote "Wine," and as a gourmet he went to Paris at 21 and produced "Paris a la Carte"; later he re turned to Paris to write "Where Paris Dines", a comprehensive re view of some 285 Parisian cafes, comparing their food, service, and wine cellars. In the introduction to this last volume he speaks of visitors to Paris who loved good living: "Among the notable gourmets of the city are many Americans and many Englishmen; nevertheless, it must be admitted that citizens of these two nations at their gas tronomic worst are often guilty of astonishing barbarities. At Foyot's I once saw a family of my fellow-countrymen who had evidently gone there to sample the restaurant's famous duck cooked with oranges. These wor thy folk should never have been . sent to a place as fine as Foyot's, for they were, it developed, pro hibitionists, and a prohibitionist must, in the very nature of things, lack certain high appreciations. At all events, instead of drinking Burgundy, or mere water, with their duck, they ordered choco late! UrxUCK, oranges, and choco J late could any more re volting combination be devised? Bravely and politely the waiters performed their duties, but when an old Frenchman, dining oppo site, discovered what was going on, he rose in horror and moved to a table at the farthest corner of the room." As a traveler who likes to dis cover his own country, he wrote IfWDMir WE SAY AGAIN: every body likes fresh eggs. Everybody likes fresh milk. And everybody who smokes cigarettes likes them factory fresh . . . Tobacco is at its best when fresh. What do you do to get ciga rettes factory-fresh ? Just buy Double-Mellow Old Golds, made from prize crop tobaccos. Why are they especially fresh? P.S.: That "Double-Money-Bock" Mr. and Mrs. Julian Street vacationing at fashionable Del Monte, where the famous author went for a rest after completing a motion picture scenario. TIME People should read and heed these lines! offer still holds good. It's fTDo n S and Hd fnrmTr NWJU Because they are the only ciga rettes double-wrapped in the fin est moisture-proof Cellophane obtainable. This double Cellophane wrap ping keeps out dampness, dry ness and every other foe of cigarette enjoyment. It gives you factory-fresh cigarettes; as fresh as the egg in the nest or the milk in the pail. ' Established 1760 open for thirty days from today. "Abroad at Home" and "America Adventures two books which, according to his author, friend, Owen Johnson, wore to become "travel books to end travel books." Nothing, of course, actually ends travel books, but Julian Street's have served as models for others on the American scene. In fact, these two volumes still sell in book stores throughout the coun try, and bring In steady royalties. His opinion on the situation of the wine industry is definite: "1 believe that the temperance people and the government as well, are overlooking an important field for propaganda and education. People, in America, are going to drink something and wine is certainly the best thing they can use for all purposes. It permits an approach to the ancient Greek ideal of mod eration, it adds pleasure to any meal, and is a friendly, cheerful aid to living. "Government monopolies which' govern the liquor sale in some states, is not the answer to any thing. Those in charge may know hard liquors, but they do not know wines. Of course, there isn't much profit in wine, which is part of the reason; and even govern ment chain liquor stores like to show a profit. "Another thing is that politics and wine do not mix. These state monopolies become a political or ganization which is extremely dif ficult to change. They gain more power each year, control votes which perpetuate their scheme and in some canes make amusing rules about which citizen shall buy a bottleof wine. In one state, you must show your license, your pic ' lure, and other identifications. As if this proved you a moderate, re sponsible person! CALIFORNIA wines aro getting better. When you stop to consider that ordinary red wine should be aged in the wood for three years, and remain in the bottle one year at least, you can see the situation. Time and care is the only remedy. No chemical or special machinery will serve the purpose. OUTIX JACKIT OF "CIUOPMANI" Op.nl tram Iht bottom n n n DWiriUKS flfflr" D JUDLL o 1J Stre et "There are, naturally, simple precautions to be observed if you wish to truly enjoy fine wine "For one, you should never drink good wine to quench your thirst. For that purpose beer and water aro better, or a light wine , mixed with water. Wine must be enjoyed for its colour and per fume, and then sipped for its flavor. It should not be rushed "Then, use a thin white glass of large size, and fill It always less than half full. Hold it to the light and enjoy its colour. Rotate the glass and let the wine spread over the inner surface of the glass, re leasing the perfume. "Take a small sip. See how many flavors you can distinguish, ' before you swallow. "You see, half of the enjoyment comes before the actual drink it self, which makes it something of an art the art of appreciation, "No wine should be served with anything sweet, for this kills the flavor of the wine. "Many people who love good wine do not smoke during dinner, but there are several wines which blend well with tobacco: Port, Sherry, Madeira, and Liqueur Cognac. U A HEN you serve several VV wines with a meal, you should strive to effect a crescendo, stepping up through lesser wines, grade by grade working up to the main wine, served with the game or roast. Then, a sweet wine with dessert. "It is not wise to serve a red wine before a white wine, nor a red Burgundy before a Claret, nor a sweet wine before a dry wine, "Correctly used, wine is an ac companiment to food flavors, and not a thing apart." Julian Street paused, lighted another cigarette and poured hot water into his tea pot. He was leaving for the Northwest early the next morning, planning on a . vacation uninterrupted by writing, or other labor. . "I'm going into hibernation," he said, "not for the winter, but for most of this autumn." INNIR JACKIT Or "CILIOPHANI" Optnl frsm lh Top Or. Utni.r4C.lM. I
