indo-roman ayurvedic dinner party @ Wash U Co-op

What would Jesus and Guru Nanak do? They would invite
everybody! The whole world is welcome at my home, for
vegetarianized Roman food and a lecture on the
Indo-Roman spice trade, a WashU Co-op tradition since
2003.

According to the legendary Ayurvedic physician Caraka:

“To those who are wasting away and losing their meat,
the one who knows the rules will give, in prepared
dishes, the meat of eaters of meat, which is
especially nourishing. To the consumptive he will give
peacock, and under the name peacock others too,
vultures, owls, and jays, well prepared according to
the rule.

“Crows under the name of partridge, and under the name
of varmi [a fish] snakes; fried, under the name of
fish intestines, he will also give earthworms. Foxes,
large mongooses, cats in prepared dishes, and young
jackals, the doctor will give them under the name of
hare....

“Especially of the beasts and birds whose bodies are
fattened by meat, the meat is the best meat-maker...

“If the patient knows the truth, disgusted, he will
not eat, or will vomit what he has eaten; it is thus
disquised and under a false name that these meats are
given.”*

You are cordially invited to our annual, (now
semesterly) “Hindu Medicine and Indian Food” class
dinner, to accompany my lecture on the Indo-Roman
spice trade. Why did the Romans pay so much for Indian
spices? Why did they favor complex meat dishes, with
multiple sauces and broths? What would Caraka say?
Perhaps they were sick, and trying to cure themselves
with concentrated rasa, the essence of the whole food
chain...

Let's find a cure for whatever ails us. Let's all eat
crow together. Actually, I promise that the closest
thing to crow will be a real aniseed chicken dish,
alongside the vegetarianized version that I have been
serving to Co-op students for years. You may bring
meat dishes, but PLEASE tell us what is in them and
how they were prepared. That is one goal of the class:
cross-cultural culinary sensitivity. No deception,
please! No matter what Caraka says, our motto remains
per veritatem vis, “strength through truth.”

All are invited; everyone on my block, everyone
associated in any way with the WashU Coop, Catholic
Students Center, Community Arts Media Project, the
World Community Center, Green Beings,
Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council, WashU,
Fontbonne, Webster University, and Columbia College in
St Louis, and of course the very polite officers of
WUPD, the Chancellor, and all the Deans and Faculty,
and of course the Press. I will prepare as much
vegetarian, and vegan, classical Roman food as
possible, but your pot luck contributions are welcome.
After all, these complex dishes are expensive, even if
you leave out the exotic ingredients!

I will soon begin two new sections of “Hindu Medicine
and Indian Food,” through Cervantes Free University
and Learning Cooperative. This is exactly the same
material as the class I taught at UPenn Summer 96,
WashU in Summer 01, Autumn 02, 03, 04, 05, and 06, and
www.cfu-lc.com [www.washucoop.com/cfu-lc] in Summer
07, Autumn 07, and Spring 08. Actually, it is better,
because I continually work to improve all my classes.
Please consider joining our learning cooperative, and
teach for tips, with a money-back guarantee. Let's
whip tuition inflation now!

RSVP jhbauer@sbcglobal.net, and/or 314-725-0815.
Backyard BBQ (weather permitting) for those with cat
allergies (I have four very nice cats, who would love
to meet you all; they are members of my family and not
for dinner!). If you would like to try classical Roman
cooking, please email me at jhbauer@sbcglobal.net for
recipes and a bibliography. $5-10 donation suggested,
unless you bring a dish or drink, or are unemployed.

Lecture: 5:30-7:00pm; Dinner 6:30-10:30pm, Wednesday,
April 30, 2008.

Venue: Cervantes House and WashU Coop Library, 6036
Pershing Avenue, St Louis, Missouri, 314-725-0815

*Quoted in Francis Zimmerman, “The Jungle and the
Aroma of Meats: An Ecological Theme in Hindu
Medicine.”