Tea at Trianon: Tropical Hardwoods as Serving Tools

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Tropical Hardwoods as Serving Tools

From Milk Street:

Made from a variety of tropical hardwoods in Guatemala’s Petén Jungle–striped tigerwood, dark mahogany, sandy pixi and more—Itza Wood’s serving tools are as durable as they are beautiful. Skilled artisans dry the wood in a kiln to prevent warping and then carve and finish each piece by hand. Some take up to six weeks to finish.

It’s a project close to Itza Wood co-founder Eliza Babarczy’s heart. Growing up in Guatemala, she always felt a deep connection to the Petén Jungle, the largest remaining forest of Central America. Her parents started the Jungle School, which serves around 400 kids and teaches a curriculum that emphasizes art and the environment, but the students had few opportunities for employment and the forest was being depleted.

That’s why six years ago, Eliza created Itza Wood, a female-run company dedicated to supporting the jungle’s residents with jobs, education and reforestation efforts. Before even cutting down a single tree, Itza Wood planted 45,000 trees to reinvigorate the land. Now, each Itza Wood product is handmade by local artisans being paid livable wages, and profits help support the Jungle School. (Read more.)

More HERE.