Tea at Trianon: Butcher-Block Countertops

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

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Butcher-Block Countertops

From Architectural Digest:

Can you cut foods directly on butcher block countertops? Sure! But you probably shouldn’t, because as tough and durable as this stuff is, a knife is still going to scratch, poke, or saw down into it, leaving scratches and marks that can mar the look of your otherwise flawless kitchen. Now, can you roll out dough, prep sandwiches, or arrange a fruit platter directly on butcher block counters? By all means!
Along with chopping and slicing directly on butcher board, the other things to avoid—provided you want your counters to stay looking great—are resting hot pots, pans, or baking sheets directly on it, leaving water (or oil or wine or whatnot) sitting on the surface for too long, or writing on the butcher block with any pen prone to bleeding through the paper.
There are minimal steps needed to care for butcher block. All you really need to do is give your butcher block counters a wipe down with soapy water and then dry them with a rag at the end of each day (provided you cooked and prepped and such that day) and, once every two months or so, treat the surface with a food-safe mineral oil. Oiling the surface rather regularly will prevent the wood from drying out and cracking over time, and it will refresh the color and the appearance of the grain too. (Read more.)