[harpospeaking]

What an interesting combination for Valentine's Day --- Casablanca and Close Encounters of the Third Kind!

I'll have to check out the Phoenix on my next trip to London. If only they did a James Bond marathon the next time I came to London . . .
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[KYHeirloomer]

but that James Bond, contrary to British law often drinks a Vodka Martini and then drives.

Well good grief, Griffen. Bond, James Bond, spends most of his time kicking butt and taking names. You think a little thing like drinking/driving laws are gonna slow him down? If so, you must have been shaken, not stirred.

Of course, I've always thought that anyone who voluntarily carried a .25 would have to be drunk to do that job. But that's another story.

[KYHeirloomer]

Many of Dashiell Hammett's creations are familiar with the business end of a bottle as much as a gun. I strongly suspect that was due to Hammett himself, but don't know enough about his life to be sure.

Something interesting about the old-time gumshoes is that we're left with an image of them being two-fisted drinkers. But there are very few direct references to it. The Thin Man series is a noteable exception. Generally, references to drinking are more on the order of: "I met Pruneface at Ned's, where over a steak sandwich and beer we......"

I think that's part of the authors' genius; that they can create those images without getting specific.

When alcolhol is brought into the picture it's usually (not always, but most times) part of the story line. This is not so true about food, which often enough is just thrown in---maybe because the author was hungry at the time? Even the great Sherlock Holmes often refers to food for no particular reason, such as when he tells Watson they're going to do such and such, but first they'll have a little lunch.

More modern characters written in that mode, however, do go into great detail. Robert Parker's Spencer not only tells us generically what they're drinking, but actually goes into brand names. But, then again, Spencer is an unadmitted foodie as well as a private eye, and that might have something to do with it.

Some characters in related genre also go into food and drink details. Travis McGee, for instance, is always discussing precisely what they ate and drank, and the quality of the meals and restaurants.

On the other hand, it often happens that where you expect such references they are lacking. Leslie Charteris was, himself, a gourmand. Yet there is little reference to either food or drink in The Saint series. Go figure.

What's amazing to me, when you read detective novels specifically with food in mind, is how well so many of them ate. Yeah, there are more than their share of greasy spoons involved. But an incredible number of high-end restaurants and 4-star meals as well.

None of this, of course, has anything to do with New Year's celebrations, so I'll just shut up for now.