The banquet always celebrates a victory and this is part of its very nature. Further, the triumphal banquet is always universal. It is the triumph of life over death. In this respect it is equivalent to conception and birth. The victorious body receives the defeated world and is renewed.
—Mikhail Bakhtin, Rabelais and His World (transl. Hélène Iswolsky)
Among gourmands, the ortolan bunting is considered a rare but debauched delicacy. A rite of passage, if you will. Preparation calls for the songbird to be drowned alive in Armagnac. It is then roasted and consumed whole in a single mouthful. After my first ortolan, I was euphoric. A stimulating reminder of our power over life and death.
“For the scene, I made carrot slaw to represent Freddie's head on a plate like John the Baptist; long strands of carrot flowing from a quilled sea urchin the colour of Freddie's hat. I garnished the hat with giant porcupine quills a culinary clue that Freddie, the journalist, will survive: the quill is mightier than the sword.” — Janice Poon, Hannibal Food Stylist