The Court of Culatello

Anya Von Bremzen looks at the "rare, expensive and obscenely good" hams of Massimo Spigaroli, in her article, "The Culatello King". In the first two paragraphs her language sets the wonderous and admiring tone of the rest of the piece, quoting Spigaroli who says, "'It isn't just meat, it's myth.'". She then goes on to provide a bit of background information about the royal meat and supports the information with an interesting fact, enticing the reader while educating them. The piece continues this pattern of enticement and education by including several quotes and a personable writing style that makes the piece light-hearted and as flavorful as the meat it describes. Walking down to the culatello cellar, which we have just been informed by a smirking Spigaroli means "little ass", we are given a sense of her experience, "The dusky perfume is so intoxicating, I want to swoon and never revive".

We are then provided with another interesting, educational moment when we are told about some royal hams indeed, royal in the sense that there are hams set aside for the Prince of Wales. The piece is brief and an easy read and the ending is short and to the point, for all the sensory descriptions she does not waste time with overly flowery language. I think this is a subtle but important detail to notice because, I think it was done very purposefully I get the sense that she really wants the food to speak for itself; she is merely providing just enough description and detail to give us a hint of what this royal meat is really all about.