Utopia

Bonnie, Janet, and Scoop

 I came across something yesterday on the blog of the London Review of Books that reminded me of how I came to Sointula. It was entitled "Ruskin Dines Out" and concerned the attempt by the English writer and critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) to elevate the condition of the working class. It seems that as a young man Ruskin had been enjoying a repast that included two trout "just out of the river, of the richest flavour," a woodcock "on delicate toast," and a "small perfectly compounded" soufflé, all washed down with a bottle of Sillery mousseux champagne. While relishing this savory fare, he wrote, in a letter to his father, that he "felt sad at thinking how few were capable of having such enjoyment, and very doubtful whether it were at all proper in me to have it all to myself." Many years later, in 1874, he opened a tea shop in London, where he sold the best quality tea in affordable packets. He eventually also sold coffee there, "on the understanding ‘that the shop was to be responsible for the proper roasting of the coffee according to the best recipe."

 

The blog post (by Miranda Vane) also points out that the French utopian theorist Charles Fourier  recommended "a high degree of gastronomic refinement" in the communities to be founded under Fourierian principles.

People here frequently ask me how I "discovered Sointula." My response is always that "Sointula discovered me." Back in 2012 I received an email from a member of the committee organizing an event here in commemoration of Sointula's founding as a utopia venture. I was asked about my interest in utopias. It so happened that my occasional postings on my Goethe blog about 18th-century utopians had been seen by this committee member. The conference was called "Culture Shock" (see poster below) and took place in September 13. That was when I first encountered Sointula. It was during that visit that I also saw a house that I would fall in love with and would rent every summer for the next four years. So, this is my fifth year in Sointula.

I will write more about utopias in the coming year, especially when I am back in New York. There have been some recent publications on the subject that I would like to review here.

John Ruskin cigars picture credit: Daniel Wetmore