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Chocolate 101: History and Tasting A wonderful event perfect for all movie buffs and food lovers! Discover chocolate's history, starting with its New World origins, journey to Europe, and transformation over the years that turned it from a grainy bitter brew into the treat we know and love today. . . > READ MORE  For Movie Lovers A wonderful event perfect for all movie buffs and food lovers! Film buff, cultural historian and author of Movie Menus dishes amusing tidbits on the meaning of food in our favorite films. . . > READ MORE For Opera Lovers Author of Opera Lover's Cookbook discusses the fascinating role of food in opera using amusing film snippets and stills of memorable dining and toasting moments in opera. . . > READ MORE Dessert's Sweet History This fascinating whirlwind tour on the history of sweets starts with the amusing ancient Greek myth about honey and traces all sorts of desserts through time and cultures all the way to the modern day origins of our favorite candies. . . > READ MORE Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality Join Francine Segan for an amusing discussion on aphrodisiacs from ancient Egyptian times through the Middle Ages, Renaissance and into today. . . > READ MORE Coffee: Tasting & History Discover coffee's exciting African origins and checkered history. Learn why coffee was eaten and not drunk in ancient Africa, why it was first drunk as a wine not a hot drink. . . > READ MORE Tea: 101 Tea was once so valuable in America it was kept under lock and key! Discover tea's ancient origins and the fascinating story of its world journey. . . > READ MORE Dessert Wines: Talk & Tasting Join Francine Segan as she shares the amusing stories behind America's favorite pies, cakes, puddings and ice-creams. . . > READ MORE America's Sweet Tooth Forget about coffee, tea and cake! The chic way to end a meal is with a light, refreshing glass of icy cold dessert wine. . . > READ MORE Food Superstitions A fascinating look at gastronomic superstitions through the ages. Discover the origins and anecdotes behind the foods believed to bring good luck. . . > READ MORE What's New In Noshing A fascinating look at gastronomic superstitions through the ages. Discover the origins and anecdotes behind the foods believed to bring good luck. . . > READ MORE 
Pharaoh's Party: Entertainments in Ancient Egypt An entertaining and informative foray into the delicious foods and lush dining customs of ancient Egypt, which includes a presentation of Egyptian art and artifacts and a tasting of modern-day Egyptian delicacies. . . > READ MORE Dinner with Socrates: Feasting in Ancient Greece Author of Philosopher's Kitchen, Francine Segan, entertains with tantalizing tales on the foods and dining customs of Ancient Greece including the philosopher's writings on wine, health, and even dinner party seating. . . > READ MORE Feasting with Caesar: Lush Life in Ancient Rome Journey back to ancient Rome for a peek at daily life in Caesar's time. . . > READ MORE The King's Table: Sea Serpent Stew & Dragon's Brew The Middle Ages has long fascinated the imagination with tales of brave knights, fearless Kings and fire-breathing dragons. The feasts of these adventurous times were fanciful events where dinner guests ate concoctions like roast peacock on "bread" platters and were entertained by minstrels between courses. . . > READ MORE Shakespeare's Kitchen: Feasting in the Renaissance Besides learning why folks back in the 1500s clinked glasses to make a toast you'll discover the reasons they never put a vase of flowers or their elbows on the table, wouldn't eat with forks. . . > READ MORE Victorian & Gilded Age Entertainments An amusing lecture on the fascinating time period when high society was at its peak. A time of calling cards, horse drawn coaches, high tea, cotillions, lawn parties, formal dinners. . . > READ MORE Picnics A delightful look at the history of outdoor dining starting in the Renaissance with Queen Elizabeth's hunting picnics, and moving through to the Gilded Age and into modern times. . . > READ MORE America's Food Fads from the Roaring '20s to Modern Times Explore each exciting decade through its food and social etiquette. Learn about popular '20s foods like "flapper pudding" and "sorority salad" inspired by the rise in women's rights. . . > READ MORE ©2007 Francine Segan. All rights reserved. |
MY LECTURES and classes are an invitation to dinner, where you'll meet Socrates, who thought dinner without wine was a "dog's meal"; Chaucer, who really did bake "four and twenty blackbirds in a pie"; Shakespeare, a poet with a passion for ale; and Benjamin Franklin, who gave up meat for 12 years so he could afford more books. I've spent many years researching dining in the past and want to share these fascinating facts with
you. Please join me for a class or lecture.