Description Please consider Calvin Trillin’s wonderful musing, “The Red and the White,” in which he asks, “Is it possible that wine connoisseurs can’t tell them apart?” Known for exploring with warmth and humor subjects that weave together personal worlds of food, drink, travel, and family, Trillin doesn’t come up with a definitive answer. But that’s ok. Perhaps it’s more important to explore these questions, and maybe to draw parallels with more serious issues in times like these, than it is to resolve the questions themselves. As one expert he quotes states, “It is a well known psychological phenomenon—you taste what you’re expecting to taste.” Swirl that in your glass, think about the world we live in for a bit, and you’ll probably agree that the idea has legs. Trillin has been a mainstay of periodical literature that shines a light on lifestyles bright and dark for nearly 60 years. Writing for a range of publications including The Nation (since 1978) and The New Yorker (since 1963), he was awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2012. But as he got his start in serious political journalism – his first book was about the racial integration of the University of Georgia – we can’t read his lighter works without remembering the adage: In every joke, there is a grain of truth.
