Friday Night Date Night: Beauty and the Beast - B.T. Polcari

Friday Night Date Night: Beauty and the Beast

Friday. It has finally arrived. Today's Friday Night Dinner and a Movie Date Night features "Beauty and the Beast"!!

There have been so many literary renditions of this tale, and nearly just as many schools of thought as to what is the true origin story. From what I found on lessonsite.com is that the most readily agreed upon origin story is rooted in "Cupid & Psyche" by the Roman writer Apuleius in the 2nd century AD. Hans Christian Anderson took the "Cupid & Psyche" tale and put a Norweigan spin on it in his version, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" (which I learned about this week after featuring "East" by Edith Pattou).

The earliest version of the "Beauty and the Beast" story that we recognize today is from a lengthy series of stories penned in 1740 by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Gallon de Villeneuve (heck of a name). These stories were later shortened by another French Aristocrat, Madame Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont (shorter name too), in 1756 as part of a collection entitled "Magasin des Enfants".

We've come a long way since 1756, as nowadays it is hard to watch a movie or read a book without feeling some sort of nod at the tale. Be like Belle and look beyond the surface of a person, and instead, appreciate them for *who they are*.

Tonight's recipes are inspired by Disney's 1991 animated classic, featuring an "Enchanted Rose Cloche" pizza with the famed "Grey Stuff" for dessert! These are certainly not gluten free, but with the right substitutes you should be able to take part in this themed evening. (Worst comes to worst - find yourself a delicious Earl Grey Macaron for dessert). And if you don't believe me that these are tasty - just ask the dishes!

 

 

 

 

How do you feel about Beauty and the Beast? Do you have a bookshelf dedicated to the variety of versions? Do you own both the 1991 and 2017 Disney movies - and do you have a favorite?

Originally posted on Instagram.