Aaron Copland at the table

Copland didn't eat according to the starter-main-dessert grid, but according to the worlds he moved through. In Brooklyn, his Ashkenazi Jewish family separated dairy meals (milchig)—eaten in the morning, light, centered on cheese and sour cream—from meat meals (fleishig) reserved for holidays and Shabbat. Outside the home, there was the sidewalk and its soda fountains, then later the traveler's discoveries: the France of his student years and the Mexico of his friendships. So his dishes are classified by occasion and place, not by course order.

A common thread in the Central European Ashkenazi cuisine that Copland inherited: a spoonful of sour cream crowns blintzes, lightens borscht, and softens savory dishes. Tangy, fresh, it is to his family's cooking what a bass note is to a melody: discreet but structural.