Eh! Bien, comment trouvez-vous cela? c. 19th century

Editor: This is "Eh! Bien, comment trouvez-vous cela?" a lithograph drawing by Honoré Daumier, from the 19th century. It's... well, it's pretty unsettling. There’s something grotesque about the faces. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond the immediate reaction to the characters’ appearances, this caricature presents a satirical critique of societal norms around consumption and class during that period. Daumier often used his art to comment on the bourgeoisie, right? Editor: Yes, I've read that. So, is the “rat” on the plate literal, or more of a symbolic…dish? Curator: Probably both. The title itself is a question, implying an absurd culinary offering. Consider how foodways have been, and continue to be, tied to identity and power. Serving rat could be a metaphor for what the elites feed the poor, perhaps, or how exotic tastes were being forced. Why would one eat Norwegian rat, precisely? The question carries with it an implication that there may be something other than gastronomic experience to be gained by it. Editor: So you're saying it might be a social commentary disguised as, or enhanced by, dark humor? Highlighting class differences or maybe anxieties about the "other"? Curator: Precisely. Daumier gives visual form to these complex dynamics, inviting us to question who benefits and who suffers under certain social arrangements. It’s also related to France’s evolving identity as a colonial power, with Norway functioning metonymically in the statement about rats from elsewhere being more tasty than the ‘home-grown’ kind. Editor: I see it so differently now, thinking about class and societal critique. It makes Daumier's work much richer, considering how something so seemingly simple can hold such weight. Curator: Indeed, his art compels us to critically engage with our own present-day structures of power, questioning how societal hierarchies continue to shape our perceptions and interactions.