George Pepe, Alain Badiou, and Gosky Patties

So within 20 seconds of entering the examination room, I was confronted with George Pepe asking me about Edward Lear's Gosky Patties. The reference or comparison between Alain Badiou's philosophy and Gosky Patties comes from a review in Radical Philosophy. Here is the recipie which Pepe proceeded to read; a fitting preface for his take on the whole (ad)venture:

GOSKY PATTIES

• 1 pig
• 5 lbs of currants
• 3 lbs sugar
• 2 pecks of peas
• 18 roast chestnuts
• 1 wax candle
• 6 bushels of turnips
• 12 cups heavy cream
• 4 slices Cheshire cheese
• 4 quires of foolscap paper
• 1 packet of black pins
• salt and pepper to taste

Take a pig, three or four years of age, and tie him by the off-hind leg to a post. Place the currants, sugar, peas, chestnuts, candle, and turnips within his reach; if he eats these, constantly provide him with more.Then, procure the fresh cream, slices of the Cheshire cheese, foolscap paper, and the pins. Work the whole into a paste, and spread it out to dry on a sheet of clean brown waterproof linen. When the paste is perfectly dry, but not before, proceed to beat the pig violently, with the handle of a large broom. If he squeals, beat him again.Visit the paste and beat the pig alternately for some days, and ascertain that if at the end of that period the whole is about to turn into Gosky patties. If it does not then, it never will; and in that case the pig may be let loose, and the whole process may be considered as finished.

Serves 2.

Well, needless to say George Pepe was not the biggest fan of Alain Badiou.