Carpaccio

Carpaccio, the man, was a Venetian painter (1472–1526) given to rather religious scenes and showing a fondness in his painting for young men with improbably long legs and taut, hose-clad buttocks. Carpaccio, the dish, is a much copied raw beef dish from Harry’s Bar, an equally precious Venetian institution. Whimsy is a speciality at Arrigo Cipriani’s bar: whimsy in the size of the bills presented to his essentially non-Italian clientele, and whimsy in naming his dishes and drinks after Venetian painters (viz, Bellini).