Flowers and bee

Flowers and bee

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Love Goddess' Cooking School

When Holly's Grandmother Camilla dies, she inherits her business - a cooking school, and her house, but does she inherit her 'second sight'? In The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate, that is the question her small Maine town neighbors want to know. But Holly has had problems in her own life, and can't make a marinara sauce. She's not too sure that continuing the cooking school is such a good idea after all. But when she has four students sign up for classes, she decides to give it a try.

Senate does a great job at creating a small town community where everyone knows about everyone else's business. And Holly discovers that her grandmother's life was not all joy and roses. Filled with great characters and greater descriptions of food (you will be craving Italian after this one - trust me), the reader will enjoy reading about Holly's struggles in the kitchen, glimpses of Camilla's strength, and their cooking students growth, both in the kitchen and in their personal lives.

Makes one want to take an Italian cooking class if they are going to be that cool. A fun and frothy read.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China

I discovered this book from an excerpt in The Best Food Writing 2008. I was impressed by the writing and thought the concept of going to a university in China was pretty bold for an English girl. But that what was thought I learned from the excerpt. But when I actually got the whole book, it was an even better story!

Fuchsia Dunlop went to China to study Chinese policy on ethnic minorities, on a British Council grant in 1994. She was working at the BBC. She ended up at Sichuan University in the foreign students wing. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing there. Her Chinese was too poor to do scholarly work, and the topic she had chosen was a "subject fraught with political sensitivities." She ended up writing down her impressions of the food. She had thought about being a professional cook, but that is not where her path lead her. But here, she finds herself curious about Chengdu and the region's food, it's cooks and their kitchens and she tours around asking questions, making friends and writing down recipes. And because China was just beginning to open itself up the world, Fuchsia and her fellow students are a curiosity to the locals too.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China is more than just a book about food. It is a story of finding one's place in the world - even if that happens to be China, and creating a life. It is a traveler's journey and Dunlop writes with insight and humor about a time and place that has changed irrevocably since she has been there. And then there is the food. She writes with such knowledge and discription you will be craving Chinese food there after. Makes you wish you went with her. And after reading the book, I guess I did. A very good read.

Friday, May 06, 2011

Colonial Foodies

The Founding Foodies: How Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin Revolutionized American Cuisine By Dave DeWitt


This is a great and concise title on how our founding fathers really were the first foodies in the land. Jefferson and Washington were plantation owners and experimented with crops and vegetables in their particular states. Franklin spent time in France as the U.S. ambassador and definitely enjoyed himself while there! He also was a early supporter of corn. Jefferson used his time in France to discover new plants and vegetables and had some of them brought back to Monticello.

This book goes into detail about food (and drink) during colonial times and how the tavern really helped the growth of the democracy. There is also a lengthy section with recreated recipes. There is a very detailed appendix with historic colonial foodie sites to visit. And perhaps best of all - an extremely detailed bibliography for more books both on Washington, Jefferson and Franklin, but food and living during colonial times. A fun read.

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Foodies, This Title is for You!


I'll start by saying right off that I have never had the pleasure of eating at Alinea, and I do not think I have the money to do so either. With that said, let me tell you about chef Grant Achatz's memoir Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat by Grant and his business partner Nick Kokonas.

Grant grew up in Michigan in a family that had been in the resturant business a long time. He attended culinary school right out of high school and was working for the chef, Thomas Keller, at the French Laundry by the time he was 22 years old.  Let's talk about drive, here people. I think you can say he has it. His drive led him to work at Trio in Chicago area. One of his best customers was Kokonas. But he really wanted to try something further and the ideas for Alinea were born. 

That is where Kokonas comes in. He partners up with Achatz in his restaurant venture. And he tells his version of the "we are going to build a restaurant" story. And they do. And Achatz and Alinea win acclaim and awards. But he is also diagnosed with tongue cancer. How can a chef taste with out his tongue? 

So it is the story of a vision, food techniques, a partnership, a theatrical presentation (I'm sorry, opening night of a restaurant reminds me of a theater production), a sickness and the drive to get the most out of life while you're still here.  And as a book - it works. Fact is stranger than fiction sometimes. And it seems to have a happy ending - they opened up their latest restaurant venture - Next - and Grant is in remission (I'm sorry, I can't say cancer free- it is bad luck to me.)

Are they perfect people?  No, but they have a unique story to tell and it is done well. So for foodies (and other readers) who like books about challenges and struggles and of course - food, this might be the one for you. A very good read.

Unfamiliar Fishes

Sarah Vowell's book Unfamiliar Fishes has left me with a mixture of sadness, excitement, and questions. Questions about how the United States and its government has left its manifest destiny all over the globe. Excitement, because  - well - I really wanted to visit Hawaii before, but now I really want to go. And sadness, because commerce and greed was the reason that we overthrew the Queen of Hawaii.

This book is about Hawaii, its history and natives, and how the United States took it over. And it is told in Vowell's quirky and wry style.  She goes into depth about the missionaries who came to this wild and unknown land from cold New England. They were not prepared too well for the voyage or for what they would find. But they managed to bring education and helped create a written language for the Hawaiian people. But island life was interrupted by commerce, farming and taking as much from the islands as the newcomers could get.

Vowell is what I would call a uncomfortable historian. (Howard Zinn does the same thing.) She tells you what happened to whom and when. She gives you details from different viewpoints. But what she shows you is that history is messy. Heroes are human. People make bad choices. And it can make the reader uncomfortable in their easy chair.

And perhaps that is the point. We are to question why we are choosing this route; is it really better policy? And for whom? These are things that Americans have forgotten about.These are questions that their ancestors and founding fathers raised and fought about. Today we seem to argue more about television reality shows.

Vowell gives us questions to ponder. And the more we know about history, the better we are to deal with the present. At least I hope so. A very good read.