I received preview copies of two books the last couple of weeks, both interesting reads you might enjoy at the beach or on your travels this summer.
The first, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone, edited by Jenni Ferrari-Adler, is a compilation of various authors perspectives on cooking for themselves. The title of the book comes from an article written by Laurie Colwin about her own experience upon moving to New York and cooking for herself in a small, kitchen-less apartment. The other stories range from spousal indictments for crimes of food snobbery to poignant remembrances of simpler lives over the stove. Because of its nature as treasury of brief tales, it's simple to pick up and put down as your interest and attention span ebbs and flows.
The second book, Street Food: Exploring the World's Most Authentic Tastes by Tom Kime, traces a culinary adventurer as he traverses country and continent in search of compelling street victuals. It's full of interesting recipes and thoughts about various cuisines. While the book's photography (beautiful) and layout (thoughtful) take you from India to Mexico and onto Morocco, the text cries out for larger treatment as the size is quite diminutive. Perfect to cradle as you sit on the porch and fantasize about curries, but too small to hold up and show your passing neighbor what you are considering making for dinner.
The first, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone, edited by Jenni Ferrari-Adler, is a compilation of various authors perspectives on cooking for themselves. The title of the book comes from an article written by Laurie Colwin about her own experience upon moving to New York and cooking for herself in a small, kitchen-less apartment. The other stories range from spousal indictments for crimes of food snobbery to poignant remembrances of simpler lives over the stove. Because of its nature as treasury of brief tales, it's simple to pick up and put down as your interest and attention span ebbs and flows.
The second book, Street Food: Exploring the World's Most Authentic Tastes by Tom Kime, traces a culinary adventurer as he traverses country and continent in search of compelling street victuals. It's full of interesting recipes and thoughts about various cuisines. While the book's photography (beautiful) and layout (thoughtful) take you from India to Mexico and onto Morocco, the text cries out for larger treatment as the size is quite diminutive. Perfect to cradle as you sit on the porch and fantasize about curries, but too small to hold up and show your passing neighbor what you are considering making for dinner.