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First published in 1950 and revised over time, Italy's bestselling culinary "bible," Il Cucchiaio d'argento, is now available in English. The Silver Spoon boasts over 2,000 recipes and arrives in a handsome (and weighty) photo-illustrated edition complete with two ribbon markers. Its chapters make every menu stop from sauces and antipasti through cheese dishes and sweets, with many standout dishes like Genoese Pesto Minestrone, Eggplant and Ricotta Lasagna, Pork Shoulder with Prunes, and Chocolate and Pear Tart; the book also includes a number of "eccentricities," like sections on patty shells and bean sprouts, surely not an Italian dining staple. Meant to be inclusive, the book also offers a wide range of non-Italian, mostly French formulas, supplemented by a few "exotic" and other non-traditional entries.
Though the recipe range is vast, it must be said that American readers, anxious to cook this authentic fare, will encounter problems. Translating a cookbook from one language to another requires cultural recasting as well as word substitution, and in this the book's editors have been lax. The problems include non-idiomatic usages, for example, calling for "pans" when "pots" is needed; awkward conversions from the metric system, resulting in requirements like eleven ounces of zite; and the inclusion of ingredients like cavolo nero (Tuscan cabbage), tope (a Mediterranean fish), and pancetta copatta (ham-stuffed pancetta) that are unavailable here and for which no alternatives are suggested. In addition, the recipes themselves are often insufficiently specific or detailed--even seasoned bakers will pause before cake recipes that don't specify pan size--and can also lack yields. Space considerations have also meant printing recipes in single, one-column paragraphs, which can make place-finding while cooking difficult, and there are typos and other goofs (one recipe for four specifies six cups of sliced scallions; another requires that a marinade be "stirred frequently for five to twelve hours").
All this said, many cooks--casual and serious alike--as well as cookbook collectors, will want The Silver Spoon. It's an essential document of the Italian table and as such a classic. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine a complete cookbook library without the book--a welcome evocation of a much-beloved repertoire by those who know it best. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
First published in 1950 and revised over time, Italy's bestselling culinary "bible," Il Cucchiaio d'argento, is now available in English. The Silver Spoon boasts over 2,000 recipes and arrives in a handsome (and weighty) photo-illustrated edition complete with two ribbon markers. Its chapters make every menu stop from sauces and antipasti through cheese dishes and sweets, with many standout dishes like Genoese Pesto Minestrone, Eggplant and Ricotta Lasagna, Pork Shoulder with Prunes, and Chocolate and Pear Tart; the book also includes a number of "eccentricities," likesections on patty shells and bean sprouts, surely not an Italian dining staple.Meant to be inclusive, the book also offers a wide range of non-Italian, mostly French formulas, supplemented by a few "exotic" and other non-traditional entries.Though the recipe range is vast, it must be said that American readers, anxious to cook this authentic fare, will encounter problems. Translating a cookbook from one language to another requires cultural recasting as well as word substitution, and in this the book's editors have been lax. The problems include non-idiomatic usages, for example, calling for "pans" when "pots" is needed; awkward conversions from the metric system, resulting in requirements like eleven ounces of zite; and the inclusion of ingredients like cavolo nero (Tuscan cabbage), tope (a Mediterranean fish), andpancetta copatta (ham-stuffed pancetta) that are unavailable here and for which no alternatives are suggested. In addition, the recipes themselves are often insufficiently specific or detailed--even seasoned bakers will pause before cake recipes that don't specify pan size--and can also lack yields. Space considerations have also meant printing recipes in single, one-column paragraphs, which can make place-finding while cooking difficult, and there are typos and other goofs (one recipe for four specifies six cups of sliced scallions; another requires that a marinade be "stirred frequently for five to twelve hours").All this said, many cooks--casual and serious alike--as well as cookbook collectors, will want The Silver Spoon. It's an essential document of the Italian table and as such a classic. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine a complete cookbook library without the book--a welcome evocation of a much-beloved repertoire by those who know it best. --Arthur Boehm
Customer Reviews:
the silver spoon.......2007-10-17
Great cookbook but you have to make local ingredient substitutes. Many innovative and tasty recipies. An excellent source for explanations of foods and spices.Italian like you've never seen italian..........BillKenney
A really nice book - some of the criticisms are off........2007-10-10
A few people criticized the book in earlier reviews for not providing enough detailed information about how to cook certain recipes. I wanted to point out that this was probably a cultural difference, one that Americans should just get used to if they really want to understand Italian cooking. To show that it really is a cultural difference, i point to two pieces of evidence.
(1) The book itself discusses how they had to increase detail in recipe-presentation for American tastes. That said, you shouldn't complain that its too vague - because this is just how Italians do recipes. (Chances are, they allow for a lot more variation in the outcome than Americans do, btw... if you watch Mario Batali, he notes that every Italian mother has her own version of each dish). The extreme specification of every last detail is a desire of American home cooks.
(2) If you look at the recipes by famous chefs at the end of the book, you'll notice a really funny difference. All of the chefs who are FROM ITALY provide directions for recipes that take up only 1/2 a page each. All of the chefs who are NOT FROM ITALY provide directions for recipes that take up the whole page. (The ones from the U.S. - Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali are the best examples of this). This should be a good sign to everyone that it's a cultural difference that you should try and co-opt rather than reject, if you're trying to understand Italian cooking as a whole.
A culinary masterpiece.......2007-08-28
This book is a treasure trove of delicious treats. The overwhelming number of recipes is countered by an efficient cataloging system, making it simple to find precisely what you wanted. The addition of famous chefs' sample menus is an added bonus that makes this book truly unique. I highly recommend The Silver Spoon to anyone who wants to explore the delights of the kitchen: from novice to pro, this book takes the cake.
Excellent, Italian Betty Crocker on Speed,Extrememly comprehensive ... but..........2007-07-18
Great book, really excellent recipes applicable to the beginner up to advanced cooks. However, the book really doesnt describe techniques for preparing the food which are really needed in the american market. As an example there are several recipes for squid and cuttlefish but no cleaning techniques which can complicated. I highly reccomend this book as a standard part of your cooking library, it is truly a goldmine of recipes, sort of an Italian Betty Crocker cookbook on speed.
Great collection - a few quibbles.......2007-07-01
This is a mammoth collection and many recipes sound terrific. A few problems, though.
What REGION claims the recipe? Italians are tied to their family regions. This information belongs in the recipes.
AMERICAN VERSION OF ITALIAN INGREDIENTS. What type chilies or lettuce, for example, would make the recipes as close to authentic as possible?
PICTURES. There are beautiful pictures of prepared recipes. There are no captions for the pictures, and sometimes, the reader can't guess which recipe on the facing page is pictured.
I'm enjoying using and reading this book, but I wish the publishers had done a little more editing for the U. S. market.
Book Description
In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child’s years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found ‘her true calling.’
From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn’t speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu.
After managing to get her degree despite the machinations of the disagreeable directrice of the school, Julia started teaching cooking classes herself, then teamed up with two fellow gourmettes, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, to help them with a book they were trying to write on French cooking for Americans. Throwing herself heart and soul into making it a unique and thorough teaching book, only to suffer several rounds of painful rejection, is part of the behind-the-scenes drama that Julia reveals with her inimitable gusto and disarming honesty.
Filled with the beautiful black-and-white photographs that Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.
Le voici. Et bon appétit!
Download Description
Julia Child was born in Pasadena, California. She was graduated from Smith College and worked for the OSS during World War II in Ceylon and China, where she met Paul Child. After they married they lived in Paris, where she studied at the Cordon Bleu and taught cooking with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, with whom she wrote the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). In 1963, Boston’s WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made her a national celebrity, earning her the Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. Several public television shows and numerous cookbooks followed. She died in 2004.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Missing Julia.......2007-08-05
I just finished this book, and I am unashamed to say I have shed tears for the loss of this great woman. I am discovering the art of cooking later in life, as Julia did, and she has helped give me the courage I am needing to change careers and attend culinary arts training this spring. What a marvelous book, I felt that I was there with her in her "la belle France" and wish that I could have had the opportunity to spend time in the kitchen with her. You will not be disappointed in this fantastic read.
Great Read.......2007-07-27
This book was so enjoyable to read! I was fascinated by this look into post-war France, and into Julia's world there. It made me wish I would have know her and understand why it seems that everyone who knew her, loved her.
One thing I thought was fun was her encyclopedic recall of various meals they enjoyed, including the wine vintage.
You'll also love hearing how she came to write her first cookbook and become a host of her own show on PBS. For those of us who are over 40, it's also great to note that the most interesting parts of her life didn't even begin until then.
French Food as Accessible Art Form Thanks to Julia.......2007-07-20
My Life in France gives the reader a glimpse into the extraordinary and elegant life of Julia Child. The memoir adds another dimension to Julia the TV persona and looks beyond the lighthearted image. Indeed, beyond Julia's fun spirit was an unbelievable level of meticulous research and above all, fearlessness and stamina. My Life in France is a delight to read for anyone who wishes to understand the origin of Julia's passion for French cooking and her ability to transform one's vision of and taste for fine food. My Life in France
A must-read for any foodie.......2007-07-15
This has risen to the top of my favorite books list. It's so well written, with plenty of imagery and descriptive language that I felt I was in Julia's kitchen with her. I learned quite a bit about her relationship with her husband and both their careers. The best was reading about how the recipes and the books were written.
If you are planning to write a cook book or are very interested in cooking and chefs, you should definitely buy this book.
It's a Wonderful Life in France!.......2007-07-04
'My Life in France' is a superb book that effuses with that wonderful endearing quality we have all come to know and love in Julia Child. The book focuses mainly on the early years of developing her first cookbooks and television show.
The book begins when she and her husband, Paul, make their first trip to France because of his new job assignment. You feel her giddy excitement upon landing on the shores of a place she had for so long desired to go. We hear in minute detail the look, smell and taste of her first French meal, and from there we are introduced to "La Belle France". Before I began the book, I wondered for how long I could sustain reading each night about a person's breakfast, lunch or dinner meal that had been eaten 50 years prior, but Julia has such an adorable way of speaking, and her sometimes child-like observations of life and people around her are so heartwarming, you just wish you had been there. As the book progresses, she speaks about her collaboration with two women for her first book, and sometimes the claws come out. You're thinking, "Julia!" But, as with all friendships, there are things that agree with us and things that don't. Without some of these tidbits, the book may have been too trite, or frankly boring. Subsequently, it was interesting to hear of the minor squabbles that occurred between the women and the simple controversies concerning her husband and his role as a "diplomat". Paul and Julia Child made many friends overseas, whom they adored and loved. The majority of these people stayed in her inner circle until the end of their lives. For me, night after night, I couldn't wait to sit down and read about so many dinner parties with simmering meats and side dishes, lovely conversations, and eccentric friends. The only thing I didn't like about the book is that it ended too quickly, and I found myself missing the evenings with Julia.
Book Description
From the PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author James Salter and his wife, Kay—amateur chefs and perfect hosts—here is a charming, beautifully illustrated tour de table: a food lover's companion that, with an entry for each day of the year, takes us from a Twelfth Night cake in January to a champagne dinner on New Year's Eve. Life Is Meals is rich with culinary wisdom, history, recipes, literary pleasures, and the authors' own memories of successes and catastrophes.
For instance:
• The menu on the Titanic on the fatal night
• Reflections on dining from Queen Victoria, JFK, Winnie-the-Pooh, Garrison Keillor, and many others
• The seductiveness of a velvety Brie or the perfect martini
• How to decide whom to invite to a dinner party—and whom not to
• John Irving's family recipe for meatballs; Balzac's love of coffee
• The greatest dinner ever given at the White House
• Where in Paris Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter had French onion soup at 4:00 a.m.
• How to cope with acts of God and man-made disasters in the kitchen
Sophisticated as well as practical, opinionated, and indispensable, Life Is Meals is a tribute to the glory of food and drink, and the joy of sharing them with others. "The meal is the emblem of civilization," the Salters observe. "What would one know of life as it should be lived, or nights as they should be spent, apart from meals?"
Customer Reviews:
Charming.......2007-05-11
I love reading cookbooks and cooking magazines so this book was a bit of a change of pace. But I enjoyed it immensely. I read it on vacation and shared with my husband some of the tidbits of history in the book. It is easy to read in short spurts. It has a little bit of everything. Recipes, history, anecdotes, menus. The writers did a very nice job.
Delicious Reading.......2007-04-19
This uniquely unclassifiable book is an utter delight. More than a cookbook, more than advice on how to entertain, more than a history of food and its preparation, it is both a memoir and veritable instruction manual about how to dine and live with style and gusto. Simultaneously worldly and sophisticated, casual and candid, every page offers a new treat. The illustrations are charming and perfectly complement the tone of the book. You'll want an extra copy to give to special friends.
Too rich!.......2007-03-27
Although I did finish this book, and I found some of the ideas and information very interesting, I doubt this is a book I would ever thoroughly revisit. Some of the anecdotes, while obviously meant to be charming, disarming, and heartwarming, had the opposite effect, and made the authors seem pretentious. This did not feel like a collection of casual observations about food written by people who love it. Rather, it felt more like an affected assortment of entries written by finicky epicures. As an aside, I found the passages that he wrote much more enjoyable than hers. Unfortunately, she seems to have written the majority of the book.
Of course, this is only my opinion, but these authors have a very strong voice, and if you don't enjoy it, it will be a constant irritation throughout the book. I would recommend Ruth Reichl's books as an alternative for a food lover.
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table
Simply, a masterpiece!.......2007-02-24
This book is a treasure. To read it is to be reminded of the joy of living, AND eating. - Exquisite in every way, one savors each page as one would savor a great wine or haute cuisine.
There is no book that I can think of which begs to be enjoyed as much as this one. It is informative and witty at the same time. The illustrations are works of art, and the Salters set new standards of writing for a work such as this.
God bless them and this book. They have enriched us all. A MUST BUY!
"Life is Meals" a book to devour!.......2007-01-16
This was a delightful read. The recipes are marvelous, the stories most entertaining. It is a book you won't want to put down and you will refer to for a lifetime. The perfect hostess gift!!!
Book Description
Hervé This (pronounced "Teess") is an internationally renowned chemist, a popular French television personality, a bestselling cookbook author, a longtime collaborator with the famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire, and the only person to hold a doctorate in molecular gastronomy, a cutting-edge field he pioneered. Bringing the instruments and experimental techniques of the laboratory into the kitchen, This uses recent research in the chemistry, physics, and biology of food to challenge traditional ideas about cooking and eating. What he discovers will entertain, instruct, and intrigue cooks, gourmets, and scientists alike.
Molecular Gastronomy, This's first work to appear in English, is filled with practical tips, provocative suggestions, and penetrating insights. This begins by reexamining and debunking a variety of time-honored rules and dictums about cooking and presents new and improved ways of preparing a variety of dishes from quiches and quenelles to steak and hard-boiled eggs. He goes on to discuss the physiology of flavor and explores how the brain perceives tastes, how chewing affects food, and how the tongue reacts to various stimuli. Examining the molecular properties of bread, ham, foie gras, and champagne, the book analyzes what happens as they are baked, cured, cooked, and chilled.
Looking to the future, This imagines new cooking methods and proposes novel dishes. A chocolate mousse without eggs? A flourless chocolate cake baked in the microwave? Molecular Gastronomy explains how to make them. This also shows us how to cook perfect French fries, why a soufflé rises and falls, how long to cool champagne, when to season a steak, the right way to cook pasta, how the shape of a wine glass affects the taste of wine, why chocolate turns white, and how salt modifies tastes.
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining but not the best cooking reference.......2007-10-08
I was looking for something to use as a reference for how to prepare different types of food. This definitely is not it. It is an entertaining read but it does not really have the level of detail I was looking for when I got this book. The best I have gotten so far is On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (or something like that) by Harold McGee.
We're that much closer to Jetson style food pills.......2007-06-19
Herve This is a genius and should be respected simply for the fact that he approaches cuisine with something other than blind awe of traditions that regarded as fact but are little more than a step up from superstitions and old wives' tales. Already a bit on the dry academic side and then translated from French to English, it can occassionally be a difficult read, but the unique nature of the subject makes sure it says a fascinating read. The book is broken up into sections each a few pages long asking if and why a preconceived notion regarding food is true (Does the juices of meat really contract to the center when you cook it?, Does it matter if you slowly heat your stock or use hot water from the beginning?), the nature of flavor (how salt affects sweet and bitter flavors), just what goes on with the food before we eat it (What causes cheeses to taste the way they do tracing it all the way back to the diet of the cow), and theoretical ideas to make the culinary field better (Developing new cooking techniques involving technology such as artificial vacuums and electrical fields). While the book uses specific examples, it's easy to take This's basic technique and apply it to anything food related, which you could imagine is his goal, having founded the field sharing its name with the book.
good, but.......2007-05-20
good, but, not very complete, inaccurate and simplistic. if you have read harold mcgee, it is a bit simplistic, un-scientific, and extremely biased. good for the beginner or home cook. short stories (and lack of scientific guidelines) are good for those without the patience for "on food and cooking"...
Disappointing.......2007-05-11
I was hoping to find something along the lines of Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking". If this is what you are looking for, look elsewhere.
Trick in the kitchen.......2007-03-20
This hardcover is divided in small paragraphs which are dealing with the different topics in kitchen science. The first section is dedicated to the tricks in cooking and is the one I like better. Then the author goes through the new discoveries about how do we perceive taste and flavour.
Good start to get in the argument of molecular gastronomy;)
Average customer rating:
- Lively vignettes and fine recipes.
- A Special Guest
- A wonderful read and great look into the daily routine of White House living
- needs some help
- White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen
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White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen
Walter Scheib , and
Andrew Friedman
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Book Description
"An engaging book about life at the Executive Mansion. . . . Hillary Clinton had charged this fiercely competitive, meticulously organized chef with bringing 'what's best about American food, wine, and entertaining to the White House.' His sophisticated contemporary food was generally considered some of the best ever served there."
—Marian Burros, New York Times
White House Chef
Join Walter Scheib as he serves up a taste—in stories and recipes—of his eleven years as White House chef under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Scheib takes readers along on his whirlwind adventure, from his challenging audition process right up until his controversial departure. He describes his approach to meals ranging from the intimate (rooftop parties and surprise birthday celebrations for the Clintons; Tex-Mex brunches for the Bushes) to his creative approach to bringing contemporary American cuisine to the "people's house" (including innovative ways to serve state dinners for up to seven hundred people and picnics and holiday menus for several thousand guests).
Scheib goes beyond the kitchen and his job as chef. He shares what it is like to be part of President Clinton's motorcade (the "security bubble") and inside the White House during 9/11, revealing how he first evacuates his staff and then comes back to fix meals for hundreds of hungry security and rescue personnel. Staying cool under pressure also helps Scheib in other aspects of his job, such as withstanding the often-changing "temperature" of the White House and satisfying the culinary sensibilities of two very different first families.
Customer Reviews:
Lively vignettes and fine recipes........2007-09-02
Walter Scheib provides stories and recipes of some eleven years as White House chef under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, so anticipate a collection which is far more than your usual cookbook - and which will appeal to collections strong in culinary history and presidential trivia. Scheib was hired by Hillary Clinton in 1994 to become White House chef and faced taking an outdated kitchen focused on traditional French cuisine and making it a showcase for modern American foods. His memoir embraces some eleven years of culinary history at the White House under two different administrations and pairs original recipes with accounts of Presidential family encounters, making for both lively vignettes and fine recipes.
A Special Guest.......2007-07-03
My husband and I own the Genesee Country Inn in Mumford, New York. Walter Scheib, the former White House Executive Chef, stayed with us while he attended and spoke at the "Hail to the Chief" fundraiser at the Genesee Country Village and Museum. Mr. Scheib has a plethora of fanscinating stories of life in the White House and especially in the White House kitchen. His eleven years serving two presidents is revealed in this "cookbook" filled with stories about living and working in the WH kitchen. From Chesela's favorite cookies to the First Ladies luncheons, Mr. Scheib takes you behind the scenes to what it is like to cook for the most powerful leaders in the world. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys cooking and kitchen poitics.
A wonderful read and great look into the daily routine of White House living.......2007-06-05
Scheib has given us a pretty good look into the life of a White House chef under two administrations: one (the Clintons) that really wanted to make the White House into a place of entertainment and a place to show off America's best foods, and one that, well, isn't interested in that.
The recipes are good, interesting, and worth the cost of the book as well.
But what I find most interesting in the book, and what I was most hoping for when I ordered it, was a look at the non-flashy daily grind of life in the White House, and Scheib provides us many anecdotes, from Bill Clinton ordering huge steaks when his wife was away, to George Bush popping his head into the kitchen after a run and asking "What's for lunch?"
I enjoyed the stories of the giant dinners and elegant soirees, but it was the daily stuff I found most interesting: where the First Families enjoyed eating, their comfort foods, Chelsea Clinton making cookies with friends, Chelsea's first adult-style evening of entertaining, Scheib fighting with the purchasing staff to get better quality produce, that Bush likes his toasted cheese sandwiches cut at an angle, how the White House staff fill the elevator at lunch time making it difficult for the chef to get food to the president while still hot, the personalities of different people, and so on. While it is a world famous house, with incredibly important stuff going on, it's still a workplace for many with all the personality adventures of a workplace, and it's also home for one family that, for the most part, act like any other family or any other people. That is the aspect of the book I most appreciated, and which I wish had a lot more.
I also appreciate that Scheib refused to dish dirt on either family, or use the book as avenue to embarrass to sensationalize.
While the book is wonderful as it is, I think that a book about more than a decade in the White House deserves a lot more text. It reads much too quickly for subject matter that is this interesting and fascinating. Color photographs would have been more appropriate, too.
"White House Chef" shows some of the excitement of the big state dinners and other large entertainments, but is mostly an intimate look at some of the daily grind of the presidential family and the White House. Although we cannot all be president, we all eat, and so a book looking through the lens of food makes for a compelling read, tying us together on a more human level than just a biography or history book. But it should have been bigger, more in-depth, and with color photographs. Not many people are in a position to write a first-person account about being the chef at the White House. The rarity of that situation, I think, deserves a much more in-depth cover of the experience, and that's why I give this four stars.
needs some help.......2007-05-14
Cookbooks are great as teaching tools, inspirations for new meals, or often just plain interesting reading....this book, teaches and sometimes inspires but it is bland, without color photos to share the chefs excitement, and therefore way overpriced...thumbs down.
White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen.......2007-03-25
Don't buy it if you're a Republican. The author can't help getting political as he contrasts the Clinton and Bush White Houses (the Clintons are wonderful, the Bushes not so great). Clintonites will eat it up. Good recipes, okay writing with excellent editing, fine pictures. Independents and hungry non-politicos will give this four stars.
Average customer rating:
- Interesting Perspective
- Stoned Apes
- Great Book
- AMAZING BOOK!
- An in depth look into Mr. McKenna's view of the mind of modern man.
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Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution
Terence Mckenna
Manufacturer: Bantam
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Customer Reviews:
Interesting Perspective.......2007-09-21
I can't give 5 stars to this book because I know the history of Terence McKenna and his drug use. That said the book does pose interesting answers to age old questions.
"What was the fruit in the garden of Eden?"
"Why did our brains grow larger in ratio to our body weight than any animals in a relatively short amount of time?"
"Why is caffeine an acceptable drug to use daily? Should it be?"
I think people who read this should know it's an opinion given with historical facts to make his opinion seem like scientific and historical fact.
For instance he references what drugs were in use in certain cultures at what times then equates their overall temperament in historical events to the widespread use of those drugs. His claims may or may not have merit, we'll never know but it is an opinion none the less.
That said it is a very interesting read that is hard to put down. Attention keeping, he has one of a kind theories on lesser known early civilizations that could use a second look.
I was sorry to hear his library and personal notes burned up in a fire in early 2007, adding just more mystery to this one of a kind author.
Stoned Apes.......2007-07-31
I seriously was astounded by this book. Great historical knowledge on all sorts of drug and plant use from primates to Bush administration. McKenna really goes in depth about the evolution of language and consciousness. His theory that primates found psilocybin containing mushrooms growing in cow dung in the grasslands of Africa. Is represented quite well. He believes we may have literally "eaten our way to a higher conscious". McKenna really makes the war on drugs look like an absolute joke. He is subtly condescending of close minded politics yet brilliant and charming in informing readers of the power and potential of consciousness expanding drugs if taken properly.
Great Book.......2007-05-13
This book is very good if you are into evolution, shamanism, and the human life. I recommend everyone should read this book. You might get a new insight about life.
AMAZING BOOK!.......2007-02-04
I enjoyed this book and every single last bit of information with it! The information in here I highly agree with and realize is something that we as a nation need to start being a part of. We have learned from the 60's, but it was still a wonderful time. We can take that and modernize it, maybe even improve on some things. But first-we need to end the war on drugs. Overall-this book was great, I highly recommend it, one will learn so much.
An in depth look into Mr. McKenna's view of the mind of modern man........2007-01-11
I really did enjoy the honest and straightforward approach of Mr. McKenna's writing on the subject.
Book Description
Since biblical times, the Judeo-Christian lifestyle has centered on meals. Extending hospitality to both friends and strangers was a divine command, and an invitation to dine was sacred. The Judeo-Christian bible is peppered with stories of meals; these range from simple meals put together quickly in order to feed a few unexpected guests, to elaborate feasts carefully prepared to please dozens of partygoers for many days. Cooking with the Bible looks at eighteen of these meals found in the Scriptures, providing full menus and recipes for re-creating some of the dishes enjoyed by the peoples of biblical times. While describing how ancient cooks prepared their foods, Cooking with the Bible also explains how contemporary cooks might use modern techniques and appliances to prepare each of the eighteen meals. In addition, the authors recount the lore of all the ingredients used in the book, detailing their origins, the history of their cultivation, their nutritional value, and their various uses. To set the scene for each meal, the book examines the scriptural text in detail, describes the backstory for each, and, in the process, traces Judeo-Christian history from the ancient city of Ur to the lands of Egypt to the holy city of Jerusalem. Along the way, the reader will learn about the history of the bible itself. In the Middle East, eating was not and is not for daily sustenance alone--it is a way of life, and Cooking with the Bible reflects that reality, providing multiple feasts for the body, mind, and spirit. Each chapter begins with the menu for a biblical feast. A brief essay describing the theological, historical, and cultural significance of the feast follows. Next come separate recipes for the dishes served in the meal, followed by more commentary on the dish itself, preparation methods used in biblical times, how the dish was served, and the lore surrounding individual ingredients and dishes. Recipes for a wide variety of breads, stews, rice and lentil dishes, lamb, goat, fish and venison meals, vegetable salads and cakes are detailed, all of them carefully tested. Make delicious dishes such as Rice of Beersheba, Rebekah's Tasty Lamb Stew, Date and Walnut Bread, Ful Madames and Scrambled Eggs, Pistachio Crusted Sole, Bamya, Goat's Milk and Pomegranate Syrup Torte, Haroset a la Greque, Pesach Black Bread, Watermelon Soup with Ginger and Mint, Date Manna Bread, Oven-baked Perch with Tahini, Braided Challah with Poppy Seeds and Lemon, and Friendship Cake.
Customer Reviews:
An intriguing, different guide........2006-12-11
Judeo-Christian cooking has long centered on meals as a form of not only sustenance, but hospitality. Most cookbooks covering such cuisine focuses on the recipes; but COOKIGN WITH THE BIBLE: BIBLICAL FOOD, FEASTS AND LORE is different: recipes here are plentiful but secondary to the historical review of meal contents, rituals, and underlying cultural meaning. Bible stories of meals form the foundation of recipes which begin with a menu for a biblical feast, an essay surveying its historical and cultural significance, and explanations of traditional versus modern cooking methods. Any cook who also harbors affection for the Bible will find COOKING WITH THE BIBLE an intriguing, different guide.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A BIBLICAL SCHOLAR TO APPRECIATE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN CULINARY EXPERTISE.......2006-11-15
No. The Bible is not a cookbook, however, its history is a great source for culinary research. Performing this research was Anthony F. Chiffolo, Editorial Director of Praeger Publishers and prolific author and Rayner W. Hesse, Jr., an Episcopal priest. They titled their interesting compilation, Cooking with the Bible. Mediterranean cooking is exciting due a bold use of fruits, nuts and wheats with vegetables and some meat. The area's recommended wines are paired with each meal.This is healthy eating!
The feasts, or "The Meals" presented number 18, some of which are:
Joseph Dines with His Brothers
The Reapers' Meal
Kind David's Nuptials
Elisha Cooks Masterfully at Gilgal
The Prodigal Son Returns
The Wedding Feast at Cana
The general formatting for each menu is thus:
* Maps
* Chronology
* Biblical text lining out the feast
* Historic explanation
* The menu
* Preparation in Biblical times
* Recipes for preparation in today's kitchens
* Finally a lengthy "Lore of the Ingredients" section
One of the meals, The prodigal Son Returns, as others, has interesting names, as well as familiar, for each recipe. This particular feast:
Poor Lad's Loaf
Veal Kebabs
Honey-Baked Goat with Mint Sauce
Heifer Fondue
Fresh Mallow with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Fresh Kefir Yogurt with Concord Grapes
Figs in Chamomile Tea and Cream
Carob Cake for Two Sons
Some interesting recipe food combinations:
* Rice of Beersheba: Combines broth, basmati rice, dill and capers.
* Israeli Salad: Calls for cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, parsley, olive oil, lemon, green pepper, scallions and the spice, zataar.
* Fasooleyah Khodra Bi Zeit: (Arabian Beans and Sun-dried Tomatoes): Largely Green beans, onions, garlic, allspice, basmati rice and dried tomatoes
* Aroz de Bodas (Sephardic Wedding Rice: A mold of basmati rice, scallions, turmeric, seedless green grapes, pine nuts and fresh mint leaves
* Field Herbs with Corn: To corn they add vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, marjoram, dill, parsley, bay leaf and sumac.
* Musakhan (Chicken and Onion Bread): Mixes chicken, olive oil, lemon, scallions, garlic, saffron, sumac, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne and pine nuts atop any flatbread
* Vegetable Cholent: Mixes lima beans, kidney beans, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, barley, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers and garlic, cayenne, sage, cumin, ginger and feta cheese
* Wilderness Squash: Combines Acorn squash, honey, pistachios, dried apricots. Butter, onions and Angostura bitters
* St. Peter's Fish with Parsley Sauce: Utilizes a pesto of parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and onion and bass or trout
* Manaish with Goat Cheese: s Spread flatbread with a mixture of olive oil, zaatar, sumac and goat cheese. Serve with peppermint tea.
This well-researched book is pricey, however it's an excellent reference source and very possibly might serve as a format for a years-worth of fare for culinary groups' gatherings.
© Marty Martindale, 2006, Largo FL
Average customer rating:
- good reference
- Fine for beginning foodies but not for educational purposes
- A Remarkable Achievement
|
Cultural Foods: Traditions and Trends
Pamela Goyan Kittler
Manufacturer: THOMSON LEARNING
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ASIN: 0534573398 |
Book Description
This book provides information on the health, culture, and food and nutritional habits of most ethnic and racial groups living in the United States. It is designed to help students, chefs and others in the food service industry, and health professionals work effectively with members of different ethnic and religious groups in a culturally sensitive manner. It may be used in a course that fulfills a multicultural requirement for a general education student.
Customer Reviews:
good reference.......2007-01-10
I bought this book as I am studying to become a Nutrition Assistant, one of the possible job requirements is to educate people of various ethnicities re: their food and possible changes. Some of the sections on the history of the country and people were fairly dense to read. Some of the focus on food was somewhat repetitive, although I did find a few surprises. This book will probably be more useful for me if I do start counseling people.
Fine for beginning foodies but not for educational purposes.......2005-02-14
While comprehensive, this is too broad, too general and very stereotypical. Each 'cultural' group represented in the United States has the same diet as their fellows, it seems. It can also be very bland: since coming to the U.S., X group's consumption of 'junk' food, milk, and such, has increased.
There are also some serious mistakes. Scotch is the alcoholic drink while Scottish refers to the people. Yet, the authors insist on calling a particular people the "Scotch Irish" (a group not recognized in Europe).
Should you want very general information, without consulting specialist sources, this might be adequate for your purposes, but if it is to be used in, say, a course introducing topics of food and culture, this is not the book to use.
A Remarkable Achievement.......2000-05-28
Cultural Foods: Traditions and Trends, by Pamela Goyan Kittler and Kathryn P. Sucher, Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, Belmont, California, is a remarkable achievement. The authors, both nutritionists with a galloping interest in culture, have examined the many ethnic groups and cuisine traditions which comprise "what Americans eat." I was pleased to find that Native Americans, usually left out of such surveys, were included, along with Ugandans, Yemenese, Armenians, Basques and many, many others. Though initially written with food service professionals in mind, this is a book any foodie would devour. It starts with the food customs of individual countries and then looks at how arriving immigrants have adapted their usual ways of preparing foods to American ingredients and customs. The authors examine regional American foodways and typical specialties and provide an ethnic foods glossary, a lengthy bibliography and a dense index which allows the reader to dip in and out of the book with ease. Even the margins are peppered with food lore tidbits.
Book Description
More than 100 recipes introduce the foods and cooking of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s pioneer childhood, chronicled in her classic Little House books.
Notable Children’s Books of 1979 (ALA)
Best Books of 1979 (SLJ)
Notable 1979 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Children's Books of 1979 (Library of Congress)
1980 Western Heritage Award
Customer Reviews:
Great for a Little House fan.......2007-09-20
As a big fan of the Little House books I was really excited to get this cook book. It is full of great info and is good for learning about how they cooked (and what they cooked) in the past. I wouldn't plan on using it as a day to day cook book, but for something fun or to understand the Little House books better, it's a great buy.
The Little House Cookbook.......2007-08-11
Fantastic! I am a docent at an 1800's prairie settlement and I use some of the recipes in the summer kitchen. The lemonade was recently a big hit!
Lot's of fun.......2007-01-11
This book is a lot of fun for the people who love food, the little house on the prairie, and the readings of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
With this it also has the extra of being a cook book with some great finger licking old fashion food.
The Little House Cookbook.......2006-11-04
Interesting and informative as to how people in Laura Ingalls time ate. The struggles of providing in those times involved far more than just running to the corner market. Nothing was wasted, everything had a use and the whole family became involved with the work. To eat in those days was work intensive. The book opens up a new appreciation for what we have now.
I love LH books but..........2005-11-08
I love LH books and read them before there was a TV show- I remember how at age 10 I enjoyed reading about Laura and Mary in the Big woods and how facinating it was to read about playing in the attic among all the food and goods the family had in storage. Laura Ingalls Wilder was so decriptive about the foods and acitivities of her childhood that it made you hungry for what they were about to eat and you felt a part of what was going on.
I am an avid reader and a history major and found the "Frontier Foods" book boring.
I was looking forward to using the kitchen to help get my children interested in history.I was disappointed with this book - Since it is called a cook book I was expecting a more recipes, of foods from the past. What I received was a book about a settler's life but much less interesting than the LH books. Also, the book has a good number of Garth Williams wonderful illustrations but it could have used more,since it is supposed to be a cook book for children.
Average customer rating:
- Finally, toddler recipes with some taste!
- First time Mommy
- One of the best!
- Not what I expected
- The Big Book of Recipies for Babies, Toddlers & Children
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The Big Book of Recipes for Babies, Toddlers & Children: 365 Quick, Easy, and Healthy Dishes ("The Big Book of...")
Bridget Wardley , and
Judy More
Manufacturer: Duncan Baird
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
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ASIN: 184483106X |
Book Description
More than a cookbook, this indispensable kitchen companion not only offers delicious recipes for every day of the year, but also contains a wealth of information on child nutrition—from weaning and introducing solids to packing lunches and serving up party foods for older children. It emphasizes an easy approach to food preparation, with no complicated measurements or methods. Most important of all, there’s a wide variety of recipes for every stage of childhood development, complete with 50 "first food" recipes, 7-day meal planners, and sound snack ideas. Practical tips accompany the dishes, including methods for promoting healthy eating habits that support brain development and a strong immune system.
Customer Reviews:
Finally, toddler recipes with some taste!.......2007-10-09
I have a 2 yr. old, and he is like his Mom and Dad. He likes food that has some taste, he even will eat food with a little spice in it. These recipes are good for him and for us too, and they fill you up, even a hungry husband.
First time Mommy.......2007-08-13
I am 20 years old and a first time mother. I don't know how to cook, but as soon as i opened this book, I fell in love with it, every dish on this books looks very tasty, and even i was wondering how good these foods must taste.
One of the best!.......2007-07-14
We love this book and I often make the recipes in large quantities for the whole family. IMO the seasoning was bland so I always bump it up a bit, but I've been feeding my triplets heavily seasoned food from from day one (via breastmilk). They won't eat jarred food, but LOVE the Moroccan Lamb with some extra cumin and added cinnamon.
My only complaints would be the recommending of solid foods by age rather than a child's readiness (teeth, pincher grasp, sitting up), the feeding of purees (please research the benefits of self-feeding!) and the small bit of translation involved because the book is written by a Brit.
I highly recommend this book and have added it to my list of gifts for new moms.
Not what I expected.......2007-05-18
The recipes are definitely not quick and easy and they are strange combinations of foods that I question if I'd even eat. This was a BIG disappointment. Wish I could've returned it.
The Big Book of Recipies for Babies, Toddlers & Children.......2007-05-13
Not only were the recipies far from user friendly, I do not know of many babies or toddlers who would enjoy them. I was hoping to find some basic recipies but these were for a more developed palate than that of a child.
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