Reviews (3)

Coffee: A Wild History
I recommend that you peruse the pages of this book at your local library or book store prior to purchasing. The author has compiled 308 pages of supposed facts, ideas, opinions, and "objective illumination." No doubt some of the data provided is true and the first 83 pages engross the reader to the beginning of the history of coffee. Unfortunately the narrative then seems to fall apart not because the information may be false or questionable, but rather the author goes off on tangents which seem to simply fill up the pages. Is Rimbaud's influence on Bob Dylan and Patti Smith necessary in the discussion of coffee?
Wild delivers a strong brew to the US
This is my first introduction to anything about coffee's history and how coffee affects the global market and economy. I am simply a person who likes my morning joe and an occasional coffee house treat! I found the history part of this book fascinating. However, was taken a-back by Wild's strong anti-US feelings about the USA's treatment of Central and South American countries. His treatment seems biased--still, the reader needs to remember that he's a Brit living in France. Overall, a good read.

Good book, more like a text book.
Library Journal
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Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Beverages - Coffee & Tea    3. Coffee    4. Cooking / Wine    5. General    6. History    7. Industries - General    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Non-alcoholic beverages    12. Social history   

Reviews (7)

On Giving Thanks
As someone who loves to cook and is fascinated by early american history, I was extremely pleased by the content of this book. It is not merely a cookbook but a history book as well. This book can be enjoyed by children and adults equally.

Giving Thanks. A book to have and a book to give!
Wonderful! Curtin and Oliver put together a unique collection of exquisite and easy to follow recipes. The history behind the national holiday is also explained with interesting details and complements nicely the culinary section. Whether the reader wants to learn more about the tradition or wants to impress friends and family at the dinner table, this is the book to read!
A MUST HAVE!!
A fantastic book to read!The recipes we tried were outstanding-easy to read directions & the history behind each dish was a treat to read.I am looking forward to using these recipes at our Thanksgiving this year. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 17th century    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. History    5. Holiday - General    6. Holidays (non religious)    7. Manners And Customs    8. Pilgrims (New Plymouth Colony)    9. Poultry Cookery    10. Regional & Ethnic - American - New England    11. Sociology    12. Thanksgiving Day    13. Wampanoag Indians    14. Cooking / American / New England   

Reviews (5)

To elitist for my taste

Slow down, you're movin' too fast

Sane alternatives to the Fast Life
It's rare to find a book that's informative, convivial, and inspiring.Carlo Petrini's Slow Food: The Case for Taste is such a book.True to his Italian character and culture, he describes the Slow Food movement with style and exuberance.He would make a convert of me if I had not already embraced his philosophy for the "good life".I share his passion for excellence in food and wine and the responsibilities that are attached to this pleasure.Petrini would make an excellent dinner guest, bringing gusto and reverence for the meal served and adding intelligent, sometimes jovial chatter throughout each course.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Food habits    4. Gastronomy    5. History    6. Cooking / History    7. Food & Drink / Cookery    8. Leisure   

Editorial Review

Snooty waiters, seating by social pedigree, and food copied from the classical French canon--these facts of restaurant life are mostly gone from our modern dining scene. But how did this status-based system, typical of the postwar period, mutate into today's uniquely American fine-dining "experience"--a populist stew of New Californian, ethnic, and domesticated French and Italian cooking? Patric Kuh's Read more

Reviews (20)

Read if you must
Reading this book, I find that the author's ego interferes often with the documentation of how America went from Haute cuisine to the modern "American" restaurant.One particular passage paints his mother (a cook) in the same light as Elizabeth David and M.F.K.Fisher, and leaves me wondering why, if she was so enlightened, do I not see her book on the shelf.Throughout the book, he comes off as an average cook that could no longer take the heat, and left the kitchen to write.
Interesting
In this book, chef and author Patric Kuh explores the rich history of fine restaurants in the United States throughout the twentieth century.It is a story that takes you from La Pavillon to the Four Seasons, Lut�ce, and all the way to Le Cirque, Chez Panisse, and Stars.More importantly, it tells the interesting story of the chefs and matre d's who have produced high cuisine in this country.
Sigh...
It's hard not to love the idea of this book, just as it is easy to hate marred execution. A fascinating botch job, but still a botch.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. History    4. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    5. Methods - General    6. Cooking / History   

Reviews (1)

An elegant, extravagant, epicurean cookbook
Bern's Steak House: Reflections & Recipes From A Remarkable Restaurant is an elegant, extravagant, epicurean cookbook superbly illustrated with black-and-white photographs and featuring careful "kitchen friendly" instructions for preparing some of the most sumptuous restaurant dishes imaginable, including Vichyssoise, Pompano en Papillote, Brazilian Snow and many more culinary delights. Memoirs and restaurant history enhance and balance the mouth-watering recipes in this enthusiastically recommended combination of memoir, testimony, and high-quality cookery. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Courses & Dishes - General    4. History   

Reviews (6)

This is a great book
I bought this back in the '80's and have used it continually since.It will always be one of my favorite cookbooks.You cannot loose with this book.

Fabulous guest-tested recipes. Delightful commentary.
Perfect for your cookbook library. Perfect as a special gift. yummmmmy
The recipes in this book are great, especially the tomato soup and chicken salad (Chinese). I really liked the simple way in which they were written and the use of readily available ingredients. My favorite part of the book was all the minutae about the restaurant itself. From starting a restaurant, to running it, to buying provisions, to personnel, the book was a fascinating inside look at the business of food. The authors never complained, but they made me realize what a tough business they are in. Hope I can visit Cafe Beaujolais sometime. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cafe Beaujolais (Mendocino, Ca    2. Cookery    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. History    6. Reference    7. Regional & Ethnic - American - Western States    8. Food & Drink / Cookery   

Reviews (6)

Try to remember
Sad thing is, this keeps popping up as an issue, what is happening to our precious supply of fabulous fresh foods, that truly sustain and delight. Even if poor, you can enjoy a fabulous dish of fresh steamed green beans just off the vine. An Excellent, Important Book
Bitter Harvest is a wonderful book.It highlights the importance of natural foods vs. the artificial foods we eat.However, this is a distinction NOT between junk food and vegetables, but agribusiness vegetables and local organic vegetables. Important reading
This book is a must read for anyone who cares about the food they put into their bodies. It is definitively NOT a cookbook, nor does it make an attempt as such--the other reader from New York clearly did not read this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Environmental Science    5. Food    6. Food Research    7. Food supply    8. History    9. Nutrition    10. Nutrition And Diet    11. Demonstrations & protest movements    12. Food manufacturing & related industries    13. Genetics (non-medical)    14. Public health & preventive medicine    15. Sociology, Social Studies    16. Technology / Food Industry & Science   

Reviews (3)

Log Cabin Cooking!
Log Cabin Cooking by Barbara Swell, a book about Pioneer Recipes & Food Lore, is a wonderful book that can be enjoyed by anybody.With only 64 pages it is amazingly full of recipes, food history, kitchen proverbs, dining etiquette,rhymes (designed to help you remember recipes) and even food insults.From wheat to corn, from meats to beverages, from how to make your butter yellow and how many ways to use corn (corn, corn, corn) this is a great read.
A slender 65-page compendium of pioneer era recipes
A slender 65-page compendium of pioneer era recipes, Log Cabin Cooking by Barbara Swell also offers tips on hearth cooking, food insults, pioneer dining etiquette, kitchen provers, cake superstitions, jump rope rhymes, and "Biscuit Sayings". Readers will learn how to make a "squashaphone" and "Make-Do Cooking". Enhanced with period photography, the recipes in this little gem of a cookbook range from Sour Dough Bread, to Dandelion Salad, to Poor Man's Pudding, to Dried Sweet Apple Schnitz. Also very highly recommended are two other old-time cookbooks by Barbara Swell: Take Two & Butter 'em While They're Hot!: Heirloom Recipes & Kitchen Wisdom (1883206324, $5.95) and Secrets Of The Great Old-timey Cookbooks: Historic Recipes, Lore & Wisdom (1883206375, $5.95).
A Mountainman's point of view
This book is very good for the beginner in Early American cooking. I feel very sorry for people are afraid to try some of Barbara's recipes. The other things in her book are true to fact and most of them do work. I doE-A living demonstrations an this book will help me a lot. 3 thumbs up orwhat ever! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. History    4. Regional & Ethnic - American - General    5. Cooking / General   

Reviews (4)

Delicious recipes and a fascinating look at ancient Rome
I bought "A Taste of Ancient Rome" more out of historical interest than out of any real desire to prepare foods in the Roman style. One day, though, I ended up being given six frozen mallard ducks, and one of the recipes in this book, Duck with Turnips, caught my eye. I tried it, and it was absolutely amazing. Since that day I've prepared over half of the recipes in this book, and I've found most of them to be delicious, easy to prepare, and economical.
An accessible and enjoyable cookbook and history book.
Here we have a small collection of redacted Roman recipes, along with explanations of ingredients and concepts and some modern adaptations. Scholarship you can sink your teeth into
Although "A Taste of Ancient Rome" presents another translation of some ancient Roman recipes, this work is not just an historical curiousity.First, it provides some of the yummiest lamb recipes I've evertasted (who knew the Parthians for epicures?).Second, there are quite afew spice and sauce combinations that were apparently lost with theVisigoths, and they're definitely worth reviving. Although a few of therecipes are a bit outlandish, most of them are easily prepared and verytasty.I use this book all the time as a practical cookbook.And, ofcourse, for dinner parties, it's a great item of conversation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cookery, Roman    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. History    6. Regional & Ethnic - European    7. Regional & Ethnic - Italian    8. Ancient World    9. Cooking / Italian    10. General cookery    11. National & regional cuisine    12. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Cookery, American    3. Cooking    4. Food    5. Food habits    6. History    7. History - U.S.    8. United States    9. United States - 19th Century    10. Food & Drink / Cookery    11. Popular culture    12. Social Science / Popular Culture    13. USA   

Reviews (7)

Eating right and feeling energetic!
I love Dee's Mighty Cookbook and especially her inspiring story of losing 100 pounds in one year.....and keeping it off for over a decade. I purchased Dee's Cookbook in a local health food store, and thought, "Well, I'll give it a try."I never expected it to change my life, but it did. I have been "eating healthy" per Dee's recipes and suggestions for the past two months. I have lost 12 pounds and feel much better than I have in a long time.I have more energy, and at 53, I feel as though I have the energy I had years ago.I also find I don't need to sleep as much as I used to."Real food" tastes so good now.I no longer buy processed foods or anything with processed flours/sugars, and do not crave those things.The only sweets I crave are fruit.....and occasional small bites of dark (organic) chocolate.I also make my own salad dressings(per Dee's recipes), and they are so good I no longer buy store brands.I can't say enough about this new way of eating, and new way of life.I am so grateful that Dee has shared her knowledge and experience through this book.Blessings to you, Dee, from a thankful customer in Arizona.- Nonni

Get off the diet rollercoaster!
Dee's Mighty Cookbook is a common sense guide to improving your health through better eating habits, using foods that do not contain hormones, pesticides and other additives and in the process bringing your weight to a healthy level and keeping it there. Dee herself has maintained a 100 pound weight loss for over 13 years.
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
This is a great book. It is not only a cookbook but an education about healthy eating. The author tells her story of how in order to lose weight she found a healthier diet based on eating no refined or processed foods. She also writes about the 6 foods that everyone should include in their diet. She recommends this way of eating for everyone regardless of whether their goal is to lose weight or just eat healthy. The cookbook has delicious and easy recipes for all categories of food from salad dressings to dessert. She even has a section of Mexican recipes. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn healthy eating habits.This book will open your eyes to what has happened to the American diet and why so many Americans are fat and have chronic health conditions. I hope she will publish more books. I will buy every one of them! She really knows what she is talking about by being both an organic chemist and a diet counselor. This bok should be required reading for every who eats! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Essays   

Reviews (2)

Umami equals savory
There are four basic tastes:Bitter, sweet, salty and sour.This book defines the fifth taste:Umami.In culinary school we learned about it as "savory".This book does a very good job of tracing Umami's history and current application.If you want better tasting food for a small investment in ingredients, buy this book.It relates to all levels of culinary/cooking skills.

An Inspiration in the Kitchen!
I've been spicing up my cooking with The Fifth Taste, and getting great results! These recipes are really fun and creative, and the variety is enhanced by many sources. It's like many cookbooks in one. The photos are also helpful in preparation. I've already learned a lot from this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Gastronomy    5. General    6. Specific Ingredients - General    7. Cookery by ingredient    8. Cooking / General   

Reviews (2)

Civil War Cookery
Simple foods from a by gone era that are easy to prepare, and interesting to learn about while cooking.This cookbook gives the average reader a flare for more homespun tastes. An excellent look and sampling of Civil War-era food
Mr. Davis has compiled an excellent and beautiful book of the recipes ofan anguished time. You will certainly get a taste of the simple foods thatso many families relied on when there was little to be had. Whether you area reenactor or a food history buff, this book will take you into thekitchens of the homes and armies of the Civil War. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1783-1865    2. Civil War, 1861-1865    3. Cookery, American    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Courses & Dishes - General    7. History    8. Regional & Ethnic - American - General    9. Social life and customs    10. United States    11. United States - Civil War    12. Sale Books   

Reviews (6)

Did You Notice
Lumiere is a beautiful book with some interesting recipes ... BUT like many cookbooks published by aspiring celebrity chefs many small, yet critical details have been overlooked or omitted such as number of baking pans needed, sizes of pans, etc..
A great book!
If you're looking for recipes created by a chef instead of those cookie-cutter recipe books, this is the book for you. No matter where you are you'll find that the seasonal produce follows you (for example, berry fruits come before stone fruits, which come before the apple family (apples, pears etc.). It's not rocket science, berry fruits come before stone fruits no matter where you are in the world. If you are fond of seasonal eating, and you should be, buy this book. If you enjoy reproducing the dishes of the great restaurants, buy this book.
A decent book of good 'haute cuisine' restaurant dishes
`Lumiere', written by Rob Feenie on the recipes of his British Columbian restaurant of the same name is a competent write-up of the restaurant's great recipes, mostly invented by chef Feenie. This means that in spite of the great recipes, it is a mediocre cookbook for the rest of us.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. General    4. History    5. Regional & Ethnic - Canadian    6. General cookery   

Reviews (1)

Excellent!
(From Planeta magazine):Mexico's fiery cuisines stand in sharp contrastnot only with traditional European cooking but also with each other. Theregional variations and menus make Mexican cuisine one of the mostsophisticated in the world. In a new book published as part of theUniversity of New Mexico Press's Dialogos series, author Jeffrey Pilcheruses food itself to provide a unique, insider's guide to Mexican historyand politics.Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Cookery, Mexican    3. Cooking    4. Customs & Traditions    5. Food habits    6. History    7. History - General History    8. Latin America - Mexico    9. Mexico    10. Regional & Ethnic - Mexican    11. Social life and customs   

Editorial Review

So, okay, Cindy Pawlcyn adds butter to her mashed potatoes before she adds the milk, which is all backwards according to those who have initiated intense experiments to resolve such issues. But so what? Her food (it's her name on the cover of the cookbook, even though any food coming out of a restaurant as popular and free-spirited as the original Fog City Diner in San Francisco is likely to be something of a group effort--kind of like the Manhattan Project) brightened palates back in 1985 when the diner opened, and it serves adventurous palates just as well today.Read more

Reviews (4)

Good Diner Food Made Easy
I like to browse different types of cookbooks, and to find recipes that I may not find anywhere else.This cookbook did not disappoint.Even though I have not visited the Fog City Diner, I have been to many diners in my day.I was surprised at the large variety of recipes available, and the eclectic ingredients included in the book.
secrets revealed about diner food
for many years i was wondering what that german deli down the block from me, was putting in its' tuna salad that gave it a unique wonderful taste. i could never figure it out and was addicted to the tuna salad so was spending a good chunk of my food allowance on it.
Okay
That's about it. Lots of recipes the average person just would not use. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Fog City Diner    5. History    6. Reference    7. Regional & Ethnic - American - Western States   

Editorial Review

Lust, gluttony, pride, sloth, greed, blasphemy, and anger--the seven deadly sins have all been linked to food. Matching the food to the sin, Stewart Lee Allen's Read more

Reviews (12)

It's a fun book and very informative.
I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot of history. He breaks it down into the seven deadly sins. How the apple became the "forbidden fruit" in the Bible. Why to even this day we look down at corn (think about how it's in junk food). Why some foods are shunned over the years for class reasons (for example white bread over dark bread in in 17th and 18th century France.
Shoddy scholarship, hearsay, and conjecture.
It's an entertaining book, it's a pity that the author has appearently done his research at 'Something Somebody Said Once University'.
Interesting, but some spurious claims
Be ready to take a lot of salt with this book!There is a lot of hooey involved, as well as factual history.Jusy don't be so politically correct-Berkeley-influenced as to believe that deviled eggs were named because they became unhealthy.It's the spices and flavors, you know. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. History    4. Cooking / History   

Reviews (3)

READ this c ookbook!
This book is fun to read, she has stories and tips throughout.If you are unsure how to cook the basics (roast, pies etc) this is a great starter book.All simple ingredients and easy instructions.Fun 'old farmer' stories.Great for bridal shower gift.

Excellent recipes -- fun stories
This is not just any old cook book, it is full of stories that are fun to read and add to your enjoyment in cooking and eating the delicious recipes.I would recommend it to anyone who likes to cook or to read about farmlife in Wisconsin.

Great Recipes along with wonderful wit and humor
This is a very complete book with down-home recipes of every kind.The stories and anecdotes that accompany many of the recipes make this a great read while the recipe you've prepared is cooking.A have found few booksthat compare in simplicity with as much home-made influence. These recipesare so good you'll want to share them, but the book is a piece of work byitself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. History    5. Norske Nook (Restaurant)    6. Reference    7. Regional & Ethnic - American - Middle Western States    8. Cooking / General   

Reviews (5)

This book has great recipes!
Recently I served as a cook at a weekend training event.The cook staff tried 7 recipes in this book and everyone loved them.We made several cakes, muffins and the No Knead rolls.The Crybabies were a great hit.The other cooks on the staff are planning to get their own copies.

Just what I wanted
I am writing a book sent during WW2, and I needed a good sense of day-to-day life in the era.This book provides that with authentic recipes and loads of other information about food purchasing and cooking tips that help to explain the era.I think this would be a useful and fun book for students of the era, regardless of their age.

The Greatest Generation of Cooks
Those of us living in this age of plenty have no idea what it was like to cook during World War II when sugar, butter, meat and oh, so many canned foods were rationed. I was a very little girl then and didn't understand so many of the hardships my mother endured. This book answers so many of the questions left unanswered and for me it is a joy to read.I do remember many of the recipes included here and for old times sake, I plan to give many of them a try. This book is a must for anyone interested in food or food history. We may not cook this way today-- we don't have to.But these old make-do recipes can teach us all a lot. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American cooking    3. Cookery, American    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Food supply    7. History    8. Military - World War II    9. Regional & Ethnic - American - General    10. United States    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Cooking / History   

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Europe - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. Regional & Ethnic - European  &nbs