Semi-OT book review
 

I just finished reading Jacques Pépin's "The Apprentice." Excellent
book, written in a very conversational style. Unlike many
autobiographies, Pépin doesn't puff up his own talents and tear down
other people. It struck me as the anti-"Kitchen Confidential". He also
includes a related recipe or two at the end of each chapter.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

Semi-OT book review
 

In article
>,
Cindy Fuller > wrote:

> I just finished reading Jacques Pépin's "The Apprentice." Excellent
> book, written in a very conversational style. Unlike many
> autobiographies, Pépin doesn't puff up his own talents and tear down
> other people. It struck me as the anti-"Kitchen Confidential". He also
> includes a related recipe or two at the end of each chapter.

I will look for that. I read _Stuffed_ by Patricia Volk recently and
really enjoyed it. Life in a restaurant family.

Regards,
Ranee

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Semi-OT book review
 

In article >,
Ranee Mueller > wrote:

> In article
> >,
> Cindy Fuller > wrote:
>
> > I just finished reading Jacques Pépin's "The Apprentice." Excellent
> > book, written in a very conversational style. Unlike many
> > autobiographies, Pépin doesn't puff up his own talents and tear down
> > other people. It struck me as the anti-"Kitchen Confidential". He also
> > includes a related recipe or two at the end of each chapter.
>
> I will look for that. I read _Stuffed_ by Patricia Volk recently and
> really enjoyed it. Life in a restaurant family.
>
I think you'll like it. It's a quick read, which is important to
someone keeping track of a frisky brood of kids. Speaking of whom, how
is your frisky brood?

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

Semi-OT book review
 

In article >,
Ranee Mueller > wrote:

> In article
> >,
> Cindy Fuller > wrote:
>
> > I just finished reading Jacques Pépin's "The Apprentice." Excellent
> > book, written in a very conversational style. Unlike many
> > autobiographies, Pépin doesn't puff up his own talents and tear down
> > other people. It struck me as the anti-"Kitchen Confidential". He also
> > includes a related recipe or two at the end of each chapter.
>
> I will look for that. I read _Stuffed_ by Patricia Volk recently and
> really enjoyed it. Life in a restaurant family.
>
I think you'll like it. It's a quick read, which is important to
someone keeping track of a frisky brood of kids. Speaking of whom, how
is your frisky brood?

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

Semi-OT book review
 

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 14:56:10 GMT, Cindy Fuller
> wrote:

>I just finished reading Jacques Pépin's "The Apprentice." Excellent
>book, written in a very conversational style. Unlike many
>autobiographies, Pépin doesn't puff up his own talents and tear down
>other people. It struck me as the anti-"Kitchen Confidential". He also
>includes a related recipe or two at the end of each chapter.
>
>Cindy

I really liked Pepin's memoir, too. His generosity and good spirit
are a far cry from the major league ego in Bourdain's book (which I
enjoyed as well).

I just finished George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London."
His description of the workings of a hotel kitchen in Paris coincides
interestingly with Bourdain's take in several ways, though his point
of view (from the bottom of the heirarchy) leads him to very different
evaluations. Orwell's book was written in the early 1930's, by the
way. Not much has changed, it seems. Well there are health
inspectors and more regulations now, so perhaps the filth Orwell was
at pains to describe is a little less repugnant now.


modom

"If you have a racist friend,
Now is the time, now is the time
For your friendship to end."
-- The Specials

Semi-OT book review
 

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 14:56:10 GMT, Cindy Fuller
> wrote:

>I just finished reading Jacques Pépin's "The Apprentice." Excellent
>book, written in a very conversational style. Unlike many
>autobiographies, Pépin doesn't puff up his own talents and tear down
>other people. It struck me as the anti-"Kitchen Confidential". He also
>includes a related recipe or two at the end of each chapter.
>
>Cindy

I really liked Pepin's memoir, too. His generosity and good spirit
are a far cry from the major league ego in Bourdain's book (which I
enjoyed as well).

I just finished George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London."
His description of the workings of a hotel kitchen in Paris coincides
interestingly with Bourdain's take in several ways, though his point
of view (from the bottom of the heirarchy) leads him to very different
evaluations. Orwell's book was written in the early 1930's, by the
way. Not much has changed, it seems. Well there are health
inspectors and more regulations now, so perhaps the filth Orwell was
at pains to describe is a little less repugnant now.


modom

"If you have a racist friend,
Now is the time, now is the time
For your friendship to end."
-- The Specials

Semi-OT book review
 

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 14:56:49 -0700, Ranee Mueller
> wrote:

> I will look for that. I read _Stuffed_ by Patricia Volk recently and
>really enjoyed it. Life in a restaurant family.

I thoroughly enjoyed _Stuffed_, too. Lots of great food writing and
very touching remembrances of her family.

Tara

Semi-OT book review
 

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 14:56:49 -0700, Ranee Mueller
> wrote:

> I will look for that. I read _Stuffed_ by Patricia Volk recently and
>really enjoyed it. Life in a restaurant family.

I thoroughly enjoyed _Stuffed_, too. Lots of great food writing and
very touching remembrances of her family.

Tara

Semi-OT book review
 

Michael Odom > wrote in message >. ..
>
> I really liked Pepin's memoir, too. His generosity and good spirit
> are a far cry from the major league ego in Bourdain's book (which I
> enjoyed as well).

I just checked out Bourdain's novel "Bone in the Throat" from the
library. It was plenty of fun, although there were paragraphs where
the blow-by-blow description of food prep went on too long. The writer
in me thought: how is this furthering the plot??? But then, I spent 3
years working in a culinary school so I know enough about how a
kitchen works that I don't need to read the notes on a chef's morning,
stock to sweets. Really, I did enjoy *some* of the food porn writing,
but it got to be too much after a while.

I actually liked the scenes on New York streets more. I remember that
North LIttle Italy area from the early 90s - where the novel is set -
I used to see John Gotti walking around the neighborhood, grinning at
people who recognized him, and chatting to his buddies. THere was a
groovy new age Learning Annex type place nearby that all of us granola
yoga types attended, and Gotti walked in front of it constantly.
Characters in Bourdain's book do this very walk in the same area (but
none of them mention the New York Open Center - granola yoga girls
don't quite mesh with the tough guys and foodies atmosphere of the
book). The tough guys walk around the neighborhood to avoid the bugs
in their cars and social clubs.

I'm also reading Ismail Merchant's second cookbook, a 10 year old
tome, called Passionate cooking or some such. I'm obsessed with pilafs
for some reason, and have turned to Claudia Roden as well for ideas
about making rice and chicken layered things. A throwback to my
Lebanese childhood - visions of Louis XV dining room suites, cinnamon
scented rice topped with poached chicken and pine nuts, plastic
sheeting over the hand crocheted table cloths for SUnday
dinner...completely different from my Bohemian casual California
lifestyle, low carb, with second hand furniture in the midcentury
modern style, no tablecloths at all due to marauding toddlers, and a
husband who doesn't eat rice. Oh well!

Semi-OT book review
 

On 2004-07-12 23:58:21 -0700, (Leila A.) said:

> . I'm obsessed with pilafs
> for some reason, and have turned to Claudia Roden as well for ideas
> about making rice and chicken layered things

Ohmygosh..have you become...the Pilaf Princess??

:-)

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Semi-OT book review
 

On 2004-07-12 23:58:21 -0700, (Leila A.) said:

> . I'm obsessed with pilafs
> for some reason, and have turned to Claudia Roden as well for ideas
> about making rice and chicken layered things

Ohmygosh..have you become...the Pilaf Princess??

:-)

--
I am: Mom, Attorney, Advocate for Fathers and Against Spam
Read: http://www.accidentalevangelist.com | http://www.aunty-spam.com
Enjoy: http://www.mydigitalrebel.com

Semi-OT book review
 

Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. > wrote in message >...
> On 2004-07-12 23:58:21 -0700, (Leila A.) said:
>
> > . I'm obsessed with pilafs
> > for some reason, and have turned to Claudia Roden as well for ideas
> > about making rice and chicken layered things
>
> Ohmygosh..have you become...the Pilaf Princess??

In my head only. Have yet to make a pilaf. Hubby has been doing low
carb for 18 months now (he isn't totally strict about it, and he's on
maintenance, but rice pilaf is going too far). Mostly I just roast
animal proteins and fix pasta on the side for me and the kids. Yeah, i
could do the rice pilaf productions. Soon. Soon.

How's by you?

Leila
>
> :-)

Semi-OT book review
 

On 2004-07-15, Leila A. > wrote:
> carb for 18 months now (he isn't totally strict about it, and he's on
> maintenance, but rice pilaf is going too far).

Yeah, I'm on that LC thing and it's driving me crazy. I so miss my Persian
rice cooker that makes tah dig. On good side, I've lost 30 lbs. :)

nb

Low Carb again - was OT Book Review
 

notbob > wrote in message news:<VcoJc.77231$JR4.5227@attbi_s54>...
> On 2004-07-15, Leila A. > wrote:
> > carb for 18 months now (he isn't totally strict about it, and he's on
> > maintenance, but rice pilaf is going too far).
>
> Yeah, I'm on that LC thing and it's driving me crazy. I so miss my Persian
> rice cooker that makes tah dig. On good side, I've lost 30 lbs. :)
>
> nb

Yeah, there is a great deal of good sense in cutting out white
fluffies (refined flour and rice, potatos, sugar). My mother alarmed
me when she mentioned a sudden weight loss in the last 3 months that
she ascribed to overwork. I urged her to go see her doctor, thinking
the worst. Then she reminded me that her acupuncturist has her on a
"warming" diet that cuts way back on sugar, white flour, white rice
and pasta. Also very little dairy if any. She eats lots of warm soups,
fish, chicken, hot veggies, whole grain cereals and high protein
bread. She doesn't believe in going hungry so she's not undereating.
But she's lost a good ten pounds in the last three months and she was
already at a decent weight well within the healthy range. She's not
abstaining completely - she ate a piece of her birthday cake, for
instance. In any case, she will check in with her G.P. but I dropped
my (unexpressed) fear of a terrible wasting disease.

If I could stand to cut out sugar and bread for a month I'd lose ten
pounds, too. I'm just on the edge of the overweight zone according to
the BMI index. I don't worry about it too much but I like having a few
pounds less - easier to get around.

What about brown rice, notbob? Even ATkins says you can eat it in
small quantities once you hit your maintenance weight. I actually like
brown rice (and hate whole wheat pasta). Rice cookers can manage brown
rice.

Congrats to you on the 30 pounds.

Leila