2 comments about Callaloo, Calypso & Carnival: The Cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago.

1. kind of disappointed. thought i would get a bit more food options, and traditional meals. it was worth buying but cant live with it alone.



2. This book is a lot of fun to read through -- you get a lot of history, with background on the culture of T&T, the origins of the T&T carnival, along with many calupso rhymes and the origins of many of the foods and recipes. I've always wanted a recipe for true Pina Coladas, and the recipe for Ginger Beer sounds more like a science experiment, but my son and I plan to try it out. Instant island vacation!

5 comments about Apple Pie Fourth of July (Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. Children's and Young Adult. Winner (Awards)).

1. I found the book great at identifying the problems Asian Americans face growing up in the American culture.



2. I did like the story. I read it to my 7 yearold son and we thought it was a good story to read. The little girl in the story did not think that her food that her parents prepared and sold would be something Americans ate on their holiday celebration of the 4th of July. How wonderful to be in America and have a place that makes oriental foods right down the street from whereever we live. The little girl is surprised that customers do start coming and her mother and father are quite busy preparing the food. The parents are not surprised, they seem to understand a little better than their daughter about the retaurant business in America. Americans love to eat!



3. "Apple Pie 4th of July" (2002) by Janet S. Wong ("This Next New Year","Buzz") could have a multitude of functions in your classroom, depending on the age of your students and your subject. For older students in Language Arts (3rd-5th), this book will provide an example of character development. In this story, a Chinese-American girl tells her Chinese parents that their customers do not want to eat Chinese food on the 4th of July. The girl believes that people only want American food like apple pie on such an American holiday. Her parents continue with their plans of offering Chinese food in their market. Your students will enjoy reading about this girl and discovering whether or not she is correct. You will appreciate the manner in which Ms. Wong develops this character. Since the girl's parents were born in China, this book will function as an introduction to immigration for younger students (K-2). As the girl is living within two cultures, this book will serve you well in a unit on multiculturalism (K-2). You should include in any discussion the colorful illustrations by Margaret Chodos-Irvine and the fact that the girl is dressed in red, white and blue. The illustrations depict a cultural blend of the traditional 4th of July parade and fireworks with Chinese main characters and foods.



4. Very unique book that offers a realistic perspective on Chinese-American children. Can be used with any other culture when teaching children about adapting to the American way of life.



5. Janet S. Wong(1962-) was born in Los Angeles. She graduated from UCLA with her B.A in history and then Yale Law School. She worked at Universal Studios Hollywood as a lawyer. However, she changed her career from a lawyer to a writer for children's literature. Janet has achieved many successes as a result of her career change, and she and her books have received many awards and honors. She has a Korean-American mother and a Chinese-American father, and these three different cultures are shown on her books.
   "Apple Pie 4th of July" also shows a different cultural aspect from America in the point of view of young girl. A girl who was born in America could not understand her parents who prepare to sell Chinese food even on 4th of July. She feels dissatisfaction about her parents since she thinks her parents do not understand the America Holiday. She wants to enjoy the America Holiday like other Americans but she is disappointed with the differences of her parents from others. The clear and colorful illustration describes well her feelings through her facial expressions. The girl full of discontent says, "Chow mein? Chinese food on the Fourth of July? No one wants Chinese food on the Fourth of July." Many children who have a different culture from the major culture where they live sometimes might feel shame or uncomfortable about their own culture. The parents and teachers need to let children whose culture is either the majority or minority know the variety of cultures in the world. In not only various countries, but also different homes in the same country, their own cultures exist. When children read this book, they can think about the diversity of cultures, and the parents and teachers need to guide children to have the correct concept about cultures.
   Wong, J. S. (2002). Apple Pie 4th of July. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, Inc.

1 comments about Festivals and Delicacies from India.

1. 
   This book provides a wonderful description of the Hindu festivals along with recipes of dishes served during these festivals. The recipes are easy to follow. It is a great way to learn about the Indian culture and taste traditional Indian recipes.

1 comments about Beauty of Korean Food: With 100 Best-Loved Recipes.

1. This has all your favorite dishes and is richly illustrated. My beef is that the English is bizarre in places and the names of ingredients uncommon in Western cooking are not translated consistently. A real injustice to the contents which are really interesting and informative. It would not be so bad except this cookbook claims to present Korean cuisine in a systematic way in to non-Koreans. Maybe they will clean up their act in the next edition.
   This is still a very useful book and I hope this will make Korean cooking more accessible to those eager to cook these dishes at home. Just be prepared to roll your eyes now and then at the translation.

No comments about Cocina de Grecia y el Medio Oriente, India y Tailandia para Dummies/The Cooking of Greece, the Middle East, India, and Thailand For Dummies.

3 comments about The Essential Saffron Companion.

1. I've always been fascinated with the aroma and taste of saffron. This book is both a lesson on the rich history of saffron and a collection of very balanced recipes that showcase saffron in some very interesting ways. I've been using saffron for years the wrong way. Just one recipe from this book has re-focused my love for this spice. My wife and I purchased a great amount of saffron in La Mancha, Spain last year. This book will guarantee our enjoyment of it. Highly recommended!



2. The Essential Saffron Companion by John Humphries is the most accurate and comprehensive book ever written about the "Mellow Yellow" plant (Crocus Sativus). It is packed with historical points about the bulb to the characteristics of the plant once bloomed. All good details and very accurate. Also, the recipes are top-notch castillian cooking. Very much authentic of the European Spanish-style cooking. Bravo, JH!



3. I bought this book for its specific instructions on how to use saffron - infusions - which I think are interesting. But many of the recipes for entrees and side dishes seem difficult and confusing as written, or outright wrong. For example, in Devonshire Saffron Cake, the author states that either heavy cream or butter can be substituted for the original clotted cream.

No comments about Low - Fat Indian Cookbook (Creative Cooking Library) (Spanish Edition).

5 comments about From Bengal to Punjab: The Cuisines of India.

1. This book is well written and organized (as one would expect from this author) and I'm not sorry I bought it, but it is not a star of my collection. The beginner will find it an excellent overview and introduction to east Indian cuisine, but it provides very little that is new for the serious collector of Indian cookbooks.



2. Echoing another reviewer, this is by no means a comprehensive examination of Indian cuisine. The cuisines of southern India tend to be neglected in favor of more familiar Mughal recipes. Smita Chandra addresses regional cooking more equitably in her "Cuisines of India." Also, the recipes contained in "From Bengal to Punjab" are not grand recipes that would be served as a centerpiece at a banquet; they are simple, basic recipes which are easy to make but not dazzling.

   If you keep that in mind, you will find this a most satisfying cookbook, which will introduce you to the basic components and techniques of Indian cooking. I have used this cookbook for over 10 years, and have always been happy with the results.

   The cookbook is inexpensive, well laid out, and the recipes are very easy to follow. There are virtually no ingredients in these recipes that you cannot find in most good urban market these days, which reflects the rising popularity of ethnic cuisines. If you are interested in learning the basics of Indian cuisine, then this is a very good cookbook to use for that purpose.




3. The Fenugreek Chicken(Murg Methi)is my absolute favorite. This dish is so flavorful and the spice combinations are very soothing for digestion. I accompanied this with the cucumber Raita and the Potatoes & Cauliflower sides, it was outstanding!



4. Smita Chandra's From Bengal to Punjab is one of the two books I use most often when cooking Indian food. She begins with a discussion of the various spices and herbs, with notes about availability, preparation, and storage. Then she discusses appliances and techniques, with helpful suggestions. She provides recipes for basic things such as ghee, coconut milk, and paneer, in case they are unavailable in local stores. She then goes on to suggest menus, with combinations of dishes that go well together. All before the cookbook proper begins. I love the variety of the dishes, particularly the 15 different chicken dishes. Some are nutty, some herby, some with spices you dry-roast yourself and grind, and with a variety of sauce bases, with not only yogurt and coconut milk, but also whipping cream or tomatoes. I must say that once in a while it takes food longer to cook on my stove than hers. My cumin seeds take more than 1 or 2 seconds to darken, and my eggplant takes far longer to fry than hers seems to. However, because of her descriptions of how the food should look, I can tell how long I need to keep cooking it. It's as if she's providing a cooking lesson with each recipe. Highly recommended.



5. When I wanted to start cooking indian food, I got a bunch of cookbooks, but this was far and away the most used and the one must-keep. The recipes have enough ingredients and spices to be interesting but not so many as to be overwhelming, it's not all recipes for things you can't find like bitter melon, and the techniques are detailed enough to produce great results without the complicated timing of some books. While it doesn't cover the south indian foods (which I guess aren't between bengal and punjab anyway), this cookbook as a great range of recipes for different types of indian food you might actually want to make.

No comments about The Food and Cooking of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia & Philippines: Over 300 recipes shown step-by-step in 1200 beautiful photographs.

No comments about Food of Sri Lanka: Authentic Recipes from the Island of Gems.