5 comments about Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z Lap-Sized Board Book.

1. My son will read just about anything. He devours books. But not this book. This is probably the only book on our bookshelf that has never requested we look at or read. This book has no text, just watercolor paintings of the fruits and veggies. But the images are not all that easy to differeniate from one another. If, like an infant, you had not yet experienced this produce, I think that you would be unlikely to link the pictures in the book with the real thing in the grocery store or garden. I was disappointed with this book, as is my son, apparently.



2. This book is great for infants on up! It is bright and introduces fruits and vegetables not always encountered in baby food. Our toddler is now learning her alphabet and it is perfect! It also has given her ideas of new things to try.



3. Everywhere we turn we find Lois Ehlert books. From our local library to our boys' school book bag, Lois' books keep popping up. As I write this, our twin 4 year old boys are downstairs with their daddy getting ready for sleep while they guess away with enthusiasm at the contents of Eating for Alphabet book, all fruits and veggies. The illustrations are wonderful; the large type is perfect for children who are learning their letters and words. What is best about several of this inspired writer's books is the focus on growing the foods we eat and imparting that to our kids. Our boys' first choice is Lois' Vegetable Soup book. Eating the Alphabet is a close second. In this crazy, over-processed world, all of Lois' books are fun, inspired and offer the gift of a much easier and simple-pleasure world for our children to enjoy and cherish.



4. This book was a terrific find and our first introduction to the world of Lois Ehlert's illustrations. She beautifully illustrates fruits and vegetables as the alphabet marches forward. I began reading the oversized boardbook version to my baby son when he could only enjoy the visual play...then I used it to help introduce new fruits and vegetables into his diet and now we use the words for practicing new syllables, and building vocabulary. In contrast to others, I love that the fruits and veggies are a less realistic, a little abstract or stylized. I get to point out the real ones in contrast and he begins to use his imagination to associate the two. He happily brings it to me to read or to point out whatever new word he wants to learn. Babies and children have preferences just like adults. I wouldn't judge a book because my son wasn't interested...it could become his favourite in another month or it might not. I do know that through this book and my son's enjoyment of it, I have been interested in more of Elhert's books and building our library for when his interests expand since she has demonstrated such a delightful way of exploring a subject.



5. Maybe it's a little too long? Maybe the text (like many books of this genre, it just lists the words, nothing else) isn't captivating enough? Perhaps it's the illustrations? I just don't know.
   
   I do like that there's a guide in the back explaining the history of every bit of produce listed in this book (this book only mentions plant foods, so it's great for veg*ns), with a pronunciation guide.
   
   Just wish the girls liked it as much as I do. I knocked off a star for that.

5 comments about The Medieval Cookbook.

1. If you are looking for good tasting period recipes, this book is for you. Sometimes cookbooks that have recipes that are from times past offer recipes that taste quite differently than what our modern expectations are. This book will deliver you good recipes. Two of the favorite ones I have tried from this book were the Almond Chicken and the Golden Leeks and Onions. The instructions are very clear, and easy to read. The book does offer lovely art work as well. My only complaint about this book while the recipe that it has are very good, I just with their were more of them. This is a good book to start or even add to a Medieval recipe collection.



2. This is the perfect gift book for those interested in the Middle Ages. It is beautifully presented, and organisation of recipes with references to historical incidents or literary works is clever and winning. The recipes are easy enough to prepare, and I assumed the variations from the originals were intended to make obtaining ingredients simple.

   There were several reasons I withheld a 'five star' rating. First, though the author makes reference to how a particular dish would have been prepared in several different ways, only one variation is offered, in some cases markedly unlike the original. Secondly, and to a greater degree, there are not many recipes included. Those provided are illustrations of a category, not collections of, for example, varied main dishes, desserts, or savouries.




3. `The Medieval Cookbook' by Maggie Black is very similar to the slightly older book, `Pleyn Delit' by Constance B. Hieatt, Brenda Hosington, and Sharon Butler. It even cites this book and other works by these authors as references. Aside from the fact that the two books deal with almost exactly the same subject, English and French recipes from the late Middle Ages, and both are serious, scholarly works, there are two important differences.
   
   The positive differences in Ms. Black's book is that it is organized by source and that it has many more pictures, both black and white and color photographs of scenes from medieval sources, and line drawings or etchings of food plants and other botanicals. `Pleyn Delit' has virtually no pictures.
   
   The two books share several major sources. Dominating the sources and background of both books is Geoffrey Chaucer's `Canterbury Tales'. While this work contains no recipes itself, if has numerous references to food and beverages, and Ms. Black devotes an entire chapter to recipes cited in this great literary work. The second major work cited in Ms. Black's volume is a pedagogical volume by an upper middle class member of the gentry identified as `The Goodman of Paris'. The narrative identifies him as probably a civil servant, with houses in both the city and the country. After chapters on proper moral deportment, the author gives both menus and recipes for the training of his staff of servants. The book also gives several directions to wife and staff on proper kitchen economics and the care of domestic and captured animals. The third primary source is documents associated with the very sybaritic court of the English king Richard II, whose death started the War of the Roses. I am green with envy at my image of the author's working on this book among the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library and at the British Museum, two shrines of English language scholarship for sure. I have seen both as a tourist and my most persistent fantasy career is one of a scholar.
   
   The pictures in the book are very well chosen to illustrate the literary sources. Pictures of medieval life are taken largely from tapestries such as the famous Bayeux tapestry and similar sources. They are very well selected and, unlike so many other incidental pictures in books on cookery, they are actually given meaningful captions.
   
   Ms. Black and the authors of `Pleyn Delit' take almost exactly the same approach to translating their recipes from old English and identifying the sources of the original text. The recipe translations are equally fine in both books while the scholarly method of citing sources is equally dismal. I simply do not understand these authors use of a plainly obscure method for connecting source in the bibliography to the text in the main part of the book. I am certain these Brits and Canadians use the same scholarly conventions as we Yanks as codified in things like the `Chicago Manual of Style'. This little quibble is for the scholars among us.
   
   The most serious lapse in Ms. Black's book compared to `Pleyn Delit' is in the fact that the latter book has a much more interesting collection of recipes that a modern amateur cook would really find interesting. The very first recipe in `The Medieval Cookbook' is for Frumenty, a simple porridge of cracked wheat, water, stock, and salt with an optional addition of eggs and saffron. The second is Girdle `Breads' which is an unleavened, saffron coloured biscuit of flower, lard, and salt with no leavening. The third recipe is for grilled steaks brushed with either verjuice (an ur-vinegar made from specially grown grapes) or juice from Seville oranges. The fourth recipe is for rabbit. While these four recipes, taking up seven pages of the book are all very interesting from an historical point of view, it makes the book less valuable as a source for modern cooks who may want a good source for a medieval theme menu. To be sure, there are recipes in this book that are worth making today, but `Pleyn Delit' is a better source for actual cooking.
   
   I am very happy to see that the two books agree almost exactly on the use of ingredients and techniques. If you have an interest in history in general and culinary scholarship in particular, get both books. If you are only interested in a source for recipes, get `Pleyn Delit'. It is authentic and a richer source of interesting recipes.



4. Not only is The Medieval Cookbook a beautifully illustrated resource on the eating habits of Medieval folk, but the recipes are easy to follow with scrumptious results.I could hardly put this book down. [...] Very useful for hands-on projects when teaching children about medieval history. Wholeheartedly recommended.



5. As a medieval historian and living history enthusiast, this book was everything I'd hoped it would be. Not only are there authentic recipes, but actual recipes reprinted from the original sources. It's great to read a 14th century Italian recipe for soup in the chef's origianl recipe. It also contains general info about types of dishes and other things like that for the non-historians out there. It's a lot of fun, and is organized just as any modern cookbook is, which is one of the best things about it.

4 comments about Taste: The Story of Britain Through Its Cooking.

1. Victorian England may have started a downward trend in culinary preferences, (lasting well into the twentieth century) but one would never know it after reading Kate Colquhoun's fact-filled new book, "Taste", a compilation of everything digestible from the Middle Ages onward. Colquhoun will have the reader scrambling for his or her dictionary at almost every turn of the page as she sorts out the foodstuffs, cooking, dining and their historical analogies. It's an exhaustive and compelling offering.
   
   The author is consistent in her reminders that in earlier centuries the Brits were really onto something in terms of what they ate. The Tudors and the Stuarts were no slacks when it came to fine dining...indeed they gave gluttony its headstart. But the masses, too, enjoyed a growing identity with their own comestibles as Britain lurched between rulers and conquests. The French make more than a cameo appearance throughout "Taste", much to the liking or the chagrin of their Channel counterparts. (depending on the season, so to speak) Colquhoun is very good at connecting the dots of history and food and she brightens the chapters by telling us how certain phrases like "done to a turn" or "making ends meet" actually came out of kitchen connections.
   
   "Taste" often gets buried under its own encyclopaedic weight. There's almost too much information of every table listing... so much so that a certain somnolence becomes the reader. A heavier editing and a lighter narrative would have helped this book, but nonetheless, "Taste" is a welcome addition to a growing number of food histories. Colquhoun has researched her material thoroughly and that is very much to her credit. To that end, "Taste" is worth the read.



2. I've been reading and enjoying this culinary history, However, on a subject which I happen to know a lot about, mechanical roasting jacks, the author's mention of them on page 133 is seriously flawed and now makes me worry about the rest of her book. She writes "....propelled by gravity weights at the end of tightly wound springs...."; this is incorrect since these jacks were powered either by weights or springs, not by both, and the spring-wound versions were substantially later. She continues "....accompanied by a metronomical tick..." which also is false since these jacks, unlike clocks, do not tick but simply rotate as they run down. An article by my wife, Jeanne Schinto, in Winter 2004 Gastronomica offers details on these early kitchen machines; it can be read on my website www.bell-time.com.



3. From table-groaning Roman feasts (for men only!) to today's packaged foods and ethnic varieties, journalist Colquhoun takes the reader on a fascinating and comprehensive culinary tour of Britain through the centuries.
   
   While she herself never refers to the term "British cuisine" as an oxymoron, she quotes plenty of travelers - lots of them French - who bemoan the lack of anything good to eat. An exception, however, is the 17th century visitor Henri Misson who exclaims, "BLESSED BE HE THAT INVENTED PUDDING."
   
   Delving into diaries, letters and cookbooks galore, Colquhoun describes the tables of the rich, the poor and those in between, the fads, imports, techniques and equipment that transformed British kitchens through the centuries. From the vantage point of the kitchen, she explores manners, morals and politics, giving us a lively, taste- and scent-infused social history.
   
   Moving chronologically, she organizes her chapters by era, i.e., Roman, Medieval, Tudor, etc. She describes the influences on cooking, from the craze for sugaring everything (increased availability) in Elizabethan times to Cromwell's Puritan parsimony.
   
   Coffee was a novelty in the 1600s and during Cromwell's reign "Coffee houses appealed to a society in which ale houses and taverns were frowned on." Trade routes naturally affected the availability and influx of new foods and ingredients and Colquhoun shows the influences of new ingredients, from the spices of the East to the New World's tomato and chocolate.
   
   There are lots of entertaining descriptions of the excess and extravagance of the rich and powerful, but Colquhoun also takes us into the more intimate and practical kitchens of the aspiring middle class. She shows how the industrial revolution ravaged the diet of the poor and how modernity has continued the trend of removing us from an intimate knowledge of raw food and where it comes from, while at the same time celebrating a back-to-the-land culinary style.
   
   Filled with detail, fashion and personality; opinionated, witty and thoughtful, Colquhoun succeeds in looking at the whole of British life through its food.



4. Though being terribly fond of food, I have absolutely no interest in its preparation. Having said that, I do have an abiding, indeed, insatiable, ahem, appetite for "social history," particularly that of Great Britain. [Indeed, what is more "social" than food and the consumption thereof?] And if you share this particular passion, then you will undoubtedly savor "Taste." Ms. Colquhoun is sufficiently comfortable with her subject matter that she is able to move from hand to mouth, hearth to table, plate to plate, and century to century with the same lighthearted yet authoritative dexterity displayed by the author of one of my favorite books of the last several years, Judith Flanders in "Inside the Victorian Home." One need not pay much attention to the ingredients of every dish described to get the gist of what the food represented in the particular period under discussion, but one can't help marvel at the research undoubtedly required to produce the book and the author's enviable writing abilities which make what could have been a humdrum tale such a terrific read. Ms. Colquhoun (somewhat audaciously) undertook to tell the story of Britain through its cooking, and that is exactly what she's done, to the delight and edification of her readers. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Celtic Folklore Cooking.

1. This book has more than just traditional Celtic foods but has foods geared toward each Sabbat along with some history like the corndollies for example and some poems. What a great book!!



2. This book is an absolute favorite of mine. Normally I love big glossy photos in a book- but this one just has something special. It is like the Joy of Cooking that way- it doesn't need it. The writing style draws you in and recipes are wonderful. Pumpkin bread, sorrel soup and cock-a-leekie are loved by people who don't think they like 'that kind' of cooking! Hearty country fare, but with wierdly wonderful herbal additions and old time drink recipes sprinkled with bits of folklore. Contains both things you can use in your regular cooking rotation and special recipes to try once in a while for historical interest.



3. "Celtic Folklore Cooking", by JoAnne Asala, is a unique blend of recipes and lore from the British Isles. Part history lesson and part mythology class, this text weaves stories and folklore together with timeless recipes in a seamless, easy-to-follow fashion.
   The book is organized into sections based on the main recipe components (such as "Meat and Wild Game" and "Breads, Porridges, and Breakfast Foods") and further grouped into similar dishes (i.e. porridges and furmenty, fritters, pancakes, and so on) regardless of their sometimes unusual names and origins. This makes for a convenient reference if you know the basic dish you'd like to prepare. However, for more Pagan-minded individuals, the detailed Index in the back of the book has suggested recipes for Celtic holy days as well. There is a bibliography which proves just how much detailed research Ms. Asala put into this excellent cookbook, as well as a glossary of terms.
   My favorite part of the book, though, is the simple but effective description of the Celtic Wheel of the Year, and a page on each holiday and esbat which includes associated dieties, customs, symbols, and sacred food for the event.
   In all, this is a fabulously well-research cookbook for any enthusiast of British history and mythology, Pagan cooking, and those who want to try their hand at ancient and tasty dishes.



4. I love this book. It's like sitting down with Grandmother and hearing old time stories mixed with family favorite recipes. This is as much of a good read as it is a good cookbook. Worth every penny!



5. I received this book just prior to a Lughnasadh celebration with other members of a Celtic cultural organization called An Ceangal Mara (The Linking Seas, to symbolize the linking of the Celtic minds in the Old World to those of us in the New World). I used the recipe for Citrus Curd, combined it with an oat-based shortbread crust and topped it with a compote of seasonal fruits. It made a wonderful dessert for out celebration. I love the bits of folklore, stories and poetry in this work, as well as the connections of each recipe with the important events in the wheel of the year. Food is such a vital part of any culture, and it is a lovely thing to be able to count on the historic linking of the food and recipe to the holiday. Our next celebration will be the Celtic New Year, and I will again turn to this book for inspiration and guidance in my culinary efforts.

5 comments about Great British Cooking: Wellkept Secret, A.

1. Like a previous reviewer I too have spent time in the U.K. (as I married a Scotsman). The recipes in here are the standards to British cooking. I've tried many other and this is by far the best for anyone wanting to cook British meals in the U.S. The measurements have all been scaled for an American kitchen and every recipe I've tried has come out wonderful. A LOVELY BOOK!!!!



2. I am an American who loves Britain and who has lived in England. I think British cooking gets a bad rap, and that's just what the author points out. Just yesterday I made the Brown Windsor soup and it's wonderful, so I'd say I'm off to an excellent start with this excellent book. Hooray!



3. The delight in this book is not only in the recipes, which I have enjoyed immensely. Jane Garmey's wit in the presentation makes one sense a wink at the poor reputation British food generally holds, just as her recipes give it the lie. Generally, British food at its best is wonderful... trouble is that finding it 'at its best' often requires a journey.
   
   The volume is not exhaustive, but presents many classic dishes, most easily prepared (and some which would appeal to, for example, one so avidly traditional as to spend the two months it takes for genuine plum pudding.) It is a pleasant sampler of varied main dish, savoury, pudding, and tea favourites.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy cooking. There are many items here which do not require unusual effort or odd ingredients, and can have wonderful results.



4. Although the book has no pictures, the recipes taste and look like authentic British foods. The measures have been converted to standard American measures and some traditional British ingredients have been changed to easier to find American ingredients such as sour cream instead of creme fraiche; however, this book would be easy to use in any country. A good basic 'What the English really eat' cookbook!



5. I like to cook but don't have as much time for it as I'd like. I can do the recipes in this book on the weekends, but on workdays, they just take too long.
   
   That's too bad, because the food is very good.

5 comments about Naked Chef, The.

1. Just the kind of book you'll love to give to your wife, fun, food written



2. The book is really good. I love this so much I bought Happy Days with the Naked Chef too. The recipes I have tried out so far have worked every time and the instructions are clear. Although I loved cooking, I was not what anyone would call a professional in the kitchen. I would have balked at anything that sounded too complex. The mushroom risotto and the chickpea and leek soup are two of the recipes I make most often. I also tried the Roasted butternut squash in a risotto just as he suggests. It was brilliant and had to be one of the most economical meals I have made. Spotted Dick pudding, minestrone, Fruit crumble, marinated chickpeas, roast chicken have all turned out very well. Such an encouragement for me, the cook..



3. its very interesting and have lots of ideas.Very easy to prepare the food . no need to weight the ingredient.



4. jamie oliver is the best! he is funny, cute, and most inportantly passionate about food. i am currently in culinary school, and jamie's first book.... the naked chef, is the reason i am doing what i am doing. his book makes cooking look so fun and relaxed... exactly what it should be!!!! (i should know... i spend 7 hours in cooking class every day.) the pictures are colorful and artistically taken. give this book as a present to anyone, chef or not. i remember staying up way late at night reading his words and looking at pictures..... mmmmmmm its to bad hes married already!



5. Jamie Oliver clearly knows what he is doing as far as Italian cuisine goes, the recipes were good, not all that simple though very authentic. My major dissapointment was the text quality, I've skimmed through its pages about five times, by the third time its pages were falling out of it.

1 comments about Jane Grigson's Fruit Book (At Table).

1. Jane Grigson has a chatty, readable style which inspires you to try recipes purely on her recommendation as she clearly writes with such knowledge. The book is organised with a section for each fruit, arranged alphabetically. There is an introduction to each which includes snippets of the fruit's history and occasional literary references. If this sounds rather worthy / stuffy then don't be put off. The temptation to read an entire section before trying a recipe is irresistible. It is ideally organised if you have been out shopping or picking and would like an inventive way of using your bounty. If you feel you are ready to move on from Delia Smith then this is a sure path of progress.

2 comments about Down the Kitchen Sink.

1. If you've enjoyed other books by Beverley Nichols or those by P.G. Wodehouse, this is a book for you. The charming recipes and antedotes make for a delightful reading experience. This book is worth the cost for the Mayonnaisse chapter alone!



2. I am a great fan of Beverly Nichols, so I am always excited to see one of his books reprinted. I enjoyed this look into an era long gone. His gardening books gave you a glimpse of Gaskin but this book presented a picture of the real person, not just the perfect servant. I like Nichols' wry humour and every cat lover will feel they have met a kindred spirit.

3 comments about Let's Eat / Vamos A Comer: Chubby Board Books In English and Spanish (Chubby English Spanish).

1. My son can't get enough of this book. He wants me to read it over and over.My husband is spanish speaking and I'm not so this helps me learn and read spanish to and with myson.



2. We like the fat and colorful pictures. They are simplified and generalized, which is perfect for children. I just point at the pictures and say the Spanish word. Usually, I also say the English word, but not always. We just slowly read through the book and then move on. I don't focus on, "Here, kid, learn this other language," or anything like that. I treat it like it's just regular.
   The series is a good series, too, by the way. I think there are at least three other books.
   It's great for vocabulary building. It's sturdy and durable. Kids desperately want to help you turn the pages. Let them! Just have plenty of scotch tape handy, OR, use board books (or both....)!
   We like it; it's frequently revisited.



3. My 11-month old daughter loves these books. Maybe it's the size, pictures or shape. I always see her flipping the pages and even if she chews on them, the book doesn't fall apart easily like other board books.

4 comments about Beer and Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isn't Worth Drinking (Epicurean Trilogy).

1. By turns funny, lively, and erudite, Beer and Philosophy is a must-read for any beer lover worth his hops. How can you not like essays like "Beer Goggles and Transcendental Idealism"? The essays address good beer vs. bad, whether beer buddies are true friends, Nietzsche's thoughts on intoxication, and other fun things. Most of the pieces are written by academic philosophers who appreciate beer, but there's also essays by well-known beer writer/brewers such as Garrett Oliver and Sam Calagione. Michael Jackson even contributed the foreword. Plato and porter, Aristotle and ale, Socrates and stout-- it's all good. Of all the beer books I have read, I think this is my favorite. Highly recommended.



2. Great book if you are just getting into beer and want to know about the "real" stuff.



3. The English Campaign for Real Ale newspaper pans this book unmercifully.
   
   Marcus Rees' review concludes: "...it had me reaching for a beer more from desperation than inspiration."



4. This book was, in general, a fun read, although I can't say either my knowledge of beer or knowledge of philosophy was increased much. The opening essay on phenomenology raises some interesting if decidedly non-pragmatic discussions of why we call a particular beer "good", the second essay (by Brooklyn Brewery's philosopher-brewer Garrett Oliver) investigates our cultural fascination with making imitations rather than the real things, and an essay deeper into the volume looks into the principles of pleasure and how it can be measured (i.e, do you buy the one case of really good beer or two cases of industrial lite beer?).
   However, there are also a couple essays that are painfully forced, one that is outright bizarre (discussing why beer is good in the context of Intelligent Design), and another couple about which all I can say is that they are definitely printed in this book.
   Good fodder for discussion with your beer geek friends or those who just like to argue academically. Others will be less amused.