false3025881true5640318read1true3644424currently-reading176true3644423to-read
<![CDATA[Ethicurean added 'A Taste of Japan: Food Fact and Fable What the People Eat Customs and Etiquette']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71258982
to: A Taste of Japan: Food Fact and Fable What the People Eat Customs and Etiquette (Paperback)byDonald Richie
Donald Richie's "A Taste of Japan" is an excellent introduction to Japanese food and drink. After a short introduction about the principles of Japanese cuisine (asymmetry, seasonality, aesthetics, the importance of texture, etc.), he devotes separate chapters to a variety of foods, including sushi, noodles, cutlets (tonkasu), pickles (tsukemono), sweets (okashi, small creations intended to be a snack or part of a tea ceremony), and drinks (green tea and sake). Each chapter includes the history, aesthetics and practicalities of the food, with plenty of photos to help the reader's understanding. At times the writing is clunky and the photographs are sub-standard, but overall I can't think of a better comprehensive introduction to the wonders of Japanese food and drink.
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<![CDATA[Ethicurean added 'Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68926109
to: Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide (Paperback)byCarla Emery
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<![CDATA[Ethicurean added 'Day After Night: A Novel']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67676743
Day After Night: A Novel (Hardcover)
byAnita Diamant bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Ethicurean added 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55577420
to: Nathaniel's Nutmeg (Paperback)byGiles Milton
The book is about the 16th and 17th century race to the spice islands between the European powers, primarily England and Holland, but also Spain and Portugual.
The first part of this book is engrossing, thrilling, and shocking as Milton describes the early attempts to find routes from Europe to the sources of spices like nutmeg (which was supposedly a cure for the black plague), cloves, and cinnamon. Most of these spices were exclusively grown on tiny islands that make up part of modern-day Indonesia (the "Spice Islands").
Small fleets of ships would go east or west in search of spices lacking many important skills -- like how to determine longitude, how to prevent scurvy -- and having basically no idea where they were going. The tales of these often horrible voyages was quite interesting, if bleak. Crews of hundreds of men would leave the docks in Europe, and just 10 or 20% would return. The book also tells of attempts to reach the East Indies via a northern route, either going around Canada or above Russia.
The middle of the book is confusing and tiring, as the author details the often trivial struggles over the islands and the business details of the companies financing the trips.
The end gets a little better, as it focuses on the ultimate battles between the Dutch and English for the Banda Islands.
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<![CDATA[Ethicurean added 'A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63602368
A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table (Hardcover)
byMolly Wizenberg bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Ethicurean added 'What We Eat When We Eat Alone']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63602300
What We Eat When We Eat Alone (Hardcover)
byDeborah Madison bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Ethicurean added 'Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63601786
Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater (Hardcover)
byMatthew Amster-Burton bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Ethicurean added 'Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59427077
Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness (Hardcover)
byLisa M. Hamilton bookshelves: currently-reading
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