http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com collaborative book reviews about all things food and wine Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:58:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11807_the-sorcerers-apprentices-lisa-abend-2011-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11807_the-sorcerers-apprentices-lisa-abend-2011-us#comments Sun, 16 Oct 2011 05:50:56 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=11807 The Sorcerer's Apprentices is the only reasonably unvarnished account of what it was like to work at el Bulli. Alongside occasional descriptions of the creative process involving Adrià and his key chefs, the book's main focus is on the life of the unpaid apprentices lucky enough to have been selected to spend a season at the restaurant. The book provides interesting insights into the workings of this very special restaurant and the experiences of the people involved, but I found it long and heavy reading. Opinions of this book are likely to vary greatly.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11807_the-sorcerers-apprentices-lisa-abend-2011-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10441_penguins-great-food-series-4-more-reviews http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10441_penguins-great-food-series-4-more-reviews#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:38:42 +0000 Duncan - admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10441 This is the second feature article about the Great Food series from Penguin Books. This article reviews books by Claudia Roden, Dr A.W. Chase, Alexis Soyer and Colonel Wyvern. Slim paperbacks with pretty covers, the GREAT FOOD series is a hit with many food lovers. We asked our reviewers to have a look at a number of them and give their thoughts.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10441_penguins-great-food-series-4-more-reviews/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10410_penguins-great-food-series-4-reviews http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10410_penguins-great-food-series-4-reviews#comments Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:25:02 +0000 Duncan - admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10410 Penguin Books has released a set of 20 books of writings by authors who penned their food wisdom anywhere between 400 and 20 years ago. Slim paperbacks with pretty covers, the GREAT FOOD series is a hit with many food lovers. We asked our reviewers to have a look at a number of them and give their thoughts. Part 1 features reviews of books by Alexandre Dumas, Samuel Pepys, Pellegrino Artusi and Alice B. Toklas.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10410_penguins-great-food-series-4-reviews/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10140_reinventing-food-colman-andrews-2010-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10140_reinventing-food-colman-andrews-2010-uk#comments Sun, 01 May 2011 10:59:37 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10140 Colman Andrews paints a sympathetic and informative picture of Ferran Arià, a chef who, through passion, obsession and creative focus, almost accidentally made the culinary earth move. Reinventing Food is worth reading both for the interested and the unbelievers. Especially for the latter group, frequently sceptical of modernist cuisine because of the media depiction of it being laboratory food lacking soul but oozing "cleverness", Reinventing Food might shed more light on what really is significant and fascinating and (perhaps) delicious about so many aspects of Adrià's contribution to the culinary world.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10140_reinventing-food-colman-andrews-2010-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9088_how-the-british-fell-in-love-with-food-the-guild-of-food-writers-2010-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9088_how-the-british-fell-in-love-with-food-the-guild-of-food-writers-2010-uk#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 03:08:21 +0000 Harry http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=9088 How the British Fell in Love with Food is the sort of book you could either read from cover to cover, or simply pick up casually from time to time to read a chapter or two. The articles from members of the Guild of Food Writers, many award-winners, provide an interesting historical perspective on modern food history in Britain, combined with a fair range of recipes. The book is not without a few quirks, not least of which the choice of period (mid-70s to 2010). The book only includes works by the Guild’s writers, as it was published to celebrate the Guild's 25th anniversary. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9088_how-the-british-fell-in-love-with-food-the-guild-of-food-writers-2010-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8789_thai-street-food-david-thompson-2009-au http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8789_thai-street-food-david-thompson-2009-au#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 04:31:56 +0000 Daniel Chan http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=8789 “Thai Street Food” is David Thompson’s homage to the markets, food stands and mobile vendors of Thailand. As with his groundbreaking previous book, “Thai Food”, Thompson explains the evolution of the food, and the systems and culture that sustains it. However, readers should not think of this book as being a street food version of his first book - to do so would only lead to disappointment. Thompson’s aim here is to give the reader an insight into what Thais eat every day and how it fits into their lives. The hour-by-hour changes in the food available to Thais in the street markets is constantly emphasised in the book. The combination of his writing and Earl Carter's photographs is so seductive that it’s hard to resist the urge to catch the next flight to Bangkok to experience the culture Thompson has adopted as his own.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8789_thai-street-food-david-thompson-2009-au/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8006_the-prawn-cocktail-years-simon-hopkinson-2006-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8006_the-prawn-cocktail-years-simon-hopkinson-2006-uk#comments Sun, 10 Oct 2010 11:31:21 +0000 Alison Vincent http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=8006 If you're old enough to know that a Prawn Cocktail is not some new alcoholic beverage, then perhaps you also remember a time when the Prawn Cocktail was an exotic dish, and dining in a restaurant was a rare and exciting experience. What Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham set out to do in this book is rehabilitate some of those once novel, subsequently much abused, and now almost forgotten dishes which were the mainstay of restaurant menus in the 1960s and 1970s. The recipes here are a reminder that good food results from cooking with care and attention rather than just following the latest fashion.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8006_the-prawn-cocktail-years-simon-hopkinson-2006-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/2168_the-foodie-handbook-pim-techamuanvivit-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/2168_the-foodie-handbook-pim-techamuanvivit-2009-uk#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:18:26 +0000 Jason S http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=2168 The author of the massively popular blog Chez Pim attempts to guide us to appreciating food, dining, and cooking (again) with her unique brand of sass and humor. While the dining tips are useful and the recipes look delicious, some of the material appears simply a supplement to (or derivative of) the blog. Her guide is a mixed bag of earnest, well-thought-out advice and odd name- and place-dropping that somehow makes being a foodie synonymous with being well-traveled and well-connected (or synonymous with Pim’s life), contrary to her stated objectives.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/2168_the-foodie-handbook-pim-techamuanvivit-2009-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/727_chocolate-louis-e-grivetti-2009-us-review http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/727_chocolate-louis-e-grivetti-2009-us-review#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:20:42 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=727 Chocolate is a mammoth work from the Chocolate History Group at the University of California, Davis. The culmination of ten years of anthropological and archival research, this is a book for a narrow range of readers with interests in food research, anthropology and history, or for those whose curiosity will be sated by an enormous range of fascinating tidbits about chocolate. As a volume representing the final output from the group, it is a collection of 56 academic essays covering anything from the religious significance of chocolate in pre-Colombian and post-colonisation societies to advertising cards in 19th century Europe and North America. As might be expected, this is no light reading and generalist readers may find it hard going. Despite the title, the remit of the research group was strongly oriented towards the Americas, leaving European chocolate history rather neglected in the final product. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/727_chocolate-louis-e-grivetti-2009-us-review/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/584_how-to-be-a-better-foodie-sudi-pigott-2008-uk-full http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/584_how-to-be-a-better-foodie-sudi-pigott-2008-uk-full#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:28:41 +0000 Sarah http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=584 Sudi Pigott’s fun little book, How to be a Better Foodie, is a tongue-in-cheek look at high foodie-ism. Bulging with tips, advice and foodie facts, in an extreme level of detail, it’s entertaining and informative in parts, but laughably bad in others. Pigott’s boundless enthusiasm comes across as pretentious numerous times, which often makes for painful reading.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/584_how-to-be-a-better-foodie-sudi-pigott-2008-uk-full/feed 2