The Book Goddess

The Armchair Gourmet September 21, 2007

We just had the annual City of West Palm Beach Chili Cookoff, and I was one of the cooks.  We didn’t win this year, though I think it was a fine chili – Miss Jenn, our Teen Librarian, provided her family recipe.

The proceeds from the Cookoff benefit the American Heart Association, so you could say that we were cooking (and eating) for a higher purpose.  Which I think is a good thing.

(We’re just about to get to books, really….)

Cookbooks, actually.  I have a particular love for a certain type of cookbook.  It’s the sort of book where the recipes are inextricably linked with a place, a culture, or a person’s life.  It’s not generally the “quick and easy” cookbook, and actually it may not have recipes at all. 

From my perspective, no one has outdone M. F. K. Fisher in this kind of writing.  Her food writing has a sacramental quality, reminding us that the ordinary things in life can be beautiful and significant.

But you also don’t want to miss Elizabeth David, a British food writer with a wonderful sense of humor.  Or Jane and Michael Stern, who have wandered the highways and by-ways of America in search of the best local cuisine.

If you want to read more, here’s my Armchair Gourmet reading list.  I hope some of these titles enhance your taste for life.

Fondly,

The Book Goddess