Customer Reviews

Famous Vegetarians & Their Favorite Recipes: Lives & Lore from Buddha to the Beatles

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author has come up with authentic recipes(or reasonable fac-similes thereof) reflecting the tastes of famous vegetarians throughout the ages. Anecdotal sketches give life to each of the 32 celebrities from Plato and Pythagoras to Tolstoi, Gandhi and George Bernard Shaw along with "contemporaries" like Paul McCartney and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Mr.Berry writes gracefully, and the 80 recipes are not only fascinating, but have been kitchen tested tested by the author for "savoriness." Many recipes are unfired. The book is fully referenced with footnotes(in the back). This is a superb book!

Rynn Berry's "Famous Vegetarians and their favorite recipes" presents an overview of famous vegetarians in history. Each biography of the 30 famous vegetarians is about 3-6 pages long. It is by no means a comprehensive nor referenced work (not that I'm questioning his sources, but that being that this book features short pieces of fascinating individuals, it only makes sense to provide a "works cited" list or a reference list for those who are interested to pursue their research). If you are looking for great vegan/vegetarian recipes, you are at the wrong place. Most of the recipes are not too appetizing.

a time or feeling fast fading from the landscape. The earnest pen-and-ink drawings of famous vegetarians, the surprisingly fresh biographical sketches, and a general feeling of creativity and gentility all call forth an era for which the word "nostalgia" may too soon apply. As you may gather, the recipes are just part of the appeal, although many (have even vegetarians become so jaded?) seem to have forgotten the homely joys of well-prepared grains and vegetables. Cloris Leachman's baked potato recipe sounds good & I'll probably get a charge from eating asparagas a la Plutarch. But it's Berry's fine sensibility, along with a delighful expansiveness (exemplified by the inclusion of early transcendentalist philosopher Bronson Alcott), that earns this book a place on my shelf, where it would make sense between a John Muir or Emily Dickinson collection and "Walden."

I'm a 25 year vegetarian and thought I was pretty astute on the subject. Not. After reading this book it just made me more aware of how much I have to learn. For example, did you know that the gladiators were referred to as "the barley boys" since they NEVER ate meat, only barley to bulk up? Not only is the story of vegetarians totally amazing, but the recipes offered from each of the "famous vegetarians" are amazing. Mr. Berry even learned the Latin/Italian dialect of Leonardo Da Vinci in order to translate his amazing recipes.

Even if you're not a vegetarian, you'll find this an amazing read. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful and so insightful. Just loved it and have bought several copies for friends.