I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with Your Favorite Bands [Paperback]

Kara Zuaro (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 24, 2007

What happens when indie bands hit the road They get hungry!

Food writer Kara Zuaro knows a lot of musicians, and she's found they all share one obsession (besides music, of course): eating. Whether theyre on the tour bus reminiscing about meals past or at home in their own kitchens, theyve all got favorite recipes -- and theyre willing to share. This uniquely irresistible cookbook collects contributions from more than 100 artists, including indie icons like the Violent Femmes, Belle & Sebastian, and They Might Be Giants; current favorites like Franz Ferdinand and My Morning Jacket; and up-and-coming acts like Catfish Haven and Voxtrot.

Some recipes are inspired by a particular song in the band's repertoire, others are taken from real-life experience. Each one bears the often quirky stamp of its source -- while these are thoroughly tested, cook-from-me recipes, Zuaro has left the musicians wording and instructions intact, which makes for a collection that's as much fun to read as it is to use. For example, from Devendra Banhart's contribution:

RIGHT ON!!!!!!
here is my favorite recipe for:
AFRICANAS RICAS!
you shall require!
many bananas!
a box of graham crackers!!!
two eggs!!!
SOUR CREAM!!
HONEY!

You get the idea. Part indie music discovery guide, part foodie fantasy, and all fun, I Like Food, Food Tastes Good is a cookbook for anyone whose iPod is always on.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When touring the country, there are only so many times one can stomach Taco Bell, Burger King and KFC; no one knows this better than touring musicians, as journalist Zuaro proves in this winning collection of on-tour favorites that run the gamut from simple (Death Cab for Cutie's Veggie Sausage and Peanut Butter Sandwich) to upscale (Patrick Phelan's Swanky Mac N Cheese, featuring lobster and white truffles) to no-scale (the secret to Strung Out's Rock 'N' Ramen is using two Ramen flavors, not one). There's a band for just about every facet of the indie rock world, a diversity of taste reflected in recipes ranging from Battles's Roasted Bone Marrow "Battles Style" to Camera Obscura's Vegetarian Paella. Naturally, there's a fair number of meals that won't sound like a good idea until after 3 a.m., such as a combination of onions, peppers, cheese, eggs and refried beans that Silkworm calls a Cheesy Sleazy. Covering all the bases, including drinks (They Might Be Giants offer up a Countrypolitan with cranberry and pomegranate juice), each recipe also includes comments from the submitting musicians-some more coherent than others (quoth NOFX's El Hefe, "make some mac and cheese, then mix in a can of nelly chilly ... word")-making this a fun, faithful look at what rockers eat when they're not rocking out.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A fun, faithful look at what rockers eat when they're not rocking out." -- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (April 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401308740
• ISBN-13: 978-1401308742
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,204,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky cookbook that's worth checking out May 4, 2007

By SweetHappyLife-com

Format:Paperback

"I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with your Favorite Bands" is an indie-rock cookbook that features recipes from groups like the Violent Femmes, They Might Be Giants, Calexico and Death Cab For Cutie. (These four bands also happen to be the only contributors I'd heard of, but people much cooler than I will likely recognize the other musicians.) The 105 recipes in this book are varied and range from "Big Apple Quiche Muffins" in the "Breakfast" chapter to "Wild Boar Ragu" in the "Main Courses for Carnivores" chapter. I've had the book for a little over two weeks and have made an adapted version of the <a href="http://www.bakingandbooks.com/2007/04/29/i-like-it-simple-sweet-savory/">"Asian Stir-Fry for Vegetarians Who Hate Vegetables,"</a> the oatmeal cake pictured above, a pear and goat cheese panini, and eggplant parmesan, which I baked instead of frying as the recipe recommends. I was pleased with how these meals turned out and was especially grateful for their "easy on the effort" approach. Other recipes range from down-home comfort food like mac and cheese, to playfully titled drinks like "Patriot Act Mojitos," made with fresh mint, sparkling water, Cuban rum and sugar, among other things. For the health-conscious there are several 'healthy alternative' recipes, for instance, cookies made with powdered green tea and vegan chocolate chip cookies. And for the adventurous, the "Strawberry Pop Cake," which is made with strawberry soda and Jell-O, promises an interesting afternoon in the kitchen. Overall this is a good little cookbook with recipes that can be made when you're short on time and that can easily be modified to suit your tastes. It also begins to answer the question: What do musicians eat when they're on the road?

There are two things about this book that I wasn't too thrilled about. First, a handful of recipes are plagued by some of the worst writing I have ever seen - ever. I understand that the musicians who wrote them are artists and infinitely more hip than I will ever be, but I ask you, who publishes instructions like this: "...add a little bit of cream!! And STIRRRRRR!!!!... SIR LAWRENCE OF ARABIA!... THEN, put it on the frying pan!!!! let it get GOLDEN!!!" I mean, seriously, either this guy was on something or the recipe is so out-of-this-world that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence" target="blank">T. E. Lawrence</a> came back from the dead to try it. (That's the only way I could get my head round the Arabia connection.) Thankfully recipes like this are few and far between, and the one quoted above, for "Africanitas Ricas," was the worst offender. The only other thing I wasn't too keen on was the inclusion of a recipe for a bologna sandwich, but if part of this book's purpose is bringing the artists to the people then I suppose it isn't so bad. "Rock can get complicated," the text reads, "but this sandwich isn't. Feed to those who are living the dream." I can dig that.

In addition to the aforementioned chapters, sections include: "Soups, Sides and Starters," "Sandwiches," "Main Courses for Vegetarians," "Drinks" and "Desserts." Whatever your musical tastes this book has something for everyone and is worth checking out. And if you happen to be an indie-music lover? All the better.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars they are what they eat April 27, 2007

By Richard Cumming

Format:Paperback

What do our music stars eat? Good question. This book features over 100 recipes with clever notes about the food (and drink) preferences of some of our favorite cutting edge music types.

My Morning Jacket offers up their "You can care if ya wanna" sandwich. The Long Winters show us Alaska-style macaroni soup al carne. Mojave 3 has a nifty recipe for leek and potato soup.

I'll confess, I hadn't heard of half these bands, they are that trendy. The food is good and the notes are so precious. Worth checking out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars yummy November 29, 2007

By M. Orr

Format:Paperback

This cookbook has something for everyone. It combines the best aspects of cookbooks and album liner notes, with the emphasis on wide-ranging foods for every occasion, with recipes easy enough for me, challenging enough for my auntie, and tasty enough for anyone you care to cook for. Above all, it's very broad, both in the breadth of musicians and the types of food represented. I wish it had an accompanying CD, but that's what iTunes is for. Buy it for me for christmas! Yummy!