Practically Useless Information on Food and Drink [Hardcover]

Norman Kolpas (Author)

Book Description

Series: Practically Useless Information | Publication Date: March 14, 2005

The ultimate gift book for the epicure who has everything. It features such facts as the names and sizes of champagne bottles, step-by-step instructions on how to slice a banana without peeling it (or even cutting the peel), the menu served the night the Titanic sank, ten edible figures of speech, intriguing quotes on eating and drinking from Kenneth Grahame, William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens.

Clever, engaging, and easy to browse for fun. For people seeking a resource on esoteric information, it is indexed for easy access to specific topics.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Dear Amazon food and drink enthusiast,

So, you've happened upon the page for my little book "Practically Useless Information: Food & Drink." I'd love to invite you out for a meal to tell you more about it right now, but that's really not possible.

Instead, imagine hanging out with a friend who loves not only to eat and drink but also to talk about eating and drinking. Think about all the fun you have with that friend when the two of you are chewing, sipping, and chatting together, covering a wide range of topics.

That's the kind of experience I've tried to slip between the pages of this little book. I've got to say, the publishers have done a great job on its design, making it feel like a classic old-fashioned reference book.

Better still, it doesn't cost that much, especially on Amazon! So why not pick up a copy for yourself, and get one for that friend while you're at it!

And I promise that if we ever cross paths in a restaurant, fast food joint, or bar somewhere, I'll be happy to autograph your copy for you. Best wishes, Norman Kolpas

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

FROM THE INTRODUCTION:

So, I thought, why not create a book for food and drink enthusiasts composed exclusively of sidebar material, doing away with all that pesky text you normally try and fail to read, continuously and in order, from front cover to last?

That's the genesis for the volume you now hold in your hands. I've devised it with one simple goal in mind: to be a book on food and drink that you don't really need, but one you'll find virtually impossible to put down.

The contents are entirely arbitrary, dictated solely by the kind of oddball stuff that fascinates me and is likely to draw my attention. Flip through these paes and you'll find what I hope you'll think of as a delightful hodgepodge assortment of culinary and potable information: * Lists of unusual frozen dessert flavors for sale in Japan (page 123) and others developed in the United States for special offers on April Fool's Day (page 116) * Detailed instructions on how to slice a banna without removing or cutting its peel (page 48) * Glossaries of classic American diner slang (pages 92-94) and food terms from Britain's cockney rhyming slang (pages 42-45) * A guide to some well-known dishes named after famous people (page 130-131).

You get the idea: It's the sort of useless information that so many people really can't live without.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; First Edition edition (March 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401602053
• ISBN-13: 978-1401602055
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,105,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Offbeat, unusual, interesting food trivia and drink facts, June 8, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practically Useless Information on Food and Drink (Hardcover)

Norman Kolpas' Practically Useless Information: Food And Drink gathers offbeat, unusual, interesting food trivia and drink facts, from the menu for the last dinner on the Titanic to official national food observances in September and the origins of 'roasting, Norman Kolpas' is coated with warm facts and fun fancy.