The World Is a Kitchen: Cooking Your Way Through Culture [Paperback]

Michele Anna Jordan (Editor), Susan Brady (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2006

Divided into five world regions, The World Is a Kitchen explores the gastronomic side of travel. These true tales by noted writers cover everything from learning how to make coconut bread in an outdoor kitchen in Polynesia, to teaching Japanese housewives how to make salsa, to training under one of the world's top chefs, to trying mightily to impress one’s in-laws by preparing snails. A wealth of recipes and a resource and reference section for finding cooking schools, classes, and culinary vacations are included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A brilliant concept! A splendidly evocative book celebrating the culinary adventurer in each of us." -- David Yeadon, author of Way of the Wanderer, Seasons on Harris, Seasons in Basilicata

"A vicarious delight for the virtual tourist, as well as an inspiration for the most seasoned culinary voyager." -- Mollie Katzen, author of Moosewood Cookbook

"Generous, funny, wise and unpretentious—a mouth-watering assortment of culinary adventures from Mendocino to Vietnam, Senegal to the Basque Country." -- Andrew Todhunter, author of A Meal Observed

"Those who are passionate about food are in for a delicious treat in this collection of culinary experiences." -- Joan Peterson, author of Eat Smart Culinary Travel Guides

"Whatever your taste in reading, a feast awaits in this buffet of personal anecdotes." -- Andrea Rademan, author of New Asian Cuisine

From the Publisher

In the five sections of this book you will find connections and a direction for your next adventure. Will it be in Cyprus? Thailand? Ghana? France? New Orleans? Will you, like Eileen Hodges Sonnad, learn that it is a privilege to serve food to those you love, if it is done with love, in "First, the Mustard Seeds"? When planning that next trip, our Resource Section can help guide you to find the right tour, class, or school to fit your needs. Or maybe you will enter someone’s home through serendipity, like Celeste Brash does in "Mama Roses’ Coconut Bread" and find that where a language barrier exists, that words become irrelevant as time is passed, working towards the same goal, and a bong can be created that is like none other. Like Augusto Andres, you will come to realize that the how is not as important as the why while "In the Kitchen with Yuyo." It could be that you will test a recipe, such as the mafe in the story "A Scandal in Senegal," and will decide that Africa is the place to go. No matter where it is that this book leads you, we agree with Helen Gallagher, who in "Flavor by the Spoonful," finds that food is the soul of good travel.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Travelers' Tales (August 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932361405
• ISBN-13: 978-1932361407
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,012,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Living on a remote coral atoll for five years with no phone, plumbing and limited solar electricity prevented Celeste from getting an early start in her writing career - although it sounds idyllic, washing laundry by hand, digging your own well and sustenance fishing takes a big chunk out of one's day. She now lives in a small village on Tahiti, complete with flushing toilet and an Internet connection, and her travel articles have magically crossed the seas to appear in newspapers and magazines including the LA Times and Islands Magazine. She has contributed to nearly 20 Lonely Planet guidebooks and her award winning travel narratives have been published in Travelers' Tales anthologies. Having travelled to some 40 countries, Celeste speaks fluent French as well as conversational Spanish, Thai and Indonesian. In her spare time she can be found singing with a French Tahitian choral group, Tahitian dancing or distance swimming in Tahiti's spectacular lagoon. You can find Celeste on the web at www.celestebrash.com or read her blog at htpp://coconutradio.blogspot.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Dinner and The World is a Kitchen, January 14, 2007

By 

Jacqueline J. Collins "Writer/Reader/Teacher/... (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World Is a Kitchen: Cooking Your Way Through Culture (Paperback)

This book is wonderful. I bought it just before Christmas and in the little time available before the holiday read many of the essays and tasted the recipes in my mind. At Christmas, I set my mom and brother to work, and among the Christmas dinner dishes was Tarte Tartin, the Brazilian cod, tomatoes, pepper, and coconut milk dish, and the Japanese broiled eggplants--all from the book. Mother bruised and rolled eggplants and Brother cut apples and puff pastry and I chopped vegetables, and it was exactly the kind of cooking that is best--everybody cooking together.

Thank you Susan Brady and Michele Anna Jordan and TT. Everyone enjoyed the recipes--cooking and eating, and the essays are good reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's not to like?!, December 17, 2006

By 

D. Vibbert (Annapolis, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World Is a Kitchen: Cooking Your Way Through Culture (Paperback)

Who doesn't love either food or travel? Traveler's Tales hits the jackpot with this new collection of stories to savor. What makes this collection different is the related recipes after each story and the fabulous resources at the end of the book for food related travel. The book itself is beautiful with an easy to follow and easy on the eye layout. The stories are literally from all over the world. And I love that these are NOT the ramblings of prefessional chefs. These are real people, some who know their way around a kitchen and some who clearly don't. But all have a great tale to tell and they all tell them in a way that will keep you reading and make you hungry. This book is the perfect gift for anyone who loves adventures in travel or in the kitchen!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stir well with a pinch of longing and a cup of soul, April 16, 2007

By 

Helen Gallagher (Glenview, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World Is a Kitchen: Cooking Your Way Through Culture (Paperback)

It was an honor to contribute an essay to "The World Is a Kitchen," and the joy grows. Beyond the lovely essays and inspiring travel ideas, when I display this book at events, I'm always moved by the conversation it invokes, and the flood of feelings people share with me. Whether it is memories of their grandmother, the surprise of finding special recipes, or the insatiable desire to travel and really experience culture through food, people don't let go of this book.

I keep one copy in my kitchen, and one by my bed, an am transported to soulful kitchens every time I read it. And, as for so many other readers, the memories it stirs up bring joy to the soul.

Helen Gallagher, author Computer Ease