A Winning Taste for Adventure

After a little delay with email difficulties on my end, I am delighted to announce that our Cook the Books featured author, Anik See, has some comments to make about the posts we wrote about “A Taste for Adventure”.  She very eloquently states:

“I’ve read through all the entries, and understand that some (most) might think that my perception was a bit rose-coloured… Of course, not every day or every person I met was great, but the book is a condensed recounting of over 10 years of travel, so the good people, the ones you tend to associate with an experience or a country, tend to stand out. I think another thing that contributed to my wealth of good experiences was the fact that I was often on a bike, so people feel like they need to take care of you. I’ve been on a few trips without the bike and there has definitely been less food offered! I guess when you’re on a bike, it’s obvious that you’re hungry…  So it’s a good match for those interested in the food of a place.

Also, because I was on a bike so often, planning was almost impossible. I knew the direction I wanted to go, but that’s about it. Anything can waylay you when you’re on a bike – too many hills, or flat tires – and if you’re dead set on a destination at the end of the day you’ll invariably wind up disappointed. I’m convinced that I had many of these great experiences because I wasn’t dead set on reaching a certain place by nightfall (or because it simply wasn’t possible). I’m also convinced that if you go to a country with an open mind, people will open themselves up to you. Even post 9/11.

Anyhow, I’m honoured to have been chosen, and thrilled that so many people decided to cook from the book. It was a tough call, but my winner is Foodycat, both for her effort and enthusiasm, despite her nervousness. And Foodycat, I use a rolling pin for my murtabak too! I think you have to do it for years before you get the wrist flick right. Best of luck to you all, and have fun with the next round – one of my favourite foodie books!

Take care, and thanks again,

Anik”

Congratulations Foodycat, you join Claudia of Honey from Rock as our newest two-time CTB Champion!  And thank you again to our gracious author and guest judge, Anik See.  Now, I’m passing the torch over to Deb of Kahakai Kitchen for our next Cook the Books reading selection, Laura Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate”.   I can’t wait to dive into that book myself!

A Roundup of our Tastes for Adventure

Our most recent Cook the Books selection was Anik See’s “A Taste for Adventure: A Culinary Odyssey Around the World” and I am pleased to offer the following roundup of blog posts inspired by our reading.  This book of bicycle travel essays took us all to many corners of the globe and all participants indicated that they enjoyed See’s impressions of different cultures, landscapes and of course, the pleasures of local food and beverages.  Some readers were a bit suspicious that See was welcomed so exuberantly during all her journeys, so I will ask our wonderful author, who is also serving as our Guest Judge for this Cook the Books round, to comment on that point.

I present an exotic and inspirational  roundup to you by geographic area:

Malaysia and Singapore

Our wonderful English (by way of Australia) friend Foodycat, a self-described nervous traveler, was enervated by our featured book and shook off her post-Christmas cooking doldrums by making Murtabak (a spiced hand-held meat pie) and Jagjit’s Dalcha (coconut milk-infused curry), from recipes in See’s book.

Thailand

Next stop on our culinary odyssey is Thailand, which inspired the posts of two Cook the Books participants.

Glennis of Cantbelieveweate made a sumptuous New Year’s supper of Roast Duck paired with the Green Papaya Salad recipe from “A Taste for Adventure”.   She enjoyed our featured book pick during her Sunday “spa” day of soaking in the tub, reading and “scrubbing her bodkin”.  Sounds like a divine way to usher in 2010.

My wonderful Cook the Books co-founder, Deb of Kahakai Kitchen in Hawai’i, was also inspired by Thai culture for her submission.   Though her real-life travels to Thailand did not start out auspiciously, she finished her sojourn pleasantly with a weekend cooking class that featured a restorative, elegant Clear Turmeric Soup with Fish.  Deb provides a wonderful recipe for this soup, as well as her version of our author’s Stall-Style Minced Beef Stir-Fry.

Argentina

Natashya, the author of the Canadian food blog, Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, was taken with See’s travels in Argentina, and decided to try her hand at making a larger version of  Empanadas al Cafayate, which came out beautifully.

Turkey

Over at The Crispy Cook, I was absorbed in the chapters in our featured book about the Middle East, and finally settled on researching  Turkish cuisine.  I found a great blog,Binnur’s Turkish Cookbook, which offers a wide range of homey recipes from Turkey.  I cooked up a robust mushroom pilaf, topped with grated cooked potatoes and crisped up in the oven.  Delicious!

Armenia

Nearby Armenia was the inspiration for another Hawai’ian Cook the Books reader, Claudia of Honey From Rock, who is our reigning (and only two-time) CTB champion.  Claudia’s blog post reminisces about her previous travels around the world.   She dipped into The Silk Road Gourmet, by Laura Kelley, to prepare Meatballs in Lemon Sauce.

Georgia

Ty’s Mommy over at The Seventh Level of Boredom loved our featured book and reminisced in her blog post about a high school trip abroad to Catalonia.  Her experience was akin to the exuberant reception See received on the back roads of Georgia, so she was inspired to make Khachapuri, savory dough pockets stuffed with feta and herbs.

Africa

Our final stop on our global sojourn is to an entire continent, Africa, with Joanne, of Eats Well With Others.  She was making her way through twelve weeks of winter squash and decided to continue Anik See’s travelogue with a Tunisian Lamb with Pumpkin and Apricots.

A lovely round of intriguing dishes and interesting blog posts from our Cook the Books readers!  I will be alerting our gracious author and Guest Judge, Anik See, that the roundup is posted and after she decides on a winner, I’ll be back to let you all know and turn the reins over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

Where Shall We Travel for A Taste of Adventure with Anik See?

I hope everyone is enjoying a lovely holiday season full of good times with friends and family and festive food and drink, peppered with quieter times for relaxation and reading.  If you haven’t found out already, my CTB co-hostess in Athens, Greece welcomed a miniature Food Junkie into the world a few weeks ago.  You can find out the details about   Johanna’s new baby girl and I know we all wish mother, father and family much happiness with their sweet little one.

Our armchair travels with our featured author, Anik See, in her book “A Taste for Adventure” take us to many parts of the globe, and we travel along with her at a leisurely pace by bicycle.  This perambulation allows for an immersion in the local environment and interaction with residents that are immediate and intense.  I love the chapter on Georgia, where Anik and cycling mate Doug are flagged down by two men who had passed them in their truck earlier in the day and had shot ahead to set up a six hour impromptu feast for their new friends that evening.  The next day, this avalanche of hospitality is reproduced at the home of a farmer the two merely hail for information about where to camp overnight and again and again during the “knee-aching climbs” through the Georgian landscape, our traveling pair is loaded with produce, food gifts, overnight stays, impromptu feasts and wine, wine and more wine.

Thank you to the Graphics Fairy for this image.

I am still savoring this book, wondering which part of the world as described so vividly in See’s book, will inspire my Cook the Books post and yours.  Will it be Georgia?  Or Malaysia?  Patagonia or Armenia? Or Turkey, Iran, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, Indonesia, Argentina or Thailand?  Or perhaps I will be inspired to hop on my own bike and navigate the snowy crusts of upstate New York to find an adventure of my own?

Looking forward to your thoughts on the book and your posts……

December/January Book Selection: A Taste for Adventure

Hi everyone!  I am Rachel, the Crispy Cook, and I am happy to be the current host of Cook the Books, the foodie book club started last year by me and my two blogger friends, Deb of Kahakai Kitchen and Jo of Food Junkie, Not Junk Food. Our current book selection is Anik See’s book “A Taste for Adventure: A Culinary Odyssey Around the World” (NY: Seal Press, 2002). See traveled by bicycle through Malaysia, Singapore, Patagonia, Thailand, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Indonesia, Argentina, Iran, Mexico and Canada, and her observations about this intimate tour of these lands and the people she met in transit is absorbing reading.   This book was also published in Canada under the title “A Fork in the Road”.

I am also delighted to announce that our author, Anik See, has graciously agreed to serve as our guest judge.   See previously worked as a researcher for the Canadian television cooking show “The Urban Peasant” and now lives in The Netherlands, where she continues to write, as well designing and repairing books (be still my bibliophilic heart!).  You can see examples of her bookbinding and book arts at her website.

To join us at Cook the Books, all you have to do is read the book, blog about it and something you cook up that is inspired by your reading. The deadline for doing so is Friday, January 22, 2010. I will post a roundup of blog posts afterward and then our guest judge, Anik See, will read them and  pick a winning post. The winner receives a badge for their blog, addition to the Cook the Books blog roll and all the accolades one can put up with. Sound fun? Please do join us, we love reading everyone’s thoughts about our book picks and seeing the creative entries from kitchens around the world.