Outside of a Dog, #71

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx.

Recently released in DVD is the documentary “Food, Inc.” It’s a fascinating and albeit shocking look at how the food we eat every day is produced, manufactured, and ends up on our dining room tables. The film delves into how our meat so attractively displayed at our local supermarket eventually got there. But more than that, it vividly illustrates how our whole food system does tremendous damage to the environment, economy, and our personal health. We may produce the cheapest and most abundant food in the world, but in reality it is tremendously expensive in many ways. Other books dealing with this topic are also suggested.

Food Inc
WCV DVD F7
WAM DVD New F53

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the all-American Meal - Eric Schlosser
WCV 394.1097S
WAM WMB WDB 394.1S

King Corn: You are What You Eat
SHL SCS RSV DVD 633.15 King

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto - Michael Pollan
WAM WMB WDB 613 P

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals - Michael Pollan
WCV RSV SCS ROG 394.12P

Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with more than 75 Recipes - Mark Bittman
WCV SHL SCS HPW 613.2 B

Super Size Me - Morgan Spurlock
MPL DVD 647.95 S
ROG DVD 394.1 S
RSV DVD 616.28 S

Outside of a Dog, #36

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx.

Long known as the holiday celebrated with wild parades and traditions in New Orleans, Mardi Gras (literally, “fat Tuesday”) was a celebration of the days leading up to the observance of Lent, when some people give up their favorites vices like candy and caffeine. Mardi Gras is the last day to eat these goodies, so make sure you pick up a pączki (poonch-key) before the day is done! Pick up one of these books, movies, or CDs while you’re relaxing.

Cajun Dance Hall (CD)

Featuring music mainly in French and it’s variant, French Creole, this CD will have you dancing along to well-known Cajun artists like Eddie LeJeune and David Doucet.

CD Folk: Cajun WCV

Creole Flavors: recipes for marinades, rubs, sauces, and spices – Kevin Graham

If you like a little crawfish or want to try your hand at gumbo, this is the book for you! Kevin Graham, a longtime New Orleans restaurant chef, promises to test your tastebuds – and your cooking savvy in this collection of tasty traditions.

641.6 G WAM SBL

New Orleans 2008

While Hurricane Katrina rocked the Crescent City in 2005, New Orleans is still a vibrant, city of cultural and spiritual wonders. Visit the French Quarter to glimpse Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau’s crypt, or the Garden District, where galleries and musicians still thrive. The Fodor’s edition explains the extent of hurricane damage and what’s been done to repair and revitalize the districts.

917.63 F WCV

Cendrillon: A Cajun Cinderella – Sheila Hébert-Collins

The Cinderella story may have its roots in the ancient Roman tale of Rhodopis, but there are versions all over the world, and all over the United States. Cendrillon has French words and phrases included in the story, and they’re defined on every page, so you can learn as you go!

E COLL WCV

Interview with the Vampire (VHS)

Anne Rice’s book started off a series of vampire legends and movies, but this was the first. Starring Tom Cruise at the height of his popularity, and Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst as they were getting started, the movie showcases the lush backgrounds of New Orleans for hundreds of years. [Rated R.]

VC Fic Rice WCV WDB WMB

DVD Arts Interview TPL

DVD Fic Int LWM

Outside of a Dog, #35

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx.

"Say, hey, good-lookin’, whatcha got cookin’… How about cookin’ somethin’ up with me?" - Hank Williams

While cookbooks are a mainstay of libraries everywhere, if you’re more of a taster than a chef, try these food-related nonfiction finds and novels.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly – Anthony Bourdain
We’ve reviewed this book before, in August of 2008, and we revisit it again for this list. Bourdain’s wit and wisdom about food and the restaurant business are interesting and funny. Also available is a collection of short works by Bourdain, released in 2006, called “The Nasty Bits.”
Bio Bourdain WCV WDB
CD Bourdain MCL

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany - Bill Buford
New Yorker editor Buford gave up his desk-jockey life to learn the ins and outs of cooking under famous Babbo chef Mario Batali. Included in the book are adventures with knives, some biographical details about Batali, and lots of humor.
641.5945 B ROG SBL SCS WAM
Also available as an e-book and e-audiobook.

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip—Confessions of a Cynical Waiter – The Waiter
While Kitchen Confidential specializes in ‘back-of-the-house’ (a.k.a. the kitchen) tales, Waiter Rant is all about the ‘front-of-the-house;’ telling of diners both rude and sweet, and adventures with managers and other waiters that stemmed from “The Waiter”’s Waiter Rant blog.
642.6 D TPL
647.9506 W EPL
Also available as an e-book and e-audiobook.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1) – Joanne Fluke
The first of the foodie murder mysteries by Fluke (#12 – Cream Puff Murder comes out later this month) finds heroine and cookie-baker extraordinaire Hannah Swensen trying to solve the murder of a delivery man – after he’s found dead in a pile of her famous chocolate chip cookies! Each book contains thematic recipes, too!
MYS Fluke RAY WAM
Playaway Fluke SCS

Dying for Chocolate (Goldy Bear #1) – Diane Mott Davidson
Goldy Bear is an inventive caterer with a shaky past – her ex-husband stalks and threatens her, and her bills are piling up! She takes a job at the ritzy Aspen Meadow Country Club to both get away and get on top of her mounting problems. But when one of the men at the club courts her, then ends up dead, Goldy’s new life may be in danger!
The Goldy books also include recipes – Dying for Chocolate features “Scout’s Brownies,” so good shivers will run down your spine!
Mys Davidson WCV WDB WMB UPL RAY
BCD Fic Davidson TPL
AC Fic Davidson CHE

Bone in the Throat – Anthony Bourdain
Bourdain goes fiction in this first novel involving gangsters and restaurateurs in New York’s seedy Little Italy district. Also available is his second novel, which strays away from foodie interests, “Gone Bamboo.”
Fic Bourdain RSV MTC

Don't keep this book Confidential!

Today’s Book: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, Anthony Bourdain

The plot: Bourdain, best known for his acerbic wit and adventurous tastebuds on A Cook’s Tour and No Reservations television shows, and regular guest spots on Top Chef, talks about how he got started in the restaurant business. Starting on the lowest rung as a summer-stock prep cook at a tacky fish and chowder restaurant, and working his way up to executive chef/chef-at-large at Brasserie Les Halles in New York, Bourdain tells of adventures in cooking, schooling, traveling, and getting high and getting sober in between.

Why You’ll Love It: Even if you’re not a fan of Bourdain’s spiky wit and public persona, you might be hard-pressed to put this book down. He writes with a style all his own, and tells stories that you just know are true, even if the names have been changed. It’s a quick read, at 352 pages, and each chapter is more engrossing than the next. He also includes a chapter on how you can make food like the famous chefs, and makes it sound easy (the trick: a good knife and squeeze bottles of sauce. No, really!)

Who Will/Should Read It: Foodies, wannabe foodies, fans of Bourdain, and anyone who watches the food network more than ten hours a week (guilty, guilty!)

Bourdain has also written novels (Bone in the Throat, Gone Bamboo, The Bobby Gold Stories), and collected some shorter pieces penned for magazines in The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones.

A few years back, Fox also made a TV series based on the book, starring Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Nicholas Brendan, but it was short-lived. Curious cooks can order the DVD set from MeLCat.

CD B Bourdain MCL

Bio Bourdain WCV WDB

Biog Bourdain WAM

647.95 Bou LWM

647.95 B EPL FRA