"You had me at bruschetta!"
So says Valerie, the “Progressive Girl” in a very clever,
entertaining, but ultimately practical cookbook called “Cooking to Hook Up: The
Bachelor’s Date Night Cookbook.”
OK. Before you start screaming how male-chauvinistic the book is and how I am an enabler for recommending it, let me just say that after
some 20 years evaluating more than 1,000 cookbooks a year as a food editor, I do
know a good cookbook when I see one. And this one has a lot going for it.
"Cooking to Hook Up” by Ann Marie Michaels and Drew
Campbell, was published in 2004. I stumbled upon a single copy in a funky,
used-books store in beyond-funky Moab, Utah over the Christmas holiday. I
bought it for our 26-year-old son who’s single and a good cook. At first,
he found the concept, er, distasteful, tacky, maybe even weird, as in, “Mom,
what were you thinking?”
But after browsing the hilarious and right-on descriptions
of each “type” – The Academic Girl, The Party Girl, The Granola Girl, The
Career Girl, etc – and reading through such recipes as Pesto Swordfish Over
Capellini, and Trump Tower of Polenta and Pork Tenderloin, he was won over.
The book’s tone is light-hearted and upbeat. There’s not a
soupcon of male chauvinism in these pages, nothing tawdry or vulgar. And
despite its outrageous and, to some, offensive “hook,” the book offers creative
recipes, concise instructions, helpful sidebars such as timetables and shopping
lists, and hours of laugh-out-loud reading enjoyment. I might add that young women
with a sense of humor and an interest in cooking will enjoy this book just as
much as guys of the same age. There’s also a basic “wine primer,” tips for
“preparing the house,” and solutions for “dealing with disaster.”
Each of the 10 “chapters” is devoted to a personality type,
and contains five recipes ranging from super-easy to big-deal. From “The
Indie Girl”:
"An Indie Girl’s life is a Statement with a capital S…Indie
Girls consider themselves actresses in the movie of life…Your meal needs to be
constructed like an independent film… "
The authors proceed to tell you where you might find The
Indie Girl; how to spot her; famous Indie Girls in history (Parker Posey,
Janeane Garofalo and Winona Ryder); how to spiffy up your apartment for the
occasion (terrific if you already have some ‘70s shag carpeting or a velvet
Elvis painting); what to talk about (“quote David Sedaris”); and the contents
of your coffee table (“Go with an alternative or literary ‘zine” or the New
York Times Book Review.”)
Music? “Avoid Top 40 or anything mainstream…the Indie Girl
will give you an automatic F for playing the Backstreet Boys”). The drinks:
Dirty Martys (martinis) or any drink that was served in a classic film, ie. the
Zombie in Breakfast at Tiffany’s). And finally, the host’s shoes: Adidas,
Converse or Diesel are good. Forget anything with a tassel.
Indie Girl recipes range from the easy “Monsoon Wedding:
Bollywood Chicken Curry” made mostly with convenience foods from Trader Joe’s,
to the “hard” “Like Water For Chocolate: Chiles en Nogada and Chocolate Flan.”
The stuffed peppers entrée is an impressive production involving pears, raisins,
walnuts, pork and poblano chiles. The homemade fortune cookies suggested for the "Eat Drink Man Woman: Shrimp and Fortune Cookies" dinner are hilarious.
If you're not planning to visit any funky used-books stores in the near future, I'd suggest checking out Amazon.com where you can find the book with prices starting at about five bucks.
Jeez, Mom. It's the COVER that embarrassed your son! There lies the sleaze(and porn). (I think you showed him that mom is still innocent -- a great relief to sons.)
Posted by: Martha | February 08, 2010 at 03:55 PM