Poco-Cocoa

I finished this book from the library a couple of days ago, and thought I’d give an old-fashioned book report on it for your enjoyment (you’d enjoy that, right?).

Amanda Hesser’s Cooking for Mr. Latte is a memoir of her courtship with a man who initially is not a foodie. I liked the book because the chapters were short, and it read more like short essays or magazine articles. It’s filled with recipes; at least three or four after every chapter. I was able to learn a few things from the book, and am excited about a few of her ideas, such as using cucumber slices topped with roasted bell peppers (and maybe feta?) as canapes.

However, after reading Ruth Reichl’s book, I couldn’t help but compare the two. I found Amanda Hesser’s writing to be a bit snooty, and it was difficult for me to warm up to her and actually care about what happened between her and Mr. Latte. She writes about her irritation with people who don’t appreciate food as much as she does, which I can relate to, but her happiness only comes when she “transforms” them into foodies. One of Reichl’s points in her book was that everyone has different tastes, and different ways of appreciating food. No one person is “correct” in saying that a food is good or bad, or that a particular style of cooking is better or worse. I liked that idea.

That being said, I did enjoy the book for its cute illustrations and occasional funny moments. I didn’t find many recipes that I was really interested in, but I plan on going back through the book and looking at them with a more objective eye. It’s a quick read, and it filled my craving for food writing, but I don’t plan on buying it.

Has anyone out there read this book? I’d love to hear what you thought about it.

If you love surveys, too, take this one.

Well, last night was “Find Your Own Night”, so no recipe. Slam.
Justin took the camera to work today, so no photo. Double slam.

So I decided to use this opportunity to give you all too much information about me.

50 Things About Me

1. I’ve been married 5 years and 10 months to a tall, dark, and handsome man whom I’ve loved since he first held my hand.
2. My favorite food is chocolate.
3. My favorite color is chocolate.
4. I was a vegetarian for 2 years, and am now eating some meat at restaurants, but I’m not sure how long that will last.
5. I walk to Whole Foods for dessert at least once a week.
6. I’m a registered, licensed dietitian.
7. I cook decadent foods at two local bed and breakfasts.
8. I don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.
9. I have a spoiled cat named Roux who sleeps on the bed with us.
10. I don’t want children. Ever.
11. Some of my favorite movies are Amelie, You’ve Got Mail, French Kiss, and Notting Hill.
12. I like happy endings.
13. I don’t like confrontations.
14. I live in a tiny (maybe 400 square foot?) garage apartment with my husband and my cat, and I love it.
15. My favorite drink is iced water.
16. I grew up in New Mexico, and I miss the food.
17. I didn’t vote for Bush.
18. I have four bookshelves filled with cookbooks, two accordion folders filled with clipped recipes, a box of recipes yet to be clipped, a huge three-ring binder with tried and true recipes, tons of recipe files on the computer, and stacks of old cooking magazines.
19. I love to get mail.
20. I love rain.
21. My favorite season is autumn. I love the pumpkins, the cinnamon, the leaves turning, and the cool air.
22. I like to embroider.
23. I love to read.
24. I like books and movies that take me to a different place, a place I’d like to visit: New York, Paris, Napa Valley, Hawaii.
25. I started and did not finish training to become a yoga instructor and a personal chef.
26. I start and do not finish lots of things. I’m interested in something new every day.
27. I collect notebooks and journals, and I’m very picky about them.
28. I speak Spanish.
29. I am anxiously awaiting the next Harry Potter book, the next Jean Auel book, and the next Harry Potter movie.
30. I don’t usually like sequel movies, but I loved the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter (only the third movie, the first two were yuck), Spiderman, Star Wars, and the Matrix.
31. I like to watch Giada DiLaurentiis and Dave Lieberman on the Food Network.
32. I communicate better through writing than through speaking.
33. We buy most of our music from itunes.
34. My favorite song is “Paper Boats” by Nada Surf.
35. I don’t keep in touch with anyone from my childhood or even from high school.
36. I love daisies.
37. One of my grandmothers had 17 children, and the other had 7. I have a large extended family.
38. I have one brother and one sister, and I am the youngest.
39. I’m fairly lazy.
40. I went to Space Camp when I was much younger.
41. I’ve been to Disneyworld 5 times since my honeymoon, haven’t gone in the past two years, and wish with all my heart that I could go again tomorrow.
42. I would like to learn to speak French.
43. The foods I like least are olives, goat cheese, bleu cheese, wasabi, and horseradish. They seem overpowering.
44. I like to eat tomato sauce out of the can with crackers.
45. My favorite part of my job is baking cookies and putting them out on the mantle for the guests to snack on.
46. I love to take naps.
47. My husband and I speak movie to each other. We talk in movie quotes. Usually other people around us have to ask us what we’re talking about.
48. I don’t take enough risks.
49. I like to write poetry.
50. I’m still searching for my one true talent.

I planned to write 100 things about me, but 100 is a lot and my brain is empty.