Foodie Book Review: Hundred Foot Journey

With a new baby in town, reading and writing went were slowly lately. The cooking was not that brilliant either, without too many new recipes tested. But the couple of seconds of frustrations are soon replaced by some new occasions to happily enjoy the wonders - and challenges too - of motherhood.

However, I was able to finish a book that was already turned into a movie: The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais. 

I cannot say what exactly I was expecting from your book but for sure I was looking for some good writing. Which the book actually has (I read the book in a German translation), especially when it comes to sociological and historical parts - the journalistic profile of Morais may play a role in this. However, this is not a typical foodie book: you will not have recipes or extensive descriptions of meals. Instead, the main topic of the book is the career of Hassan Haji, as a famed Parisian chef starting with his upbringing in Mumbay. It enters the insular - and sometimes racist world -of the French cuisine as well as the complicated and not always fair Michelin star system. Expect a lot of details - and some inspiration - about the business of restaurants in France and abroad.

There are also some unforgettable foodie stories, as when it comes to recognizing the ingredients of a dish after tasting it, or vivid descriptions of French markets.

Overall, the book is more about successful imigrant stories than about food and its mysteries. The art of making a good food in France served as the main ingredient of success. Food can help this too and the positive message of the book is encouraging.

Strongly recommended as a good weekend or holiday read. Can't wait to watch the movie too!

Cooking library: Vegetarian Living

Late in December, I grabbed the February issue of Vegetarian Living, impressed at the first sight by the extraordinary quality of the cover. My sight was also get caught by the interview with Yotam Ottolenghi, but before reaching the page with the interview, there were many other dozen of interesing things to take a look at. 

What I love about this review are not only the recipes - I expected such a summary in a publication about cooking - but the features about vegetarian life-style, and healthy products and other healthy tips. But this is why it is called Vegetarian Living, and not plainly Vegetarian Cooking, isn't it?

Besides the presentation of products and the interview, there are many competitions with a lot of products and foods to be won. I have a couple of recipes that I would love to try in the next weeks, including from the Nordic reservoir of cooking wisdom, Scandilicious Baking. In some cases, a modest look at the pictures discourage any attempts from an ignorant chef as me - I think about strawberry and chocolate ganache roulade, for instance, an impossible mission that I would love so much to offer to my guests. 

Many of the products presented can be found exclusively in the UK - unfortunatelly - but at least you can have a look at the ingredients and look for similar products in your home country. If you want to buy the next issue of Vegetarian Living and you are 100% sure that you cannot find it in your town, use the wonders of the 21st century and download the apps for Apple and Android.

Happy vegetarian living!