Today I was browsing Vietnamese cookbooks at the Half Price
Bookstore. I've recently decided that I need to return to my "I'm
going to adopt a more Asian diet" initiative. The one I abandoned
last spring when I discovered that the Japanese pretty much don't cook
anything. There were exactly four* books. In one of the books
(actually three, see below) mentioned marinating strips of beef, then
storing them uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator for 2 days
to dry them out. In hotter seasons, you can do the same in the sun.
The result is like beef jerky, except you still have to cook it first.

I didn't know you could do that!



*Books: There were four books. One book didn't refer to any of the
recipes or dishes by its native name, or even mention it; i.e. "Spring
Rolls" instead of "g�i cuốn", and had a lot of recipes that the author
admitted to fabricating for her restaurant in SoCal. It also had no
recipe for Phở of any sort.

The other three books were three different sizes, had three different
titles, and had three different cover types, but were all identical on
the inside, to the page. Recipes, pictures, text. Odd.

I bought neither, for now. The nearby Barnes and Noble had "ethnic
cooking, alphabetical by nation" but their section only went to
"Spain".

-J

>"phaeton" > wrote in message
...
>.......
>The nearby Barnes and Noble had "ethnic
>cooking, alphabetical by nation" but their section only went to
>"Spain".
>
>-J

If you revisit the Barnes and Noble you will find that they lump
all Asian cuisines under "Asian," not the individual countries,
so by the time you got to Spain you were almost back in the US.

pavane

phaeton wrote:
> Today I was browsing Vietnamese cookbooks at the Half Price
> Bookstore. I've recently decided that I need to return to my "I'm
> going to adopt a more Asian diet" initiative. The one I abandoned
> last spring when I discovered that the Japanese pretty much don't cook
> anything. There were exactly four* books. In one of the books
> (actually three, see below) mentioned marinating strips of beef, then
> storing them uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator for 2 days
> to dry them out. In hotter seasons, you can do the same in the sun.
> The result is like beef jerky, except you still have to cook it first.
>
> I didn't know you could do that!
>
>
>
> *Books: There were four books. One book didn't refer to any of the
> recipes or dishes by its native name, or even mention it; i.e. "Spring
> Rolls" instead of "g�i cuốn", and had a lot of recipes that the author
> admitted to fabricating for her restaurant in SoCal. It also had no
> recipe for Phở of any sort.
>
> The other three books were three different sizes, had three different
> titles, and had three different cover types, but were all identical on
> the inside, to the page. Recipes, pictures, text. Odd.
>
> I bought neither, for now. The nearby Barnes and Noble had "ethnic
> cooking, alphabetical by nation" but their section only went to
> "Spain".
>
> -J

Gee, the B&N near here probably has at least 2 feet of Japanese
cookbooks. The cookbooks sections can be pretty screwed up though.

--
Jean B.

pavane wrote:
>> "phaeton" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> .......
>> The nearby Barnes and Noble had "ethnic
>> cooking, alphabetical by nation" but their section only went to
>> "Spain".
>>
>> -J
>
> If you revisit the Barnes and Noble you will find that they lump
> all Asian cuisines under "Asian," not the individual countries,
> so by the time you got to Spain you were almost back in the US.
>
> pavane
>
>
Here, after numerous complaints, they have the books by country in
the Asian section.

--
Jean B.

On Dec 11, 7:47*pm, "Jean B." > wrote:
> pavane wrote:
> >> "phaeton" > wrote in message
> ....
> >> .......
> >> The nearby Barnes and Noble had "ethnic
> >> cooking, alphabetical by nation" but their section only went to
> >> "Spain".
>
> >> -J
>
> > If you revisit the Barnes and Noble you will find that they lump
> > all Asian cuisines under "Asian," not the individual countries,
> > so by the time you got to Spain you were almost back in the US.
>
> > pavane
>
> Here, after numerous complaints, they have the books by country in
> the Asian section.


That's like my supermarket. Ya never know where to find the soy sauce
- under
Chinese, Ethnic or general condiments. Raisins are a real problem -
not with dried fruit but with the baking needs. Grr....

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Fri 11 Dec 2009 05:39:11p, Jean B. told us...
>
>> phaeton wrote:
>>> Today I was browsing Vietnamese cookbooks at the Half Price
>>> Bookstore. I've recently decided that I need to return to my "I'm
>>> going to adopt a more Asian diet" initiative. The one I abandoned
>>> last spring when I discovered that the Japanese pretty much don't cook
>>> anything. There were exactly four* books. In one of the books
>>> (actually three, see below) mentioned marinating strips of beef, then
>>> storing them uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator for 2 days
>>> to dry them out. In hotter seasons, you can do the same in the sun.
>>> The result is like beef jerky, except you still have to cook it first.
>>>
>>> I didn't know you could do that!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *Books: There were four books. One book didn't refer to any of the
>>> recipes or dishes by its native name, or even mention it; i.e. "Spring
>>> Rolls" instead of "g�i cuốn", and had a lot of recipes that the
> author
>>> admitted to fabricating for her restaurant in SoCal. It also had no
>>> recipe for Phở of any sort.
>>>
>>> The other three books were three different sizes, had three different
>>> titles, and had three different cover types, but were all identical on
>>> the inside, to the page. Recipes, pictures, text. Odd.
>>>
>>> I bought neither, for now. The nearby Barnes and Noble had "ethnic
>>> cooking, alphabetical by nation" but their section only went to
>>> "Spain".
>>>
>>> -J
>> Gee, the B&N near here probably has at least 2 feet of Japanese
>> cookbooks. The cookbooks sections can be pretty screwed up though.
>>
>
> Í much rather go to a Border's, at least where I live. They're larger,
> better organized, have a more comprehensive selection and inventory, and
> besides, this one has a great espresso and pastry bar. You're invited to
> gather up as many volumes as you want to peruse while you sip espresso
> sitting in very comfy chairs.
>
That's interesting, because here Borders is quite deficient
compared to B&N. The store near here (in Burlington, MA) has such
a pitiful selection that I sometimes cannot even use their nice
coupons. The store in Boston is better stocked, so very recently
we have begun to traipse in to that one.

I should add that I also patronize as many independent bookstores
as I can find....

--
Jean B.

Jean wrote on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:56:34 -0500:

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Fri 11 Dec 2009 05:39:11p, Jean B. told us...
>>
>>>
>> Í much rather go to a Border's, at least where I live. They're
>> larger, better organized, have a more comprehensive
>> selection and inventory, and besides, this one has a great
>> espresso and pastry bar. You're invited to gather up as many
>> volumes as you want to peruse while you sip espresso sitting in very
>> comfy chairs.
> That's interesting, because here Borders is quite deficient compared
> to B&N. The store near here (in Burlington, MA) has such a pitiful
> selection that I sometimes cannot even use
> their nice coupons. The store in Boston is better stocked, so
> very recently we have begun to traipse in to that one.

> I should add that I also patronize as many independent
> bookstores as I can find....

There are Borders and Borders! Mostly, local Barnes and Noble and
Borders stores are large places even if they are not in malls. However,
there is a so-called "Borders Express" in the local Montgomery Mall
where Borders took over a small pre-existing store. It's not a place
that I patronize much. To my regret, I cannot think of any independent
stores in the local towns of Rockville, Gaithersburg or Bethesda. There
used to be one in Potomac but it's now some sort of expensive
"boutique", selling nothing I am interested in.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

James Silverton wrote:
> Jean wrote on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:56:34 -0500:
>
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>> On Fri 11 Dec 2009 05:39:11p, Jean B. told us...
>>>
>>>>
>>> Í much rather go to a Border's, at least where I live. They're
>>> larger, better organized, have a more comprehensive
>>> selection and inventory, and besides, this one has a great
>>> espresso and pastry bar. You're invited to gather up as many
>>> volumes as you want to peruse while you sip espresso sitting in very
>>> comfy chairs.
>> That's interesting, because here Borders is quite deficient compared
>> to B&N. The store near here (in Burlington, MA) has such a pitiful
>> selection that I sometimes cannot even use
>> their nice coupons. The store in Boston is better stocked, so
>> very recently we have begun to traipse in to that one.
>
>> I should add that I also patronize as many independent
>> bookstores as I can find....
>
> There are Borders and Borders! Mostly, local Barnes and Noble and
> Borders stores are large places even if they are not in malls. However,
> there is a so-called "Borders Express" in the local Montgomery Mall
> where Borders took over a small pre-existing store. It's not a place
> that I patronize much. To my regret, I cannot think of any independent
> stores in the local towns of Rockville, Gaithersburg or Bethesda. There
> used to be one in Potomac but it's now some sort of expensive
> "boutique", selling nothing I am interested in.
>

Our little Borders was closed. The one in Burlington is pretty
new and very large. I have no idea why their cookbook collection
is so lousy. Maybe I should clarify and say that I usually look
at the international section there, and it started out bad and has
now gotten even worse. It is truly pathetic!

It is sad because I think Borders needs business, and I actually
go there TRYING to give them some.

--
Jean B.

On 12/11/2009 16:39, phaeton wrote:
> Today I was browsing Vietnamese cookbooks at the Half Price
> Bookstore. I've recently decided that I need to return to my "I'm
> going to adopt a more Asian diet" initiative. The one I abandoned
> last spring when I discovered that the Japanese pretty much don't cook
> anything. There were exactly four* books. In one of the books
> (actually three, see below) mentioned marinating strips of beef, then
> storing them uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator for 2 days
> to dry them out. In hotter seasons, you can do the same in the sun.
> The result is like beef jerky, except you still have to cook it first.
>


There are definitely lots of cooked Japanese dishes. This time of year
"nabe" dishes are quite common. That would include sukiyaki, oden,
mizutaki, shinjaga and tons of permutations of miso shiro.

Then of course there are all of the things cooked as tempura, other
dishes include saba misoni. Then various yakimono (pan friend or grilled
dishes) such as yakitoti, okonomiyaki, yaki onigiri, gyoza etc.

> I didn't know you could do that!
>
>
>
> *Books: There were four books. One book didn't refer to any of the
> recipes or dishes by its native name, or even mention it; i.e. "Spring
> Rolls" instead of "g�i cuốn", and had a lot of recipes that the author
> admitted to fabricating for her restaurant in SoCal. It also had no
> recipe for Phở of any sort.
>
> The other three books were three different sizes, had three different
> titles, and had three different cover types, but were all identical on
> the inside, to the page. Recipes, pictures, text. Odd.
>
> I bought neither, for now. The nearby Barnes and Noble had "ethnic
> cooking, alphabetical by nation" but their section only went to
> "Spain".
>
> -J

On Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:39:23 -0800 (PST), phaeton wrote:

> Today I was browsing Vietnamese cookbooks at the Half Price
> Bookstore. I've recently decided that I need to return to my "I'm
> going to adopt a more Asian diet" initiative. The one I abandoned
> last spring when I discovered that the Japanese pretty much don't cook
> anything. There were exactly four* books. In one of the books
> (actually three, see below) mentioned marinating strips of beef, then
> storing them uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator for 2 days
> to dry them out. In hotter seasons, you can do the same in the sun.
> The result is like beef jerky, except you still have to cook it first.
>
> I didn't know you could do that!
>
> *Books: There were four books. One book didn't refer to any of the
> recipes or dishes by its native name, or even mention it; i.e. "Spring
> Rolls" instead of "g�i cuốn", and had a lot of recipes that the author
> admitted to fabricating for her restaurant in SoCal. It also had no
> recipe for Phở of any sort.
>
> The other three books were three different sizes, had three different
> titles, and had three different cover types, but were all identical on
> the inside, to the page. Recipes, pictures, text. Odd.
>
> I bought neither, for now. The nearby Barnes and Noble had "ethnic
> cooking, alphabetical by nation" but their section only went to
> "Spain".
>
> -J

vietnamese cookbooks used to be pretty hard to come by. i have this one,
'the classic cuisine of vietnam"

<http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Cuisine-Vietnam-Plume/dp/0452258332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260635430&sr=8-1>

....but i'll confess i haven't cooked much from it. it seems pretty
comprehensive.

your pal,
blake

On Dec 12, 9:21*am, George > wrote:
> On 12/11/2009 16:39, phaeton wrote:
>
> > Today I was browsing Vietnamese cookbooks at the Half Price
> > Bookstore. *I've recently decided that I need to return to my "I'm
> > going to adopt a more Asian diet" initiative. *The one I abandoned
> > last spring when I discovered that the Japanese pretty much don't cook
> > anything. There were exactly four* books. *In one of the books
> > (actually three, see below) mentioned marinating strips of beef, then
> > storing them uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator for 2 days
> > to dry them out. *In hotter seasons, you can do the same in the sun.
> > The result is like beef jerky, except you still have to cook it first.
>
> There are definitely lots of cooked Japanese dishes. This time of year
> "nabe" dishes are quite common. That would include sukiyaki, oden,
> mizutaki, shinjaga and tons of permutations of miso shiro.
>
> Then of course there are all of the things cooked as tempura, other
> dishes include saba misoni. Then various yakimono (pan friend or grilled
> dishes) such as yakitoti, okonomiyaki, yaki onigiri, gyoza etc.
>

You are correct George. I was being semi-facetious. Nonetheless, i
think you were one of the first to suggest the two books that I did
purchase about a year ago. Both of which are very nice and I do like
them. I haven't tried cooking anything out of them yet, but I intend
to pick them up for another look today.

-J

Jean wrote on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:12:24 -0500:

..
>>
> Our little Borders was closed. The one in Burlington is
> pretty new and very large. I have no idea why their cookbook
> collection is so lousy. Maybe I should clarify and say that I
> usually look at the international section there, and it
> started out bad and has now gotten even worse. It is truly
> pathetic!

Barnes and Noble seems better for cookbooks at the moment. The large
Borders store in White Flint Mall seems to be in the throes of
rearrangement of their cookbook section.
--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

James Silverton wrote:
> To my regret, I cannot think of any independent
> stores in the local towns of Rockville, Gaithersburg or Bethesda.

Not sure either of these will work for you, but indiebound.org suggests:

Booktopia
4701 Sangamore Rd
Bethesda, Maryland 20816
301-320-1288

And near North Bethesda:

Kensington Row Book Shop
3786 Howard Avenue
Kensington, Maryland 20895
301-949-9416


Serene
--
42 Magazine, celebrating life with meaning. Issue 2 is here!
http://42magazine.com

"I tend to come down on the side of autonomy. Once people are grown up,
I believe they have the right to go to hell in the handbasket of their
choosing." -- Pat Kight, on alt.polyamory