Favorites
All you wanted to know about toasters — and lots more you didn’t — at this impressive website dedicated to the history, science, technology, design, kitsch and lore of those little gadgets used to make bread golden brown and crispy. Wooden tongs not included.
Chef Sanjay Thumma regularly posts cooking demos on YouTube. I’m a loyal subscriber because: 1) I love the food of India, 2) I like his recipes of both special dishes and day-to-day basics, and 3) he cracks me up with his stories and commentary. Who else would make fun of the US for adopting Chinese kids while showing us how to make gobi manchurian? Even though his website is still in beta, there’s lots to see and learn.
¡Que vivan los tamales!
Food and the Making of Mexican Identity
By Jeffrey Pilcher
Series edited by Lyman Johnson
At last, my gift to myself from the shirt.woot! folks arrived today. It’s the perfect mash-up of a transit map and an anatomy lesson. Now I’ll never be confused about exactly which line connects my appendix to my large intestine and where to transfer from my gallbladder over to my pancreas. Other fun food shirts include pirate-lemon’s “say no to scurvy” and the topo-breakfast shirt for dis-orienteering eggs and toast lovers.
Words Without Borders:
The World Through the Eyes of Writers
Edited by Samantha Schnee, Alane Salierno Mason & Dede Felman
As I continue exploring psychogeography, or how place shapes who we are as individuals and societies, this book has reminded me of how storytelling can cut through so many facts and theories straight to the heart. Featuring the work of 28 writers from around the world, it’s a literary feast of poetry, short stories, essays, and excerpts from novels.
The Great Central Valley: California’s Heartland
By Stephan Johnson, Robert Dawson and Gerald Haslam
I keep turning back to pages 8 and 9 to stare at the detailed, double-spread Landstat crop classification and lose myself in its colors and intricacy and hidden meanings. Anyone with the slightest interest in California’s agriculture must take a look at this book. Gorgeous photos, old and new, and elegantly written text that addresses both history and modern developments in a vital region.
Bellindora Balsamic Fruit Vinegars
For deglazing and for wonderful vinaigrettes that don’t require much more than a bit of good oil. A godsend as I try to cut back on salt. Can’t decide if my favorite is the pomegranate or the fig.
By Sian Bonnell
A silly little book but so fun. It helps tease out some of our most basic assumptions and expectations about the proper place for food in our daily lives.
Historical Atlas of California
By Derek Hayes
I love maps, so this book caught my eye immediately. It emphasizes the creation of maps and how mapping was intricately intertwined with the growth of the state. Lush with original maps, the book is porn for cartographiles. This is not recommended for anyone already cynical about land as spoils of war, booty of robber barons or invisible graves.
By Gaston Bachelard
This is a tough read, and it’s been on my pile for a really looong time. But it’s also a classic that offers valuable insight into how our homes hold not only our stuff but also our thoughts, memories and dreams.
By Gail Damerow
I gave my mom a copy years ago when she first started raising chickens. Now that I’m writing about eggs, I’ve bought one for myself. The Storey animal handbooks are essential for anyone thinking of adding a goat, pig or hen to their household. Even if you have no immediate plans for exploring animal husbandry, the books -- quick to read and easy to understand -- are enlightening, explaining little known aspects of our food system without the weight of political agendas.
I found these while digging around in the freezers at my local grocery store. When I can’t make it all the way to Acme Bakery, these are my next choice. Also good just to have on hand, for that little pick-me up in the afternoon with some strawberry jam.
Edited by Jamie Horwitz and Paulette Singley
Once I came to terms with a major pet peeve -- an entire book set in sans serif -- I ended up really liking this anthology that explores the intersection of architecture and food. The editors went through great pains to bring together writers and artists with varied disciplines and points of views. Although the pieces lean toward the academic, they’re highly readable, colorful and relevant.
By Mark Ovenden
This is the favorite of my favorites. I love this book! If you’re a design geek or a world traveler or a public policy wonk or an interface obsessor or just curious about how different cities approach the problem of moving very large numbers of people around without their getting lost, then this book is for you.
Ovenden uses a roughly chronological approach, starting with the earliest developments of major cities like London, NYC and Tokyo. Later chapters show how smaller cities later refined planning and design. From technology to culture to what colors you designate subway lines, it’s fascinating to understand the many factors in our civic infrastructures. Lush illustrations and concise writing make this perfect for browsing.
Another Country:
Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders
By Mary Pipher, Ph.D.
As I delve into storytelling across generations, this book has been an invaluable resource. Western cities are shockingly age-segregated. Sharing real-life case studies, Pipher helps us recognize the psychological landscape of older generations, essential for anyone working or living with elders.
Speck: A Curious Collection of Uncommon Things
By Peter Buchanan-Smith
Like one of my favorite journals, Esopus, this collection of quirky, beautiful, joyful, obsessive, smile-inducing and head-shaking images helps me get through the tougher days. I leave it near my desk and open it for inspirational breaks. Harry Kitt’s profile of a shoe shiner is an exquisite meld of oral history and photography, while David Fossil’s urban fossils and Wade Shuman’s collection of cat whiskers and Richard Torchia’s pile of lint are all wondrously strange.
Reel Food: Essays on Food and Film
Edited by Anne L. Bower
The usual opaque, dry, jargon-laden academic writing -- how do they manage to suck all the fun out of both food AND films?! -- but still, I found many pointed insights. While I crave a bit more hands-on knowledge about food itself, I’m definitely learning a lot about theoretical approaches to how we envision food.
©2007 Thy Tran