World in My Kitchen: The Adventures of a (Mostly) French Woman in America
Author: Collette Rossant
"We are on our way to Le Havre. The train is going so fast that the landscape is all but a blur. From time to time, I can see a farm in the mist surrounded by a sea of green fields. I am excited but also scared. It is 1955, and we are on our way to New York."
So begins the marvelous journey of Colette Rossant, just married to an American architect and about to leave France for a new life in the heart of New York City. At first, Colette finds Americans' manners to be as mystifying as their cuisine, but before long, she discovers the myriad charms of her adopted country. Between taking on an astoundingly diverse series of jobs, raising four children, and renovating a Soho town house, Colette develops her own flair for food—and for superb food writing. In this spirited and deliciously entertaining memoir, Colette shares the unforgettable stories of her forty tumultuous years at the heart of American and international cuisine.
The children's cooking school she starts for her daughter's friends turns into a starring role on a PBS television series. As New York magazine's "Underground Gourmet," she hails the city's staggering array of outstanding ethnic cuisine. Either with her husband and children, or on her own, she travels to Africa, China, Japan, and South America, exploring cuisine and culture around the globe. She rides camels through the Australian outback, barters lipstick for fresh vegetables in Tanzania, and is almost arrested as a spy by the Chinese secret police—just because she is trying to eat like a local.
Charming, indomitable, endlessly curious and adventurous, Colette Rossant inspires us to savor every meal—and every day. With awonderful array of mouth-watering recipes, The World in My Kitchen is an irresistible celebration of family, food, and life.
Publishers Weekly
The third of Rossant's memoirs with recipes (after Apricots on the Nile; Return to Paris) takes the reader briskly from her 1955 marriage to an American architect right through to the present. It is less personal than her earlier books-after recounting initial difficulties with her new in-laws, she more or less lets her family (four children) fend for itself in these pages-perhaps because she has had a genuinely adventurous life, with a lot to tell, both about her New York neighborhood and the larger world. Her first boss was a criminal, but she soon found a new job as a French teacher, while she learned how to cook with American ingredients. These two callings, teacher and cook, led her through many jobs, a television show, friendships with celebrity "foodies," several cookbooks and eventually around the world collecting recipes and experiences in not only the usual destinations but also such exotic spots as Xi-an, a Chinese Muslim city. At times clich d, Rossant's writing is vivid and opinionated, which makes her good company, and the recipes that follow each chapter are as eclectic as one would wish from a well-traveled writer. Illustrations. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
This is the third volume of Rossant's memoirs, after Memories of a Lost Egypt and Return to Paris. All three include recipes sprinkled throughout the text. A prolific author of cookbooks, Rossant recounts her arrival in New York as a new bride and her acclimation to the New York way of life. It's a great read about the city, full of the social history of the neighborhoods in which Rossant lived from the perspective of a newly arrived immigrant. Entertaining and warmly recounted, her stories give us insight into the character of a French woman and budding chef. Recipes are easy to follow and for the most part useful, including Watercress Soup, Apple Mousse, Cheese Souffl , Mushroom Consomm , and the obligatory Cr pe. Libraries owning Rossant's other works will want to purchase this. A good addition for popular cooking and biography collections in most public libraries. Elizabeth Rogers, CEF Lib. Syst., Plattsburgh, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Rossant (Return to Paris, 2003, etc.) concludes her trilogy of memoirs with this mouthwatering reminiscence of marriage and her stellar epicurean career. In 1955, the author and her husband left France for New York. For Rossant, moving to America meant, foremost, the discovery of new food, starting with an ice-cream sundae. She'd read about this "mountain of ice cream" in French reporters' accounts of America, but had never tasted one. Baked potatoes and bagels quickly became favorites as well. She missed lunching on a baguette stuffed with ham, but made do with cream cheese on walnut bread from Chock Full 'o Nuts. Broccoli took some getting used to: "It looked like a small tree, and tasted somewhat like cabbage . . . too bland." Indeed, American vegetables were generally a problem. String beans seemed a wholly different species than the haricots verts Rossant had enjoyed in France. Iceberg lettuce was . . . well, barely lettuce. She also found American packaged food tricky; making her first attempt with a cake mix, she baked the icing and used the cake powder as glaze. While navigating American cuisine, Rossant had children and a series of jobs, including writing for a French-language newsDelectable: Bon appetit!
Table of Contents:
Contents
1. The Move
2. Life in New York
3. Exploring
4. Soho
5. Cooking with Colette
6. The Travels
7. The Journalist
8. The Silk Road
Acknowledgments
Interesting book: James K Polk or The Looming Tower
Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Cancer
Author: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicin
a simple new dietary approach to cancer prevention and treatment
Current research has shown that what you eat is one of the strongest factors in preventing cancer. You can take advantage of this fact to safeguard your health–and this book shows you how. Drawing on the latest medical and dietary research, Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Cancer presents a complete and sensible plant-based nutrition program that can help make cancer less likely–and also help those already diagnosed to heal.
Showing how you can put food to work against today’s most common forms of cancer (including lung, breast, prostate, ovarian, cervical, and digestive tract cancers), this book provides detailed nutritional guidelines that have been carefully drafted by Physicians Committee nutrition experts. The book includes over 80 delicious, easy-to-make recipes to help you put these healthy eating principles to work right away. Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Cancer contains important information on:
• Antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and other protective weapons
• Foods that boost the immune system
• Nutrition during cancer treatment
• Exercise and weight management
• Stress-reduction techniques
• And more
Whether you are looking to prevent or heal cancer, this book will give you the crucial knowledge you need to take charge now– of your diet, your health, and your life.
Also available:
Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Diabetes (0-471-43598-8)
Healthy Eating for Life for Children (0-471-43621-6)
HealthyEating for Life for Women (0-471-43596-1)
Booknews
Based on studies of people who survive for long periods after being diagnosed with cancer, this book outlines new approaches to nutrition. It offers detailed nutritional guidelines to prevent cancer or help survive it. Chapters discuss nutrition, foods for cancer survival, nutrition during treatment, foods which help fight cancer, fitness, and stress. Eighty recipes are included. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
