A History of Me, by Marlene Olin

Pandemic Dispatches Photo by Burgess Milner / Unsplash Winnowing down to essentials during a pandemic, a writer with too much time to think cleans out her closet and immediately regrets letting go of a sweater. We’ve all been there, right? When a sweater isn’t just a sweater and our most rigorous tasks can’t bring the relief we seek. Within weeks the plague had winnowed our world. We kept in touch with only our closest friends. We wore only our comfiest clothes. Life had been pared down to the essentials. But I had nervous energy to spare. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. And how much CNN could you watch? So one day I decided to clean out my house. What I no longer needed, I’d either trash or give away. First I tackled the kitchen. I dusted off my cookbook shelves. Then I kept the books splotched and spattered from years of use. Tucked in the back, totally neglected, was a row of virgin reads. Not a spine was cracked or a page sullied. The Portuguese Vegetarian. The Sugar Buster. The Yeast Dilemma. Out they went! Then I opened the cabinets and assessed my supplies. Three huge serving platters, five chafing dishes, assorted warming trays and crystal candlesticks. Assorted wedding gifts had been hiding in a hutch for over forty years. A set of aperitif glasses. Shrimp forks. Tablecloths of random sizes. I got married when I was nineteen. And, of course, when you’re nineteen your ambition has no limit. The goal was to look... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2021-09-27 19:31:27 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "A History of Me, by Marlene Olin"

Celebrate with a Feast: A Conversation with Irina Georgescu

A COOKBOOK IS a kind of invitation to its author’s table. So it is with Irina Georgescu’s book Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania, which draws overdue attention to the food of her native country. Of course, the culinary world is crowded and chaotic at the best of times. Turmoil such as it... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-05-23 17:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this

My 6 Favorite Cookbook Authors and Their One Must-Have Cookbook

Check out tried-and-true recipes crafted by these skilled chefs, and keep these must-have cookbooks at the ready in your kitchen library. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-05-21 10:38:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The feedback-loop logic of Trump’s magic medicine

On Monday, President Trump casually told reporters that he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug he has repeatedly touted as effective against COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The reporters seemed stunned. “I was just waiting to see your eyes light up when I... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-05-20 12:10:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Dishoom asks cookbook pirates to donate to charity appeal

After a bootleg of its recipe book was sent to ‘everyone and their nice auntie’, restaurant chain appeals to readers to buy copies or donate to Hospitality ActionThe UK restaurant chain Dishoom has appealed for readers to buy their eponymous cookbook or donate to charity, after a pirated version... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-05-14 15:38:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Relive Memories of the Queens Night Market

A new cookbook profiles the makers at this popular outdoor food festival, on hold until the pandemic passes. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-05-11 20:38:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Chef and cookbook author Alison Roman shares her essential kitchen gadgets

Here are the cooking tools that the creator of The Stew, The Cookies, and The Pasta can’t live without. Chef, cookbook author, and writer Alison Roman’s viral recipes, first published in the New York Times and Bon Appetit, have inspired a frenzy of social media posts with hashtags including... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-04-29 07:00:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Four short links: 28 April 2020

Learning a Language — this list of questions facing anyone taking a new language for a test run just burns with truth. (Also: encouraging to see how many of these questions are answered by the Cookbook format) OpenVAS — Open Vulnerability Assessment Scanner, aka “what a cheap external security... Continue reading at O'Reilly Radar

[ O'Reilly Radar | 2020-04-28 11:42:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Community Cookbook Is Reborn for a Time of Scarcity and Sharing

Cobbled-together home recipe collections were once the province of church groups and Scout troops, but now they’re uniting Americans of all stripes. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-04-28 09:00:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this

HQ scoops Erskine's 'inspirational' sustainable food cookbook

HQ has scooped an “inspirational” sustainable food cookbook from TV chef and writer Gizzi Erskine. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-28 06:22:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Eat Your Books Review: Search a Recipe Database to Find Out What's for Dinner

Searching this cookbook mega-index is the best way to find out what's for dinner. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2020-04-18 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Scotland's bestsellers: Pinch beats Connolly to the punch

The runaway hit cookbook Pinch of Nom was the bestseller in Scotland in 2019, after seeing off Glaswegian comic Billy Connolly Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-17 03:27:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Bloomsbury Absolute to publish chef Calum Franklin's first cookbook

Bloomsbury Absolute is set to publish Calum Franklin's debut cookbook in the autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-03 05:46:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Octopus signs cookbook from Japanese TV chef Harumi Kurihara

Conran Octopus has signed a cookbook from Japanese TV chef and restaurateur Harumi Kurihara that “takes cooking back to basics and shows you how to master Japanese recipes to impress friends and family”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-11 14:35:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Jamie Oliver reveals cover for latest cookbook

Jamie Oliver has revealed the cover for his latest cookbook, 7 Ways, which will offer new takes on supermarket staples. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-10 06:26:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this

New Ottolenghi cookbook slated for September with author tour

Penguin Random House is publishing a new cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi in September, written alongside Ixta Belfrage: Ottolenghi Flavour. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-26 00:45:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this

A Feminist Cookbook Meant to Inspire Fuels Outrage Instead

The authors of “Rage Baking” started a different conversation than they intended. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-02-22 02:12:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Bloomsbury Absolute bags Kerridge's Hand & Flowers cookbook

Bloomsbury Absolute has bagged a cookbook from Tom Kerridge featuring recipes from his two Michelin-starred pub, the Hand & Flowers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-20 20:14:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Octopus announces new Sabrina Ghayour cookbook

Mitchell Beazley has announced a new cookbook from Sabrina Ghayour, the author of Persiana, called Simply: Easy Everyday Dishes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-17 21:53:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Bloomsbury to publish Skye McAlpine's second cookbook

Bloomsbury will publish A Table for Friends: The Art of Cooking for Two or Twenty, the second cookbook from Skye McAlpine. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-14 08:34:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this