This is my entry for challenge #1 of Project Food Blog: describe who I am as a food blogger.
Maybe a good place to start is my cookbook shelf.
After all, wouldn’t you agree that a person’s cookbook collection speaks volumes(!) about who they are in the kitchen?
And it’s only fair, really. Because if you ever invite me to your home, I guarantee that you will lose me somewhere along the house tour, doubling back only to find me nosing around your own shelf of cookbooks. Not only will I be drooling (not literally!) over the books you have that I don’t, I’ll also be finding out things I’m dying to know about you. Are you addicted to a certain cuisine? Do you have a favorite celebrity chef? Are you a sous-vide fanatic? I love noting how one person’s copy of the Zuni Cafe cookbook is stained and tattered while at someone else’s house, it’s the Momofuku that’s been most heavily used. That is, unless you’re my sister in which case all books, in heavy rotation or not, are in mint condition because that’s just how she rolls.
While I’m waiting for that invitation to your house to arrive (so I can poke around your stuff – now you know), let’s get back to the topic at hand. As you can see, I don’t have a particularly grand collection or even claim to own all the classics. But one glance at those cookbooks and the diagnosis is pretty clear: when it comes to cooking, I have a rather bad case of wanderlust.
I love discovering and writing about recipes from around the world for the simple fact that I’m insanely curious about how people eat well on modest means without resorting to fast food and frozen dinners. You might have heard of cucina povera, especially in the vicinity of trendy Italian restaurants these days. That’s probably the most accurate term for describing the recurring theme on this blog, except I’m co-opting an Italian term to describe a worldwide phenomenon.
Cultures all around the globe excel at turning humble ingredients into glorious meals, everything from decadent curries to colorful noodles to hearty bowls of stew. Even within our borders, there are fine examples of cucina povera in the comforting dishes of the South and Cajun/Creole cuisine. Nothing’s more exciting to me than learning how to feed ourselves modestly yet deliciously using tricks from food cultures near and far, sharing those lessons with you through this blog, and all the while giving humble cooking the props it deserves!
Let me tell you another reason I love to write about food. It has to do with one gorgeous bowl of soup called sup tulang.
During a solo work trip to Singapore, I wandered by a food stall selling this exact thing, although at the time, all I knew about this thing was what I had seen on Anthony Bourdain’s show. Two men were working behind the counter, one constantly stirring the giant cauldron of flaming red soup as the other took my order. When I sat down with my paper plate, strangers immediately began to offer tips as it was painfully obvious I was a tulang newbie. Someone from a nearby juice stand presented me with a fat straw and told me I should use it to suck the marrow out from the bone. A mother with two kids from the next table scoffed at the very idea and told me to simply suck on the bone like a straw. It dawned on me that I was re-enacting the exact scene from Bourdain’s show right then and there. Even minus the cameras and television crew, a humble dish like this – it’s just a soup with mutton bones, people – had the magical power to connect me with total strangers in other countries.
So food, it turns out, is always common ground. That’s the other reason why I love food, why I love to write about it, and why I think you’ll like reading about it.
And just maybe, after a while, you’ll find that culinary wanderlust can be a very contagious thing.
38 Comments
Can a brother get a mutton straw at Mission Bay?
Great entry, Angi; It’s very you. We need a #limlabfoodies hastag, but no one else uses twitter!
Thanks Ben! And as for mutton straws, your balut lady might be the best bet, no? :D
Yeah Twitter isn’t so popular in our lab. We’re totally behind the times…although maybe everyone’s really on twitter as someone else, @stuffmybosssays, etc.
This is a great entry! And I hear ya on the cookbooks. My design books are pristine, but my cookbooks…not so much!
btw…I see that you have a few cookbooks on Indian cuisine… can you recommend one? i have Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking, but am looking for another. How’s that South Indian one?
Thanks Amy! I actually don’t mind it when my cookbooks get dirty…gives them more personality, no? Besides, the ones I use most often won’t need to be sold anyway. :)
There are two Indian cookbooks we use most often in our house. One is the big “Complete Indian” that Nathan got long ago (before my time!) – I’ve tried searching for that everywhere but it’s probably out of print. The other one is the South Indian cookbook but the bad news is that I got that book at the Singapore airport when I had to use up some extra currency (and I can’t find it on Amazon). Turns out the author of the random book I picked up is a pretty famous food personality in Singapore!
But! A friend of mine just asked me for Indian cookbooks recommendations a while ago and here’s what I told her. You already have Madhur Jaffrey, which I’ve heard great things about. My favorite cookbook-author-team of Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford wrote a book on the Indian subcontinent called Mangoes and Curry Leaves and even though I don’t own that one, I can vouch for their books (I have two of their other ones). Gorgeous gorgeous photography, recipes that work, and wonderful travel stories – I always love their work.
Another book I’ve been pining after is not exactly Indian cooking, but focuses on Parsi cooking. It’s called My Bombay Kitchen and it won a James Beard award!
Hope this sort of helps!
Came to check out the competition. You look strong! Good Luck! GREG
Thanks Greg! Have you posted your entry yet? I can’t wait to read it! Good luck to you too!
I’m so glad to have found your blog! I love this post, and what a wonderful story of how one simple bowl of marrow goodness can bring a group of people together. Love your writing style!!!
Ahh, marrow… I swear that stuff can bring about world peace. ^_^ Thanks for reading, Liren! Same goes for your blog – it’s so lovely and I’m excited to read more!
LOVE IT!!!!
:)
Thank you to my favorite Portuguese woman Raquel!!! ^_^
This is great stuff! Looking forward to reading more.
Thanks Cosmo! Coming from an awesome writer like you, that means a lot lots to me! ^_^
At the risk of cheesily echoing the comments above mine, LOVE the post! Some of the best conversations I’ve had while travelling have been about food so I’m totally a fan of your marrow soup story :)
Thanks Azmina! Food is definitely my biggest ice-breaker, especially while travelling — I’m glad you feel the same!
I’ve never had sup tulang before but the way you described it wants me to jump in a plane and fly to Singapore (plus I really have been dying to visit the place!) I’m glad I found your blog abd I’m looking forward to your posts. Best of luck in PFB!
Thanks for reading, Jun! Singapore is absolutely a foodie’s heaven … you would love it! One day, maybe I’ll actually try to figure out how to make sup tulang at home and I’ll make sure to alert you if it works out. :)
I seriously need to get myself a Momofuku. I fall asleep reading cookbooks everynight. You have a great collection there.
Great blog and excellent post! I hope you make it to second round! Good luck!
Thanks Jun! Glad to know I’m not the only one who reads cookbooks for fun. :) In that case, you must must get Momofuku. It’s not only a great cookbook but the writing in it is hilarious, so it’s a fun read. By the way, your blog is absolutely lovely — I aspire to take photos like yours!
What a lovely post! I’d love to travel over to Singapore one of these days. That feeling of ability to completely cross any language or culture barriers over a simple bowl of soup is fantastic. Some day, some day. You definitely get my vote :D
And if you like, stop by my blog and vote for me too if you like what you see :D
http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/1/view/197
Thanks for the vote, Anna! Yes, you definitely need to put Singapore on your list of foodie destinations… you won’t regret it, especially if you like Asian food! :) Your monster cookie is hilarious – get ready to receive a vote!
Great post! Glad to have found you through PFB. I love when you can connect with someone over food!
Thanks Leah and hello from a former Texan! :) I agree – I’m not very competitive by nature so I wasn’t too sure about PFB at the start. But now it’s leading me to all these great bloggers! Good luck in the competition!
“That is, unless you’re my sister in which case all books, in heavy rotation or not, are in mint condition because that’s just how she rolls.”
YES.
Everyone, please meet my sister!
Angi,
Great job!! I voted for you and not the girl showing cleavage.
Oh, and the answers to your questions: addicted to Mexican cuisine, love Michael Simon (Elizabeth is rubbing off on me, we’re planning on a trip to Cleveland one year for her birthday just to hit his restaurants), and I love the IDEA of sude-vide.
Ed
Thanks Ed! Yay Mexican cuisine! We are huge fans of Rick Bayless and his cookbooks here so, now I know what we can cook for you when we invite you and the fam over for dinner. ^_^
I love food too and I’m envious of your cookbook collection! I’m voting for you because I’d love to see more!
Good Luck!
-Gina-
Thanks so much, Gina! Believe me, every time I see someone else’s cookbook collection, I immediately want it too so I know how you feel. Good luck to you on PFB!
braaaains. when we gon get ramen
Thanks(?) Amar! Ramen is a must, but isn’t it too warm right now for bowls of steamy noodles?
Love your cookbook shelf. I think “ad hoc” is Keller’s best.
You got our vote!
http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/1/495
Thanks Peter, both for your vote and for giving me photography tips in your very first entry post to PFB! Can’t wait to see what else I can learn from you two. :)
I love this post. I never thought about snooping around ones cookbooks, but now I’m not going to be able to resist. Thanks for visiting me, and I’m so glad I stopped by here for a bit. Definitely got my vote, and I will for sure be returning.
I’ve been drooling over the Momofuku cookbook – do you love it?
Thanks Sarah! I do love the Momofuku cookbook, and this is considering I haven’t even made anything from it yet. I actually read the entire cookbook cover to cover because it’s so well-written and funny. You should definitely check it out. My friend Ben/BabyChili is also a big fan and he’s actually made a few things from it – you can see them on his blog.
Angi, great post; delicious common ground! The absolute best thing about this event is meeting fabulous bloggers from all over the world. Thanks for sharing.
Min,
The Bad Girl’s Kitchen
Thanks for visiting, Min! I agree… I’m loving PFB so far because I’ve found so many great but new-to-me blogs already. Good luck to you in the competition!
Thanks Angi for stopping by m blog, and thanks for the lovely intro to you via your bookshelf. Looking forward to reading more!
Cheers! Fiona
Thanks so much, Fiona! Excited to read more about your Shanghai adventures. ^_^
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