EPIGRAPH:

I am not a glutton.

I am an explorer of food.

- Erma Bombeck

..

Sometimes a book is riveting despite one’s initial reaction of distaste. This was true for me in reading Freeman’s New York City-centric “round the world via restaurant” guide. “What a know-it-all! How pretentious! She’s never eating dinner at my house!” I said. And yet, I kept reading, as Freeman discussed British, Chinese, Cuban, French, Greek, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines, with descriptions of the cuisine overall, highlights of popular and “don’t miss” items and short reviews of NYC restaurants serving that cuisine. It made me hungry. It made me want to cook. It made me want to explore cuisines I didn’t know that well, or try unusual dishes within cuisines I thought I did know well. Although there are no recipes, the library has an excellent selection of cookbooks for all the cuisines mentioned- so read Freeman first, grab a cookbook and try it at home, if you can’t afford a trip to New York.

Check the BPL catalog for this title: Try This