Sitting in a pile of suitcases in the Art Deco lobby of the Netherland Plaza, waiting, waiting for taxis at the end of PRPD's conference, Susan Stamberg was in relaxed -- and animated (it was, after all, Susan Stamberg) – conversation, about what was missing from public radio. We were still in the long twin shadows of the September prior, looking for life ahead.
"(With apologies to Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish), The two most important things in life are missing from public radio," I offered. "Food and love."
Two years later, food is finding its way into the public radio recipe. Stamberg's January 2004 food series and Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva's new "Hidden Kitchen" series, both on Morning Edition, have helped set the table.
Here's another ingredient to put into the mix. "Cookbooks as Literature" surveys cookbooks across time, culture, and style -- from Victorian England to African American cooking to the modern potpourri of recipe as story. The program is neither cook-by-numbers nor book review, but jumps from belly to brain and back again. And that's fine for public radio listeners, who are perfectly adept at eating your words.
I especially appreciated the insights into NPR cultural correspondent Verta Mae Grosvenor's transformational writing in Vibration Cooking. The production ably employs a variety of voices to convey straight text, so the presentation is more conversational than didactic and doesn't drag.
Unless you plan to hold your tongue until next November, don't put off this program as mere Thanksgiving fare. The tentpoles of public radio listening are planted firmly in the mess tent, and listeners are eating breakfast and dinner during much of the news. "Cookbooks as Literature" serves as a perfect dessert, digesting the places eyes, ears, and mouths connect.
This is a busy half-hour, and somehow, I wanted less someone trying to feed my ear and more just letting the material speak for itself. Not to say that what's here isn't good -- but it is proof that a little knowledge is, indeed, a dangerous thing. The leap to recherche without stopping along the way to acknowledge those who made the whole idea of food palatable -- Julia Child, for instance, or MFK Fisher -- is distressing. More to the point, what's with all this talk about food with nothing really being said about taste? This is a C2 program: half the carbs, half the syrup, half the stuff that makes the subject of food and cooking worthwhile.
Comments for What's the Word? Cookbooks as Literature
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Other pieces by Modern Language Association
Rating Summary
2 comments
Geo Beach
Posted on November 28, 2004 at 01:20 PM | Permalink
Review of What's the Word? Cookbooks as Literature
"(With apologies to Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish), The two most important things in life are missing from public radio," I offered. "Food and love."
Two years later, food is finding its way into the public radio recipe. Stamberg's January 2004 food series and Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva's new "Hidden Kitchen" series, both on Morning Edition, have helped set the table.
Here's another ingredient to put into the mix. "Cookbooks as Literature" surveys cookbooks across time, culture, and style -- from Victorian England to African American cooking to the modern potpourri of recipe as story. The program is neither cook-by-numbers nor book review, but jumps from belly to brain and back again. And that's fine for public radio listeners, who are perfectly adept at eating your words.
I especially appreciated the insights into NPR cultural correspondent Verta Mae Grosvenor's transformational writing in Vibration Cooking. The production ably employs a variety of voices to convey straight text, so the presentation is more conversational than didactic and doesn't drag.
Unless you plan to hold your tongue until next November, don't put off this program as mere Thanksgiving fare. The tentpoles of public radio listening are planted firmly in the mess tent, and listeners are eating breakfast and dinner during much of the news. "Cookbooks as Literature" serves as a perfect dessert, digesting the places eyes, ears, and mouths connect.
Jackson Braider
Posted on November 12, 2004 at 06:42 PM | Permalink
Review of What's the Word? Cookbooks as Literature
This is a busy half-hour, and somehow, I wanted less someone trying to feed my ear and more just letting the material speak for itself. Not to say that what's here isn't good -- but it is proof that a little knowledge is, indeed, a dangerous thing. The leap to recherche without stopping along the way to acknowledge those who made the whole idea of food palatable -- Julia Child, for instance, or MFK Fisher -- is distressing. More to the point, what's with all this talk about food with nothing really being said about taste? This is a C2 program: half the carbs, half the syrup, half the stuff that makes the subject of food and cooking worthwhile.