June Newsletter

• Editorial
  - Happiness without a credit limit,
• A Book Look!
  - Perfect for Father’s Day,
• The Power of Promotion
  - Attracting the Right Sort of Attention
• Enhancing the Home
  - Homeware & decor style and colour trends.
• Designer Dress and Desk
  - desktop items for the NOW generation
• Imagination Movers
  - Spring And Summer Toy And Game Trends To Inspire The Imaginations Of Young Artists.

A Book Look! Perfect for Father’s Day

Title: Esquire, EAT like a MAN
Foreword: Tom Colicchio
Introduction: David Granger
Editor: Ryan D’Agostino
Publisher: Chronicle Books, San Francisco
RRP: $69.99
Distributor: Southern Publishers Group
Release date: July 2011

“Historically, men dominated professional kitchens just as universally as women dominated domestic ones. That division is beginning to break down, with more women than ever making names for themselves in restaurant kitchens and an increasing number of men cooking at an amateur level. I know fewer and fewer guys who restrict their culinary ambitions to manning the backyard grill – a hoary cliché I’d be happy to get rid of once and for all. This book is a great thing. And if you picked up this book, you’re probably part of the new vanguard of men who consider cooking one of the manly arts. I support you in this! Keep up the good work, and keep on cooking like a man.” – Tom Colicchio

Before I began reading this ‘manly’ cookbook, I questioned my husband on his own culinary wants and desires. “I guess I’d use a cookbook if it was given to me, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to buy one myself. Admittedly, I probably wouldn’t use it more than a half-dozen times anyway, because I never seem to have all of the ingredients then and there when I need them, and who can be bothered driving all the way to the supermarket for a few caper berries,” was his response.

To be fair, I also share similar viewpoints when it comes to recipe trawling. More often than not, I’ll use the same tried and true recipes from my old-faithful cookbooks because I know that (a) I have the right ingredients, (b) they won’t end too disastrously if I do have to improvise a little here and there, and (c) no one will complain when it’s put in front of them.

With easiness in mind – both ingredient count and time wise – I attempted to review this cookbook from a man’s viewpoint, namely my husband’s. Here are my findings:

• It uses simple explanations – with pictures – for everything from ‘What to eat at cocktail hour’ through to ‘Pork butt . . . a cheap slab of pig doesn’t mean it ain’t delicious.’
• Interviews from cooking greats, including Julia Childs and Thomas Keller, are interspersed throughout the pages and are quirky, informative and entertaining.
• Preceding the index, the book lists every recipe by skill level i.e. roast chicken comes under the ‘easy’ category, whilst beef stew with ale fits into the ‘reasonable’ section.
• It’s not all about ‘cooking’. There are some great sandwich recipes included for weekend (or weekday) lunches.
• Although the book is targeted predominantly at men, it doesn’t exclude women readers. It openly acknowledges females and their cooking skills, homemaking and other talents across its pages.

Overall, I enjoyed this cookbook. It wasn’t a lightweight read, nor was it heavy-going or too macho. I especially appreciated the fact that the majority of the ingredients used weren’t in the too-hard basket. Would I buy it for my husband? Absolutely. Would he use it? Definitely. I only wish it included a section on how to clean up!