Umami on the Prowl - Friends of the Library Book Sale

Umami loves the Friends of the Library Book Sale!  So many books, so cheap, such a good cause!  Umami reads maybe 1% of them, but that's not really the point, is it?  Who buys books to read?  Heck, who buys books at all, much less read them?  Anyway, here's what we found, with prices ($):

Hawaii Public Television had a cooking show called "The International Kitchen."  I don't remember the years it aired, but it did produce two cookbooks, in 1986 and (I'm guessing) 1989.  The host was Nino J. Martin, whose picture adorns both covers.  They really are collections of international recipes, some from fairly famous places, like:  "Sri Lankan Curry Repast" from The Willows executive chef, Kusuma Cooray.  Some are created by Martin.  ($3 apiece, which I think is pricey for such slender volumes.  But you pay a price for nostalgia value).

Or, there's this pic, of an entertainer named Frank DeLima, preparing, yes, it's true, malasadas.  I like that his recipe calls for "1 gallon oil (for deep-frying)," because, you never know, someone might put it in the batter!

Let's see . . . other cookbooks I found:

Kathy Hoshijo's "Kathy Cooks" (fka "The Art of Dieting Without Dieting") .   I vaguely remember Hoshijo's controversial run for Congress as the candidate for "Independents for Godly Government" party.  At about the same time, I learned she had this cooking show on PBS and I thought that it was odd combination to have a vegan television chef running for Congress.  In the end, she's a vegetarian chef and the book looks to be a good primer on the topic.   ($2)

Jeremiah Tower's "New American Classics" (1986) - this is well after his stint at Chez Panisse and early in the years of his restaurant, Stars (which I did not go to when I had the chance, stupid, stupid, stupid!).  It's interesting because the pictures of the food for some reason don't look that good.  Perhaps food photography was not yet as evolved as it is today. ($3)
 

"Brennan's New Orleans Cookbook" (1961) - which is, of course, for the legendary New Orleans restaurant and family.  Heck, it was famous even before Emeril and Prudhomme . . . !  Some of the recipes:  Crayfish Bisque, Duck Jambalaya, Veal Grillades and Grits.  The names are simpler than today's hyper-verbal-dish-name-extravaganzas.  Take, for example Emeril's "Pork Roulade with Andouille Corn-Bread Stuffing, Sage Jus, and Mango Chutney."  Don't get me wrong, I'd eat that in a heartbeat.  And not to pick on Emeril (I just happen to have his "New New Orleans Cooking" nearby).  But maybe there's something to be said about for a cookbook and a restaurant that can name in dish in less than four words.  ($3)

"The Book of Latin American Cooking" (1969) - I picked this mostly because I don't have a Latin American cookbook and this seemed very readable, and the recipes don't seem overly involved.  The author, Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz, was unknown to me, but a quick google search (just now) revealed she was a famous British food writer!  See:  Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz Obituary.  "The Book of Latin American Cooking" was her second book.  ($1.  Steal!)

There were, for some reason, a lot of Chinese cookbooks available, which is to say, cookbooks about Chinese food, not cookbooks written in Chinese, though there might have been a few of those too.  I picked up two.  The first is "Florence Lin's Chinese Regional Cookbook" (1975).  Here's her Lin's bio, on the Asian Culinary Arts Institute site.  And, I, what can I say, I love the cover!  ($2)

The other one I picked up was Barbara Tropp's "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking" (1982).  I thought I would do a comparison of Tropp's book with Lin's book, but I have to admit that's absurdly unlikely.  But, regardless (or is it, "irregardless?"), I thought this would be worth getting, as both Tropp's name and restaurant, China Moon, sounded very familiar to me.  According to Wikipedia, James Beard described the book as "...a unique achievement. [Tropp's] intelligent and thorough explanations are detailed and truly great. The choice of recipes is exciting. This is a magnum opus for any cooking addict."  Whew, that's a recommendation!  ($5)

Looking through it, I noticed something interesting, it looks like Tropp signed the front endpaper and wrote "China Moon" and "San Francisco" with her (or the restaurant's?) chop!  Supercool!  ($Priceless!)

Sale runs the rest of the week.  Umami will be back . . . !