Book Review: Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells by Harold McGee

Walking into my house this time of year, I am greeted by the intoxicating scent of Daphne.  Daphne is a wonderful evergreen shrub that blooms here in late January and keeps on blooming for weeks.  I have always loved the smell of Daphne, and on neighborhood walks can sniff out other Daphnes in flower.   But not until reading Nose Dive:  A Field Guide to the World's Smells did I think about delving into what the fragrance was.  I will agree with others that it has a powerful nutmeg and honeysuckle perfume, a sweet and spicy fragrance that is strong, but not sickly.  I think it has a bright citrus element too.

Reading through Nose Dive by Harold McGee I really starting to think about about aromas and what characteristics they have.  Harold gave me the additional information about why they smell the way they do.   

Here are three reasons to read this book:

1.  The smells of our world.  Nose Dive is an excellent compilation of the smells of our world, starting from the creation of Earth, followed by plant and animal smells and then into the smells of land, sea and industry.  This is all followed by the world of chosen smells; the smells of fragrances, cooking and lastly, cured and fermented foods.  

2.  You'll learn a lot.  The book covers how aromas are created by their molecular compounds on to how aromas are synthesized for the consumer goods industry.  

3.  You'll be surprised.  There may be a few revelations for you.  I learned what aromas some cheeses emit is, as well as the funky smell of black currants.  That lovely smell of cassis in wine may not be as pleasing as first thought.

And here is one big reason not to:

You may never smell things the same again!  While reading this book, I've been sticking my nose in freshly laundered towels, jars of black currant preserves, tubs of hummus and handfuls of compost to learn the fundamental smells of things.  While I have always had a good sniffer, this was detrimental to me earlier this year.  While sniffing for that pleasing fresh laundered towel smell, I was shocked that my clean laundry stunk!  Ten loads of laundry were rewashed, my washing machine was scrubbed inside and out, and I found a filter on my machine I hadn't known about for 13 years.  Going forward, when I do the recommended bimonthly filter cleaning I will remember that I'm battling the stink most likely caused by the bacteria Moraxella osloensis.  (p. 546)

Nose Dive is a great book.  It is quite hefty.  I figured there were about 600 detailed pages I had to get through.  But they were fun and informative.  Good quotes, good references, and fun facts were discovered.  Harold McGee also encourages you to read the book whatever way you want.  Skip ahead to the wine section, or breeze through the plant smells.  Every author should write that way!  

Harold does a wonderful job of taking very dense information (lots of chemical compounds are discussed and diagrammed) and making it accessible.  With Harold living in Northern California now, I was able to virtually walk the streets of San Francisco as he described the scents his neighborhood expressed.  Also, he allowed me to learn what some mysterious plants, and smells, were that I've encountered my entire life.  An example of this is Rabbit Tobacco.  Growing up in the Bay Area, I was often out wandering in the hills.  In late summer I would always discover "maple plant", an everlasting flower that smelled exactly like maple syrup.    Reading this book, I now know the plant is Rabbit Tobacco, and it smells of maple syrup as well as curry and fenugreek.  Exactly!

My only unresolved sensational question is:  How does Febreeze work?  I may never know.

Book Review: The Sun is a Compass by Caroline Van Hemert

Getting out into nature is my favorite way to recharge.  I like to pedal along local trails, paddle in our local waterways and hike or run in the hills whenever possible.  But I've never thought to self power myself over 4,000 miles of North America's wildest areas.  The Sun is a Compass is Caroline Van Hemert's story about the trip she and her husband made from Bellingham, Washington north to the Arctic Ocean and backdown through the Brooks Range to Kotzebue, Alaska. Their 4,000 mile trek included miles paddled in their custom crafted, handmade rowboats and long stretches of remote landscape hiked or skied in Canada and Alaska.                                                                                                                                   

Caroline is a native Alaskan, and is an intrepid traveler.  She also set out on this trip after finishing her Ph.D. dissertation in ornithology.  Through the story, Caroline weaves in stories of the birds she sees during the trip, giving glimpses of the birds' journeys and the effects climate change is having on their futures.  On a journey of this magnitude, birds sometimes were the only wildlife the pair would see for days, and they were always a welcome sight for Caroline.

To travel to the areas the couple did took extensive planning.  For months they were pouring over maps, guidebooks and consulting others about the trip.  My favorite statement about how big an undertaking this was is when Caroline sees the topographical maps her husband, Pat, taped on the wall, and they are tilting crookedly.  This irritates her.  Pat's response shows just what a big undertaking this was.  The tilting wasn't due to him sloppily taping up maps, but due to the curvature of the earth.  "The scale is that big"

Planning also involved packing up supply boxes of food that would be dropped off for them along the route.  This is a journey of endurance, and their food supplies were full of high calorie, easily prepared, often dehydrated foods.  The resupply boxes were always a welcome sight for the pair after traveling hundred of miles.  The hardest wait comes for a resupply box in the Noatak Valley.  Caroline and her husband arrive and expect the supply box to be delivered after they call the pilot.  But when they call on their satellite phone, weather conditions have the plane grounded.  Day after day passes, with the couple losing energy and nearing starvation.  The sight of that plane on the 5th day was euphoric, and the items in that box were quickly eaten until they were sated.  

Caroline and her husband have some magical sightings of animals.  They also have memorable interactions with people during their trip.  My favorite story is of Ricky who lives in a 140-square foot house in Noatak Valley.  Of course when you are the only person in the middle of nowhere, when two travelers set foot near you, you welcome them in, warm them up, feed them and trade stories.  Ricky was a remarkable man, one of several personalities they meet during the trip.  

This book proved to be a great escape from the recent smoky, hot air we've been experiencing on the West coast.  Well written and very informative.  Take the journey and read this book.  

Book Review: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

  

What happens when a botanist gets her hand on a book about the meaning of flowers?  She gets one of her quickest reads in years.  

The Book:  The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is a novel about young Victoria, a girl who is in the foster care system in the San Francisco Bay Area.  The story follows her life from her adolescent years as a foster child, through her emancipation from foster care on to her young adult years.  Victoria was given up as an infant, and she then bounced around the foster care system for 18 years.  The descriptions of her experiences in various potential adoption situations, followed by her life as an adolescent and teen in group homes vividly portrays what many children in the foster care system experience.  

The story may resonate with me because it is set in San Francisco and in the North Coast viticultural area of California.  Victoria lives most of her childhood within the San Francisco Bay Area.  Her life really changes when a vineyard owner becomes her guardian.  The vineyard owner, Elizabeth, farms her own land and welcomes young Victoria into her home and teaches her all about grape growing.  Elizabeth also has an extensive lexicon of flowers, knowing the meaning of each flower in the garden.  Elizabeth finds an apt pupil in Victoria, and they form their own language of flowers during their evolving relationship.  

Victoria is a strong willed, and sometimes violent child who has a hard time finding a family that will become her adopted family.  She is taken in by Elizabeth, and almost becomes Elizabeth's daughter, but it doesn't happen.  You see the relationship build, but also how it is marred during their time together.  

Once Victoria turns 18 she is no longer a ward of the state, and she has to find her own way in the world.  Homeless in a park, she finds a job at a flower shop after she wows the owner with the exquisite and meaningful bouquets she presents to her.  Victoria is a natural florist, and can find the perfect flowers for every customer, for every situation and for every need.  Quickly she is indispensable at the flower shop and she is starting to establish herself as an adult in San Francisco.

Victoria does fall in love with someone who understands her affection for flowers.  They form a solid relationship.  All relationships are fraught with problems and misunderstandings, this one is no different.  The relationship is severed, suddenly, by Victoria, and you wonder how she is going to keep herself together.

Reconciliation does happen, on Victoria's terms, and her future happiness is probable.  Reading this story, I really appreciate that Vanessa Diffenbaugh does not paint a portrait of innocence and victimhood in her descriptions of Victoria.  She shows Victoria's faults as well as her talents.  

The Botany:  This book talks about flowers and their meanings.  In Victorian times (it should be noted that our main character is Victoria) flowers and their secret meanings were used to communicate messages between people.  Flowers continue to communicate messages now.  Here are the flowers and their messages that I'm interpreting this this summer:  

Fennel = Strength.  Fennel is growing with abandon in my garden this year.  I spied a flock of goldfinches pecking out fennel seed yesterday, and fennel is a great habitat for Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars.

Grapevine = Abundance.  With the grapevines being laden with fruit right now, you can see the abundance around you.

Oregano = Joy.  I have planted oregano in every incarnation of it this spring.  Variegated, Greek, Italian.  I hope it brings a lot of joy to my household.

Sage = Good Health and a Long Life.  My sages this year have been so drought tolerant and are thriving everywhere I have them in the garden.  I hope it signals good health and a long life for my family during the pandemic and afterwards.

Wheat = Prosperity.  At the beginning of the pandemic my straw bale sprouted and a small crop of wheat was soon flourishing by my compost pile.  

Scarlet Pimpernel = Change.  Every spring this flower finds itself in my garden, along my walkways and places where I least expect it.  I have a new patch of it coming up in a recently planted flowerbed.  I hope this brings good change.  We could all use it.  

Definitely a well written book.  The Language of Flowers was a fun discovery. 

Book Review: Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi

Just finished up Notes From a Young Black Chef:  A Memoir by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein.  I could barely put the book down--and can't wait to try the gumbo recipe on page 22. 

Kwame Onwuachi is a young, successful chef based in Washington D.C.  This book takes us through his life; from his youth growing up in the Bronx, NY, to being shipped off to live with his grandfather in Nigeria, back to his teen age years in New York City and then through his journey into the culinary world.

Kwame Onwuachi is a charismatic young man.  He has gained celebrity with his time on the 13th season of Top Chef and then when he opened up his restaurant Shaw Bijou in Washington D.C.  After a mighty fall when Shaw Bijou only stayed open for 3 months, he was asked to open the restaurant at the new InterContinental Hotel in D.C.'s Southwest Waterfront district.  This restaurant, Kith and Kin, has become a standout culinary destination.  Food & Wine magazine named Kwame a Best New Chef in 2019 and that year he also was named Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Awards.

These accolades and the success he has found was not unearned.  This memoir details Kwame's upbringing, his young adulthood and his early successes in the culinary world.  Kwame also describes his wonderful relationship with his mother who was a great cook.  After some missteps (gang violence, school expulsions and drug dealing), Kwame dedicated himself to cooking.  His first real foray into cooking was as a cook off the coast of Louisiana on a ship cleaning up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  This first real commitment to cooking quickly showed Kwame how good of a cook he was.  This led him back to New York City, into his own catering business and then into the Culinary Institute of America.  Afterwards, Kwame went on to work at Per Se and Eleven Madison Park before opening up his own restaurants.

This memoir describes the struggles Kwame went through--both as a child and as a young man--to find a place in this world.  He talks about his troubled relationship with his father.  He discusses his choices in his education.  Kwame also shows how hard he worked, how hard he wanted to get ahead, and how he dealt with adversity.  He doesn't always put a beautiful filter on his history, which makes me appreciate his candor even more. 

Kwame is also a die-hard entrepreneur.  From selling Hurricanes at college to make a buck, to selling candy on the New York Subway to start his catering business, he was always hustling.  And he was good at it.

Kwame's memoir is a great read.  The story is so good it is being turned into a movie with Lakeith Stanfield starring as Kwame.  Can't wait to see it. 

To hear Kwame's interview with Dan Pashman of Sporkful, click here for Part 1, and here for Part 2.  This is where I first learned about Kwame.  And you can hear a lot of other great "eater" stories from Dan--totally worth listening too.  Although I disagree with Dan about how to correctly eat a piece of pizza.  But that's for another blog post......

Book Review: Admissions by Henry Marsh

Quick book review while I'm on the road in New Zealand.  New Zealand is quite a big place, and over the last week I've covered about 1500 miles of road on the south island.  During this time, my husband has done an excellent job of keeping us on the left side of the road while I've been reading aloud from Dr. Henry Marsh's newest book, Admissions.   This book follows on the doctor's wildly successful book, Do No Harm which I reviewed a few months ago.  Click here for a link to that review.

This book was a great read, and especially so if you have read Do No Harm.  Knowing a bit about his life and work when reading this book, you can see how his retirement from his full-time brain surgery work in England and his fear of being stricken by Alzheimers in his advancing age have led him to reflect on his life and career in this book.

This book again talks about surgeries and their outcomes for the doctor, the medical staff, the patient and the patient's family.  It also talks about Dr. Marsh's volunteer medical work in Nepal and Ukraine.  He discusses his post retirement medical work and his ongoing spiritual journey.  Additionally, the doctor works hard to get back into a big personal love of his, woodworking.  The woodworking is secondary to his purchase of a run-down shed in the town he grew up in.  While he is rehabilitating the property, he is also reminiscing about his past and looking forward to his future putterings in his workshop.

Admissions is also a confessional of sorts.  Henry Marsh discusses surgeries gone wrong, past indignities he's suffered and the torment he has put others through.  Throughout the book the doctor shows great empathy for his fellow man, and in a way is making things right in his past.

This book is a great read about a man's professional and personal life.  It is full of wit, shocking medical situations and a caretaker's perspective on life as well as death.

Book Review: Do No Harm by Henry Marsh

Hello Fellow Readers.  Just dug this gem out of my stack of books:   Do No Harm by Henry Marsh.  A good friend had recommended it over 3 years ago and this past month I couldn't put it down

Do No Harm is written by British brain surgeon Henry Marsh.  Dr. Marsh does a wonderful job of talking about complicated brain issues in easily understandable language.  He also talks about his interpersonal relationships with patients, co-workers and his family.  He also shines light on the bureaucracy that medicine has become.

Dr. Marsh starts each chapter with a medical term for a disorder, such as Aneurysm, and then discusses the surgery he performs on a patient with that problem, along with the situations surrounding the surgery.  Situations include not having enough beds in the surgery ward for his patients, dealing with other "famous" brain surgeons and the damage they have wrought to a patient, through to working as a volunteer in a Ukrainian hospital.  Dr. Marsh also brings out his personal story, including his infant son suffering from a brain tumor, and his retinas detaching and breaking his leg falling down his staircase.  Doctors are human too, and need medical care just like you and I. 

The book was a fun and fast read.  Dr. Marsh gave enthralling descriptors of surgeries.  He also told about unsuccessful surgeries that left patients dead, in a vegetative state or otherwise.  Dr. Marsh's commitment to his patients' best outcomes was evident in each story. 

I definitely encourage you to read this book.  It will shed some light on the inner workings of the brain, and might just make you think about things in a new way. 

Book Review: The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone

Earlier this year I stopped in for a book signing in Davis, CA at the Avid Reader bookstore.  Daniel Stone was talking about his new book, The Food Explorer:  The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats.  It was quite insightful to see Daniel Stone in Davis, returning to the town he spent his youth in.  His friends as well as his former farm employer were in attendance.  It was evident from the audience and his subject matter that his exposure to farming had a profound effect on him.  Writing a book about the man who significantly changed United States agriculture was a natural for Daniel.   

The Food Explorer is the story of David Fairchild, the botanist who brought new plants to the US for commercial propagation.  These introduced plants number over 200,000 and include the Meyer lemon, avocados, mangos, hops, vinifera grapes and many types of melons.  Additionally, some of our most cherished plants were introduced by Mr. Fairchild.  The flowering cherry trees that are celebrated in our nation's capital were a treasured, and politically charged, find of this botanist.   He also helped build and improve many of our commercial crops such as cotton, bringing improved strains of it from Egypt.  

This book does a great job of chronicling how David Fairchild became the nation's most important food explorer.  Daniel Stone tells how Fairchild stumbled into plant collection, found his footing in discovering plants, rooted new plants on our soil, and became a pillar of agriculture in Washington DC.  The story includes Fairchild's lucky meeting of a San Francisco bon vivant, Barbour Lathrop.  Mr. Lathrop took Fairchild under his wing and along on his worldwide explorations, all while financing Fairchild's work.  

Daniel Stone also tells about the inner workings of agricultural government agencies and the real problems the farmers of the late 1800's and early 1900's faced.  When Fairchild began his explorations, the US Department of Agriculture was a small agency.  While Fairchild's discoveries were growing, so was the size of the Dept of Ag, with the staff and offices exploding over the course of just a few years.  Farmers had been struggling with scant profits on their crops.  As Fairchild's discoveries took root here, so did isolationist views, and fears of introduced disease and pests.  This book puts that in great perspective, through the view of a plant scientist.  

Many areas of the US have been directly changed by David Fairchild's plant discoveries and propagation.  Florida and California were perfect climates to grow tropical and warm-weather plants that would have withered anywhere else.  His introduction of new varieties of grapes led to the success of the wine industry and the acres of beautiful vineyards we have today.  With his introductions, and successful farming, whole populations of American have been established in new US regions.  

Through his travels and success in plant introduction, David Fairchild was recognized as the most traveled man in the United States.  This gave him a great measure of celebrity.  He was invited to speak to influential groups and to publish his stories in National Geographic and other publications. He met President Theodore Roosevelt, married Alexander Graham Bell's daughter, and was friends with Orville Wright, to mention a few.  

Going to the book signing in Davis was fun for me.  When I attended UC Davis, I was one of the last graduates with a degree in botany.  Now botany has been renamed plant biology.  The average person doesn't know the impact botanists have had on the world around us.  Historically, botanists were included on explorations, asked to settle new colonies and worked to strengthen local environments with plants and their produce.  Having traveled around the world, I have always stopped in the botanical gardens to find out the discoveries and important plants in any country.  So, to read about the exploits and struggles that an early American botanist faced really brought all of my education and experience into perspective.

Book Review: The Wine Lover's Daughter by Anne Fadiman

This past December I was listening to NPR on my way to my morning run.  A funny thing always happens when I do this on the weekend.  I'll start a show on my drive out, and pick up the exact same show when I get back in my car after the run.  Most often this is infuriating; doesn't NPR have more to talk about?  But that morning I was so thrilled to get to hear the story twice.  If you want to hear the story once, twice or more, here is a link.

Anne Fadiman writes about her father, Clifton Fadiman.  Anne's father was a renowned literary critic, editor and radio host who was also a true oenophile.  During his lengthy career, Clifton Fadiman was the editor in chief of Simon & Schuster, the book critic for The New Yorker and co-author of the encyclopedic "The Joys of Wine."  He also hosted a popular radio quiz show, "Information Please!" and was a judge for the Book of the Month Club.

Anne Fadiman may have hesitantly followed in her father's footsteps to become a writer, but she has become a renowned writer as well.  Having first listened to her about the book on the NPR broadcast, I was excited to read the book.  Having the book in hand, I realized that she wrote one of my favorite books, "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," a profile of a Hmong refugee family that went on to earn her the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction.

Reading Anne's recollections of growing up immersed in wine culture is funny and insightful.  Her father was an intelligent and worldly man who loved good wine.  From a young age she sampled extraordinary wines around the family dinner table and at events.  Her father loved to share his knowledge and his wines with his family and friends, and Anne had a great education in the wines of the world, especially Burgundy and Bordeaux.

While many of us would love to have that exposure to great wines and knowledge, Clifton's daughter has a bittersweet relationship to wine.  While it reminds her of her father and her past, she herself does not really like to drink much wine.  As a science lover who also likes to uncover the mysteries of our senses, Anne Fadiman's exploration of flavor, taste and personal preference takes her to into researcher's labs, to wine bars for tastings, and to studying tongue maps.  These exercises are quite enlightening, and I think give her a perspective on herself in relation to and separate from her father.

As happens to all of us, Clifton Fadiman ages during the book, and his daughter describes the changes in him and in their relationship.  But his love of wine is unwavering.  While in his final days he does become a fan of Guinness, his relationship with wine is constant.  After his death, his daughter pieces together much of his adult life from what she learns in his Cellar Book.  As she said, it was like finding a sheaf of old love letters.  From that mismatched collection of documents, she found vivid memories of his past.

This book was very well written, and engagingly explores a father-daughter relationship from the daughter's perspective.  This daughter fortunately knows how to write.  While we may all have our own relationships with parents, children and wine that we need to contemplate, it is very interesting to get Anne Fadiman's perspective on her relationships to parents, children and wine.  In case my review prompts interest, here's a link to the book.

Book Review: Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

I love a book that you don't want to put down and once you finish it you've learned about new things and have gained insight into other people's lives.  I would say I loved Lab Girl by Hope Jahren.  This book is written by Hope Jahren, recounting her experiences in the science laboratory, in academia and in life.  Hope is a geobiologist who talks about the life of plants--in a riveting way, and also talks about the life of a scientific researcher--in a very personal way.

Lab Girl chronicles Dr. Jahren's life from her childhood in Minnesota, through her undergraduate college days and into her professor and research roles.  Hope incorporates memories and thoughts from her past into tales about plant life and soil science.  This may sound unusual, but Hope does a facinating job of it.  She is unabashedly honest about the struggles she has faced in interpersonal relationships, in the academic setting, and with her own mental health.  

I read this book earlier this year and have had it sitting on my desk waiting for a chance to review it.  I got through this book very quickly, which is always a godsend for me.  But over the last few months I have not forgotten her stories.  These include her loyal lab mate's life living at or below the poverty line on a university's technician's pay.  Living in his beat up van, moving it from public land to abandoned parking lot, all while having a shoddy manual transmission.  

Hope also weaves information about the life cycle, hopes and dreams and the ultimate end of plants' lives.  Talking about paleobotany, academic struggles, successful scientific discoveries and unsuccessful lab disasters, Hope keeps you engaged and rooting for her success.

During the story, Hope also describes her personal struggle with mental health.  She is completely frank and honest about what she has dealt with, what it is like, and how she deals with it.  It can be surprising to hear her revelations, but it makes you so impressed with her commitment to scientific research, and to the people she values around her.  

Her book concludes with a science experiment wrapping up in her botany lab in Hawaii.  She is a full professor at the University of Hawaii.  She has secured a good position for her faithful companion, Bill, and they are finally able to live well.  Hope has married and has a young son.  Life seems to be shining on her.  And out of her contentment came this wonderful book about her life.  Go shine some light on this book, and your knowledge will grow--just like a young seedling!

Book Review: In Memory of Bread by Paul Graham

I like to joke that I am pro-gluten and a bread fanatic.  Right now, downstairs on my kitchen counter is homemade challah rising for my quasi birthday/Easter/Passover dinner tonight.  I have been a devotee of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, the cookbook my challah recipe is from.  Years ago, with my freshly minted bachelor's diploma, I went to work for a food laboratory.  The reason I applied was because they made sourdough cultures--my all-time favorite type of bread.  Growing up, a classmate always had "Fred" in the fridge, a sourdough culture that her mom fed weekly and used to make sandwich rolls that I was so envious of.  I have been a bit flippant about gluten adverse people, but have always respected the fact that celiac disease is a true reason to completely avoid gluten, and often, bread.  Reading In Memory of Bread by Paul Graham was truly enlightening, and gives me true empathy for gluten intolerant people and those dealing with celiac disease.

Why would I write a review of a memoir of bread on WineTalent's career blog?  Because many of us in the wine industry are also big foodies, and many of us love great yeasty breads, a good craft brew, and are adventurous eaters.  So was Paul Graham, up until he was waylaid by celiac disease at the age of 36.  Paul Graham was an accomplished home brewer, a voluminous consumer of homemade wheat breads and someone who loved to experience life through food and drink.

As a professor of English at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York, Paul is an accomplished writer who loves reading authors that write about food.  Much of his food education was based on the writings of gourmands like M. F. K. Fisher, Julia Child, Calvin Trillin, Ruth Reichl and my personal favorite, Jim Harrison (a cool book shop owner in Medford, Oregon turned me onto Jim Harrison years ago in his book Dalva, and I've voraciously consumed all of his books since then).

Paul Graham writes a breezy, food-centric memoir about his life before and after his diagnosis.  He delves a bit into our food supply chain, and talks about his commitment to living the locavore lifestyle as outlined in Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  This is a lifestyle many of us have adapted, and many of us may continue to purchase wheat that is farmed and processed far away from us because we just need to have flour and make bread.  Ironically, I am also currently reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's book, On the Banks of Plum Creek, where the Ingalls family is so excited about their wheat crop, saying it is going to bring large sums of money to the family.  Wheat was and is a very important crop in the world, and as Paul Graham notes, wheat and gluten is hard to avoid in our society.

For much of his book, Paul Graham mourns the lose of bread and of gluten.  Then he has an epiphany and realizes he needs to approach food and cooking from a non-wheatcentric angle.  Once he realizes there is a big food world out there that's GF, he starts to explore new foods and embraces food and cooking again.

He and his wife also try hard to make GF breads and baked goods.  The first attempts were awful, as were their experiences with GF beer.  Paul starts baking with America's Test Kitchen's The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook.  Rethinking how to bake, the ingredients and techniques were his first challenge.  But once he embraced America's Test Kitchen's ways, he was pleasantly surprised and quite pleased with many of the things he could make and eat again.  One of those was pizza.  I too love to bake homemade pizza, and would be lost if I couldn't eat or make pizza ever again.  As he writes, America's Test Kitchen attracts a nerdy type of cook.  And yes you guessed it, I am also a devotee of ATK--listening to the podcasts on my way to and from wine country on business, and thrilled when my new Cook's Country arrives.

It was hard to read about how gluten destroyed Paul Graham's body, and how he had to completely rid his house and his life of gluten.  Being completely gluten free is hard for anyone to be, and Paul's storytelling of his odyssey really brought it to light for me.  I have new respect for my friends who have to be GF for their children with celiac disease and also now more fully understand why many people are avoiding gluten.

I am thankful that I can still enjoy my glutinous food, but now more completely understand what gluten can do to those who are intolerant, and will gladly help anyone be GF when they feel it is warranted.  Luckily, as Paul Graham notes, wine is most always completely GF.

Great book, read it if you enjoy learning about our food history, how people are dealing with gluten intolerance, and for a memoir of a great writer's farewell to bread.

Book Review: Money on the Table by Melissa Greenwell

This winter I read "Money on the Table:  How to Increase Profits Through Gender-Balanced Leadership" by Melissa Greenwell.  Ms. Greenwell is promoting more gender balance in corporate boardrooms, in executive leadership and in management positions to reflect the population and to increase diversity of thought and experience at the upper levels of companies.

Ms. Greenwell is herself an executive level business professional.  She has worked her way up through several different large and small companies.  She has witnessed gender inequities and had to push hard to make herself part of the leadership board.  

As a woman in top roles, she has also seen how more gender balance at the top allows more diverse thinking and problem solving than occurs at companies that are out of balance.  

Yes, most companies, boardrooms and management ranks continue to be male dominated.  Ms. Greenwell cites case studies and uses good statistics to lead the charge for more women at the top.  Of course if there are men at the top of the organization, Ms. Greenwell needs to write to her audience.  Her writing style is easy to follow and gives both strong statistics to support her argument and anecdotes to promote her cause.  

Money on the Table does promote gender balance as a tool to be financially and managerially competitive in today's global economy.  This book is a great one to review as companies are planning their governing boards, determining their executive team and filling their management ranks.  Attention to gender balance is always important when you are placing the right people for the job.  

To find out more about this book and the author, please visit http://melissa-greenwell.com/book/  

Book Report: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

This past week I sneaked away for a bit to visit the heartland and see my son's graduation from Army Basic Training.  Heading out to Missouri, I also tucked away a book in my carry-on.  I had started up Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver a few weeks ago, but homelife and work outcompeted for my time.  My mother, a reader who devoured the book in under a week, wholeheartedly endorsed the book.  She does have a knack for finding just the right book for me to read,  and I vowed to finish the book during this trip.

Seeing my son after 10 weeks was such a thrill.  He stood taller, acted so respectfully and still loved his family.  Time stood still for the moments my family had together with him, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with him.  But all great things come to an end, and our son shipped off for Norfolk, VA and we headed back home.

Diving into the book again, it was ironic that I had just come from the frigid winter Missouri just started.  This California girl has lived out of state only two times, first for a few months in North Carolina and then for 3 years in Indianapolis, Indiana.  I've had a little taste of cold weather and life outside of the Golden State; but I decided long ago a small taste was all I wanted and quickly moved back to California.  Now I live in California's Central Valley, often called the salad bowl of the United States.  That's because of our temperate, mediterranean climate and acres of year-round farming.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is the Kingsolver family's experience living off of the land in southern Appalachia, an area we gardeners would probably think of as USDA Hardiness Zone 7, with the first frost coming on November 15th and the last frost on April 15th with a low of -15 degrees C (5 degrees F) for the year.  That's much colder than here in California, but warmer than Missouri.  So, with winter quickly approaching, reading about her family's experience living off the land for a year was quite interesting.

Life Similarities:  I have to say that this book may have me peering at myself through a different geographic and generational lens.  Barbara and her family have a rambling, wooded country property with about a 3,500 square foot garden plot.  She has gardened throughout her life, and grew up in the south's tobacco country on a farm.  She has planted asparagus, leafy greens and various other plants at her residences throughout her adult life.

I too grew up on rambling country plot with an extensive garden plot with orchards, a chicken-house and the occasional goose, turkey or goat around the yard.  My parents went "back to the land" and built their own house and established gardens wherever something would grow.  That required good soil, WATER, and sun.  We ate homegrown produce throughout the year, and preserved as much of the bounty as possible.  As an adult, I've owned my own garden nursery company, had a greenhouse and always keep a small kitchen garden.  Right now my citrus trees are producing their first crop and my bees are buzzing contentedly in their hive.  Homemade preserves line my pantry and my freezer is stock full of tomato puree and pesto.

While Kingsolver has built a livelihood around her writing, I have had the good fortune of building a livelihood within the agriculture business.  The wine business is quite glamorous in many regards, but it is still an agricultural one.  Farmers deal with the elements, plan harvests and manage their land the best they can.

Farming Trend:  In the last few years we have had a boon of "back to the farm" converts.  The word locavore was the New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year in 2007, which ironically is the year this book was published.  Farm-to-table dining is all the rage today.  My hero Michael Pollan hooked me with The Botany of Desire, kept me reading his next books and now I keep coming back for his Netflix documentary series Cooked.

Teaching others about agriculture:  As Barbara Kingsolver discusses, educational gardens are popping up all over.  Probably about 15 years ago I spearheaded a school garden project here in Sacramento with the intention of allowing urban children to learn about growing food.  This garden is  now one of 54 school garden sites in the district,  and an incubator for sustainable and green projects within the district.  I do want to give complete credit for the vibrancy of the project to the School Garden Director, a woman who tirelessly raises funds and provides educational opportunities to Sacramento City students throughout the area.  I may like to start a garden, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to keep a garden going.

Working in Agriculture:  Working with wonderful farmers and vintners is very rewarding, and brings me very close to the production of food and wine.  Working on roles in agricultural operations, vineyard management and farming brings me up-close and personal with the people who produce the food and wine we eat.  These are all very talented and passionate individuals.  They live the farm-to-table movement on a daily basis.

Yearning for my own piece of heaven:  So reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle was quite engaging.  And I have to say a bit envy-causing.  Today I don't live on a big spread where I can walk the dog and check for morels on the back 40.  I can no longer run to the chicken house to get the eggs.  Luckily, my chicken soup no longer has feathers in it like when I was growing up, but that was delicious chicken soup!

Perhaps Animal, Vegetable, Miracle would have seemed more earth shattering if I'd picked it up right upon publication.  But reading it now, I enjoyed the contrast of farming in California versus Virginia, and my children are close in age to the ages of Barbara Kingsolver's children when she wrote the book.  My 3rd grader would love to raise chickens for profit, and my older children are active in sustainable endeavors including beekeeping, falconry and brewing (brewing may be more of a local play, but still quite suitable for the locavore movement).  Thinking it over when I planned to write this, I decided I was just jealous of Kingsolver's garden.  I want to finish up this post and run out in my lettuce fields to weed them and then go check on my hens.  But I can't do that.  I'm envious.


A consolation prize may be the recipes her family included in the book.  Loving to bake bread as I do, her husband put in some notes on how to quickly bake bread for the family.  And her daughter put in several recipes.  Tonight I'm trying the Pumpkin Soup in its Own Shell, using my Halloween cinderella pumpkin I picked up at Cool Patch Pumpkins, less than an hour away.  Read the book, try to eat local and see how you can make it work for yourself.  You just may see a bit of yourself in the book, like I did.

Book Review: Promote Yourself

Promote Yourself.  I couldn't have said it better myself.  Whether you are starting your first job out of college, re-entering the workforce, thinking about starting up your own business or hoping to improve your standing with your colleagues, you have to promote yourself, and Dan Schawbel's new book: Promote Yourself:  The New Rules for Career Success does a wonderful job of explaining why you need to, how to do it across various aspects of your life, and how to continue to build your own personal brand.                            

Theoretically, Dan Schawbel's book is geared to the recent graduate who is looking to make his way in the work world.  His model candidate is part of the new generation: Gen Y, Millennials, Echo Boomers, Generation Next.  The young Gen Yer is firmly part of his generation, but needs to learn how to work across generations, including folks like me, Gen Xers as well as Baby Boomers and his younger counterparts, the Gen Zers.  The book does a good job of explaining how a younger worker sees the business world, and it is insightful to learn about Gen Y's work styles and those of the other age groups.  

Promote Yourself does serve as a field guide to the young business candidate who needs to understand the work world and how to stand out in it, but I think the information in it transcends the generation monikers and is insightful for anyone.  And the information and recommendations in the book do not just revolve around the business world.  Promote Yourself gives the reader thoughts on building your personal brand, gaining visibility with people that can be advocates for you, being a smart protege and mentor, and the idea of being an entrepreneur/intrapreneur and how to build that into your career.

Ok, so Dan Schawbel may have had me at the title, Promote Yourself:  The New Rules for Career Success, given what I write about on this blog, but his book is a smooth read, has insightful anecdotes, is well researched and gives informative data and case studies.  And I think Dan Schawbel talks the talk and walks the walk.  I get a lot of pitches about books, events, etc. and most of the time I can just send them to the trash folder and no one is the wiser.  But from day one Dan followed up with me and asked me to read his book.  He did it in a very friendly, non-confrontational way, and kept following up.  I love follow-up, think it is many people's key (or lock) to success, and was pleased to see that Dan addressed it in his book, and followed up with me.

Promote Yourself is my first interaction with Dan Schawbel, but reading his book and his website:  Dan Schawbel, now I know he already is a best selling author, successful entrepreneur and a columnist at TIME and FORBES.  I'm sure I've read some of his articles --and am glad he promoted himself to me.

I highly recommend that the Gen Y's out there read this book, and also to all my readers who want to see how to navigate today's work world and to build a highly successful personal brand.  It takes work, but it is definitely worth it.

Book Review: Introvert Power

I've decided this week that I'm now officially going to consider myself an extrovert, while still holding onto my introverted thought processes. Having previously discussed thoughts about power postures and how to present yourself in public, I often promote the idea of appearing to be an extrovert. And this week in the WSJ there was an interesting article: How an Introvert Can Be Happier: Act Like and Extrovert.  Well, I want to be happy, so I'll gladly act like an extrovert.

Several months ago I read the book Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking which did a good job of looking at American society and the role personality plays within it. Following on this I read Laurie Helgoe's second edition of  Introvert Power:  Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden Strength.  Laurie's book discusses the introvert's personality strengths, how to be proud of them and how to use those strengths to your advantage.  

If you are examining how you perceive yourself and how you are perceived, it would be a good book to read.  Laurie uses many personal stories to relate to her topic.  She also has some helpful advice on how to nurture your inner self to find your strengths and how to translate them into social situations.  It could help you use your internal resources in situations where you need to make your strengths known--be it in interviews, networking events or public presentations.  Introvert Power also gives introverts and extroverts the ability to better understand each other.  Power to the Introverts and Extroverts alike!

How Will You Measure Your Life? WineTalent Book Review

What a great question, "How Will You Measure Your Life?"  Earlier this year I read some information written by Clayton Christensen and decided to read his recent book, that James Allworth and Karen Dillon contributed on.  The premise of the book is that Dr. Christensen, Professor at Harvard Business School, witnessed in his own life highly successful business people who seemed to lack a winning strategy for their personal lives.  Using business case studies and personal anecdotes, the authors examine business and personal challenges and outcomes.

Being somewhat of a management book junkie, I couldn't pass up a book written by the Harvard Business School's Professor, a HBS alum and the former editor of the Harvard Business Review.  This book outlines business successes and failures, and relates them to personal decisions and dynamics.  How Honda miscalculated the US motorcycle market and unwittingly brought the sport of motocross to us might not seem like a personal life lesson--but Christensen relates this example to his own life decisions.  What do highly technical, pocket-sized ultrasound machines have to do with personal time management?  I hadn't really connected the dots until reading this book.

The authors do a great job of dissecting business world situations and determining the root cause.  They also use similar methods to view personal situations and determine potentially successful strategies.  Yes, while Apple computer or IBM should look at some business case studies to realign their own businesses, so could many people look at their own decisions and determine what is working and what isn't--and make intelligent changes.  The idea of the book is to have an overriding strategy--perhaps a book of rules--for how to live your life.  By keeping these commandments true during your work life and your personal life you can stay true to yourself, your family and your community.  It was refreshing to read insights from highly successful business people that involved ethics, morality and personal happiness.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy gleaning insights about how companies work, but who also like to be introspective and perhaps create their own way of managing their personal life.  If you are only looking at a self-help book that tells you how to do it, the business case studies may get in the way.

Book Review: Margrit Mondavi's Sketchbook

Last spring I had the pleasure of sitting down for lunch with Margrit Mondavi.  She graciously agreed to be interviewed for this blog.  (Please visit the Post here).  During a wonderful lunch at Robert Mondavi winery she shared her experiences in the wine industry.

Recently Margrit published "Margrit Mondavi's Sketchbook" with Janet Fletcher.  It is a beautifully illustrated recollection of her life.  She shares her passion for life, her love of her family and friends, and her interests in art, food and culture. 

The book is a great reflection on her past.  She talks about her childhood and her young married life, being a young Swiss bride married to a U.S. Army Officer.  She also explains her involvement in the Napa cultural scene; bringing art and music to the local schools and hosting concerts at wineries, both at Charles Krug Winery and then the highly successful concert series at Robert Mondavi Winery.  Learning about her upbringing you can understand her culture shock living in different locations as a young bride and young mother.  Getting to know about her life-long love of art and music you can appreciate her involvement in the art programs at the Robert Mondavi Winery and also the many charitable donations she and Robert gave in support of the arts.

Of course no book by Margrit would be complete without Robert, and she gracefully explains her relationship with the love of her life.  It was touching to understand the deep love they had for each other, and also get a glimpse at the strong bond they had.  Hearing about their travels and the way they were completely engaged with each other's lives, hopes and dreams is a wonderful love story.

And if you are learning about Robert and Margrit, there must be talk about good food and wine.  The book details many of the great wine events they were involved with.  The partnerships they made and the dedication they had to the California wine industry was very informative.  I enjoyed learning about the Great Chef's cooking school, which was also a bit amusing.  I also really enjoyed the hand-painted menus that were included in the book.  It would not be a complete memoir of their love of food and wine without a few recipes thrown in. 

Margrit's artwork is included throughout, brightening up the pages.  There are also wonderful reminiscences by her friends and family, painting more detailed pictures of her life and influence.

Margrit is a very joyful person, who surrounds herself with beauty.  She is aging gracefully, still involved in so many endeavors, and savoring every minute of it.  This book is a joyous reflection of her.

Book Review: Daily Decadence by Sherri Dobay

Towards the end of summer this year I had the pleasure of meeting Sherri Dobay at Envy Wines in Calistoga.  Sherri Dobay is a multifaceted woman, being an accomplished artist, a graphic designer, a marketer, a businesswoman, and a true equestrian.  Along with all of that she also has her own wine label, Ruby Kurant.  This year she wrote and published her book Daily Decadence: The Art of Sensual Living.  Having met Sherri briefly at a wine industry event, it was nice to sit down with her and find out about her and get a copy of the book.

Who wouldn't love a book about decadent, sensual living.  She had me at the title!  Sherri's book is a mix of personal reflections, recipes, wine/food pairing ideas and funny advice on life.  I do enjoy her advice on entertaining--from the types of people to invite to the type of ambiance to create.  She also gives advice on how to look at life by relating how she has done things--in life, in love and in the home.

The book was a fun romp through Sherri's life--her love affairs--her adventures--and her dreams.  I do really enjoy the recipes.  They are made for real cooks--the kind that cook for their friends, their families and themselves.  Most of the recipes are unfussy and allow you to start something early and come back to it when you are ready to eat.  Reading the recipes is often a kick--start the cooking at lunch time, let it simmer and come back when you can.  Add a few finishing touches, put some music on and open a nice bottle of wine.  Perfect--that kind of cooking will work out just fine on most of my days. 

I also enjoyed Sherri's wine pairing advice and her tasting notes.  From the short ribs that I made yesterday which she likes to cook with Syrah she had tasting notes for her own red wine, Ruby Kurant's The Archer,  "butter cookies, blackberry jam, rich and spicy layered on top of earth and crispy salmon skin, cacao nibs, yes, that is dark chocolate!"  A lot of different descriptors come into her tasting notes--and it is fun to think of what triggers certain notes she writes.

So far I've tried the roast chicken (delicious and well received by the entire family--3 times so far--and great the next day), the short ribs (last night--made some adjustments due to supplies on hand--food was gobbled down by the family), Nutella (already a huge fan--do buy it in bulk), slow beef stew (very hearty--yummy), beef barley soup (like my mom makes),  and savory scones (very nice and light--a bit too chic for my teenage boys).  I've got a few of those recipes dog-eared because they were so good--and also I am looking forward to making the lobster very soon.  One thing that would help me with the book would be an index--but I can handle looking through the table of contents for the information--reading it again also reminds me of Sherri's reason for including the recipe.

Sherri's advice to live everyday with a bit of decadence is great to hear.  Want real butter on that fresh bread--do it.  Want to sample some champagne midday--go ahead.  Feeling unproductive and want to get away from work--walk the dog, call a friend or take a long soak in the tub.  We are all going a million miles an hour--including our highly talented wine maven/artist/website developer/horseback rider/marketer.  It is nice to allow ourselves little pleasures during the day.  Stop and read a quick entry in her book and you can get a peek into what Sherri enjoys doing--and maybe incorporate some of that into your own life.

Book Review: Blood, Bones & Butter

 

Ok, I've sung the praises of Anthony Bourdain on this blog before, but I think there is a new chef/owner vying for my attention, Gabrielle Hamilton.  It's OK; Tony gave her big endorsements on the dust cover of her book Blood, Bones & Butter.  Since Tony said it is "simply the best memoir by a chef ever", I guess I'm lucky I haven't read too many of them, because now I don't need to bother with the rest.  That's a time saver.

And time saving is what I need.  It does drain me of my time when I have to sit glued to a book for up to 10 hours in the course of two days.  Thank goodness it was a holiday, and I had all that extra time to not put the thing down.  I was simply reading, and would look up after laughing so much and, "oh my, look at the time!" The kids were trying their hardest to get me to tuck them into bed, and I had to just keep shooing them away so that I could read about Gabrielle's struggle to mix her work and personal lives together seamlessly.  As I sit to write this review my 3-year-old is climbing on my head, asking for her gummy bears that Santa brought.  Come on kids, don't you understand all these other professionals don't have the same demands on them, nor demons they have battled, and certainly have never had any feelings like I do of inadequacy. 

Oh, wait, there does seem to be something similar in my life and in Gabrielle's.  While I didn't have quite the extreme upbringing she had--I wasn't working in a restaurant at the age of 13, didn't move in with my sister in New York's Hell's Kitchen when I was 16, and never had potential charges of Grand Larceny and Possession of Stolen Property during my teen-age years or ever--there were some common elements that I could relate to.  Growing up out in the boondocks as the youngest sibling, there was plenty of idle time I spent out in nature and looking up to my superhero older siblings.  For anyone who has ever raised chickens like Gabrielle's family and mine did, you should get the symbolism of the jacket cover. And I have a great food memory, often remembering the food I ate at places more than who I was with or why I was there.  Chicken and dumplings, ratatouille, rye bread and pate--those things send me right back to the place I ate them--salivating for more.  Also, I think a strong work ethic is crucial--but some people have it and others don't.  Hopefully I do.

With this book Gabrielle Hamilton, AKA Prune, talks about her upbringing, her antics during her teenage years, and her struggles to be a grown-up.  All through it there are great references to the good food and hard work she loves.  And hard work it is.  Her writing about the demands she puts on herself back in her catering cook days to the all-too realistic accounts of running a very successful restaurant in Manhattan while being pregnant and then raising two small children thoroughly illustrates her fortitude.

What really got me was her account of being a speaker at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.  The topic was "Where are the Women?" and Gabrielle was one of 10 women chefs discussing the issue in front of hundreds of female students, as well as several male students.  The students asked questions about how to be successful in the restaurant business, which is a male-dominated one.  "Is it okay to cry?" was one of the first questions asked, and one that Gabrielle used as a great vehicle to discuss her thoughts on working in the restaurant business, how she was successful, and poignantly how she mixes being a woman, a restauranteur, an intellectual, a feminist, a lesbian now married to a man, the mother of two very small children, and a contributor to society.  This is my favorite chapter.  I think Gabrielle did a great job of describing her own perspective as well as giving some great comments about figuring out how to do it all.  Oh, and any working mother reading the book can totally related to the baby sock in the purse and the oatmeal on the sweater. 

So, plan wisely and get yourself some spare time to read this book.  It shouldn't take long.