Mark Bittman's VB6 Review & Giveaway

Mark Bittman's newest book, VB6, came out last week. He's been a food writer for as long as I can remember noticing there were food writers; I have several of his other cookbooks, and I have lots of recipes saved from his New York Times columns. I like his recipes, and I like his food philosophies, which sound quite similar to those of Michael Pollan.

Anyway, in VB6, Bittman writes about his food lifestyle and diet. "VB6" stands for Vegan Before 6, which is just what it sounds like. Most days, he's a vegan until 6pm, at which point his food "rules" no longer apply. This means there's still wiggle room and room for decadence, and it also means it's a lot easier for him to be sociable. It's not an all-or-nothing approach to diet.

Recommended Reading - The School of Essential Ingredients

As many of you know, I'm an avid reader of all things - cereal boxes, magazines, ingredient lists (and not always of food!), and, of course, books. I have no doubt that without libraries (thank you Library Fairy, whoever you were) I would have long ago bankrupted my parents and, in turn, myself. 

While I read my share of schlock (OT's term for murder mysteries and the like) and current best-sellers, I also love to browse the shelves at the library, picking up books seemingly at random, seeing how they feel in my hands, and unabashedly judging the cover.

The paperback version I picked up of The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister is small but dense and has cover art that invites dreaming. Once I started reading, I was enchanted. The book is comprised of eight chapters, which are really eight interwoven, beautifully written short stories. This novel tells the stories of eight students who meet once a month for cooking classes in Lillian's restaurant. Of course they learn much more, and readers are treated to all the sumptuous smells, tastes, and memories of the students.


Recipes are described in broad strokes in the book, but Ms Bauermeister has a section on her website with detailed instructions. I can't wait to try a few. If they are as good as they sound, I will find myself eating from her stories every night of the week.