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Notes -
So, what are you reading?
Still on the Iliad and Lovecraft. Picking up Horkheimer and Adorno's Dialectic of Enlightenment.
I'm reading Man And Woman He Created Them (aka the theology of the body) by John Paul II. The intro on the version I have was a doozy, like 180 pages. But I'm finally into the work proper, and that is easier going (mainly because it's smaller chunks so easier to digest).
I'm also reading Modernist Cuisine, after my wife unexpectedly bought it for me for my birthday. Ironically, I rather despise "modern" movements (in art but also in cuisine), because I find they get up their own asses seeking novelty without ever considering whether they have made something as good as the tradition they seek to distance themselves from (and more often than not, they haven't). So in theory I should hate the book. But I appreciate the sheer level of autism that goes into making something like this, and I think the photography is beautiful. I also appreciate that they have recipes that aren't trying to be creative and shocking, but are using modern techniques to make traditional dishes even better than before. So I'm enjoying the book well enough.
We have Modernist Cuisine at Home, which is an abridged adaptation for the home kitchen, and I also like the illustrations and the autism, but the thing that bugs my wife is how completely it discards existing culinary practices. "Out with pots and pans, in with pressure cookers, sous vide and blowtorches!"
The Food Lab ended up a much better purchase, since it tries to optimize existing culinary practices, not replace them with the new ones Bolshevik-style.
Yeah... my wife also got me Modernist Cuisine At Home for my birthday, because she's a crazy person lol. That was the one I actually wanted because I felt like it would be more useful to me, but I can't say I'm displeased to have the full set as well. The publisher claims that the at home volume has new content not taken from the larger set, so we'll see i guess.
The Food Lab is definitely on my list of books to get someday. I really respect Kenji's food writing (it's consistently very high quality), so I definitely want to read his book.
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