Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
Aug. 15th, 2007 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekittyI thought this book might be a nice follow-on to Eat, Pray, Love, the book I loved earlier this year. It is about a woman and her partner buying and fixing up an old Tuscan villa together.
I liked the beginning of this book a lot, but I felt it dragged towards the end. After the house was bought and restored, I lost interest. Some people would probably find her description of every significant building and piece of art within 20 miles of her home to be fascinating, but I didn't. At the very end, it also got very stream-of-consciousness in a way that didn't do it for me. Three stars. If you want to read it, just read the first hundred and fifty pages.
My favorite idea from this book, though, is that of the povra cochina. Maybe I'm spelling it wrong - it means poor kitchen. This is an idea about the origin of many rustic Italian dishes - things that are made because they're practical, you can use leftovers, and they don't cost much. Yes! I love this too, with all its cultural equivalents.
Some examples:
- Pita or bagel chips. It was a stale sad thing, now it's a snack!
- Tapas. Eating little bits of things can be very decadent, especially with something fancy to drink.
- Soup. Water, stock, and a bay leaf can make almost anything go down easy.
- Stir fry! It's good with pasta, rice, quinoa, or just by itself. Easy to dress up with shrimp or egg rolls, but a few veggies is all it really takes.
- Curry. Can't even LOOK at that turkey carcass anymore? Don't worry, you'll never taste it now!
- Speaking of which, turkey and stuffing sandwiches are yummy.
- Toast and croutons. Bread a little stiff? Just make it crunchy!
- Wilted greens? Sautee them with garlic and salt. Now they're wilted on purpose!
- Nachoes are just stale tortilla chips that made good.
- Fruit salad. No one will ever know how many soft pieces you cut off and threw out.
Yup, I eat cheese after cutting moldy bits off, too. But really, if the mushroom is slimey or the egg smells bad, just throw it out. It's not worth the grief.
What's your favorite creative and cheap food solution?
I liked the beginning of this book a lot, but I felt it dragged towards the end. After the house was bought and restored, I lost interest. Some people would probably find her description of every significant building and piece of art within 20 miles of her home to be fascinating, but I didn't. At the very end, it also got very stream-of-consciousness in a way that didn't do it for me. Three stars. If you want to read it, just read the first hundred and fifty pages.
My favorite idea from this book, though, is that of the povra cochina. Maybe I'm spelling it wrong - it means poor kitchen. This is an idea about the origin of many rustic Italian dishes - things that are made because they're practical, you can use leftovers, and they don't cost much. Yes! I love this too, with all its cultural equivalents.
Some examples:
- Pita or bagel chips. It was a stale sad thing, now it's a snack!
- Tapas. Eating little bits of things can be very decadent, especially with something fancy to drink.
- Soup. Water, stock, and a bay leaf can make almost anything go down easy.
- Stir fry! It's good with pasta, rice, quinoa, or just by itself. Easy to dress up with shrimp or egg rolls, but a few veggies is all it really takes.
- Curry. Can't even LOOK at that turkey carcass anymore? Don't worry, you'll never taste it now!
- Speaking of which, turkey and stuffing sandwiches are yummy.
- Toast and croutons. Bread a little stiff? Just make it crunchy!
- Wilted greens? Sautee them with garlic and salt. Now they're wilted on purpose!
- Nachoes are just stale tortilla chips that made good.
- Fruit salad. No one will ever know how many soft pieces you cut off and threw out.
Yup, I eat cheese after cutting moldy bits off, too. But really, if the mushroom is slimey or the egg smells bad, just throw it out. It's not worth the grief.
What's your favorite creative and cheap food solution?
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Date: 2007-08-16 04:23 am (UTC)My favorite cheap food solution would be oatmeal. It's very good for you, microwavable, and inexpensive (not the instant kind).