Five books on what you put in your mouth
I have always been a foodie. My romance with food started when I was very young and I was certain that I would own a restaurant… still on my bucket list. Who knows? My mum was a great cook and like American comedian Bob Hope said of his mum, my mum could whip up a pack […]
I have always been a foodie. My romance with food started when I was very young and I was certain that I would own a restaurant… still on my bucket list. Who knows? My mum was a great cook and like American comedian Bob Hope said of his mum, my mum could whip up a pack of toothpicks and make them look good and taste good. Flavours, taste buds, spices… I love to cook and I also love to experiment with food. I keep a keen eye on the food industry and the science of nutrition. I believe that good food is wonderful with good company and can also help when you are stressed if it is healthy food. Overall food for me is a great discussion in the middle of any situation and that includes preparing for elections, dealing with election results etcetera. It is for this reason that this week, I want us to pause a while and look at food as we prepare for more politics, more elections, more results. What we put in our mouths is crucial to our health. Only a healthy nation can go to the polls. In addition to my thoughts on owning a restaurant one day, I am in the middle of a long awaited cookbook which is going at snail speed…one day… soon.
As we prepare for the next set of elections and come to terms with the Presidential and National assembly ones with celebration and reflections, here are cookbooks and books about food for such a time as this.
In these times when there are TV shows, talk shows, cook shows and documentaries on food, it is important to focus on what is good for you not to follow a trend or get confused. One of my favourite books of all time on food and one which I used when I was doing some serious literary academic work as part of a Masters degree on creative writing is ”In defence of food- An Eater’s manifesto by Michael Pollan. His advice is” eat food, not too much but mostly plants”. He addresses the fact that food has gone from being a product of nature to a lab experiment. To eat fat or not to eat fat, to eat carbs or not to eat carbs, Pollan describes the food industry and other related industries are leading people astray. He says people should eat healthily and restore the pleasure to food. This is a great book for how to eat healthy and why and how to ignore the trends.
Run Fast, Eat Slow by whole food chef Elyse Kopecly and Olympic Marathoner, Shalane Flanagan. With over 100 recipes, they show how fats are essential for flavour and should not be feared or entirely avoided. They also demonstrate that counting calories, obsessing over protein intake and participating in a restrictive diet do more damage to the body and mind than good.
Cook like a Pro – Recipes and tips for home cooks by Irna Gerten is an essential reference book for any kitchen. The New York Times bestselling author delivers a knockout of a cook book in 2018. A must own cookery book for every kitchen.
Long Throat Memoir, soups, sex and Nigerian taste buds by Yemisi Aribisala is that book every Nigerian would have loved to write. Its reviews have been amazing and these are essays on all aspects of what Nigerians like to eat and why and that enthralling Nigerian myth about how a fresh fish soup can be the capturing of a man. Mammy water, winch, husband snatcher has to do with the cooking of fish stew. How one can do whatever one likes with a man if you can satisfy his taste buds, lol. This book is a series of letters to the Nigerian palate, shared with an international audience. Our foods, our food relationships from fish stew to the ultimate jollof rice. Grab a copy.
Food Matters by Mark Bittman. This may just be the ultimate encyclopaedia for healthy recipes. There are five hundred healthy recipes in this excellent book and the author does not believe in leaving any
category of food out. There are a collection of delicious recipes to include Pasta and asparagus, bacon and egg to chunky oatmeal cookies.
He just teaches mindful eating.
Bonus books:
Now is the time to practice your healthy recipes. Its election time, after voting and campaigning check out and audit what you put in your mouth. We all need to stay healthy for the next four years for those who will govern and to hold those who govern accountable. Cooking is cathartic so pick up a recipe book and as we work together through the next set of elections we can then also cook together and stay healthy while we snack and eat in a healthy way in front of the TV or while we are crunching the result figures. Stay safe this election period and watch what you put in your mouth.