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The School of Essential Ingredients #1
Училище за вкусове и аромати
Училище за вкусове и аромати е първият роман на американската писателка Ерика Бауърмайстър, който много бързо става бестселър, защото е истинско вкусно четиво, предназначено за всички сетива.
Романът разказва за осем ученици, попаднали по различни причини в курса по готварство в ресторанта на Лилиан, всеки със своята различна история. Но след време те започват да се свързват благодарение на необичайните методи на обучение на Лилиан и любовта им към храната.
Училище за вкусове и аромати е едно четиво за удоволствие, пропито с красивия стил на писане на Ерика Бауърмайстър. Нейните описания на вкусове и аромати те карат да усещаш храната в устата си, да разсъждаваш върху живота си и да осъзнаваш как дори и най-простичките неща около нас могат да го променят.
Всяка отделна глава представя по един от героите. С внимание към всеки дейтайл се разкриват не само техните характери, но и причините, довели ги до готварския курс. И се оказва, че уроците, получени в кухнята, могат да се прилагат във всеки друг аспект от живота.
Училище за вкусове и аромати не е книга, която трябва да се чете по време на диета, защото вие може да усещате аромата на храната докато обръщате страниците една след друга. Трябва да я възприемате като красиво четиво, към което е необходимо да се подхожда с наслада към всяка страница, точно както бихме се насладили на всяко едно от приготвяните от учениците ястия. Не се втурвайте, а си оставете достатъчно време да оцените всеки отделен детайл в символиката на вкусове и аромати.
Това е и книга за фините вкусове и техники в готварството, които могат да се приложат и за лечение на душата.
Романът разказва за осем ученици, попаднали по различни причини в курса по готварство в ресторанта на Лилиан, всеки със своята различна история. Но след време те започват да се свързват благодарение на необичайните методи на обучение на Лилиан и любовта им към храната.
Училище за вкусове и аромати е едно четиво за удоволствие, пропито с красивия стил на писане на Ерика Бауърмайстър. Нейните описания на вкусове и аромати те карат да усещаш храната в устата си, да разсъждаваш върху живота си и да осъзнаваш как дори и най-простичките неща около нас могат да го променят.
Всяка отделна глава представя по един от героите. С внимание към всеки дейтайл се разкриват не само техните характери, но и причините, довели ги до готварския курс. И се оказва, че уроците, получени в кухнята, могат да се прилагат във всеки друг аспект от живота.
Училище за вкусове и аромати не е книга, която трябва да се чете по време на диета, защото вие може да усещате аромата на храната докато обръщате страниците една след друга. Трябва да я възприемате като красиво четиво, към което е необходимо да се подхожда с наслада към всяка страница, точно както бихме се насладили на всяко едно от приготвяните от учениците ястия. Не се втурвайте, а си оставете достатъчно време да оцените всеки отделен детайл в символиката на вкусове и аромати.
Това е и книга за фините вкусове и техники в готварството, които могат да се приложат и за лечение на душата.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Erica Bauermeister
16 books2,500 followersErica Bauermeister is the NYT bestselling author of five novels -- The Scent Keeper (a Reese's Book Club pick), The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, The Lost Art of Mixing, and a new novel, No Two Persons, due out in May of 2023. She has also written a memoir, House Lessons: Renovating a Life and is the co-author of two readers' guides: 500 Great Books by Women and Let's Hear It For the Girls. She currently lives in Port Townsend, Wa with her husband and 238 wild deer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,028 reviews
October 30, 2008
Hmmmm...I see a lot of people here liked this book. For me the writing style was almost embarrassingly florid, and simile-laden. WAY too saccherine for me.
December 4, 2013
The School of Essential Ingredients is a story of a cooking class, but is oh so much more! The spices, smells, textures, and flavors throughout the book are used as connection points to the students, their lives, memories, needs, and secrets. As you read this book, you get a warm, cozy feeling from it that lingers with you. You can almost smell and taste right through the book.
This is a book I probably would never have picked up, and if I had, it would have taken a long time for me to finally take the time to read it. It just doesn't sound as entertaining as it is. I found this book to be well worth the read and I'll look forward to more from this author.
This is a book I probably would never have picked up, and if I had, it would have taken a long time for me to finally take the time to read it. It just doesn't sound as entertaining as it is. I found this book to be well worth the read and I'll look forward to more from this author.
September 12, 2020
To read this book, you absolutely need to
love
food. I do, even if I prefer eating than cooking! I'm a real foodie and reading all these food descriptions made my stomach rumble.
On the other hand, at a certain point, these same descriptions tired me a little bit...
I really liked the first chapter about Lillian and was disappointed that I couldn't read more about her later. I really appreciated this character. The idea of having a chapter about each of the people attending to the cooking class was good and the author succeeded to make me like every one of them, but it still felt rushed. In the end, this book was about food and how it helped people, united them, but there wasn't really a plot other than that.
Thanks to Sarah Addison Allen for the recommendation (on her website, I think). I could, without a doubt, see the similarities with her own work. It entertained me while waiting for her next book!
On the other hand, at a certain point, these same descriptions tired me a little bit...
I really liked the first chapter about Lillian and was disappointed that I couldn't read more about her later. I really appreciated this character. The idea of having a chapter about each of the people attending to the cooking class was good and the author succeeded to make me like every one of them, but it still felt rushed. In the end, this book was about food and how it helped people, united them, but there wasn't really a plot other than that.
Thanks to Sarah Addison Allen for the recommendation (on her website, I think). I could, without a doubt, see the similarities with her own work. It entertained me while waiting for her next book!
November 26, 2013
I am not sure if this book can be called a culinary exercise in poetic philosophy. But if it can work, then that is what I feel it is. Add a touch of fairyland and a dollop of romance to it and the end result is a gentle, dreamy, adventure into vegetables and meat.
Lilian runs a restaurant and offers cooking classes on Monday evenings when her business is closed. Through her teachings she is changing the lives of the participants who all came for different reasons to attend the lessons. They all come to mend, find, or understand love in their lives. They are taught how to handle stress, loneliness, disappointment and loss. Love is actually the essential ingredient of not only life, but also food. She teaches them how to change any food into a work of love. So the book is aptly titled The School of Essential Ingredients"
Somewhere the book was a national bestseller. I am happy to know that. But for me it did not work at all. Perhaps it is because I have read similar books in which herbs and spices played the main role,or kick-started much-needed change in the characters' lives. This book does the same, but ended up leaving me with the sound of chalk scratching on a black board. Perhaps I am not in the right mindset for it. A bad-hair day review.
The text is beautiful but boring. There is neither excitement, nor exhilaration. I constantly fell asleep. It took me three days of trying and persisting.
Don't get me wrong. I do love cooking, plant my own herbs and vegetables, and believe in tasting the actual ingredients in a dish, not smothering it with overbearing rich sauces. I love smelling the lavender and rose-scented geraniums in the garden, and I always close my eyes and smell the seductive flavors when opening new bottles of magical spices. The first thing I do when approaching a plant, is smell the leaves. It is instinct. I appreciate the secret seduction that herbs and spices bring to food. I always smell something first before I actually see it. So this book should have been a thrill. It was not.
For instance, compared to 'Chocolat' - it is sadly lacking.
I will rate it two stars because I bought and read it, and will give it to someone who also loves cooking and believe in romancing the scallops in their lives. I am sure it will change someone's perceptions of cooking who needs it and thrive on sentimental teachings.
Prose was good. Idea was good. Plot worked. The cover was really something very special. The story just needed a touch of drama to make it more believable and exciting, less prescriptive and preachy. If all the similes and metaphors vanished from the narrative, very little would remain to support an actual believable story. Two stars says it was OK. Not bad. OK. Forgettable.
Lilian runs a restaurant and offers cooking classes on Monday evenings when her business is closed. Through her teachings she is changing the lives of the participants who all came for different reasons to attend the lessons. They all come to mend, find, or understand love in their lives. They are taught how to handle stress, loneliness, disappointment and loss. Love is actually the essential ingredient of not only life, but also food. She teaches them how to change any food into a work of love. So the book is aptly titled The School of Essential Ingredients"
Somewhere the book was a national bestseller. I am happy to know that. But for me it did not work at all. Perhaps it is because I have read similar books in which herbs and spices played the main role,or kick-started much-needed change in the characters' lives. This book does the same, but ended up leaving me with the sound of chalk scratching on a black board. Perhaps I am not in the right mindset for it. A bad-hair day review.
The text is beautiful but boring. There is neither excitement, nor exhilaration. I constantly fell asleep. It took me three days of trying and persisting.
Don't get me wrong. I do love cooking, plant my own herbs and vegetables, and believe in tasting the actual ingredients in a dish, not smothering it with overbearing rich sauces. I love smelling the lavender and rose-scented geraniums in the garden, and I always close my eyes and smell the seductive flavors when opening new bottles of magical spices. The first thing I do when approaching a plant, is smell the leaves. It is instinct. I appreciate the secret seduction that herbs and spices bring to food. I always smell something first before I actually see it. So this book should have been a thrill. It was not.
For instance, compared to 'Chocolat' - it is sadly lacking.
I will rate it two stars because I bought and read it, and will give it to someone who also loves cooking and believe in romancing the scallops in their lives. I am sure it will change someone's perceptions of cooking who needs it and thrive on sentimental teachings.
Prose was good. Idea was good. Plot worked. The cover was really something very special. The story just needed a touch of drama to make it more believable and exciting, less prescriptive and preachy. If all the similes and metaphors vanished from the narrative, very little would remain to support an actual believable story. Two stars says it was OK. Not bad. OK. Forgettable.
December 25, 2008
***oops--I misposted this review with the wrong book earlier this week. Sorry! I'm blaming holiday craziness!
This is a glorious book. It's about food as a touchstone and a means for memory, community, nurturing, healing, loving, seduction, sustenance, pleasure, joy, beginning, endings--life. It is the story of a cooking class that learns far more than culinary skills at the hands of a chef whose wisdom is not limited to food stuffs. The language is lush and decadent, rolling off the page and into your mind like a drug. I could taste, smell, see and feel everything as if I was indeed standing at the prep table myself. This is Bauermeister's first novel, but the power and magic in her prose tells me that it is far from her last.
Fans of Harris's Chocolat will be crazy about this book, but I would recommend it for foodies of any sort, and really just about anyone--this book casts a powerful spell that makes you see, feel and taste the world, even your memories, in a new, deep, consuming way.
This is a glorious book. It's about food as a touchstone and a means for memory, community, nurturing, healing, loving, seduction, sustenance, pleasure, joy, beginning, endings--life. It is the story of a cooking class that learns far more than culinary skills at the hands of a chef whose wisdom is not limited to food stuffs. The language is lush and decadent, rolling off the page and into your mind like a drug. I could taste, smell, see and feel everything as if I was indeed standing at the prep table myself. This is Bauermeister's first novel, but the power and magic in her prose tells me that it is far from her last.
Fans of Harris's Chocolat will be crazy about this book, but I would recommend it for foodies of any sort, and really just about anyone--this book casts a powerful spell that makes you see, feel and taste the world, even your memories, in a new, deep, consuming way.
February 13, 2009
While I did finish this book, mainly to read about the food, this topic has been done before and done better, I think (by Joanne Harris and Sarah Addison Allen). I did not mind the magical realism (I am a fan of Alice Hoffman's, after all!) but the writing left a lot to be desired. I found the writing repetitious and the author used FAR TOO MANY SIMILES. By the middle of the book I was mentally groaning every time I encountered yet another simile.
Another thing that annoyed me was her over-use of descriptive words.... grrrr. Unnecessary verbiage in books really bothers my inner editor.
The charming characters were well-developed and the food descriptions were delicious.
3 minus would be my actual rating.
Another thing that annoyed me was her over-use of descriptive words.... grrrr. Unnecessary verbiage in books really bothers my inner editor.
The charming characters were well-developed and the food descriptions were delicious.
3 minus would be my actual rating.
July 18, 2013
The School of Essential Ingredients is a quick read focused on a Monday night cooking class held at a popular local restaurant, Lillian's. Lillian herself presides over these classes and, as someone who has always had an intrinsic understanding of the power of food to heal and comfort, she eagerly awaits each new class to see the transformations (some positive, some negative) that her students undergo as they respond to the food around them. The novel opens as Lillian welcomes her new students: a beautiful woman, a happily married older couple, a harried young mother, an analytic young man, an uncertain and undefined young woman, an older woman who is losing her memory, and a damaged man.
Each chapter in the novel is told from the point of view of one of the students, as we find out more about their pasts, discover their reasons for taking the class, and witness how new relationships are forged. Just as the ingredients in a recipe blend together to create a new whole, so, too, do the lives of the students intersect in surprising ways.
I was initially drawn to this book because of its focus on food, which
turned out to be the least compelling aspect of the book for me. Instead, it's the character sketches that held the most intrigue for me. To the outside world, these are ordinary people in ordinary circumstances, but as Bauermeister delves into each character's past, we find that the masks we present to the world hide life's scars, personal insecurities, and profound tragedies. Reading each character's narrative is a little like people watching--only instead of wondering what the lives of strangers are like, we actually get to peek inside their lives. The most accomplished of these narratives is the story of Carl and Helen, the older couple whose seemingly happy marriage, as we learn from seeing the story of their early life together from each spouse's perspective, was hard-earned and not as simple as they make it look.
In fact, the one thing about the book that almost sabotaged it for me by tipping the scales too much in the direction of saccharine sentimentality turned out to be the connections to food, especially in the form of Lillian. Lillian is presented as an omniscient mystic, who somehow always knows what lessons in food will actually translate into the life lessons her individual students need to pick them up, dust them off, and set them down the right path in life. While Lillian's own back story does provide a context for this, it did seem a little too contrived. However, it certainly wasn't enough of a distraction to prevent me from enjoying and recommending the book.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
Each chapter in the novel is told from the point of view of one of the students, as we find out more about their pasts, discover their reasons for taking the class, and witness how new relationships are forged. Just as the ingredients in a recipe blend together to create a new whole, so, too, do the lives of the students intersect in surprising ways.
I was initially drawn to this book because of its focus on food, which
turned out to be the least compelling aspect of the book for me. Instead, it's the character sketches that held the most intrigue for me. To the outside world, these are ordinary people in ordinary circumstances, but as Bauermeister delves into each character's past, we find that the masks we present to the world hide life's scars, personal insecurities, and profound tragedies. Reading each character's narrative is a little like people watching--only instead of wondering what the lives of strangers are like, we actually get to peek inside their lives. The most accomplished of these narratives is the story of Carl and Helen, the older couple whose seemingly happy marriage, as we learn from seeing the story of their early life together from each spouse's perspective, was hard-earned and not as simple as they make it look.
In fact, the one thing about the book that almost sabotaged it for me by tipping the scales too much in the direction of saccharine sentimentality turned out to be the connections to food, especially in the form of Lillian. Lillian is presented as an omniscient mystic, who somehow always knows what lessons in food will actually translate into the life lessons her individual students need to pick them up, dust them off, and set them down the right path in life. While Lillian's own back story does provide a context for this, it did seem a little too contrived. However, it certainly wasn't enough of a distraction to prevent me from enjoying and recommending the book.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
June 8, 2015
A solid 3.5 enjoyable read.
This was a comfort read for me. A cast of characters from all walks of life with very different experiences and at very different stages all come together once a week for cooking class. Of course, they learn so much more....about themselves, about each other and about how to look at and experience life. It was a quick and easy read, with a feel good ending. For me, the food was as much a character of this ensemble cast as the others. I would LOVE to find a class like this. I closed this book feeling like I had made a few friends and planning what new thing I could cook next! I believe there is a sequel to this....and I will read it just for the cooking tips/ideas if nothing else. I may need to wait a bit as I may have gained a couple pounds reading this one!
This was a comfort read for me. A cast of characters from all walks of life with very different experiences and at very different stages all come together once a week for cooking class. Of course, they learn so much more....about themselves, about each other and about how to look at and experience life. It was a quick and easy read, with a feel good ending. For me, the food was as much a character of this ensemble cast as the others. I would LOVE to find a class like this. I closed this book feeling like I had made a few friends and planning what new thing I could cook next! I believe there is a sequel to this....and I will read it just for the cooking tips/ideas if nothing else. I may need to wait a bit as I may have gained a couple pounds reading this one!
January 8, 2009
When an ARC arrives at my house, it usually goes in the stack of ARCs waiting to be read. But recently, I have cut down on ARC requests and have been diligently making my way through them. I’m pretty sure I only have one left in the stack to read. So, when The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister arrived on Tuesday, it was serendipitous timing - I had just finished Blindspot, and hadn’t picked up another book yet.
I started it Tuesday night, staying up way too late reading. It grabbed me immediately, the food metaphors rolling around in my brain and making me hungry. Bauermeister’s writing is lyrical and heady, and drew me right into the stories of these strangers who come together to take a cooking class.
The class is facilitated by Lillian, a chef and restaurant owner. Every Monday night, the class gathers in her restaurant’s kitchen, surrounded by the sights and smells of sweet and savory ingredients. The book is written almost as a collection of short stories, although I don’t think any chapter could stand on it’s own - each person’s story needs the frame of Lillian’s story in the prologue and epilogue, as well as the stories of the other characters. There is Antonia, the single kitchen decorator who misses her native Italy; Carl and Helen, the long-married couple whose love has endured much; Chloe, the clumsy waitress who is trying to come into her own; Ian, the young man who sees life as an experiment to be tried; Isabelle, a woman who is entering the winter of her life; Claire, the wife and mother of young children looking for something to call her own; and Tom, the widower still grieving the loss of his beloved.
Lillian has an uncanny knack for knowing just what her students need. As each Monday’s class brings an essential ingredient to the group, relationships are forged, changed, and healed. This is a short book - around 240 pages - and I could have gobbled it up in one sitting, but instead I forced myself to savor it over a few days. I will be watching eagerly for Bauermeister’s next foray into fiction.
5 out of 5 stars
I started it Tuesday night, staying up way too late reading. It grabbed me immediately, the food metaphors rolling around in my brain and making me hungry. Bauermeister’s writing is lyrical and heady, and drew me right into the stories of these strangers who come together to take a cooking class.
The class is facilitated by Lillian, a chef and restaurant owner. Every Monday night, the class gathers in her restaurant’s kitchen, surrounded by the sights and smells of sweet and savory ingredients. The book is written almost as a collection of short stories, although I don’t think any chapter could stand on it’s own - each person’s story needs the frame of Lillian’s story in the prologue and epilogue, as well as the stories of the other characters. There is Antonia, the single kitchen decorator who misses her native Italy; Carl and Helen, the long-married couple whose love has endured much; Chloe, the clumsy waitress who is trying to come into her own; Ian, the young man who sees life as an experiment to be tried; Isabelle, a woman who is entering the winter of her life; Claire, the wife and mother of young children looking for something to call her own; and Tom, the widower still grieving the loss of his beloved.
Lillian has an uncanny knack for knowing just what her students need. As each Monday’s class brings an essential ingredient to the group, relationships are forged, changed, and healed. This is a short book - around 240 pages - and I could have gobbled it up in one sitting, but instead I forced myself to savor it over a few days. I will be watching eagerly for Bauermeister’s next foray into fiction.
5 out of 5 stars
July 7, 2011
I have read way, way too many books like this. Several random individuals end up meeting regularly (in this case for a cooking class) and gradually bonding. Each character comes with his own set of traumas and in each chapter we meet a different one and learn his story, interspersed with the teacher's deep philosophical food musings as she demonstrates cake, turkey, or whatever (such pithy gems as, the flour is like the guy at the party who you don't realize is sexy until the end -- huh?). The teacher is clearly meant to be the almost magically insightful and prescient voice-of-wisdom character that every book like this must have. The characters and storylines are clicheed, a flaw which no amount of lyrical waxing about food can camouflage. Which, incidentally, was way over the top. Honestly, I like to cook at least as much as the next person and probably more than many. I even enjoy food writing sometimes. But when all is said and done it's just food, people. It's enjoyable in the moment at best; it won't solve your deepest problems.
May 13, 2020
Comfy, delectable, poetic and beautiful ~ a perfect book to read while the world is falling apart around us.
January 8, 2022
Sweet. Slice of life. Not very plot driven, but a lovely, foodie read where we meet a group of people who come together for a cooking class. We get a brief look at their back story and a glimpse into their current situation as they bond and build relationships with each other throughout the course of this class. It was a quick, heartwarming read.
July 6, 2009
A cabin weekend read, recommended (sadly) by NPR. I ended up reading parts aloud to Mara and Abby while we all read by the lake this weekend, because the writing was so florid (and because a grieving husband makes a very creepy tribute to his dead wife, involving her ashes and a cake served to her mourning friends).
The author made a rookie mistakes of writing from the perspectives of all of the characters while maintaining the florid, simile-laden language with every character, so you are forced to believe that everyone naturally has a orgasmic experience while holding a piece of raw garlic (sigh). Also, these are characters who are all-wise, all-knowing, all-patient and all-loving.
The one good thing is that it did make me want to go cook something.
The author made a rookie mistakes of writing from the perspectives of all of the characters while maintaining the florid, simile-laden language with every character, so you are forced to believe that everyone naturally has a orgasmic experience while holding a piece of raw garlic (sigh). Also, these are characters who are all-wise, all-knowing, all-patient and all-loving.
The one good thing is that it did make me want to go cook something.
October 22, 2020
My turn on the hotline was fairly quiet and I was able to quickly read this lovely debut (2009) novel of food and relationships. 4 stars for the enjoyment it brought me. It falls in line with a number of similarly styled novels such as Garden Spells, Water for Chocolate & Chocolat, but without as much magical realism infused throughout. The drop of magic comes from Lillian's uncanny ability to read people and know what kind of food lessons will meet their needs, which also reminded me of the bookseller in The Little Paris Bookshop.
Lillian offers small cooking classes at her restaurant & this offering brings a mix of people who have been motivated to take the class for disparate reasons, as different as the people themselves. After the set-up, each chapter then is about each student and the essential ingredients that make them who they are . At 255pp, the book is not long enough to fully flesh out each character but enough to make you care about them and wish them well.
There is some delicious writing which had me roll the phrases around and savor them just as Lillian wants you to savor the ingredients in cooking. There is definitely a focus on the food and it even tempted this non-cook in considering (fleetingly) making the effort to learn.
If you love food and light easy reading with interesting people this may be the book for you.
Lillian offers small cooking classes at her restaurant & this offering brings a mix of people who have been motivated to take the class for disparate reasons, as different as the people themselves. After the set-up, each chapter then is about each student and the essential ingredients that make them who they are . At 255pp, the book is not long enough to fully flesh out each character but enough to make you care about them and wish them well.
There is some delicious writing which had me roll the phrases around and savor them just as Lillian wants you to savor the ingredients in cooking. There is definitely a focus on the food and it even tempted this non-cook in considering (fleetingly) making the effort to learn.
If you love food and light easy reading with interesting people this may be the book for you.
February 4, 2017
I've given 5-star ratings to a lot of books I've really liked. But "The School of Essential Ingredients" is on a totally different plane. This is a novel of pure love, toward food and toward life. I've never said this in any other review I've written either on here or in my movie reviews: This book will change your life, no matter if you simply read it straight through without much reaction. Scenes will creep into your memory at times you never expected. If you're not a foodie, you'll become a bit of one, remembering the descriptions of all kinds of food here. This is one of the few novels that taps completely into why we read. What we hope for when we open a novel is all right here, and above all, enlightenment in many forms.
January 5, 2009
This book was AMAZING!!!!! I was hungry while reading it, and hungry for more when I finished. Congrats to Erica for writing such an amazing first novel. I loved the how each chapter was a different characters point of view about their life and how they ended up in Lillian's cooking class. There were some of the best pieces of advice within the pages of this book. I think it really appeals to people who cook, or don't cook for that matter (like me) but now I want to really start learning how and experimenting in the kitchen!
April 16, 2009
It has been a long time since a book has charmed me as much as this little gem. It deals with the passion of the preparation of food. The bulk of the story takes place in a cooking class. The food preparation is intermingled with the life stories of the participants in the cooking class. It reminds me that so much of our lives are spent around food: happy times, sad times, lonely times. The author is a goodreads author and this is her first novel. I can only hope that many more will come from Erica Bauermeister.
February 16, 2023
Advertencia...hay que leerlo con el estómago lleno 😂
Un libro muy sensorial. Despierta de una manera tremenda las ansias por saborear y olfatear cada plato.
Me ha gustado cómo nos muestra las diversas vidas de los personajes y como se entrelazan. Me ha sabido a poco.
Un libro muy sensorial. Despierta de una manera tremenda las ansias por saborear y olfatear cada plato.
Me ha gustado cómo nos muestra las diversas vidas de los personajes y como se entrelazan. Me ha sabido a poco.
June 7, 2023
I picked this because it was short and I was waiting for my other audiobook to get here so I didn’t want something that was going to take forever, in case the other book arrived within the week. I had no idea what it was really about except people coming together to cook and heal. That sounded nice. And it was nice. Actually, the story, itself, is quiet and lovely, centered on food and the individual lives of people in a winter cooking class.
I liked the first several pages, the idea of a little girl trying to un-withdraw her mother through cooking (she totally would not have been able to match food to book covers, though, because without reading the books, she really would not have known what they were about) But by the middle of the first disc, the analogies and similes were so prevalent and over-the-top that I started becoming frustrated and peevish. I love a good metaphor but they should be used wisely, they shouldn’t comprise the bulk of the text.
Soon, I started getting frustrated with the lack of food knowledge sprinkled throughout the tale like gravel in pancake batter. For instance:
Why did the chef put yolks in the white cake? That makes it a yellow cake.
Is rosemary really considered dark green? It can be bright green and it's often got a silvery color to it, but dark green? I don't think so.
Should olive oil be milky when it’s in a warm kitchen? No, it shouldn't. And then later, it’s golden green. What is going on with her olive oil?
And then the focus on sensuality and its confluence with sexuality, like the two must happen together, like being sensual always leads to being sexual (pro-tip: It doesn't) Every character had incredibly heightened senses in some fashion and because the style of prose used to describe each one's slice of life was the same, they all wound up sounding like different versions of the same character, the same very sensual character who, for some reason, already knew how to cook or was already predisposed to understanding the complexities and magical qualities of food.
This would have been a charming story were it not for the florid, grandiose way it was written. The words ruined everything.
I liked the first several pages, the idea of a little girl trying to un-withdraw her mother through cooking (she totally would not have been able to match food to book covers, though, because without reading the books, she really would not have known what they were about) But by the middle of the first disc, the analogies and similes were so prevalent and over-the-top that I started becoming frustrated and peevish. I love a good metaphor but they should be used wisely, they shouldn’t comprise the bulk of the text.
Soon, I started getting frustrated with the lack of food knowledge sprinkled throughout the tale like gravel in pancake batter. For instance:
Why did the chef put yolks in the white cake? That makes it a yellow cake.
Is rosemary really considered dark green? It can be bright green and it's often got a silvery color to it, but dark green? I don't think so.
Should olive oil be milky when it’s in a warm kitchen? No, it shouldn't. And then later, it’s golden green. What is going on with her olive oil?
And then the focus on sensuality and its confluence with sexuality, like the two must happen together, like being sensual always leads to being sexual (pro-tip: It doesn't) Every character had incredibly heightened senses in some fashion and because the style of prose used to describe each one's slice of life was the same, they all wound up sounding like different versions of the same character, the same very sensual character who, for some reason, already knew how to cook or was already predisposed to understanding the complexities and magical qualities of food.
This would have been a charming story were it not for the florid, grandiose way it was written. The words ruined everything.
Read
January 21, 2009This is a glorious book. It's about food as a touchstone and a means for memory,community, nurturing, healing, loving, seduction, sustenance, pleasure, joy, beginning, endings--life. It is the story of a cooking class that learns far more than culinary skills at the hands of a chef whose wisdom is not limited to food stuffs. The language is lush and decadent, rolling off the page and into your mind like a drug. I could taste, smell, see and feel everything as if I was indeed standing at the prep table myself. This is Bauermeister's first novel, but the power and magic in her prose tells me that it is far from her last.
Fans of Harris's Chocolat will be crazy about this book, but I would recommend it for foodies of any sort, and really just about anyone--this book casts a powerful spell that makes you see, feel and taste the world, even your memories, in a new, deep, consuming
way.
Jackie
Fans of Harris's Chocolat will be crazy about this book, but I would recommend it for foodies of any sort, and really just about anyone--this book casts a powerful spell that makes you see, feel and taste the world, even your memories, in a new, deep, consuming
way.
Jackie
Read
December 16, 2022This is a delightfully delicious read where the characters not only learn how to cook some incredible dishes, but they learn how to find themselves once again.
You’ll savor every page and wish you could go to this wonderful school.
-Jen K.-
You’ll savor every page and wish you could go to this wonderful school.
-Jen K.-
May 25, 2010
‘What matters is the grace with which you cook the meal.’
On Monday nights, over a period of weeks, Lillian gives cooking lessons to small groups. Lillian is a renowned chef who has her own restaurant, and her classes are popular. As the story opens, a new class is starting and we meet the eight students as they meet each other. Over the course of the book, each chapter combines the preparation of a meal with the story of one of the characters.
Each of the characters brings their own struggles, disappointments and joys to the kitchen. Each of the students is transformed by their learning and, as they learn to appreciate the aromas, flavours and textures of what they are preparing, they each learn quite a lot about themselves.
I enjoyed this novel. The character sketches and the food preparation combine in a delightful way. Sometimes the character’s stories are connected and seem complete, sometimes they are not. Some of the stories hint at a hopeful future, others are less clear. Each of the stories is interesting, each of the characters vividly drawn. And yes, cooking is also thinking about other people.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
On Monday nights, over a period of weeks, Lillian gives cooking lessons to small groups. Lillian is a renowned chef who has her own restaurant, and her classes are popular. As the story opens, a new class is starting and we meet the eight students as they meet each other. Over the course of the book, each chapter combines the preparation of a meal with the story of one of the characters.
Each of the characters brings their own struggles, disappointments and joys to the kitchen. Each of the students is transformed by their learning and, as they learn to appreciate the aromas, flavours and textures of what they are preparing, they each learn quite a lot about themselves.
I enjoyed this novel. The character sketches and the food preparation combine in a delightful way. Sometimes the character’s stories are connected and seem complete, sometimes they are not. Some of the stories hint at a hopeful future, others are less clear. Each of the stories is interesting, each of the characters vividly drawn. And yes, cooking is also thinking about other people.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
May 12, 2023
On our last trip, I had the pleasure of spending the night in Port Townsend, Washington. Quaint and welcoming, I was thoroughly entranced by this little town boasting 4 bookstores! Can you imagine what Heaven I was in?! One bookstore, called the Writers’ Workshoppe Imprint Books honored local authors. They had a display as you entered the shop and I found myself wrapped in warmth and joy. This book did something more, it wrapped me in spices, smells, textures and flavors. As I continued to read, I got a warm, cozy feeling from the experience of connecting with the various characters that lingered with me. I almost felt as if I could smell and taste right through the book. The novel itself is a beautifully written character study of each student who comes to Lillian’s School of Essential Ingredients (cooking class). Each character is given their own chapter so we can gain more insight into their individual stories. This is a brilliant first novel, and if you have never read a food-related book, this is where to start. You will want to eat this book! And yes, I also picked up her sequel to this, which I also eventually read and loved.
November 17, 2023
* " Освен това есента започва да се проявява и изглежда като подходящо време да си угаждаме. "
* " Животът е прекрасен. Някои хора просто ви напомнят за това повече от други.“
В прекрасния месец Ноември и в навечерието на Деня на Благодарността попаднах на The School OfEssential Ingredients, която е ода за храната. Сюжетът се развива в същия сезон, което го прави толкова реалистично събитие за мен. Сякаш съм там, в сгушения под дърветата ресторант на Лилиян по време на вечерите за курса по готварство. Поглеждайки около себе си, виждам червените, оранжеви, кафяви и жълти листа, все още задържали се по клоните. Усещам аромата на запалена шума и звука на вятъра заедно с приглушените песни на птиците, останали верни на нашите ширини. Червените плодове на шипката,( те с падането на температурите ще стават все по - ярки, пълни с витамин С ) могат да бъдат задушени в масло и павирани на сочно пюре към приготвеното месо.
Докато се организирате в кухнята да приготвяне на обяд, вечеря или някакво изкушение, хрумнало ви внезапно, вземете до себе си тази книга. Пуснете си музика, освобождаваща съзнанието и обърнете цялата си душа към храната. Ще видите продуктите и тяхното преобразяване от свежест до аромат и вкус. Жълтиците и захарта могат да станат мек крем, а под бъркалките на миксера белтъците се кикотят с малките мехурчета въздух отстрани на купата, докато стават бяла пяна. Оризът може да се съчетае с бульон и пипер и да се плъзне деликатно в гърлото.
The School Of Essential Ingredients е празнуване на храната и малките ритуали в готвенето като откриване на индивидуалността на всеки един от нас. Ние сме дълбоко различни - социално и интелектулно, преминали сме леко или тежко през ситуациите и сме си изградили характер и поглед към света. Навиците ни в храненето и готвенето отразяват всяка малка наша особеност. Така ни открояват и ни помагат да се свържем с някой като нас .
Аз харесвам готвенето. В един или друг момент повече или по - малко. Забелязах, че настроението, с което влизам в кухнята е в основата на всичко - на отношението ми към процеса, на скоростта, с която ще искам да се случват нещата и накрая на резултата.
Защото храната в целия й цикъл е откровение !
* " ... всичко, което някога съм искал, е да съм сигурен в нещата. "
* " Животът е прекрасен. Някои хора просто ви напомнят за това повече от други.“
В прекрасния месец Ноември и в навечерието на Деня на Благодарността попаднах на The School OfEssential Ingredients, която е ода за храната. Сюжетът се развива в същия сезон, което го прави толкова реалистично събитие за мен. Сякаш съм там, в сгушения под дърветата ресторант на Лилиян по време на вечерите за курса по готварство. Поглеждайки около себе си, виждам червените, оранжеви, кафяви и жълти листа, все още задържали се по клоните. Усещам аромата на запалена шума и звука на вятъра заедно с приглушените песни на птиците, останали верни на нашите ширини. Червените плодове на шипката,( те с падането на температурите ще стават все по - ярки, пълни с витамин С ) могат да бъдат задушени в масло и павирани на сочно пюре към приготвеното месо.
Докато се организирате в кухнята да приготвяне на обяд, вечеря или някакво изкушение, хрумнало ви внезапно, вземете до себе си тази книга. Пуснете си музика, освобождаваща съзнанието и обърнете цялата си душа към храната. Ще видите продуктите и тяхното преобразяване от свежест до аромат и вкус. Жълтиците и захарта могат да станат мек крем, а под бъркалките на миксера белтъците се кикотят с малките мехурчета въздух отстрани на купата, докато стават бяла пяна. Оризът може да се съчетае с бульон и пипер и да се плъзне деликатно в гърлото.
The School Of Essential Ingredients е празнуване на храната и малките ритуали в готвенето като откриване на индивидуалността на всеки един от нас. Ние сме дълбоко различни - социално и интелектулно, преминали сме леко или тежко през ситуациите и сме си изградили характер и поглед към света. Навиците ни в храненето и готвенето отразяват всяка малка наша особеност. Така ни открояват и ни помагат да се свържем с някой като нас .
Аз харесвам готвенето. В един или друг момент повече или по - малко. Забелязах, че настроението, с което влизам в кухнята е в основата на всичко - на отношението ми към процеса, на скоростта, с която ще искам да се случват нещата и накрая на резултата.
Защото храната в целия й цикъл е откровение !
* " ... всичко, което някога съм искал, е да съм сигурен в нещата. "
December 21, 2010
It probably sounds a bit sad that I actually give this book to myself as a Christmas present lol but I sometimes tend to be quite melancholy around Christmas,
First, I couldn't go home as every resources are reserved for my sister's wedding next February
Second, not going home means I couldn't ask mum to cook all her special dishes for me oh especially those sour-sweet shrimps oh yummy
Three, Christmas means baking cookies for the whole family oh yeah I can bake cookies hehe but maybe this time I won't bake or get any cookies package from home
Four, some people don't realise that like Claire, they are losing their identities, and simple things like cooking or get out from your comfort zone will renew the souls within.
***
Hadiah Natal untuk diri sendiri.
Jika ada yang bertanya kenapa tidak menghadiahkan diri sendiri sesuatu yang lebih bagus, hebat, mewah bla bla bla, jawabannya sederhana: kisah-kisah di buku ini memberikan kehangatan dan itulah semangat Natal.
First, I couldn't go home as every resources are reserved for my sister's wedding next February
Second, not going home means I couldn't ask mum to cook all her special dishes for me oh especially those sour-sweet shrimps oh yummy
Three, Christmas means baking cookies for the whole family oh yeah I can bake cookies hehe but maybe this time I won't bake or get any cookies package from home
Four, some people don't realise that like Claire, they are losing their identities, and simple things like cooking or get out from your comfort zone will renew the souls within.
***
Hadiah Natal untuk diri sendiri.
Jika ada yang bertanya kenapa tidak menghadiahkan diri sendiri sesuatu yang lebih bagus, hebat, mewah bla bla bla, jawabannya sederhana: kisah-kisah di buku ini memberikan kehangatan dan itulah semangat Natal.
January 2, 2009
The School of Essential Ingredients is more than a cooking school. Chef and instructor Lillian proves it's a chance to rediscover your own life. The School of Essential Ingredients allows readers a peak into the life of each student and we watch with pleasure as their worlds realign and come together.
While nothing earth-shattering really happnes here, the pacing is beautiful--it reads so quickly, but has that lovely, languid slowness that I crave on a January afternoon. This is a perfect read for a snow-bound day at home.
While nothing earth-shattering really happnes here, the pacing is beautiful--it reads so quickly, but has that lovely, languid slowness that I crave on a January afternoon. This is a perfect read for a snow-bound day at home.
February 2, 2014
Wonderfully written.
May 24, 2021
Well written. Sumptuous descriptions of food. Found myself cooking more than ever while reading through this book. Romance, food, happy endings.
May 11, 2019
No creo equivocarme al decir que una de las cosas que más acercan a la gente es la comida, tanto su preparación, como su degustación, este libro me ha parecido una manera de hacerle tributo precisamente a eso.
Alrededor de una clase de cocina, conocemos la historia de cada uno de los personajes que participan en ella, a través de un plato y otro y la preparación de la misma, algunos sanan sus heridas, otros se enamoran, otros se reencuentran a sí mismos y al mismo tiempo se va creando un lazo muy peculiar entre todo el grupo.
Me ha parecido un libro muy bonito de leer, muy sencillo, pero que alrededor de los sabores y olores que se nos describen se pasa un rato muy ameno.
Escrito de manera muy sencilla, simple en su estilo, incluso en su contenido, ofrece nada menos que puro entretenimiento y como aviso les digo que este libro no se debe de leer teniendo hambre.
Alrededor de una clase de cocina, conocemos la historia de cada uno de los personajes que participan en ella, a través de un plato y otro y la preparación de la misma, algunos sanan sus heridas, otros se enamoran, otros se reencuentran a sí mismos y al mismo tiempo se va creando un lazo muy peculiar entre todo el grupo.
Me ha parecido un libro muy bonito de leer, muy sencillo, pero que alrededor de los sabores y olores que se nos describen se pasa un rato muy ameno.
Escrito de manera muy sencilla, simple en su estilo, incluso en su contenido, ofrece nada menos que puro entretenimiento y como aviso les digo que este libro no se debe de leer teniendo hambre.
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