Food lover’s handy reference

I grew up in a house that had a library.  It’s interesting how childhood experiences and memories continue to shape our choices as we grow older.

Looking back now I understand why as a student, the school library offered some bit of comfort like a home away from home. Or now as a grown-up, I feel like a kid at Christmas when I enter a bookstore. And I believe this is also the reason why I can’t get myself to invest in an e-book reader.

I’ve read somewhere that the scent of printed paper and the action of turning a page come with the joy of reading a book. I quite agree, although sometimes a strong scent can also get in the way. Well, so does running out of power for an electronic gadget.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that I purchased a book that I think I don’t need, because I have other references. In my attempt to rationalize my actions, I happily blame my childhood days. 

I got myself a copy of the fourth edition of The New Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. It is a lexicon of food terms, cooking techniques, spices, liquor, etc. It’s quite a handy reference book with several appendixes for temperatures and measurements, food additives, meat retail cuts, and many more in 820+ pages.

Like I said, such a book might not be that necessary to a seasoned chef, food scientist or food retailer, but you’d be quite surprised at the number of terms you may not have heard of. I’ve never heard of slivovitz (a dry colorless and slightly bitter plum) and gai choy (a deep-green broad-leafed cabbage). Or did you know that when manufacturers say their product is a good source of fiber, it means the product has only between 2.5 and 4.9 grams of fiber per serving?

The authors now have a newer version of the book called The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion.