‘Ingredients’ offers savory bites, but leaves some asking for more

The Book Nook: With straightforward simplicity, Morrison narrates gracefully

Toni Morrison is the master of coaxing the voices of the past to life. The stories her characters tell are vivid, vital, and often full of sorrow. With her close narration, Morrison couples the reader's journey with the narrator's, the former bleeding in concert with the latter. In Morrison's most recent novel, "A Mercy," she once again excavates the unheard secrets of those kept silent through history.

The Book Nook: In ‘Beginner’s Greek,’ sparks fizzle, then become lost in translation

If one is prone to dreams of romance, planes provide appealing fodder for the chance meeting that might lead one's true love. A strange intimacy can develop between people while they are crammed into the confines of scratchy seats for long stretches of time. It has something to do with the altitude. And there is the added anticipation of who might sit next to you. It's a mystery and there is a short moment of suspended time when one can imagine "Maybe this time..." Usually, it's a hairy older man, or a chatty grandma happy to talk with you for all five hours of the flight. But for Peter Russell, a fellow who is particularly prone to this line of thinking, Holly fills the seat next to his on his flight from New York to L.A., and, you guessed it, they fall madly in love. This is the premise of James Collins' novel "Beginner's Greek." The novel purports to be one both about true love and love at first sight with delicious complications.

The Book Nook

‘Ingredients’ offers savory bites, but leaves some asking for more

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

April 17, 2009

Food is famous for its ability to bring people together. It is central to family gatherings, holidays and celebrations. First, second, and third dates usually revolve around food; there is romance in a well-laid table and the accompanying well-chosen wines. Food preferences reflect people's personalities and moods. The inherent magic of food and its preparation is the foundation of Erica Bauermeister's novel, "The School of Essential Ingredients."

Lillian is an accomplished chef who owns a restaurant that she decides to open for cooking classes on Monday nights. She is a somewhat mysterious character who is fairy godmother-like in her eagerness to guide her students toward gustatory satisfaction and love.

The assorted students differ in expected ways: An old married couple come together, a lonely young man, a waitress are some of the characters. Each week the class tackles a different dish and in the kitchen, connections and relationships simmer. Layers of the characters' pasts and hopes are peeled away like the layers of an onion to reveal their insides.

Unfortunately, this is about the depth to which the novel penetrates. Beautiful descriptions of savory food and aromatic scents rising from cooling dishes populate the pages of this book. If one appreciates the creation of meals and the thought and care that enters into it, the plethora of tasty descriptions will likely be pleasing.

But I found myself hungry for more. Each character reaches a fairly logical conclusion in concert with his or her original preoccupations. The students enter the classroom somewhat bruised and exit having discovered that tender fruit can be turned into a delicious desert or sweet jam. As a New Mexican who relishes the spice of chile, the blandness of these storylines left me ravenous.

Additionally, I was highly disappointed to find recipes absent. "Like Water For Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel, "Frankie's Place" by Jim Sterba, and "The Lobster Chronicles" by Linda Greenlaw are all books that use food as a central theme. While "Like Water For Chocolate" is a novel and the other two are memoirs, all three include the recipes discussed between their covers. "The School of Essential Ingredients" failed to appeal to me on a number of levels, but the food sounded delicious and I would love to try some of the recipes myself.

Bauermeister's novel is light enough to make for a satisfactory read on the Quad or the beach. "Like Water For Chocolate" is a far more bewitching tale, however. For two excellent characterizations of Maine in the summer, turn to Sterba or Greenlaw. We've made it through a long cold winter, and we all deserve a little taste of the summer their recipes supply.

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