Move over, Martha.

Thu, 10/26/2006 - 4:02pm by Sancho Panza

Amy Sedaris, everyone’s favorite comic shape-shifter and newly minted solo author, wants you to get drunk. On her witty repartee, that is (and maybe a few well-chosen cocktails). Her new book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence delivers plenty of the expected sardonic humor, and some recipes, too. If you consider yourself a fan of both plastic food and Martha Stewart, this book is for you.

Plan a Michigan Wine Harvest Tour

Wed, 08/30/2006 - 4:34pm by annevm

Plenty of Ann Arborites are planning Fall trips to visit Michigan wineries - to witness the harvest and buy wine. You can plan your own midwestern oenological adventure by checking out Wineries of the Great Lakes: A Guidebook, by Joe Borrello. For complete and updated information on Michigan wineries - locations, hours, and more - go to the Michigan wine website.

Fresh Air Picks from the week of May 29th, 2006

Thu, 06/15/2006 - 9:32pm by nosch

Joseph R. Gannascoli, known until recently as mob captain Vito Spatafore on The Sopranos, has tried his hand at writing. Check out his new crime novel, A Meal to Die For, about a mobster and gourmet chef who has to prepare a feast for a boss who is about to be sent to jail. While you're at it, check out the first five seasons of The Sopranos on DVD: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Listen to Gannascoli talk about his new book on Fresh Air here.

Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker died last week at the age of 64. Check out The Best of Desmond Dekker, or hear his 1969 hit "Israelites" on one of several compilations: Rhythm and Blues Beat (Volume 2, 1964-1969), Caribbean Playground, and The Best of and the Rest of: Greatest Original Reggae Hits. Rock historian Ed Ward remembers Dekker on Fresh Air - listen here.

David Douglas Duncan is best known for his war photography, but he was also a frequent photographer of Picasso. Check out Viva Picasso or Duncan's photographic autobiography Photo Nomad, which includes seven decades of photos. Hear an interview with Duncan from July 2, 1990 here.

Food: Recent Writings on Food, Eating, and Cooking

Fri, 05/05/2006 - 2:00pm by Van

Eat This Book: a Year of Gluttony and Glory on the Competitive Eating Circuit by Ryan Nerz
Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess by Gael Greene, the longtime food columnist for New York magazine
The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones, an assemblage of anecdotes arranged by tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami, by Anthony Bourdain
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
The Reach of a Chef: Beyond the Kitchen by Michael Ruhlman
Sacred Cow, Mad Cow: a History of Food Fears by Madeleine Ferrieres
The Sex Life of Food: When Body and Soul Meet to Eat by Bunny Crumpacker

Slow Food

Fri, 09/16/2005 - 5:19pm by Sancho Panza

AADL Select Sites: Food and Cooking

Hungry? The AADL Select Sites heading Food and Cooking contains a mouth-watering array of websites, including Slow Food.

According to their website, "Slow Food, founded in 1986, is an international organization whose aim is to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life." Aside from their adorable snail logo, the website offers information on buying, caring for, and enjoying traditionally made foods, such as wine and cheese, as well as opportunities to explore their Taste Education programs, located in Italy, from afar.