Extending the Table - A Book Review

General DX Info Menu Main Menu What's New Best of this Site Radio History

EXTENDING THE TABLE

A Review of an international cookbook

Reviewed by Don Moore

Schlabach, Joetta Handrich. EXTENDING THE TABLE ... A WORLD COMMUNITY COOKBOOK. Herald Press: Scottdale, PA, 1991. 336p.
What?!? A COOKBOOK being reviewed in these hallowed pages? Well, it may be a bit unusual, but if ever a cookbook deserved the distinction of being reviewed on a DX-oriented website, this one does. Even if you don't know how to cook, this volume would be a great addition to your international bookshelf.
Extending the Table is a project of the publishing branch of the Mennonite Chruch, and the recipes were collected from Mennonite missionaries from around the world, but principally in Third World countries. Therefore, there isn't the heavy European focus found in most other multi-national cookbooks.
Although the selection and variety of recipes in this book is exceptional, this book is still worth buying even if you don't plan to make a single dish in it. Scattered among the recipes are short personal observations, ranging from a paragraph to a couple of columns in length, by these Mennonite missionaries on food and culture around the world. There are dozens and dozens of stories on topics such as planting corn in Guatemala, Kenyan markets, tortilla-making in Nicaragua, and rural Indonesian house-raisings.
Theresa and I do a lot of interntional cooking, but usually depend on the local library for recipes. The Davenport library has over 40 feet of shelf space of international cookbooks, and with resources like that, who needs to buy cookbooks. Or so I thought, until I came across Extending the Table.
Most international cookbooks emphasize festive foods of the particular country or region they are covering. Although Extending the Table does have a chapter for those kinds of dishes, most of the recipes are for everyday food from around the world. Besides giving the user a more realistic picture of how people really eat in other cultures, the recipes are simpler to make and healthier than the special-occasion foods found in other international cookbooks. This is the only true-to-everyday-life international cookbook that I have every seen. I guess that is why it is my favorite.

This website is maintained by Don Moore,
Association of North American Radio Clubs
DXer of the Year for 1995.
My Address Is In This Graphic

General DX Info Menu	Main Menu	What's New	Best of this Site	Radio History
EXTENDING THE TABLE A Review of an international cookbook Reviewed by Don Moore Schlabach, Joetta Handrich. EXTENDING THE TABLE ... A WORLD COMMUNITY COOKBOOK. Herald Press: Scottdale, PA, 1991. 336p. What?!? A COOKBOOK being reviewed in these hallowed pages? Well, it may be a bit unusual, but if ever a cookbook deserved the distinction of being reviewed on a DX-oriented website, this one does. Even if you don't know how to cook, this volume would be a great addition to your international bookshelf. Extending the Table is a project of the publishing branch of the Mennonite Chruch, and the recipes were collected from Mennonite missionaries from around the world, but principally in Third World countries. Therefore, there isn't the heavy European focus found in most other multi-national cookbooks. Although the selection and variety of recipes in this book is exceptional, this book is still worth buying even if you don't plan to make a single dish in it. Scattered among the recipes are short personal observations, ranging from a paragraph to a couple of columns in length, by these Mennonite missionaries on food and culture around the world. There are dozens and dozens of stories on topics such as planting corn in Guatemala, Kenyan markets, tortilla-making in Nicaragua, and rural Indonesian house-raisings. Theresa and I do a lot of interntional cooking, but usually depend on the local library for recipes. The Davenport library has over 40 feet of shelf space of international cookbooks, and with resources like that, who needs to buy cookbooks. Or so I thought, until I came across Extending the Table. Most international cookbooks emphasize festive foods of the particular country or region they are covering. Although Extending the Table does have a chapter for those kinds of dishes, most of the recipes are for everyday food from around the world. Besides giving the user a more realistic picture of how people really eat in other cultures, the recipes are simpler to make and healthier than the special-occasion foods found in other international cookbooks. This is the only true-to-everyday-life international cookbook that I have every seen. I guess that is why it is my favorite. This website is maintained by Don Moore, Association of North American Radio Clubs DXer of the Year for 1995.