One of the consequences of the speeded up world in which we live (that includes the internet) is that more people seem to have less time to relax. This is ironic because all these labor saving devices that surround us were originally meant to give us more leisure time. Yet, what they have, in fact, done is force us to work harder and faster to keep up with the cutting edge. To be left behind can mean … well, I will let you imagine the consequences for your own business or job.
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This lack of free time has made books like “Fix It and Enjoy It” by Phyllis Pellman Good a valuable tool. It is basically a great cookbook, with easy, healthy, and filling recipes. It is one way to ensure the family is getting the proper nutrition, eating well, and at the same time you can feel comfortable about taking a few extra minutes to enjoy dinner.
I wrote a review of Fix It and Enjoy It for InDepthInfo. The book made me think about the way things are going in the world of book publishing. The book is packed with information, but it is organized differently from the way cookbooks were put together in my younger days. They were once rambling works with stories, vignettes, histories, and whatnot interspersed with recipes. They were written for reading, cover to cover. In fact, that was how I wrote my own cookbook, The Real Man’s Cookbook. (It is actually more social commentary than cookbook.)
Now “Fix-It” is a state-of-the-art cookbook which dispenses with the unessential and delivers information on demand to the reader. You want a seafood main course that is healthy and quick to prepare? Voila! Flip a few pages and you are there. It is handy. Quick.
The whole concept of cooking has changed since I wrote my cookbook. Ah how different is the world from even ten years ago! The Real Man’s Cookbook completely disregards health concerns. Well, actually it scoffs at them. Of course, this was written durring the hubris of relative youth. It was also the attitude of the time. Back then we wanted rich, heavy food, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead. Now we want to live as long as possible, but give up as little of the heavy food as we can get away with. That is what I really like about Ms. Good’s cookbook, it enters the new paradigm where fruits, vegetables, and seafood are the center of the meal. Yet at the same time it delivers a satisfying list of recipes.
Thanks, Phyllis Pellman Good, for writing this Cookbook!
