Schott's Food And Drink Miscellany [Hardcover]

Ben Schott's new compendium covers all things epicurean. This smorgasbord of fascinating facts on food and drink contains a feast of useless and useful trivia and many savory tidbits of knowledge. Arranged in no particular order are facts that will interest every food lover. For example, if you thought a gourmet was at the top of the hierarchy of gastronomy and a gourmand at the bottom, think again. In reality, the gastronome is the supreme connoisseur of food and drink and the goinfre, or greedy-guts, is the basest.

If you are a world traveler, you will appreciate the list of world beers, foreign toasts and ways to say grace, international variants for Coca Cola logos and Domino's pizza toppings (in India you might choose lamb and pickled ginger), how to ask for the bill in over twenty different languages, and a list of the 121 countries and territories where McDonald's has a presence. If you enjoy food preparation, you might benefit from recipes for cocktails or roast swan, a handy chart of food storage times for fridge and freezer, and the boiling point of water at various altitudes. If you have an interest in things medical, you will find descriptions of diseases of the digestive system, facts on odd food cravings, and hangover cures. For the lover of eclectic food facts, there is information on how to blow smoke rings, read tea leaves, and recognize poisonous mushrooms. There are charts on the body mass index, vitamins, and pasta shapes. There are lists of notable vegetarians, diner slang, edible flowers, Jelly Belly flavors, and the Scoville scale for chili pepper hotness.

Also included are Jewish blessings for wine and bread, and the rules of Halal, which is the Islamic dietary law. There are lyrics for the Chiquita banana song and facts on the joys and disadvantages of garlic, durian, fugu, and asparagus. You will learn why kopi luwak is the world's most expensive coffee. You will be alarmed by the list of dangerous food and drink, including the pretzel with which George W. Bush had a near-fatal encounter. I could go on and on. This book is a treasure that you can pick up at random to learn interesting new things. It is funny, imaginative, witty, and amazingly educational, and it is sure to make you hunger for more. There is even a built-in ribbon bookmark with which to mark your favorite fact of the day. I will leave you with a quote from P. G. Wodehouse that is located on the back of the book jacket: "I hadn't the heart to touch my breakfast. I told Jeeves to drink it by himself." Strongly recommended for the trivia lover.

Eileen Rieback

This is a delightful little tome, full of useful and interesting facts that will appeal to any foodie. It's not the sort of book that you read cover-to-cover; you pick it up, read a couple of items (and guffaw, Harumph, or get a bright idea depending on what you read), and set it down to the next time. While little of this is stuff you HAVE to know, plenty of it will make you say, Oh, Cool!

I know that it's really tough to pick out a cookbook for a friend who's really into cooking. This is a wonderful (and inexpensive) alternative that's sure to make someone smile.

As in his _Original Miscellany_ (2003), the author has simply collected a large number of factoids, grouped under useful headings, but where the first published collection ranged far and wide, this one is thematic, restricting itself to comestibles and potables -- plus a number of pages on smokables -- which arguably makes it more interesting. There are quite a few items of interest, including a selection of "last meal" requests by those facing execution, a description of ullage levels, the items in Capt. Nemo's larder, a list of artists who have contributed label-art for Mouton Rothschild bottles, the characteristics of a number of popular restaurant curries, political quotations involving food, and the varieties of vegetarianism. And there are numerous sidebar quotes and comments, mostly droll. Some included items are highly idiosyncratic, like the favorite food and drink of the members of the "Bay City Rollers," or even questionable in this collection, like the details of an after-dinner dance card from 1926, as found in a printer's archive. And, as in the first volume, there is a tendency to present as canonical a bit of information that is simply one among many varieties, such as stating that Japan's "most notable" brand of beer is Sapporo (I would have said Asahi -- and the list doesn't even include Mexico), and his list of meanings for Mexican street food (the contents and preparation of chimichangas, enchiladas, tacos, nachos, etc) seems to assume a standardization that really doesn't exist. Also, why include, as "curious names" in a list of Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors, Vanilla Caramel Fudge and Chocolate Fudge Brownie? But any shortcomings are made up for by his inclusion of the complete lyrics of the Chiquita Banana song. This is a good book for a couple of hours in the hammock and would also make a nice gift for foodies.

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